Ramblings Archives | Rambling Feet

Shitting on Happiness

A post by another Singaporean travel blogger went viral for the wrong reasons last week. The premise? ‘Singaporeans are are racist, ignorant, Instagram-obsessed sheep who are not maximising their freedom to visit 180 countries without getting a visa in advance.’

Unsurprisingly, the said blogger removed the post due to the backlash, despite having writing about his countrymen like this for years. Thankfully, for those who missed out, the Internet never forgets.

If our dear blogger intended to spur other Singaporeans to leave their comfort zones, a sea of smugness and tired epithets drowned the message. Let’s quickly examine what was wrong with the post.

[Read on]

Why I Don’t Care How Many Countries You’ve Been To

Have you heard of the Travelers’ Century Club? Only people who have been to 100 or more countries and territories can become members. According to the club’s criteria, as of July 2016, I’ve been to 29 such places. (You can check my ‘Where I’ve Been’ page for the updated list) There’s a long way to go if I want to get a special pin and join their meetings.

It’s a big ‘IF’, though. Joining the club isn’t on my bucket list. Now, I’m aware that I’ve been privileged enough to be able to leave Singapore’s shores a few times a year, but I must share this: It’s nice to count countries and keep score, but my total, or anyone’s total for that matter, is no big deal. It actually ruins the things that make travel enjoyable, beneficial and meaningful.

[Read on]

5 Popular Travel Quotes Folks Need to Stop Using

I haven’t been writing for long but I’m already tired of seeing the same travel quotes on Pinterest, Tumblr and popular blogs. The addition of gorgeous scenery, a cool typeface or eye candy only serves as a distraction from the glaringly flawed soundbite.

It may seem as if I’m picking on an easy target but hear me out. I know that, at its best, travel can be enriching and eye-opening. I don’t think one needs to drop famous names to validate his/her choices, but other people don’t share the same view. In their haste to “inspire” others, however, they commit some serious errors. They often don’t know if that line means what they think it means, or if that person even said it!

There are many popular sayings about travel that do not make good choices, but these are the worst: [Read on]

A Liebster Award Nomination

Karolina & Patryk have nominated me for a Liebster Award, an award that is shared among bloggers to recognise up-and-coming bloggers who have smaller followings (or a modern-day chain letter with no curse if you break it). I’m grateful for that and also for the little Q&A that will now supplement my ‘About Me’ page.

I’ve been following my nominators’ journey around Southeast Asia. We’ve been to several of the same places in this region and in Europe, and like me they encourage people to get out and see the world. The only difference is that they’re doing so as digital nomads! Here are the 11 questions they’ve lined up for me and my answers. [Read on]

When Travel Plans and the Law Don’t Mix

I passed a couple of police officers interviewing a shaggy-haired lad outside OverEasy yesterday. On the pavement, the lad had placed a bucket of liquid, a tin wrapped in a jack-o’-lantern jacket and a sign.

That sign said, ‘I’m colecting (sic) money to travel around Asia.’

Ah, a traveller, I surmised. Probably someone who decided that the ordinary life was not for him and was determined to see the world, even if it meant busking. I’d read and met many such people at TBEX and in New Zealand, and they funded their adventures in many different ways. It’s another thing, however, to see fellow Singaporeans put obstacles in their path.

As I wandered around the mall’s restaurants in search of dinner, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I saw. Who is this guy whose plans to fund his ambitions had just run afoul of the law?

I wanted to know his story, so I went back. [Read on]

Delays on the Road: The Side of Travel You Rarely See

It’s not the destination but the journey that counts.

Those words are not very comforting when a trip (the part where one is travelling to a destination) is disrupted by unexpected events. I seem to be copping more of them as the years go by. I hope my luck changes for the better, because most of the delays didn’t make for great stories. [Read on]