My bucket list on a budget

Savvy use of credit cards and banking insights help this 28-year-old turn her travel dreams into reality

- By CHARMAINE LIM

Soaking in the vast expanse and clear skies of the Sahara Desert, the furthest thing on Ms Cassandra Lim's mind was her travel expenses.

"It was very surreal," says the 28-year-old process engineer, of her two-night stay in the desert. "The peace of the desert is something you don't normally get to experience."

The two-day experience, part of a 10-day trip to Morocco in 2024, was possible because of Ms Lim's shrewd financial planning and her bank's suite of solutions.

It was one of several holidays Ms Lim has taken since being bitten by the travel bug in 2018.

In May this year, she completed a two-day hike up Fansipan Mountain, Vietnam's highest peak at 3,146m.

Just as satisfying as the holidays was earning about 100,000 travel miles from the two trips - rewards she's accumulating to offset future holidays.

Her bucket list has since grown as she prioritises such experiences over the traditional sightseeing and shopping tours she once did with her family.

"I'm in my 'try everything' era," she says. "I look for experiences that you don't get to do much in Singapore. Some of the more extreme sports I'd like to try are high-altitude mountain hiking, skydiving, bungee jumping, diving and snowboarding."

Her desire for adventure has shaped not only her lifestyle, but also the way she manages her money.

Prioritising travel Travel is her biggest discretionary expense, shares Ms Lim, who lives in a four-room Housing Board flat with her parents and younger brother.

She typically plans two short getaways to nearby countries over long weekends, and one long trip of at least a week every year. The shorter trips cost between $1,000 and $2,000, while longer trips range from $3,000 to $4,000.