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Things to do in Riyadh, Saudi (save and share this Things to do in Riyadh, Saudi (save and share this post)!

1. Visit historical Diriyah! This is the birthplace of the first Saudi state, its extremely well preserved and a must see UNESCO site. We did a 2 hour guided tour and I highly recommend.

2. Have lunch at Najd Village which is a restaurant that serves traditional meals in a traditional setting (sitting on the floor, eating with your hands). The entire restaurant is built in the old Nadj lifestyle so you can see the architecture of the past. The food was amazing and the ambiance is equally beautiful.

3. Explore the red sand dunes which I highlighted in my last reel. You can do dunebashing, sandboarding, ATVing and more.

4. Walk around The Boulevard- it’s an outdoor entertainment area with shops, restaurants and more. There’s an area that replicates Times Square and then other parts reminded me on the Vegas strip, perfect place to spend an evening for dinner.

5. Face your fear of heights and walk across the skybridge at the Kingdom Centre Tower. It’s 300 meters above the ground with amazing views of the city. Don’t worry it’s enclosed!

6. Visit the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

7. Walk around the Masmak Fort, it’s free!

8. See the Edge of the World, one of the most famous spots in Saudi.

I’m very glad I got to see Saudi for myself, next stop, exploring the city of Jeddah! Would you do any of these activities?

📸 @chrispriestley__ and @nadjowa
Things to do in Riyadh, Saudi (save and share this Things to do in Riyadh, Saudi (save and share this post)!

1. Visit historical Diriyah! This is the birthplace of the first Saudi state, its extremely well preserved and a must see UNESCO site. We did a 2 hour guided tour and I highly recommend.

2. Have lunch at Najd Village which is a restaurant that serves traditional meals in a traditional setting (sitting on the floor, eating with your hands). The entire restaurant is built in the old Nadj lifestyle so you can see the architecture of the past. The food was amazing and the ambiance is equally beautiful.

3. Explore the red sand dunes which I highlighted in my last reel. You can do dunebashing, sandboarding, ATVing and more.

4. Walk around The Boulevard- it’s an outdoor entertainment area with shops, restaurants and more. There’s an area that replicates Times Square and then other parts reminded me on the Vegas strip, perfect place to spend an evening for dinner.

5. Face your fear of heights and walk across the skybridge at the Kingdom Centre Tower. It’s 300 meters above the ground with amazing views of the city. Don’t worry it’s enclosed!

6. Visit the National Museum of Saudi Arabia.

7. Walk around the Masmak Fort, it’s free!

8. See the Edge of the World, one of the most famous spots in Saudi.

I’m very glad I got to see Saudi for myself, next stop, exploring the city of Jeddah! Would you do any of these activities?

📸 @chrispriestley__ and @nadjowa
#Ad This summer I have plans to do a lot of outdoo #Ad This summer I have plans to do a lot of outdoor activities, and protecting my skin while being out in the sun is extremely important! Since I frequently travel with others, having a sunscreen that everyone can use is a must, which is why I’m loving the new @coppertoneusa Complete sunscreen! 

It passed the most important tests for me when looking at sunscreen, it leaves no white cast on my skin, is lightweight, moisturizing, provides UVA and UVB sun protection, and is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes! 

This new sunscreen allows me to pack light while providing the entire group with the sun protection we need. What sunny summer plans do you have? #Coppertone #ItsGreatOutdoors
Saving money anywhere we can is key to us being ab Saving money anywhere we can is key to us being able to travel frequently. @Priceline makes it easy to save on hotels with their Priceline Express Deals®, which can save us up to 60% off published hotel rates for all the major hotels and more. While you won't be able to see the hotel name until after you've paid, you can filter what you see by choosing your preferred neighborhood and amenities of your choice, then let Priceline do the rest. I used it to get an amazing hotel in La Jolla on one of our trips to San Diego, what trips do you have coming up that you're looking to save on hotels? Tap the link in bio to download the app now to save on your next trip. #PricelineExpressDeals #PricelinePartner
“There’s no dream too big or too small”, tha “There’s no dream too big or too small”, that’s the mantra of the girls favorite gymnast, Simone Biles, and one we personally live by. They’re in gymnastics and swim and outside of these regular activities you’ve all seen them try skiing, surfing, hang-gliding and more. None of these come easy but they know that there is nothing they can’t accomplish as long as they work towards their goals just as Simone Biles does. They were so excited to find out Simone has her own collection at @athleta and are now convinced these outfits give them super powers🤣. Which one of these outfits is your favorite? #PowerOfShe #AthletaGirl #AthletaPartner
There’s more to Jordan than Petra and Wadi Rum! There’s more to Jordan than Petra and Wadi Rum! We got to spend time in Feynan and one morning while there Jordyn and I woke up early to go on a hike through this nature reserve. Our @nike gear from @kohls was perfect for the climate. 

