The Stop In Singapore
We arrived in Singapore as scheduled at 1:45am on Thursday, March 2. I had left Indianapolis at 7:50am on February 28 and there are 13 time zones between ET in the USA and Singapore.
I arrived at 12:45pm ET in Singapore on March 1. So, how long did the trip take? From the time we left the gate (the aviation term is ‘blocked out’) to the time we blocked in at Changi in Singapore, it was 29 hrs and 55 minutes. Yikes.
The aircraft arrived in Terminal 2, so it was a quick hop on the SkyTrain over to Terminal 1 and the minute you get off the SkyTrain, there was the transit hotel. I went up, checked in and went to my little room (and I mean little; 8ft x 12ft), set my alarm for 900am and went to sleep.
I woke up to no alarm, which I thought was odd, and then looked at my watch. It was 12:30pm. Yikes, not only had I overslept, but I had overstayed my nine hour block and missed my breakfast meal. I was also quite sore (travel for 30 hours and you will be sore, I assure you). Actually, VERY sore. I was late, halfway unpacked and would have to get my bags, go through immigration and customs and then get a Uber to the hotel. That was going to cost me somewhere between $30-50 (taking the transit was not an option the way I was feeling).
When I went up to the front desk, I inquired about the cost of staying an additional night. They told me the total cost for the additional hours (including three additional meals) would be just over $200. Ouch.
OK, so if I did it, I was going to eat the $70 for the hotel (which was non-refundable). I wouldn’t spend for the Uber, so that would save me somewhere between $70-100, so ($200+$70)-($100+$50)=$120.00 (for the meals I would have had to purchase), About net $120.00.
So, an additional $120.00, and I didn’t have to futz with anything? That was a good deal. They upgraded me to a much larger room with a private bath and provided me with my original meal in addition to the three that were included with the upgrade. A half hour later, I was in a new room, settled and committed to staying in the airport for another night. Since my flight was at 12:00pm, I wouldn’t have to be in the departure area until 10:00am and since it was all in the same terminal, it would be very easy to make the connection.
Here’s the concept. There is a “value” proposition to everything. As it relates to travel, one has to weigh the cost vs. the benefit and determine for themselves what is a good return on their investment. I cannot, nor would I ever, suggest you should do what I did. It worked very well for me. It might not work very well for you. However, I point this out, because if someone suggests that you spend money to do something, instead of simply saying “no” because it’s more money, think for a couple of minutes about the additional cost vs. the additional hastle.
Sometimes, the extra spend is worth the mitigation of pain and misery. In my case, I had travelled 30 hours, my brain was not 100% and I didn’t have to do anything. That to me was worth the $120…and I spent a relaxing day at Changi.
Which I’ll talk about in my next post.
And the journey continues....