From the overall trips I have ever experienced from the Travel Cycle, I am writing as part of the trip planning project for this year’s sole trip.

Here is the overall example for my upcoming Singaporean Solo Trip for the first 4 out of 7 process cycles below.

Singapore is an expensive city to travel, so I consider budgeting my trip via Price of Travel.

Before you start any trip planning, I am writing to inform you about the importance of trip planning through my unique application: I-Powers.

What is I-Powers literally?

United’s Quote from her travel experience.

People stated, “I-Powers was created by a young, experienced travel girl named United Acela Tse, who innovate its theory how traveling repeats its process. She called “I-Powers” a 7-word trip cycle, meaning that trips processes never have a beginning or an end.”

• Introduction – Gathering/Thinking Process
• Plan – Brainstorming/Proposing Process
• Observation – Learning/Training Process
• Workshop – Booking/Reserving Process
• Execution – Practicing/Preparing Process
• Results – Remembering/Evaluating Process
• Survey – Sharing/Reviewing Process

She only plan 4 out of 7 step cycle as this blog primarily focuses on trip planning.

1. Introduction Process
2. Plan Process
3. Observation Process (only the general process)
4. Workshop Process

Introduction Process

Before you began to choose places to visit, the first theory is why travelers aspired to visit specific locations based on 5 factors.

Here is my intention why I chose Singapore as a trip location. 

1. One factor is the social media (Social), which some woman from a private Facebook Groups shared her travel experiences in Singapore. She actually went to the Merlion and took a picture there, then went to Singapore Flyer the next day. She had a good time there, although she had traveled alone. I did not have photoshoot from the entire post because of the privacy concerns.
2. Another factor is from the picture on the website, Gardens by the Bay (Photo below). Gardens by the Bay is a beautiful place to see and more defined and more glowy at night. I don’t have to wait until the last minute to get my ticket there because I still have my business to get it done before I took my dream off to travel.

Indeed, Gardens by the Bay is a beautiful place to spend out at night because it is astounding. You can see vibrating colors you will imagine.

In conclusion, evaluating any 5 factors will inspire you to travel to specific destinations, but it is not guaranteed you will actually plan a trip and go there. You will have to earn and save money to afford it, as traveling there requires financial goals and commitments. I can discuss the I-Powers methods to budgeting money for my Singaporean Trip after planning and evaluating places.

Next, I moved on to Trip Selection, which concluded trip evaluation, which asked the following questions (from my files below the images):

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I will learn more about later in the Observation Process.

I will prove if Singapore is an ideal place to travel safely. If I can’t show it, there is no way I can go safely alone and must make my best judgment whether I can choose another place to travel safely. Erecting evidence based on social media and research safety information is two critical components to decide if the chosen places are safe enough to visit.

I-Powers Travel Advice: Please utilize these resources about safety/health in the area.

There are reasons why impose Current Restrictions and you can learn more info here.

Remember the to words you need to pass in order to consider “ready-to-visit” place?

• Health
• Safety

Please, keep in mind that the “Evaluation of Chosen Places” are preliminary planning, meaning that it is not a replacement of both health and safety assessment. Determining 2 words (Health and Safety), the pass-fail system is mandatory for planning any trips.

Here is an example of “Evaluation of Chosen Places” as the preliminary planning of my upcoming trip.

Plan Process

Transportation/Lodging Arrangements

Deciding both the transportation and lodging arrangements can be complicated, especially if you plan to travel without going on escorted tours. You need to know the options of both transportation and lodging because you will narrow down the future travel possibilities. More info here.

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Activity Plan

Now, let’s move onto the trip planning, which you will spend the majority of the time brainstorming and narrowing different activities and places to see.

Later, you will budget your trip, which is a part of trip planning.

To start, I did not know where I begin where I want to see and do in Singapore. I posted on Facebook, “Plan and travel there. Any travel tips, advice, places I want to see, sightseeing, etc.” on September 2nd, 2018. I only post onto Lonely Planet Travellers Group, which is a private group network for travelers (Picture 7). 

Activity Plan is reviewed from the question “What activities suit you” in the worksheet “Upcoming Trip Questionnaire.” You can reference info here.

Six Factors (aka Six Causes)

Because of the intended itinerary, these activities are subject to change or cause itinerary to modified trip plans according to these factors. Theoretically, I literally called it “Six Causes.” These would be fundamental concepts if your trips changed based on these factors. More info here.

