Many of us are not seasoned travellers. If you are, you are either very well off or you are on company expenses. In both cases, you won’t bother with the things mentioned here simply because affordability is not an issue. For the majority, an overseas holiday is usually a bonus or a dip into our savings, and money does matter.

INSURED BUT UNINSURED

Nowadays, news is aplenty about aircraft problems, union strikes, extreme weathers, terrorist attacks and sudden medical emergencies. With all these fears, a travel insurance policy is soothing. And it is so easy to buy one online and they don’t seem expensive anymore. But like all insurance policies, many of us layman are at the mercy of the fine prints and their interpretation. Take “pre-existing” conditions which exclude many medical claims if you happen to fall sick.

All policies define this condition a little differently. You wont feel so bad whichever policy you buy if they all effectively mean the same thing, but they don’t. Some are very clear these are conditions that occurred within the 12 months before your trip. But some say “at any time”, which means since you were born? Another one says “which you knew about before the start of your trip” – so does it apply to my knowing my legs hurt once when I climbed the stairs 2 years ago? And then “a reasonable person in the circumstances would be expected to be aware of”……………….. just shifty language.

The insurance lawyers must have had a field day, like “known events”. So if there are media reports of very heavy rain and potential floods in other parts of Thailand, it may negate your claims if you were to catch malaria or be stranded in Bangkok?

An insurance policy feels good, but only if nothing happens to you.

THE SCOOTBIZ EXPERIENCE

A seat in Scoot business class comes with a free meal and free drink, which can be a beer or wine, not necessarily soft drinks or water. Now, when the hostesses come around, they will show you the menu pages for the usual meals and soft drinks and then they stop there – deliberate or not, they do not turn to the beer and wine page, unless you know or you ask. Most passengers just feel cheated – you mean I am entitled to free wine, and you didn’t tell me? Well, maybe the cabin crew is heavily incentivized to save the costlier alcohol for the airline.

And preferably, don’t order your meal from the limited menu when you book online. Doing that helps the airline, but the menu they offer you on board has a wider variety and you may have better choices. Whatever happened to good old service?

THE K-POP COUNTRY

Never fear when in South Korea. More than 55% of the population have no religions. There are many China Chinese in Seoul, and there is always an interpreter nearby if you have not learnt enough from watching their Korean dramas.

Visit a government constructed hawker centre in Singapore and you will find the fearless birds picking food next to your feet. Maybe people will panic when another bird flu epidemic comes around but as of now, the authorities are oblivious.

Go to Seoul’s Noryangjin fish market with its ubiquitous raw fish carcasses and you see no birds, not even flies. How do the Koreans do it, even in the heat of spring when the weather in Seoul is no different from hot Singapore?

Don’t bother to pre-book any transport from or to either Incheon or Gimpo airports – on site taxis are plenty and safe. If you are 4 people, taxis are not pricey per pax. But if you are two, take the subways, even the express train from/to the airports. They are cheap and easy, with an English menu on the ticket machines and helpful staff if you need one. Some stations are huge like Seoul’s central station and you could get a little lost, so just budget more time looking for the right trains and platforms. People will help you, even if they can’t speak your lingo.

If you can drink, soju is a must at every meal. No place overcharges you – from Seoul’s Majang beef market and Myeongdong’s seafood steamboat to the black pork BBQ in Jeju – they are all between 4-6 ‘000 Won. But always ensure the price is right before you order the Korean pancake, otherwise it could be 28,000 instead of 12000 Won for the same kind, even when the two restaurants are 50 meters apart.

And seriously, wifi is everywhere, mostly free.

KIMONO LAND

Over to Japan – between Narita airport and the city, the Access Narita bus is not only cheap (1000 Yen each way) but regular, punctual and comfortable. The Ginza station stop is more convenient than Tokyo station. Taxis are notably expensive but subways are cheap and easy too, again with English menus, et all. Get a Suica card and you can go anywhere in metropolitan Tokyo which includes Yokohama and Kawagoe. Get clear directions in subway stations; if not you have to pay to get out of a section even if you have not boarded a train – that’s the pain when you have many different rail companies operating in the same station.

Try to get to the Umihotaru island on Tokyo Bay between Kawasaki and Chiba. It is a really unique tunnel stop with a great sight. Forget the Ramen museum in Yokohama – it is a tourist trap like a studio with props. If you cannot wake up early enough to see the pre-dawn auction and the actual market, forget also the Tokyo Tsukiji fish market – the street shops and food joints are over-rated. Well, unless you want boasting rights by being there with photos to show off when you get home.

If you like draft beer, you can get the cheapest pint in Iidabashi area restaurants for just 290 Yen. In Kawagoe it will cost you 1000 Yen per pint. Be careful always though – a pub in Shimo Kitazawa (630 Yen for ½ pint draft) will give you Suntory beer when you ask for Asahi because you look and sound like a tourist and they think you will not know the difference between the two beers. But if you do after a few sips and question them, they will admit and say “no charge”. It does happen, even in Japan.

And again, contrary to what you read on the internet, wifi is available in many places – hotels, eateries, and subways. No fear.

A trip to Japan will not be complete without sashimi – go where the locals go, visit Takamaru Senyoten in Shinjuku – fresh, crowded but value for money. Order the best sake they have. If you don’t want to prebook, go between 4-6pm or after 9pm. You won’t be disappointed. Yummy.

NOCUREMAN: Enjoy if you can, but don’t lose out. The experience, the sights and the memories will keep you alive, wanting more. No matter where, nothing will be perfect. Expect the best but temper your disappointments. And always be careful of the small prints and the false facades.