Day trips to Johor Bahru: A win for both wallet and heart

Beyond cost savings from a strong Sing$, they offer a good way to bond with friends

- Megan Wee

For many undergraduates such as myself, a university break presents the best chance to spend quality time with my friends and loved ones. I have seized these opportunities to embark on day trips to Johor Bahru with friends, where it is a win for both the wallet and the heart.

These trips across the Causeway have always felt productive—fruitful, almost—and, spoiler, it's not just because of the strong Singdollar.

A FRIENDSHIP MILESTONE

While meet-ups with friends are supposed to help maintain and deepen connections anyway, a trip to JB with friends sits in a league of its own, like reaching a friendship milestone of sorts.

I recall my most recent day trip to JB in end-April especially fondly. My friends and I visited cafes, went go-karting, enjoyed a massage and ended the trip with warm, hearty hotpot. Above all, the day's activities allowed us to deepen our connections.

Day trips begin shortly after sunrise and end long after the sun has set. Given that spending an extended duration with friends is rare, I always feel disproportionately closer to the friends I travel to JB with than before.

First, a day spent together means multiple opportunities to have good conversation and discuss different topics.

This rings especially true for friends whom I usually meet only for school, such as my university course mates, as the time we spend together during the semester usually revolves around lunch hour. It always feels like the short meal is insufficient for everyone to have engaged in meaningful conversation.

Second, stepping outside Singapore always introduces this odd incentive (or obligation) to engage in activities I typically would not in the country.