I create an example at the end of the “Itinerary Changed” blog in Word Document.

References

Next, let’s move to the travel costs and travel style.

There are 3 Classes of Travel Style:

• Budget (Economy)
• Average (Mid-Range)
• High End (Luxury)

Now, let’s take a look what range you are in here.

Since I will be traveling to Singapore by plane, I will have to figure out the total cost of the airfare. My preference is Economy class because it is affordable to book a seat from the airline or online.

To do this, I will have to look from the worksheet Gas Method Equations from www.ipowerstravel.wordpress.com. Pay attention to the PEMDAS* method, or you will end up in different total airfare costs.

PEMDAS* = Parentheses first, then Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and finally Subtraction – Work the Bracket out! Know the order of operation.

4 Phases of Plan (Main Concepts)

Here are the 4 phases of plan.

1. Health
2. Safety/Laws
3. Travel Documents
4. Finance

You can read my article why planning all 4 area is important here.

Phase 1 – Health/Wellness

Tips:

• Taking care of your health is the most important not only for traveling but for your life as your health is the more indicator of specific disorders and/or diseases later in life. Hence, you can read more of it here.
• People turned their daily food journal into eating out such as fast food, cheap entries mainly because of the lack of meal planning. In reality, staying healthy while traveling can be complicated, but don’t worry. It shouldn’t because I have handy tips for you. Here is my meal planner (estimated).

Another health topic is the emergency kit, which covers some personal injuries. Keep in mind that Medicaid and Medicare don’t cover costs overseas. It is important to research which insurance will cover abroad by visiting https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad/insurance-providers-overseas.html for your coverage options.

You can also visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad.html for information regarding your insurance providers in case of emergency.

I highly recommended to purchase insurance that covers basic emergencies including coverage that others don’t cover the costs entirely.

In general, it is critical to keep yourself healthy and well-prepared in excellent health condition well before you travel solo. If you got injured during the trip, it is very crucial to seek local doctor right away, and that is why it is imperative to write any emergency contracts including doctor’s name, emergency kits, and medication as well as emergency contacts.

You might need family doctor’s phone number, emergency numbers, other medical services numbers too for a future reference. Please, pack your first aid kits and you are on your way.

Phase 2 – Safety/Laws

Singapore law system is a stringent, stern and nonnegotiable with the rule to keep its country beautiful, savvy, and unforgettable. In term of safety, you don’t need to further research the crime rate, and it does not guarantee its safe unless you play it safe.

Singapore legal system is also a republic based on the Westminster model.

Keep in mind:
I am reminding you to adhere to these following rules such as dos and don’ts. Here are the guidelines:

I recommended starting to practice your daily habit 2-3 weeks before you travel as these habits can be natural to forgotten and are subject to citation and fine. You will begin to observe and to reinforce those habit after you fully budget your remaining flight and hotel (hostel), which will move after you finish Observation – Practicing category.

Phase 3 – Travel Documents

For International Travel, a valid (unexpired) passport (book) is required to travel out of the country.

For those with have either passport expired or no passport, you must include passport fee in the Document Budget Worksheet (below). Visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/requirements/fees.html for passport fees.

Note: Medicaid and Medicare do not cover overseas under circumstances.

For US Citizens, go on the website https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Singapore.html.

For other citizens, google or search “Singapore Travel Requirements for [fill in the blank] citizens.”

I will need only a valid, unexpired passport to travel there along with my state IDs. The embassy will require not just my passport but also an additional form of photo ID with me.

Since I will be traveling to Singapore for 4-5 days, I usually do not need a visa. I am visiting there for leisure.

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Tip: If you have an expired or need a passport, you must budget the cost under the title “Important Documents Budget.” If you currently have an unexpired, undamaged, valid passport, skip this step.

Warning: You must have at least 6 months from the last day of the travel before expiration on your passport. You will deny entry if you have less than 6 months from the expiration date. You should budget under “Important Documents Budget” for a passport renewal if you have a passport that will expire soon.

**No matter what countries you are heading (safe or dangerous), it is critical to register with the STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program) or government programs for travelers before you depart.**

Phase 4 – Finance

Before you start budgeting airfare or travel arrangement, you will need to figure out the best season to visit on a budget. Since traveling on a budget can be complicated, here is my worksheet below called “I-Powers Finance Worksheets” below. I named them.

