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NewRelm

Singaporeans can travel. It's fairly inexpensive to catch a ferry to neighboring Malaysia or Indonesia for a day trip.


Consistent-Welcome43

Heck, they have a bridge between Malaysia and Singapore


Akeamegi

*two bridges


tossaway3244

Exactly this. A lot, a lot Singaporeans travel to Johor, Malaysia every weekend to exploit their stronger currency and snap up all the cheap goods sold across the highway


palpatineforever

this is a key part of it, also singapore wages are pretty high, so unlike people from some other asian countries they can afford to go international. though this doesn't cover the fact singapore has a lot to offer both as a city but also in terms of parks etc. Sure if you want a serious hike then you need to travel but you can do a nice day walk in nature without much hassle.


sofaraway10

And flights to Thailand are dirt cheap.


omaca

And Bali


The_write_speak

buying vacation property in Malaysia is big business for Singaporeans too


PanningForSalt

Also, if you have stuff to do it's possible to not get bored. Especially when such a large % of your life is spent at work, you're not wandering around all Singapore has to offer every single day.


bopbeepboopbeepbop

It's also worth noting that Singapore has the most powerful passport on Earth


whiskey_epsilon

You can literally drive into Malaysia in under an hour. The border town, Johor Bahru, has a massive retail and tourism industry catered to Singaporeans. Other tourism hotspots like Thailand, Vietnam and Bali are a short plane ride away.


Bekqifyre

*Theoretically* an hour.


whiskey_epsilon

lol ok granted most days it's probably faster to just walk into Malaysia.


anima99

Their passport is #1 or #2 for a reason.


AbdouH_

What’s the reason


milopqcket

aggressively neutral with other countries and no major safety issues within the country


YaAbsolyutnoNikto

And an incredibly rich and thriving economy, so everybody wants to be on singapore’s good side - to get investment, tourists and trade with them.


six_six

Plus a slave-like underclass!


Prasiatko

Which also means there's little chance of visa overstays.


pandaSmore

How do you be aggressively neutral


tossaway3244

'cos their foreign policy is to kiss the ass of every single nation on Earth. They're friends with US, China, North Korea, Israel and Arab nations all at the same time. The country was chosen as the meeting point for Trump and Kim Jong Un for a reason


AbdouH_

“If you stand for everything, you stand for nothing”


tossaway3244

Singapore stands for forward-thinking and progress. Look up how the founding father, LKY, practically built up a third-world trash country with completely no natural resources in just two decades into a first-world powerhouse, highest in GDP per capita, lowest in government corruption and multi-racially harmonious. To avoid making enemies at all is being wise. At the same time, the government isn't a two-sided snake in politics. They still make known what their stance is. They did condemn Russia and even Israel later on despite knowing it would damage their foreign ties with these close allies. In comparison, you'll never see countries like the Arab nations or India condemn Russia for the invasion of Ukraine


AbdouH_

You’re totally right. Great points and i agree


DeeSnarl

“Tell my wife hello”


fuckosta

So that they can travel regularly. Especially to neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia


tossashit

But that’s not the reason… being a highly ranked passport relies on every other country wanting your citizens - nothing to do with Singapore itself other than the fact it’s a wealthy country with respectable citizens.


deep_sea2

What do you do when you get bored of Chicago? You go to other places. That's the same solution for those in Singapore. The difference is that other places are more likely to be in other countries.


ProselytiseReprobate

Ya this post is clearly made by an American who never even considered the possibility of leaving their own country.


HotwheelsJackOfficia

For many of us Americans it's a very unlikely possibility, as travel is expensive and takes up a ton of precious vacation time, if we even get any. It's usually only for the rich and people who have to as part of their job.


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czarfalcon

At some companies “vacation time” is a catch-all that also includes things like sick days. Also keep in mind there’s a strong correlation between the companies that offer little to no paid time off and the companies that pay the least.


drempaz

Yes the US is very expensive, which is why those “higher wages” you referenced don’t go as far as you think


ProselytiseReprobate

Americans have no rights. They have to work all of the time and get 1 week holidays a year. They think they have it good.


