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Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in o Walking into this Wednesday with an extra pep in our step.  While we’ve always raised our girls to know they can be or do anything we couldn’t be more excited for them to have witnessed #HERstory themselves today. How y’all feeling on this glorious Wednesday? #representationmatters #thefutureisfemale
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” “The time is always right to do what is right.” Nearly 53 years later and these words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are words that fit so perfectly in today’s society, that is a sad truth.

My dream for America would be for it to get its shit together. For the many Americans in denial of what is actually happening in this country to wake up. For allies to be loud all the time, not just on #blackouttuesday. The work Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. helped start is not done and I’m afraid it never will be. 

From visiting his birth home (swipe left) to where he was assassinated, we’ll always strive to be our children’s best teachers. Remember it starts at home! #mlkday
Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I Wow, so many new faces in our tiny corner of IG! I am so happy our “how we afford to travel so much” series and photography tips have been helpful, more coming soon! Just wanted to share a little more about us. We’re Monet, James, Jordyn and Kennedy and we live in South Florida. I started The Traveling Child in 2016 to inspire parents to travel the world with their kids while providing tips to make it easier and affordable. Our motto is if kids live there, kids can visit and you’ll often find us exploring destinations most don’t consider “kid friendly”. 

Hubby and I met at the one and only University of Florida #gogators. We’ve been together for 14yrs and have our 8yr wedding anniversary coming up soon. Our love for travel isn’t new, 2 months into our relationship we studied abroad together in China.

Jordyn is 6, Kennedy is 4 and they both go to regular public school because well homeschool is not for us lol, but school has been virtual recently because of you know what. Still travel with school aged kids is possible and there are flight deals during school breaks!

James works in sales in Corporate America in an office setting so while I have my own business now we do have tips on traveling frequently with a full time job as well.

I’m Jamaican and well that means I’m a hustler lol. I’m the author of the children’s book, The Traveling Child Goes to Rio de Janeiro (available on Amazon), a freelance writer for The Points Guy and wannabe photographer.  I also write for our own blog/website www.thetravelingchild.co where we share our tips on affordable travel, traveling with kids and providing the itineraries for all the places we’ve traveled to.

While travel is the main focus of this page we’re parents too so we also share things we find helpful raising these kids and sometimes random dance videos 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Now that you know a little bit about us, tell us a little bit about you! Or ask us any questions you have!
How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight How we flew to Singapore for free! We got a flight deal for $395RT (tip from our how we afford to travel so much part 1 reel) and coupled that with points earned from a sign up bonus from a travel card. That cards bonus was 100,000 points which was redeemable for $1,250 in travel purchases. $395x3 plus only the taxes for Kennedy’s lap infant ticket meant we paid nothing out of pocket for the fights there! (Save and share this post.)

Is this series helpful? What do you want me to cover in part 3?

P.S. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to using points and miles and 60 seconds is def not enough to go in depth. So I’m hosting a webinar on Saturday, January 23rd at 1pm EST where I’ll tell and show you how to find and book flight deals, go over travel credit cards and the other tools we use to afford travel so much. You will be able to ask all the questions you want and because of that it’s an intimate event with only 30 tickets available. Can’t wait to help you learn the tools to afford travel now so when the world is completely open you’re prepared! #traveltipsandtricks
I have so much to say but at the same time don’t I have so much to say but at the same time don’t have the words. This day will go down in history!
It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas h It’s the hair for me! But seriously this mamas hands are tired so I’m going to do as I said through my word of the year (check last post) and release these hair responsibilities to someone else next week, it’s time for the girls to get some braids. Buttttt if you’re looking for their natural hair routine, click the link in my bio for it. Are you team protective style or wear your hair out? 

For protective styles what are you go to’s? I need some inspo as I grow my hair back out for this in between phase. #naturalhairstyles
Words are so powerful and my word for this year wi Words are so powerful and my word for this year will be the reason I accomplish all the goals I have set forth this year. Are you letting go of anything in 2021? Do you have a word of the year, if so what is it?

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

March 18, 2017      Asia, Destinations, Singapore

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!

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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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