Blogger Isabel Leong spent less
than S$7,000 traveling to 15 countries in Europe. Can you beat that?
SINGAPORE — Isabel Leong is barely 23
years old, and she has already travelled to more than 105 cities in 30
countries — mostly on her own dime.
And now, the Singaporean hopes that by sharing her travel tips and experiences,
students here, especially those who are cash-strapped, will be motivated to go
out and see the world.
“(Travelling) opens up their minds about the possibilities of the
future. A lot of young people (like me) are lost about their life direction,
and going out there and being exposed to different people and their life
stories can give them some insight,” Leong said in an interview with TODAY.
“There are a lot of soft skills to learn as well, including adaptability,
independence, social skills and intercultural knowledge.”
Leong started supporting her own travel adventures in 2013,
beginning with the usual destinations like Bali and Phuket, and then eventually
heading off the beaten path to smaller cities and towns around the world, like
Cambodia’s Kampot province and Cantabaco in the Philippines. In 2015, she went
on a student exchange programme in Rouen, France, where she began travelling
around Europe in earnest. Since 2013, she has been to 64 cities in 16
countries.
To fund her exploits, she worked part-time for about four to five
hours a week to pay for her own food and transport, and saved whatever she
could to fund her travels.
“I became financially independent after junior college. There was
an eight-month break after I graduated from junior college until school started
in university. I took the time to explore different occupations and what I
liked. I did everything from admin work to telemarketing to being a camp
instructor,” said Leong, who recently graduated from Singapore Management
University. She now runs a travel blog on student and budget travel called
belaroundtheworld.com, which she set up last year.
“That was when I found out the importance of saving up. When I was
in university, I also worked as a gym instructor, training clients part-time
while juggling my studies.”
Leong also became an expert at travelling on a tight budget,
spending less than S$7,000 over three months travelling to 15 countries in
Europe. She kept a mental meal budget of about S$10 per day whenever she
travelled, and stocked up on apples to keep herself from going hungry.
Instead of staying at expensive hotels, she also chose to
couch-surf, which allowed her to stay with a host for free in exchange for
prepacked bak kwa (barbecued pork) or a Singapore magnet. And even though most
of her couch-surfing experiences have been positive, one particular incident in
France taught her to be more judicious about her choice of hosts.
“As a beginner in couch-surfing, I wouldn’t select solo male
hosts. There was one time I was in the south of France, in Nice, I couch-surfed
with a guy. He expressed designs and it was quite scary. I tried to make up
emergency plans in case he went overboard, but luckily I held my (ground) and
he didn’t pursue it any further,” she said, adding that the host had started
getting “uncomfortably” close to her, and had even offered to let her snuggle
with him on his bed.
“I was constantly talking to my friends at home — but not my
family because they would be worried sick — in case anything happened they
would know what happened. It deterred me from couch-surfing, but I still went
on after that, mostly with families or couples, though.”
Here are Leong’s three other tips for young
travellers:
BRING YOUR STUDENT CARD
“This is one very valuable tip, because museums and even train
tickets offer cheaper student ticket deals, especially in Europe. Sometimes you
even get to go to museums for free.”
DON’T BE OSTENTATIOUS
“A lot of students, when they travel, are very worried about
whether they would get pickpocketed. What I tell them is to try not to be too
ostentatious about their belongings. Keep your bags zipped and don’t wear
expensive-looking watches. They also talk about not putting your wallets at the
back of your pocket, and that is also true because I have had instances where
people were feeling my butt for stuff on a very packed train in Prague.”
BE BOLD
“If you are thinking about whether to do (something), just go and
do it. You are only visiting a place once and you don’t want to leave with
regrets. One of the boldest things I have done was to go bungee jumping in
Phuket. My friend and I were (hesitant) at first, but we decided, what could we
lose? Since then I’ve been (braver) about adventure (travel).”