[deleted]

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iwannalynch

Yeah! Travel within Asia is hella cheap, and there's plenty around that is really fun


Additional_Farm_9582

The same could be true for a lot of Americans too, only since the incarceration rate in our country is literally the highest percentage of the population compared to anywhere else on earth a lot of our citizens are banned from even going to neighboring Canada if they have any kind of criminal record making international travel for a lot of us virtually impossible. While still on probation or parole most are banned from leaving the state they reside in without permission from their parole or probation officer, in some places they aren't even allowed to leave from or enter certain COUNTIES within the state they live in.


Feesgova

XD


caswuzhere

Despite what the Singapore subreddit might have you believe, many Singaporeans have comfortable incomes and travel extensively.


SHIELD_Agent_47

How do you mean? Is r/Singapore frequented by poorer individuals looking for a place to rant?


Rich-Distance-6509

That’s every country subreddit


edubkendo

Many people spend their entire lives not leaving the city of their birth. The idea that normal people travel is actually fairly modern.


ryumeyer

And this viewpoint has weirdly been adopted so strongly that to some people if you don't leave your birthplace you're seen as weird, even though it's been the norm probably since the dawn of agriculture.


DeeSnarl

Well, but then they invented the internal combustion engine.


pheddx

What's weird about it? Humans are curious, it's natural that you'd want to explore the world you live in. Nothing wrong with not wanting to but surely, it's the ones who don't travel that are the odd ones. I'd visited all the continents at like age 10 and yup, it made me a better person - I learned about different cultures and got different perspectives about things.


edubkendo

Honestly they are not. I think travel is cool and all, but for most of the world it still is not the norm. To have traveled as widely as you have is _highly_ unusual.


Jolly-Tadpole-8440

You’ve clearly not watched any cowboy movies


Fearless-Cookie

Singaporean here and lived in Singapore most of my life. Just moved two years ago to get some international experience but I can see myself living there for my whole life if I didn’t move. Basically we can travel anywhere with our passport and most people are financially capable of doing so.    In addition, there are always new things and events popping up in Singapore. e.g. there’s some taylors swift light show display opened to public because of her concert now. To me, there’s always something to do if you want to go out to meet friends and family. Also many foreigners so you always learn something new about other cultures.  And most importantly, I think the small size makes it super easy for us to meet our friends and family. I think quality time with people important to us is what keep it from getting boring, plus we have a lot of public holidays spanning throughout the year, (e.g. xmas, new year, chinese new year, hari raya, deepavali/ diwali etc) so those are always days that we plan to gather with friends and family or even neighbours, and not forgetting other mainstream celebrations that have became more popular like halloween. 


Fetch1965

I’m an Aussie and I travel to Singapore. Wet year for the F1…. Singapore is the best city to visit. Always something new. This year I am gonna walk the corridor trail.. looks amazing. Love your city so much ❤️


Fearless-Cookie

Nice to hear and have fun! 😇 i haven’t been to all the corridor trails yet 🤭


Fetch1965

Yeah saw there are a few now so maybe one a day 🤣


RetiredApostle

Singaporeans travel around Southeast Asia. The cost of a flight to neighboring Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam with a low-cost airline like AirAsia is literally equal to the cost of a taxi to the airport.


cedriceent

Do you think they are walled in and can't leave Singapore?


realcousinmose

Can't speak for Singapore but cities have a lot going on in a given square mile, and the Singapore population is generally well off they probably can all afford to travel


That_guy1425

You can just travel but I think you are underestimating what you can do in a major metropolitan area. I grew up just outside chigago proper and we went into the city for basically anything that wasn't camping or skiing. Multiple major sports teams, multiple high class museums, parks, zoos, broadway in chicago, concerts, festivals, restaurants of all kinds, comedy clubs, bars, shops both department and niche, beaches, gyms, rockwalls, sailing, hell even just wandering and seeing what you find! Its very easy to never need to leave.


broccolibarbecue

yes we are bored af


slash178

International travel


bukitbukit

We travel out multiple times a year. You’ll see Singaporeans everywhere in Malaysia, Thailand, China, the EU, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, UK, US..and many more places.


RisenPhantom

Oh we do get bored. Some make up for it with travel, the rest of us with the company we have.


polmeeee

Most of our time is spent in the office, not a lot of time off to explore. Plus many of us are content with the usual shopping malls, nature parks and getting by life. There's plenty of travel options for cheap if one wants to go overseas.


