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Tips to pack light for traveling

When you pack light, you have greater freedom. You can effortlessly navigate through populated areas, zip through luggage claims, schedule last-minute arrangements without stressing about what to do with your belongings, and reduce the time spent lugging around your baggage if you’re shifting from hotel to hotel.

Traveling light is even more important given that many carriers impose penalties for suitcases that exceed dimensions or weight limits. Packing minimally for adventures may appear challenging at first, but as with any new skill, the more you do it, the more you learn and adapt.

This article gives you tips on how to pack light for traveling.

Wash it

Concentrate on pieces that dry swiftly and are simple to clean. If you’re going in the warmer months and it’s humid, you could consider washing your socks, gym clothing, undergarments, and possibly a couple of lightweight tops. If you’re staying in an Airbnb, make sure there’s at least one with a washer. If not, the bathroom sink will suffice.

Use organizers

To save room and keep your belongings orderly, roll your garments and use compression sacks or zip-lock bags. Loading with organizers allows you to quickly locate what you need without needing to rummage through your entire luggage. Also, compression bags flatten items by eliminating extra air, but be careful not to overpack.

Write a packing list

Image Credits: theportablewife.com

One of the most common mistakes people do while packing is taking out their luggage, packing what they need, and then adding more items they don’t need all in the name of having extra space. Make a checklist for yourself a few days before your vacation and keep to it. If you’re not sure what to bring since you’re clueless about what the trip needs, seek a packing list available on the web.

Wear the bulky items

Wear it instead of packing it if you require something substantial, such as a winter jacket. Carry your coat when going on a trip during wintertime. If bringing a coat for boarding is unfeasible, don’t bring one at all. When you arrive, buy an affordable piece and then dispose of it when you depart.

Hoodies and overcoats are the same way. We suggest omitting them in favor of the thinner ones. However, you can carry a thick sweater on cold-weather travels provided you wear it while in transit. Knits and hooded sweatshirts are ideal for chilly plane rides. Just don’t take up any of your valuable packing space with them.

Traveling light doesn’t have to mean losing coziness or fashion sense, but it does necessitate reconsidering travel items like coats and footwear. When it comes to preparing for a trip, minor increments like a kilogram here or there can quickly mount up. Whether you’re trying to travel with only a carry-on or simply want to reduce the size of your checked luggage, the packing recommendations in this article can assist.

Why does time fly when you’re having fun?

Why does time seem to fly while you’re having fun yet drag on for eons when you’re bored?

Well, the brain’s perception of time is influenced by its preconceptions. As a result, when you take a look back, the perceived timeframe of an occurrence is influenced by how the brain encoded the experience.

Everything seems new while you’re a kid, therefore your brain creates complex networks to retain those happenings. Yet, as a grownup, you’ve seen a lot more, so these occurrences don’t elicit similar recollections. As a consequence, time seems to fly by as you become older.

Tricky, huh? That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s delve further into why time seems to fly when you’re having fun.

Memory retrieval

When it comes to recollection, we have a different perception of time than when it comes to actual occurrences. When you recall similar events from memory some months later, your impressions of them are frequently flipped.

For instance, while you’re on holiday and having a good time, the days seem to fly past. Conversely, if you’re at work, the hours may seem to pass by sluggishly. But as you look back on those tedious days that appeared to drag on as you lived them, they appear to have passed quickly. Your trip, on the other extreme, will appear to have lasted far longer than it did thanks to how the brain retrieves memories.

Brain anticipation

Image Credits: vox.com

According to research, our brains interpret time passing more quickly during some activities, particularly joyful occurrences. Pleasant situations, such as a planned vacation, are perceived to be further away than they are.

Someone’s getaway to Bali, for example, may be only a weekend away, but it feels like a full week. Furthermore, people believe that pleasing activities, such as vacations, persist for a shorter period than unfavorable activities. People often feel that their trip abroad is over as immediately as it starts, due to the lengthy wait for it to begin and the anticipation that it will fly past before they realize it.

Approach motivation

As per prior studies, many individuals believe that time passes faster when they are undergoing happy emotions or situations than when they are completely dejected. Nonetheless, not all positive moods are created equal.

Although satisfaction and peacefulness are pleasant emotions, they do not rank particularly high in what specialists refer to as approach motivation. Passion and enthusiasm, on the contrary, are considered strong in approach motivation since they motivate people to act on something. Simply said, when people are in high-approach motivation stages, they sense as if time is flying by.

In essence, whenever you’re bored or doing something you don’t want to be doing, your mind is free to roam. When your mind wanders, it frequently turns to the clock, as you consider how much more the seconds must pass before you can escape your predicament. But when you’re pleasantly immersed in something you like, your attention tends to be completely concentrated on the delight you’re experiencing. You aren’t as concerned about the progression of time because you are savoring the present moment. Intriguing, isn’t it?

