I have a love-hate relationship with travel insurance - it's the umbrella I know I should bring out, yet am always tempted to leave at home. Whether or not you should get travel insurance is up to you, but if you've already decided that you want it, there are actually several ways you can save money on it, such as travel insurance promotions. Some credit cards also cover you for free if you book your flights with the card. 7 WAYS TO SAVE ON TRAVEL INSURANCE IN SINGAPORE (2019) Single-trip travel insurance in Singapore typically cost around $25+ for basic plans and up to $100+ for the most comprehensive ones. To aid you in your quest to stretch that holiday dollar, here are 7 money-saving hacks when it comes to shopping for travel insurance: 1. CHECK IF YOUR CREDIT CARD OFFERS COMPLIMENTARY TRAVEL INSURANCE. Let's start with the free stuff first - complimentary travel insurance promotions when you charge your return flights to your credit card. Most credits cards in Singapore offer free … [Read more...] about 7 ways to save on travel insurance in Singapore
Thai baht travel money card
A new high: Indigenous Thai farmers swap opium for coffee, land
Somchai Sophonsookpaiboon does not remember much about his younger years, except that they were spent in an opium haze. It’s how all the men in his mountain village on the Thai-Myanmar border spent their time. Stateless, with little access to education, jobs or healthcare, their only options were trading opium or walking to the nearest town for odd jobs. Somchai’s life turned around after the late Princess Srinagarindra, grandmother of Thailand’s current king, set up a development project in 1988 in Doi Tung in Chiang Rai, once part of Southeast Asia’s “Golden Triangle” notorious for trafficking of drugs, people and arms. The Doi Tung Development Project ended opium cultivation in the area and set up a drug rehabilitation center and social enterprises to generate jobs. It trained residents to reforest vast swathes of the hillside and grow coffee and macadamia. It also gave residents 30-year land-use titles for small plots on which they could live and … [Read more...] about A new high: Indigenous Thai farmers swap opium for coffee, land
Crowds gather for coronation procession of Thai king
Crowds of Thai people lined roads under Bangkok's blazing sun on Sunday for the royal procession of newly crowned King Maha Vajiralongkorn, hoping to get a glimpse of the constitutional monarch who is revered in Thai culture as a living deity. Well-wishers all wearing yellow, the colour associated with the king, gathered along the 7 km (4 miles) route from the Grand Palace to three royal temples, where the monarch, who will be appearing in public for the first time since his elaborate crowning, will pay homage to each temple's main Buddha images. "I want to see the coronation for once in a lifetime because the last one when it happened I was still very young," Samran Moryaidee, a 77-year-old man, told Reuters as he stood in the steamy heat. The Thai government, which is spending 1 billion baht ($31.35 million) on the weekend's coronation ceremonies, has said crowds of at least 200,000 people were expected. "I feel like I have to be here to show the world just how much we worship the … [Read more...] about Crowds gather for coronation procession of Thai king
Thai King’s elaborate coronation by the numbers
BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thailand's coronation ceremonies for King Maha Vajiralongkorn on May 4-6 will be the first the Southeast Asian nation has seen in 69 years, when the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned in 1950. A monarch's coronation is given the utmost priority in Thailand, where kings have traditionally long held a divine status, and that is reflected in some astounding numbers. 1,000,000,000 Total cost in Thai baht of the coronation ceremonies, equal to about S$$43 million. 69 Years since Thailand's last coronation, in 1950. 12 The 12th coronation for kings of the reigning Chakri dynasty. UP TO 200,000 The number of citizens expected to line streets in Bangkok to view the ceremony. Millions will watch on television. 40,000 Security personnel deployed during the ceremonies. 41,000 Temples nationwide where monks will pray simultaneously and bless the king as he receives a golden plaque with his official name and title. 17,568 Number of royal volunteers in Bangkok across the … [Read more...] about Thai King’s elaborate coronation by the numbers
Thousands of MRT single trip cards not returned
Some 100,000 single trip cards for the MRT Jakarta were not returned by passengers during the first month of commercial operations in April. Jakarta MRT corporate secretary Kamaluddin said many passengers wanted to keep the cards as souvenirs, something to remind them that they rode the country’s first MRT. “Many passengers did not claim their ticket refund. But we still have enough new cards,” he said as quoted by tempo.co on Monday. For the operation of the Jakarta MRT’s first phase, Kamaluddin said the company had prepared 490,000 single trip cards. To purchase the card, passengers are required to pay Rp 15,000 (US$1.05) plus the actual ticket fare. The Rp 15,000 can be refunded if the passenger returns the card at the destination station. “They can claim the refund no more than seven days after the card was used,” he added. Kamaluddin went on to explain that at least 30 percent of all MRT passengers every day are single trip card users, while the … [Read more...] about Thousands of MRT single trip cards not returned