Why the Look-and-See Trip is Crucial for the Decision

You are not on vacation

During the trip, it’s important to view the country through the eyes of a potential resident. There is definitely a difference between visiting a country or city as a tourist and considering moving there. During a vacation, you typically visit the beautiful spots, tourist attractions, landmarks, and the best restaurants. You likely have more budget available, live a bit more leisurely, and care less about practical matters like job centers, public transport connections, or livable neighborhoods… Of course, you might come into contact with the “culture” here and there during a vacation, though let’s be honest, this is often quite limited, and sometimes so-called “cultural attractions” are even staged scenarios for tourists. How often do you actually interact with locals during a vacation, especially in reserved cultures?

Questions and Priorities

The social aspect was particularly important to us. We wanted to know how to make social contacts or even friendships in Singapore and where people of our age hang out.

Equally significant were the neighborhoods. We wondered which ones would suit us, be well connected to the MRT (the local transport system), and have good access to shopping and dining options. Ideally, we wanted to live relatively centrally to make the most of and experience the city, or at least that was our idea. We assumed we’d be living in an apartment again, though theoretically, it could have been a house.

We had no idea what the apartments or houses in Singapore looked like, not to mention the costs. Equally interesting was the distribution of residents across neighborhoods since expatriates in Singapore live somewhat separately from the “locals.” There are entire residential complexes just for expatriates, the “Condos,” which are generally more expensive but also equipped with luxurious facilities. The safety aspect was also crucial for us. We didn’t know which areas were considered safe or less safe for living.

A typical shophouse in Telok Ayer – In the background, an HDB residential block stands in stark contrast.

In July 2019, we went to Singapore for a five-day trip (Pre-Move Visit). Due to the time difference and long flight, we effectively had only four full days on-site. 96 hours to get a feel for the place and make a final decision…

Day I

Due to the time difference and the long flight, we landed in Singapore on a late Sunday afternoon. Although we flew with only carry-on luggage for quicker, more flexible processing, it still took a while to find our way around the airport, book a “Grab” (an affordable private driver in Singapore), and arrive at the hotel. The hotel was located in the city center, near City Hall and within walking distance to the Singapore River and Fort Canning Park.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we showered, freshened up, and then met a friend near the hotel in Boat Quay. He had been living in Singapore for some time and took us along the Singapore River to the infamous Marina Bay Sands. It was a great first impression to see the imposing hotel on the water at sunset. After that, we went to a very local restaurant that was, especially for Verena, extremely unusual but incredibly delicious. However, that evening we already felt some skepticism. Singapore was more “Asian” than we had expected. Suddenly, we weren’t so sure if we could really imagine living in this city-state… But we had just arrived and still had over 80 hours to decide. 😉

Day II

On the first full day, we were, as expected, pretty jetlagged. Getting up was really difficult. First, we went to the company, the new workplace. We had a lunch appointment there, but our appetite hadn’t adjusted to the new time zone yet, and the smells in the Hawker Center killed any hunger we had. Afterwards, we had a brief tour of the building, met a few colleagues, and then spoke with the supervisor and the HR department. In the end, we were at the office much longer than planned and arrived just in time for sunset in the city center, where we strolled through Fort Canning Park for a short while before having dinner at Chimes, which our friend had recommended. (Or to be fair, it was actually our first meal at all, as jetlag and excitement had prevented us from having breakfast or lunch…) We spent the evening reflecting on the day and our first impressions.

Side Note: Daniel’s office is not in a modern building in the CBD but in an industrial area on the outskirts of the city. Only one subway line goes there. Although Singapore has a highly modern, particularly clean, and efficient public transport system, it is honestly not as well developed as in other major cities worldwide. Since Daniel didn’t want a long commute, possible residential areas were significantly limited from the start.

Day III

The next day unfortunately started in the middle of the night when Verena was awakened by a severe migraine attack, turning the night into a nightmare. Unfortunately, the hotel room had no windows that could be opened, so after a few awful hours, which we’ll spare you the details of, we ended up at the hotel pool at 7 in the morning, watching the sunrise with some resignation.

Originally, this day was scheduled for a guided tour of Singapore with the relocation company. We went through with it—though completely sleep-deprived and armed with painkillers—but were really on edge. Too many impressions that would influence such an important life change had already taken their toll. The goal of the 6-hour tour across Singapore was to show us not only the well-known areas in the CBD (Marina Bay Sands) but also other typical expat neighborhoods, such as Bugis, Holland Village, Tanjong Pagar, and Robertson Quay.

Popular Arab Street in Bugis with the Sultan Mosque

Every area was also presented with a focus on the subway connection to work, shopping options, and facilities, while providing background on the demographics. We were very lucky with our guide, Jessica, as she tailored her planning flexibly to our needs. For instance, we first went directly to a Hawker Center with an adjacent Wet Market. However, based solely on our faces (Daniel doesn’t like the smell of fish and Verena was feeling quite nauseous), she completely changed her route and showed us entirely different neighborhoods and attractions than originally planned. Next, she took us to a residential area she was confident we would like. And indeed (spoiler!), we were so impressed that it was immediately clear to us that this area would become our new neighborhood. Although we unfortunately didn’t have the chance to see an apartment from the inside, after that day we had a much better feeling and could more easily imagine moving to Singapore. So, if you have the opportunity to go on a guided tour, definitely take it, and make sure that what interests you is shown to you.

Day IV & V

Singapore’s buzzing Shopping Street: Orchard Road

In the remaining days, we primarily explored different neighborhoods in Singapore. We took a walk in the Botanical Gardens, had breakfast in various cafés, and went up to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, where we truly indulged. It was definitely a highlight to dine 200 meters high and view the city from above. We also revisited the area we liked best the day before and imagined what it would be like to live there. Where would the nearest grocery store be? What about nice restaurants, shops, and cafés? We also used the time to “shop” in typical grocery stores like FairPrice and Cold Storage. We had prepared an Excel list of groceries we buy weekly in Berlin and walked through the aisles to theoretically calculate our shopping… We realized that living in Singapore is really quite expensive: our weekend groceries cost more than twice as much as in Berlin.

View from Marina Bay Sand’s CE LA VI

Nevertheless, we highly recommend the Pre-Move-Visit to anyone considering moving abroad. Especially if the move is being facilitated through a company and you have never been to the country before, the visit is essentially indispensable. Ideally, the employer should cover the trip, particularly if the relocation is being handled through them. However, even if not, you should still do it and consider paying for it yourself if necessary. You won’t regret it, we promise. If you’re moving to a country of your own volition and independent of your employer, the situation is different; you’ve probably already visited the country you’ve fallen in love with. But even then, the trip and viewing of the new “home” from a different perspective—namely, that of your new home—are worthwhile.