Booking a Last Minute Holiday for the Hari Raya Puasa Long Weekend? Here's How Much It'll Cost
Hari Raya Puasa is just around the corner, but you've been too busy with work to plan ahead. However, you shouldn't miss this opportunity to go on a holiday because this the last long-weekend until September. If you are giving up assuming it's already too late to book something, here's our study on how much it could cost to go to a number of holiday destinations around Singapore. It may just be affordable enough for you to convince you to book something now.
It Can Cost Less Than S$1,000 to Spend a Long Weekend in Bali, Phuket or Bintan
To spend a long weekend in Bali, Phuket or Bintan, it could cost you anywhere between S$500 and S$1,000. This includes all of the major costs like your air tickets and 3 nights of accommodations along with a generous food budget of S$300. We searched the major online travel agencies for direct flights and hotels for these locations, and found that non-stop flights can cost as little as S$450 for these locations. Not only that, AirBnbs and hotels were still available for as little as S$15-20 per night. This means that, depending on how much you actually spend on all other things like food, you could actually spend even less than what we estimated below. Also, people traveling in groups could possibly halve the cost of their accomodation by sharing their rooms.
| Destination | Bali | Phuket | Bintan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation | S$469-S$560 for non-stop a round trip flight | S$450-S$500 for non-stop a round trip flight | S$70 for a round trip ferry ride |
| Accommodation | S$40-220 for AirBnb or $56-700 for hotel x 3 nights | S$150-S$149 for AirBnB or S$30-S$200 for hotel x 3 nights | S$56-S$700 for hotel x 3 nights |
| Food & Misc | S$300 | S$300 | S$300 |
| Total | S$895 | S$793 | S$548 |
Save Another 10-20% with Credit Cards
If you are savvy about the way you use your credit card, you can save even more on booking your trip. For instance, some of the best air miles credit cards are offering 10-13 miles per S$1 you spend on travel bookings, which is effectively equivalent to at least 10-13% discount on your spending since 1 mile is worth at least S$0.01 (if not more when you redeem for business class tickets).
If you are interested in which cards are offering what kind of deals, please see our summary list below. If you use these promotions well, you could actually save another 20% or more off of the total cost of your long-weekend getaway, bringing down the total cost to S$700 or less!
| Citi PMV Card | DBS Altitude Card | HSBC Revolution Card | UOB PRVI Miles Card |
|---|---|---|---|
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Planning to Scuba Dive?
If you are planning to engage in any water sports like scuba diving or jet skiing during your vacation, you may want to consider purchasing a travel insurance policy for yourself. According to ValueChampion's study of the best travel insurance in Singapore, a short trip in ASEAN can cost as little as S$10 to cover! Many insurance companies like Etiqa, FWD and Budget Direct cover injuries from water sports, so you can enjoy your time in the water with a peace of mind.
Duckju (DJ) is the founder and CEO of ValueChampion. He covers the financial services industry, consumer finance products, budgeting and investing. He previously worked at hedge funds such as Tiger Asia and Cadian Capital. He graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics with honors, Magna Cum Laude. His work has been featured on major international media such as CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, the Straits Times, Today and more.