Singapore’s latest entry policy

VTL entry

As of midnight on March 3, the Civil Aviation Authority has issued 348,518 Vaccinator Passes (VTPs) to travellers from 30 countries and territories, and 456,215 people have entered Singapore through the VTL so far.

Currently: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Denmark, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Maldives, Netherlands, Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom and United States, Hong Kong, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Israel and Philippines

In the future, Singapore will expand the Vaccinator Travel Gateway VTL programme to more cities in Malaysia, Indonesia and India, and launch VTL programmes with Greece and Vietnam.

From 16 March, Singapore’s airline VTL scheme with Malaysia will be extended to Penang with four return VTL flights daily, and Indonesia’s airline VTL scheme will be extended to Bali on the same day with two daily VTL flights to Singapore.

Travellers from Greece and Vietnam will also be able to enter Singapore under the VTL scheme from March 16 onwards. Short-term travellers and work permit holders who wish to enter the country under the scheme can apply for a Vaccinator Pass from 10am on 13 March.

Border measures

The Singapore Ministry of Health has released a number of policies to continue to liberalise Singapore’s border measures! Firstly, border measures will be simplified by standardising the home notification period to seven days.

Existing Category 2, Category 3 and Category 4 countries and territories will be categorised as General Travel, while those requiring stricter border measures will be categorised as Restricted, although no countries or territories currently fall under the latter category.

Under the General Travel category, all travellers arriving from 11.59 pm on the 21st will only have to fulfil a seven-day home notification, as the incubation period for Omicron is shorter. Travellers who have completed their vaccinations and entered via VTL, as well as those from Category 1 countries or territories, will continue to be exempt from quarantine. The travel history of travellers will also be reduced from 14 days to seven days.

Instead of having to undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test upon arrival, VTL and travellers from Category 1 countries or territories will be able to undergo a supervised Rapid Antigen Test (ART) at one of the testing centres across the island within 24 hours of entry into the country.

In addition to work permit holders, vaccinated long-term document holders will no longer be required to obtain a Vaccinator Travel Permit (VTP) or entry permit upon entry into the country. However, they will still be required to comply with border health measures upon entry.

The Health Minister pointed out that following the end of the Omicron outbreak, Singapore should gradually transition to allow all vaccinated travellers to be exempted from quarantine and no longer require the Vaccinator Travel Track (VTL).

He also noted that imported cases now account for about 1% of the total number of daily cases. The authorities are now concerned whether travellers entering Singapore are sufficiently protected so that they do not place a burden on the local healthcare system. In practice, therefore, there should be less emphasis on home notification and testing of travellers, and instead ensure that they complete their vaccinations and additional doses.

Singapore Bids Farewell to Passport Stamps for Short-term Visitors

Passport stamps have long been regarded as a keepsake of your time abroad. It can function as a conversation starter to show off your adventures. However, many countries are ditching this practice to opt for alternative tracking methods.

A passport stamp is an inked impression found in a passport, which is a symbol given upon entering or exiting a territory. Authorities have used stickers apart from rubber stamps (e.g., entry stamps from Japan).

While most countries issue both entry and exit passport stamps, a few countries issue entry stamps alone. Other countries do not stamp passports upon entry nor exit. These countries include Hong Kong, Israel, Macau, and South Korea. These countries issue landing slips as documentation to travelers.

What about Singapore? The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) recently announced that all short-term visitors will no longer have their passports stamped. Instead, electronic visit passes (e-Pass) will be issued. This transition is a part of ICA’s efforts to provide a “more secure, safer, and more seamless immigration clearance” as Singapore gradually reopens its borders, according to the agency.

e-Pass Provides Seamless Immigration Clearance

e-Passes were first issued at Changi Airport in October 2021. Since then, its issuance has been progressively extended to all checkpoints.

Short-term travellers will now receive the electronic passes through the email addresses they provided in their arrival cards after clearing immigration. The email will contain details of the visit pass granted, such as the maximum days of stay and the last day of stay allowed in Singapore.

To support the travellers, ICA launched an enquiry portal where they can check their short-term visit pass records.

e-Pass Promotes Greater Convenience

The lack of pages in your passport is no longer an issue! ICA said: “With the full implementation of the e-Pass, all foreign visitors on short-term visit pass will no longer have to worry about the lack of pages in their passports to accommodate immigration stamps.”

Visitors just need to enter the Disembarkation/Embarkation (DE) number issued to them through the portal after they have submitted the SG Arrival Card application. They will have the convenience of retrieving their e-Pass information through the ICA’s e-Pass Enquiry Portal on the SG Arrival Card e-Service platform any time they want.

Visitors were reminded to provide an accurate and valid email address in the SG Arrival Card. This card should be submitted within three days before the date of arrival in Singapore.

How about for family members without personal email accounts? You can provide a proxy email address.

e-Pass Leverages Technology

The implementation of the e-Pass is an important part of its shift towards automated immigration clearance.