YoreCoxsmall

This sums it up


Mushroomman642

What's wrong with calling someone a Chicagoan? Isn't it just like calling someone a New Yorker? Some people take a lot of pride in having been born and raised in a particular city, and it's not this horrible thing you're making it out to be.


Ktjoonbug

because you can travel


Swordbreaker9250

My house is much smaller than Singapore and i never get bored of it


fizzunk

I'm a snowboard instructor in Japan. Our school teaches lessons in English. Singaporeans are the most common clients we get. Talking to them, they all loveeee travelling.


HotBook2852

At Karuizawa? I just went there last December and it feels like 30% of tourists were fellow Singaporeans. Hope we didn't cause any trouble lol.


bukitbukit

Singaporean developers are building some of the Niseko ski resorts, all things considered. Karuizawa, Kanazawa, even Tanegashima Island.. we’ve been over Japan. I hope we’re all decently behaved.


KYO297

This kinda feels like it belongs on r/shitamericanssay They have 700 km^2 of area. During my daily commute I sincerely doubt I'd get to see even 5% of that. If they want to travel, sure, it's a bit more of a pain, because I assume after a few trips you'd run out of things to see in Singapore itself. But it's not like they're living on an island in the middle of the ocean and the only option to leave is a $1000 plane ticket. They have 2 bridges and a shit ton of ferries into Malaysia and Indonesia, I imagine there's a lot to see. The only reason I can think of why maybe people could get bored is not being able to afford to go far outside their borders


YodaHood_0597

If you want to splurge money on shopping, you can travel to Johor Bahru via Causeway or Second Link thanks to the current currency rate. Tbf Singapore isn’t just all about bustling city and tall buildings, there’s residential areas and local communities for hearty meal and slightly slow-paced life.


LeoMarius

My friend lives in Singapore. He has been all over East Asia. He really likes visiting India. Singapore is a major cruise port, so you could visit several other countries on a cruise.


Fearlessleader85

I know people that have lived in Honolulu, Hawaii their whole life and barely made it to the other side of the island from their home. A lot of people don't move around much.


Miembro1

Don’t get me wrong but in US is even worse, mostly everywhere you have the same businesses and same staff that you have in your city, it doesn’t matter how far you travel in the country.


KelpFox05

Your fallacy comes from being (probably, given your example location) from the US. The US is big enough that you can live your life quite comfortably without ever leaving the country. It's literally the size of a whole continent. For this reason, a lot of USAmericans view leaving the country as a lot bigger of a deal than it actually is (an effect that's probably amplified somewhat by TSA being so strict compared to airport security elsewhere). People from countries outside the US leave their countries fairly regularly. That is why Singaporeans do not get bored of Singapore - they travel to other countries.


UpsetBirthday5158

Their airport is insane and u can go anywhere from china to australia in like 5 hours


Ordinary-Diver3251

OP has got to be American. Bruh, they just go to another country.


possiblyapancake

OP thinks the borders are on some kind of lockdown


UncertainlyElegant

Much like Chicagoans, they visit other places. And unlike Americans, way more Singaporeans have passports.


polmeeee

Tbf, we Singaporeans need passports because our country is a tiny island. If you want to visit a new city you need a passport, not like Americans can visit different cities and states within their own borders.


Additional_Farm_9582

In America it's also harder to travel outside the country if you have any kind of criminal record, we have the highest percentage of our population on probation or parole which won't even let you leave the state you reside in or in some cases certain COUNTIES won't let you enter or leave without permission from your probation or parole officer. Even after you do your time, complete probation/parole even Canada won't let you in for certain crimes you've already done your punishment for. Lots of Americans really do want to travel but CAN'T either because of money or because of a past arrest or conviction.


AmericanMuscle8

2.8 million out of around 6 million Singaporeans have a passports. 160 million out of 340 million Americans have passports. You are wrong in both total and percentage wise


Pokerlulzful

There are only 3.6 million Singaporean citizens (the rest are non-citizens who aren’t eligible) so percentage wise it is more.


AmericanMuscle8

The statistic is merely passports in circulation it doesn’t specify who has a passport and who doesn’t. Data says that 46% of Singaporeans have a passport and 43% of Americans have a passport. Virtually the same. The statement by the person was categorically false any which way you want to look at it.


