The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) recently released the official list of all Singapore public holidays for 2020. The announcement, which was published on April 8, shows that there are 11 public holidays scheduled for next year, with seven long weekends.

Check out the official list below:

Photo: Official holidays in 2020/Ministry of Manpower

Three public holidays land on a Sunday (Chinese New Year on Jan 26, Hari Raya Puasa on May 24 and National Day on Aug 9), but MOM has declared the Mondays that follow to be holidays as well, turning them into long weekends.

Add the four public holidays which fall on a Friday (Good Friday on April 10, Labour Day on May 1, Hari Raya Haji on July 31 and Christmas Day on December 25), and you get seven long weekends in total for 2020!

Exciting news, right? Now that the official list is public information, it might be a good time to start thinking about vacation ideas and trips for the upcoming long weekends in 2020. Save yourself from stress (and overspending!) by planning your social calendars and vacations in advance.

Here are some handy tips that will have you planning like a pro:

Brainstorm

Where do you want to go? Japan? Brazil? Norway?

What do you want to see? The northern lights? The pyramids? The Great Barrier Reef?

Who do you want to go with? Solo trip? Romantic getaway? Family vacation?

How long do you want to be away and what is your budget?

Get all those ideas, no matter how random or seemingly far-fetched, down on paper or on a handy little spreadsheet. Seeing your ideas in print makes it easier to properly weed through them and have a successful brainstorming session!

Choose your destination

It’s time to narrow your ideas down and choose your destination! After doing so, it’ll be easy to plan all the specifics of the trip.

Check your passport and know the visa requirements

Now that you know where you want to go, don’t let little details like not having an up-to-date passport or not checking visa requirements get in your way. Luckily, the Singapore passport holds the top spot (along with Japan and South Korea) in terms of the strongest passport, with access to 189 countries visa-free. Check out the Henley Passport Index for a full list of countries you can visit.

Book flights, transportation, tours and accommodation

It’s best to book flights, other transportation methods, tours and accommodation in advance. Booking ahead of time often means saving big bucks on early bird deals and the like. And if you want to make any changes to your plans, you’ll have ample time to do so.

Check on insurance and other important items

It’s a good time to make sure you’ve got personal health insurance and travel insurance lined up. If not, this is the time to sort it all out.

Check money, credit and debit cards

Check with your bank to make sure everything is in order. Don’t forget to let them know when you are traveling and where you will be using your cards.

Make copies of all important documents

Even with your trip months or a year away, it’s a smart move to make copies (printouts and electronic copies) of all your important documents. Put hard copies in an envelope, and organise all soft copies in a folder on your phone, laptop or computer. That way, there’s no chance of losing anything and possibly jeopardising your trip.

Important documents include but are not limited to: passports, visas, flight tickets, itineraries, hotel reservations, rental car reservations, tour bookings, driver’s licence, credit cards, debit cards, and anything else you booked for your trip.

Check clothing, luggage and equipment

It goes without saying that preparing your clothes (check the weather of your destination!), luggage and equipment (depending on the type of activities you have planned) in advance are necessary to a fun and stress-free trip.

Now that you’ve done your planning in advance, all there is to do is to be excited for your upcoming adventures! Take advantage of time off from work to relax, explore and live larger. /TISG