According to ICA: “The e-Pass is one of the building blocks for ICA’s New Clearance Concept (NCC). The NCC, which would be operationalised at our checkpoints from 2023, will automate immigration clearance for all travellers.”

Image Credits: unsplash.com

Governments and immigration authorities relied on passport stamps to monitor the travel movements of travellers. Due to technological advances, many countries including Singapore steered away from the old practice. Adapting to these new policies is essential to future automation.

Sources: 1, 2 & 3

13 “Oraegage” to visit the next time you hit the streets of Seoul

Taking advantage of the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) scheme that started on 15 November to travel to South Korea soon? You must be researching what to do in Seoul.

If you don’t already know, Seoul is a metropolis that is always evolving. In the pursuit of urbanization, low-rise buildings and old infrastructures have been bulldozed, skyscrapers have sprung up everywhere, and historic lanes have been substituted with straighter routes. The Seoul you’ve seen a few years back could have been very different by now.

But still, some businesses have existed for a long time in the fresher, wealthier districts south of the Han River, which are more renowned for high-end restaurants and upscale shops with designer items. These are the spots filled with years of meaningful memories right around the corner of Seoul’s flashy complexes.

That is why before you urgently book a train to Busan or a flight out to Jeju, you will want to visit these newly added “Oraegage” or “Historical Stores” in Seoul’s southeastern areas.

Worthy of its title

Image Credits: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Stores with a heritage of over 30 years in the Seoul area, have been passed down for two or more generations, and where experts and craftsmen practice their specialty are accorded the status by the city government. Since 2017, about 100 over spots have received the worthy label.

Here are the recent “Oraegage” or “Historical Stores” added this time:

Guro District: Jinsun Audio
Dongjak District: Apple House
Songpa District: Myungga Tteokjip
Gangnam District: Manna Dang, Manna Snack, Motungijip, Sangsindang, and Gembros
Seocho District: Doosung Paper, Seowoo Confectionery, Ewha Myeong Joo, Hill String, and Dongyang Korea Oriental Instruments

The metropolitan area has grouped the 13 locations into 4 themes and offers 4 itineraries in which travelers can visit the stores associated with each concept.

#1: Rediscovery of Market

Image Credits: Seoul Metropolitan Government

This tour takes you to shops in a market and a mall in an old apartment block that has retained its attractiveness for decades.

You will be visiting Manna Snack, a snack bar at Eunma Shopping Center that has been selling noodles and spicy rice cakes since 1990. You will also stop by Myeongga Tteokjip, which started in 1980 and is famous for its fist-sized glutinous rice cakes with red bean paste at Saemaul Market in the Songpa District of Jamsil area.

#2: Rediscovery of Walking

Image Credits: Seoul Metropolitan Government

If you book this package, you will be in the compounds of Bangbaesai-gil and Naebang. Enter Ewha Myeong Joo, a hanbok store that has been retailing Korean traditional apparel since 1978 and has seen many foreigners as its customers. It is located in Seorae Village, which is recognized as a French enclave consisting of stylish restaurants and boutiques.

You will also make stops at Apple House, a snack shop that started in 1986 serving spicy fried dumplings, and Seowoo Confectionery, which has been operating since 1980, selling cookies consisting of overcooked rice crust with garlic.

#3: Rediscovery of Emotions

Image Credits: Seoul Metropolitan Government

Connect with your artistic side via this tour. Jinsun Audio in Guro District is recommendable for individuals who like the rich and detailed tone of vinyl recordings. You can also get your hands on some valuable handmade turntables from the store, which first opened in 1988.

Thereafter, head to Ationery, a stationery and office equipment business established by Doosung Paper in 1982 that sells high-quality paper products. Hill String, which has been selling Western instruments since 1967, and Dong Korea Oriental Instruments, which has been producing and retailing traditional Korean instruments since 1991, are among the stores you will see too.

#4: Rediscovery of Gangnam

Image Credits: mangoplate.com

On this journey, the locals will show you diverse views of Gangnam Station and Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong. The journey begins at Motungijib, a little snack business just around the bend from Gangnam Station that has been serving spicy fish cake rice rolls wrapped in seaweed since 1988.

You will also get to witness for yourself Sangsindang, a business that has been creating stamps and seals since 1977; Gembros, a jewelry store that started in 1984; and Mannadang, a place that has been selling Korean traditional sweets since 1963.

We heard that there is more information on these rediscovery-themed travel packages at Tripadvisor so do an online search over there if you’re curious! Have a safe trip.

Wash it

Use organizers

Write a packing list

Wear the bulky items

Memory retrieval

Brain anticipation

Approach motivation

Worthy of its title

#1: Rediscovery of Market

#2: Rediscovery of Walking

#3: Rediscovery of Emotions

#4: Rediscovery of Gangnam

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