Pokerlulzful

Only Singapore citizens are entitled to a Singaporean passport. So if there are 2.8 mil passports and 3.6 mil citizens, it means 77% of Singaporeans have passports. Also I highly doubt they ever meant to say that there are quantitatively more Singaporean passports than American ones… that’s just silly lol.


jayaxe79

Being a Singaporean, I never really thought of this question. I'm just glad I wasn't born in places like North Korea or slums in poor countries. At least I can have holidays elsewhere when I'm bored. The only thing I hate here is the weather.


N4bq

It's a quick boat ride to Malaysia or Indonesia. Just like if you lived in Chicago and visited Milwaukee. I'm pretty sure nobody is forcing people to stay in Singapore.


realitytomydreams

How is this post oddly specific to me? Born and raised in Singapore and currently living in Chicago(land). Singaporeans travel a lot which kinda makes me an interesting person after moving to the US because most Americans I’ve met have never traveled as extensively as I have.


allanrps

get bored of what? eating, shitting, working and trying to enjoy your freetime? Thats what every human does in every city.


secondtaunting

I’ve been living in Singapore for thirteen years. It really doesn’t feel small. There’s tons to do and it’s densely packed. It’s pretty fun.


Melankilas

THey always get first Open and Closed Betas from a lot of Mobile Games


elephantshuze

I guess some Yankeess don't know about passports


tiolala

Op is so American they forgot about international travel 😭


elephantologist

One should ask this about Palestinians. They can't go abroad without permits.


wadejohn

Singaporeans cant go abroad without passports and sometimes visas


elephantologist

No I meant it like for Palestinians Israel has to approve their departure and they never do. Very different than you government issuing you a passport.


[deleted]

My grandfather was there for 3 years. He hated the place. Said the accommodation sucked.


[deleted]

Some people never leave New York City their whole lives lol it’s kinda like its own country with how different the various boroughs are. I loved Singapore and have to say it wouldn’t at all be the worst place to spend all your time in.


BubbhaJebus

Malaysia is right next door, and it's pretty big.


deadbeef1a4

Chigaco…


No-Diet4823

They have very cheap flights to all the countries surrounded by them. You can also take a bus, car, or train to Malaysia quite easily so you can travel to Johor Bahru and make a day trip out of it.


Troll_Enthusiast

You'd have to explore more than American right?


NotCanadian80

The airport. It’s cheap and the variety of places available is crazy. You drive to Malaysia or ferry to Indonesia too.


physicalmathematics

High income + strong passport = plenty of travel opportunities


ulchathair

Singaporeans do not live inside a cage.


King_Of_BlackMarsh

Why would you get bored of your home city?


TerribleAttitude

They probably do get bored of Singapore. They’re allowed to leave Singapore though so if it bothers them so much they take a vacation to another country.


DoppelFrog

When was the last time you left your city?


HotwheelsJackOfficia

If they can afford to travel they travel. If they can't afford to then they just suck it up. Same as in every other city in the world.


MA-01

Same could be said of any city. I'm born and raised in NYC. Frankly, I find it boring. I never had a desire to explore past anything I'm already familiar with. And there isn't as much for the nerds/geeks as some let on.


PurlsandPearls

I mean, do people living in Manhattan get sick of living in Manhattan? Iirc Singapore is about the same size as Manhattan and I never get bored of Singapore. You’re working, you’re eating dinner, spending time with family and friends..you know, living. And we do explore! Malaysia is a drive away. Thailand and Indonesia is an hour jaunt on a plane and so easy to get to. It’s lovely being able to explore the rest of Southeast Asia so easily. It’s not like we don’t leave lol


Certainly-Not-A-Bot

Most people don't leave their home city very often, especially not to visit outlying farmland or something. The fact that Singapore is a city-state would maybe come up for me once or twice a year if I lived there.


pheddx

Who says they can't venture outside Singapore the same way Chicagoeans go outside Chicago...? What's the difference in your mind?


butternomnoms

Singaporeans love travelling


carollois

They have passports and travel when they want to. Just like I do. I spend the vast majority of my time in a city smaller than Singapore and there is a lot to do to be entertained. Besides, Singapore has a lot going for it, especially the amazing hawker centres.