When should I go, according to my parents and church friends?
The cheapest season to visit Singapore is around September to November because, in Wintertime, Lunar New Year, and summer, prices increasingly high and the term I like to use is the term “Peak Season.” Here’s why:

• Wintertime: Lots of families, as well as College Students,  are traveling there for a week-long vacation before headed back home to start the semester.
• Lunar New Year: Travelers are visiting there to celebrate the unique delighted lunar in Singapore Chinatown for a feast, or Singapore native want to come back for a family visit.
• Summer: Lots of families, as well as kids, took time off to travel there for the summer, so there is very little chance to get the cheapest airfare.

I plan to travel there on a budget in September to November depending on how much an airfare I am willing to pay. I use a map navigator called FareCompare.

You can also navigate your future travel plans by visiting https://www.farecompare.com/maps/.

Or you can search “Cheapest season to visit [fill in the blank].”

The only cheapest option to visit there is around autumn.

Why Autumn? Autumn is the off-season, which summers concluded and this is the time to travel according to Price of Travel. On the website, I scrolled down to Singapore and saw an average price of an airline ticket:

• Spring: $730
• Summer: $861
• Autumn: $599
• Average: $730

This information is for guidelines only and subject to change depending on the time and day of the week which I want to fly there.

Tip: The cheapest days to fly there is on Monday to Wednesday, which a minimum of stay is generally required to get a better flight deal.

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Now, let’s finish off with the total budget you will need to travel to Singapore:

• $1,800 for travelers with a valid passport
• $1,900 for travelers without a passport or have a passport expire soon

*Round up to the nearest hundred.

Under the XYZ Equations, you will figure out how long it will take to save “Y” for “Z” to travel to “X.”

Translated to…

If you are going to x, you will need to budget y for z months to reach the total cost.

Keys:

• “X” = Places of Cities you want to go or on your bucket list.
• “Y” = Amount of money you will need to save up per month, 2 months, bi-weekly, you prefer.
• “Z” = Duration you will need to save to reach the budget goal.
• Total cost = Y + Z

Named as XYZ Equation.

How will it takes to save $1,800:

Monthly Savings	How long?
50	36 months
100	18 months
150	12 months
200	9 months
250	7.2 months
300	6 months
350	5.14 months
400	4.5 months
450	4 months
500	3.6 months
550	3.27 months
600	3 months

How will it takes to save $1,900:

Monthly Savings	How long?
50	38 months
100	19 months
150	12.67 months
200	9.5 months
250	7.6 months
300	6.33 months
350	5.43 months
400	4.75 months
450	4.22 months
500	3.8 months
550	3.45 months
600	3.17 months

Observation Process

Observation is an important process – it helps you to get to know local languages to the border communities. The more you understand how the observation process is familiarized, the better chance to learn both inside and outside of the countries or places you will be visiting. In this process, you will explore more about the process here.

The most important concept for traveling is the habit you currently experience. You can refer info here.

Note: We knew most of us have experienced some bad habits at some point in our lives. We knew that breaking those habits can be hard to manage, but don’t worry. Here are the handy tips for you (see below for questions). Before you observe these behaviors, please take a quick look at the worksheet “Do and Don’ts” and remind yourself when visiting the place.

These questions are in the Execution Process because changing the habit should prepare fully in the practicing and preparing rather than the learning and training process as the direct learning experiences.

Workshop Process

Before you start, it is important to know your travel plans before you start this process. More info here.

Gas Method

Before you shop for airfare, here is my handy tips you should look out.

• Are you living in a city where 2 or more major airports are located in nearby cities from your home 100 miles from your home?
  • If so, its time to compare and contrast between the two cities. Let’s assume I live in Philadelphia and my getaway airports are in Philadelphia, Newark, and NYC. There are 3 major airports and one regional airport in my area. JFK is a little bit far so I only search two airports: Newark and Philadelphia. 
• I highly advised to sign up daily fare alerts.
• If you are a frequent flyer member, you should search an airline website or an airline alliance partners website to find a better deal. I searched my flight on my United’s app to find a deal because I am a member of United MileagePlus. Whew, it wasn’t that expensive. 
• Be patient. It is essential to check any email + flight data daily to find a better deal.
• If you are flexible with your travel plans, try to fly 2-3 days earlier or later.
• I highly advised to book 60-90 days before your departure, but this is not the case. Ask me why?
  • There is a trend in airfare in which flights are sold depending on the time of day, the day of the week, the airline, the origin of airports, the booking gap before the departure, airport taxes, and a contract of carriage. 