We both loved that we matched from head to toe in our #nikesportswear and we’re able to find attire in beautiful colors. You can actually walk from Petra to Feynan, it only takes 3 days 😅 and lots of people do it. While the two of us did not do that we loved exploring this land of the Bedouin. 

What have been the best/most memorable places you have hiked? #kohlsfinds #kohlspartner
Happy Carnival Tuesday! The wait is over, registra Happy Carnival Tuesday! The wait is over, registration for Trinidad Carnival 2023 has officially begun with a pop up registration today for those who played Mas in 2020. 

The world is absolutely crazy right now, there is so much turmoil and inhumane things going on. Obviously Carnival is not important in the grand scheme of things but today I’m happy to have it to look forward to because Carnival brings me lots of joys. I’m ready for di road!

Have you been to Trinidad Carnival or any other carnival? Which one(s)?

If you’re interested in Carnival but don’t know where to start I have a blog post on everything you need to know about planning a trip to Trinidad Carnival on my website, link is in my bio.

#trinidadcarnival #blacktravel #caribbeangirl #thetravelingchildintrinidad

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Singapore Layover: How to Make the Most of 12 Hours in Singapore

March 18, 2017      Asia, Destinations, Singapore

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

On our recent flight home from Bangkok we would have a Singapore layover. Instead of picking a short layover we decided to choose the flight that would give us 14 hours in between flights to enjoy 12 hours in Singapore. While you can’t see everything in Singapore in 12 hours since it’s a small country you can still see a lot in one day. We flew Qatar Airways landing in Singapore at 12:40PM and weren’t departing until 2:05AM. Here’s what we did on our Singapore layover.

Family in Merlion Park with Marina Bay Sands in the background

Clearing Customs and Visa Requirements for a Singapore Layover

Singapore does not require US citizens to have a visa if you are visiting for less than 90 days. The immigration officer did ask us how long we were staying and proof of our departure flight so I would be sure to have this handy. Ours allowed us to show him on my phone but I’d recommend having a screenshot in case you don’t have cell phone service to pull it up.

Singapore Layover: Where to Store Your Luggage

Our flight from Thailand to Singapore and from Singapore to home were not on the same airline so our bags did not check all the way through. Qatar Airways only allows check in 3 hours prior to the flight so we couldn’t check our bags in so early. Obviously walking through Singapore with all of our luggage was not an option so what did we do? Changi Airport has baggage storage in each terminal in both the transit and public areas of the airport for easy drop off. It cost us about $15 USD to hold our bags and you can find more information on prices here.

Getting From Changi Airport to Enjoy Your Singapore Layover

Singapore has great public transportation including a train at both Terminal 2 and 3 that will take you into the city. All the stations are luggage friendly with escalators and elevators. It took us 20mins to get to Merlion Park and cost a mere $1.50 Singaporean Dollars. You can see a fare calculator here.

What to Do on a Singapore Layover

You’d be surprised at how much you can do on a Singapore layover. With the 8 hours we had in Singapore we visited Merlion Park, Marina Bay Sands, and Gardens by the Bay. Her’s what to do in each location.

Merlion Park

Merlion Park gives you a great view of the infamous Marina Bay Sands hotel and a chance to take the obligatory picture of catching the water spraying from the Merlion’s mouth. Unfortunately the big Merlion had scaffolding around it during out visit as it was closed for cleaning but Jordyn still got to attempt the photo with the Merlion cub. There are tons of restaurants and bars in this area as well if you want to eat.
​
Viator

Toddler pretending to catch the water sprouting from a lion statue in Merlion Park

Marina Bay Sands

You can technically walk here from Merlion Park, someone told us it would take about 20mins. We didn’t have a stroller and I wasn’t interested in Jordyn getting tired halfway through and asking us to pick her up so we caught an Uber. If you’re into shopping you can definitely spend some money here as their are tons of high-end stores. If you’re only coming for the view of the city like we did you have two options. Unfortunately the infamous Infinity Pool is only accessible to hotel guests but you can get to the 57th floor by dining at one of the restaurants open to non-hotel guests or paying admission to access the Observation Deck. It’s open 9:30AM-10PM Mon-Thurs and 9:30AM-11PM Fri-Sun. You can pre-purchase tickets online and if you sign up for Sands Rewards you will receive 20% off admission.

