Things to Know When Traveling to Singapore

Getting There

Wow, 15 hours out of LAX is a long time on a plane no matter what you do! We flew with Singapore Airlines, which has new equipment with all the latest bells and whistles on Business class and Premium Economy. The service was attentive and fast from beginning to end and of course they offer the latest in entertainment, wifi is available, and you have USB ports to charge your devices, all very helpful on such a long flight. The Singapore airport is a destination itself, especially the infamous waterfall. We actually returned to the airport to the entertainment center, Jewel, for several hours one afternoon!

Culture

We had an excellent guide and one of our hosts, the Singapore Tourist Board, had arranged a wonderful itinerary. Singapore has such a blend of different cultures, I was fascinated. What I kept hearing over and over was ‘peace and harmony’ and this came not only from our guide but from our driver! Buddhism, Muslims, Catholics, a small Jewish community cropping up - all together without conflict. 10 different languages are spoken there, but the primary is English and locals that sometimes speak Spanglish.

Customs

There is almost no crime, and anyone who breaks the law is dealt with swiftly and severely. You don’t see police at all, only an occasional security guard. There is a zero tolerance on drugs, in which they do still cane people convicted for this. Singapore is quickly becoming an international banking center. A fun fact - no chewing gum is sold on the island but you can bring gum and chew it!