There is a massive demand for travelers, both business and leisure travelers are expanding. Therefore, the cost of airfare and lodging (including hostels) are increasing per night on a pro-rata basis.

First thing is to check the price of the airfare, which you should look at the date of cheapest flights available.

Then, let’s compare to the cities with these two airports: Philadelphia and Newark. (See the pictures below)

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Keep in Mind:
Google flights are only indicated an average cost of airfare, not guarantee a lower price for a round trip ticket. Finding a better had not been so easier especially if you are a frequent flyer member of an airline, so there is a better alternative.

You can search an airfare on:

• www.kayak.com
• www.priceline.com 
• www.hotwire.com
• www.orbitz.com
• www.momondo.com
• www.skyscanner.com
• Airline’s website. 

Warning: When looking for a good flight deal, don’t sneak on the Skiplagged website because it is not worth it. It is best to stay away from this website that sells Skiplagged flights. More info here.

Example: I looked from United Airlines App to search my flight.

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First, make sure you select the right flight itinerary. You don’t want to end up on a wrong date, price, airport departure, and in some cases, airlines. Let’s assume I chose this flight itinerary for $729 and review your flight itinerary before I book a flight. Agree with them and process to the next payment, which I will need a debit card (not a credit card) to book a trip. Unless I am a money/financial conscious, I can use them to book a trip.

Tip: Credit cards can carry charges unexpectedly before the trip, and you must pay the outstanding amount (not the minimum amount) by the due date. Save them for an emergency, small purchases, and other mandatory loans for a car, house, school, educationally related purposes, and needy basis.

**Summary for cheap flights: If you are living a metropolitan area where multiple international airports are located, it is important to fly out of alternative airports to get a better flight deal. For instance, I live in Philadelphia and my getaway airport for international places is to fly out of Newark.**

3Hs Method

Tips:

• Before you book hostels per night, make sure you should read descriptions, available facilities, and house rules on http://www.hostelworld.com or hotel descriptions.  
• Look for customer’s ratings and any complaints provided and make informed judgments whatever or not to book a hostel. 
• Make a final informed decision on how to get to the hostel.

Warning: If you are both solo traveler and are female, don’t book in mixed rooms for the personal safety reasons. Instead, book only female dorms for you protection.

Other bookings/Reserving

I prefer Seven Corners and other aggregate websites for the comparison and contrast.

I chose the Liaison Travel Choice for just $9.42 because it can cover most of the coverage than the Economy.

You can download my files and take quick examples of how the I-Powers Travel cycle should present as you will plan your upcoming trips. But be careful when you download because these files aren’t safe and may trigger viruses and malware. Better to view my files under protected view for your protection.

Now, the transaction for all I-Powers is almost done. The Planned Itinerary and the meal plan need to change to make it smooth.

Here are my revised itinerary and meal plan after I reviewed both Activity Plan: Your Planned Trip Itinerary* and Meal Plan worksheets. Think of each activity that fit into the meal plan as I don’t want to skip meals during my upcoming trip. Here are my final revisions of my forthcoming solo Singaporean Trip (with dedication). See below.

To sum up, travel on a budget is not easy, especially if your job earn less money. For the travel budget constraints, you will have the remaining funds to pay rent, student loans, bills, utilities, gas, etc. You will also spend their money on the living (Food, basic hygiene needs, etc.) but don’t have enough to save for the future. You will have to use your potential earnings to pay taxes to help the communities, which you often don’t plan or to budget their money to afford dream trips. Don’t worry; I have helped you with a limited income to adequately prepare a trip on a budget for us. Enjoy your trip.

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Note: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I am postponing my Singaporean Trip by between September and November 2022 if situations did not improve. Here is the reason except below.

My trip plan was initially planned for this September. All of my bookings have been canceled and later postponed to a later date (2022). Since the Global Travel Advisory has changed to a country-specific as mentioned from the previous blog, I am reminding us not to travel abroad during unprecedented times. The end of the health epidemic is still uncertain. While it is an ongoing pandemic, I am reminding us to stay safe and healthy during the passing times. We knew that 2020 travel plans are canceled but postpone at later dates and will travel in the future.

The Global Travel Advisory has changed to its status as “Avoid Nonessential Travel.” The Global Travel Advisory is still a temporary change.

We hope that the pandemic will pass away soon!