Mother with two children on an observation deck with the sun setting in the background

Gardens by the Bay

A trip to Singapore wouldn’t be complete without seeing the magical Gardens by the Bay. It’s a quick walk here from Marina Bay Sands you can ask valet to point you in the right direction. The attractions include two conservatories, the outdoor gardens, and the Skyway. The conservatories and Skyway are open from 9AM-9PM and have an admission fee (book your tickets here). If you only want to see the garden show at night and watch it come to life it’s free and there is a 7:45 and 8:45PM show however this area is open from 5AM-2AM. There is also a Children’s Garden which has a splash pad and free of charge but it’s closed on Mondays.

Young black girl playing at Gardens By the Bay Supertrees

Infant sitting up in amazement of with lit up trees in the background

The kids got tired once the sun went down so we didn’t get the chance to do Night Safari Singapore but it’s on our list for our next visit.

Other Things to Do on a Singapore Layover

Of course with only 12 hours in Singapore we weren’t able to do everything. If we have another layover in Singapore in the future we would do these things:

  • Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: Don’t feel like navigating the city on your own? Take a hop-on hop-off bus tour and choose when to get off or just stay on the bus the entire time. The tour lasts 50 minutes if you don’t get off at all and runs 8:30am-6:00pm every 20 minutes. Book your ticket here.
  • Singapore Flyer: This ferris wheel reaches a height of 40 stories,providing an amazing view over the entire Marina Bay. (Book a city tour that includes the flyer here).
  • Singapore Botanic Gardens: A 158-year-old tropical garden that is honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Singapore’s first!). You will love the fact that entrance here is FREE from 5AM to 12AM (except for the National Orchid Garden – the park’s crown jewel – that is open 8:30AM to 7PM and charges SGD 5
  • ArtScience Museum: This museum is famous for its varied art and science exhibitions and flower shape.  You can grab discounted rates if you book online.
  • S.E.A. Aquarium: This is one of the biggest aquariums in the world and families will love it. (Book your tickets here).
  • Singapore Zoo: The Singapore Zoo has won the best Singapore Attraction Award 9 times so apparently it’s a big deal. You can book tickets ahead of time here.
  • Night Safari: If your layover includes time after sunset like ours did consider the night safari which we really wanted to do. Here you’ll be able to see nocturnal animals such as leopards in their natural habitat. Book your ticket here.
  • Little India
  • Chinatown

Free Guided Tour on Your Singapore layover Offered by Changi Airport

If you don’t have a full 12 hours to explore Singapore but have at least 5.5 hours Changi Airport offers free guided tours of Singapore you can join. To get you back in time tours only last 2.5 hours, which is why we didn’t take them up on their offer. While you have to have at least 5.5 hours on your layover you can’t have more than 24 hours or else you don’t qualify for the tour. They are on a first come first serve basis and you cannot make a reservation.

Two tours are offered, the Heritage Tour and the the City Sights Tour. The Heritage Tour runs five times a day and takes you to Merlion Park, Little India, Chinatown Kampong Glam, and the Malay Heritage Center. The City Sights Tour only runs twice a day and takes you to see the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade and Merlion Park.

What to Do at Changi Airport on Your Singapore Layover

While I don’t know anyone who wants to be stuck at the airport for an extended time if you are hope it’s Changi Airport. There is a movie theater, pool, a thriller slide, and tons of play areas for kids. The airport also provides free wifi, plenty of charging stations, and you can borrow strollers and carts to carry your luggage throughout the terminals free of charge.

Playground inside of an airport

little girl sitting in stroller

playground at airport

Singapore was the perfect end to our tour of Thailand visiting Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok. We were ready to conquer another long haul flight home with kids. Please share this article if you found it helpful in planning your Singapore layover!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hey, I’m Monet!

Hey, I’m Monet!

A full time working woman, wife and mama of two. I use every last one of my vacation days traveling with my kids, hubby, friends or solo. Join me as I share my travel experiences and tips to make travel affordable and easier with the little ones. You can read more about me here.

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