Travelling via VTL: Latest bus tickets and flights updates (May 2022)

The Covid -19 lockdown nightmare is almost all over. It's a new dawn! It's a new day! With no more restrictive Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) in place from April 1, the world is truly your oyster again. 

Time to bring out your passport, your credit cards, your kids (if you have them) and start packing! Of course, don't forget to also book your travel insurance.  

In place of the tedious VTLs, the Singapore government has a new streamlined travel framework in place where countries and regions will be classified into two broad categories - general travel or restricted.

What are the new travel restrictions?

Breathe a sigh of relief. Under the new travel framework, most of the travel restrictions have been lifted. With no more VTLs, as long as you're fully vaccinated, you no longer have to scour the Singapore Airlines website for a VTL flight or wait it out for a VTL ferry to enter Singapore quarantine-free.

It gets even better - currently all countries fall under the general travel category. Unless the Covid-19 situation worsens to a worrying extent in a particular part of the world, you can expect the regulations to stay this way. So, what exactly do you have to prepare before you leave?

1. Trip prep(arations)

Here's your easy-to-digest checklist of what you need to do before you fly:

Have your Covid-19 vaccine certificate with the following particulars:

• Your personal details
• Dates & number of vaccinations
• Name of vaccine used
• Seal of authentication (not an issue with HealthHub app or PDF from National Immunisation Registry)

 A pre-departure Covid-19 test as per requirement by foreign authorities. Find related information here.

2. Buy Covid-19 travel insurance (yes, it exists!)

Here are three phases that you need to consider for your travel insurance coverage:

Coverage before your trip

• Check if your insurer requires you to get a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before purchasing your policy
• If you get Covid-19 before your trip, you can cancel it and get reimbursed

Coverage during your trip

• Whether your medical expenses would be covered should you get Covid-19
• Whether quarantine allowance is included

Coverage after your trip

• What is the coverage for getting Covid-19 in Singapore

Covid-19 coverage is not always a default within travel insurance policies. While most travel insurance providers have tailored their plans to include Covid-19 coverage, it's still an add-on for some. It can cost an extra $20 to $40, exclusive of the mandatory PCR tests that you have to take before flying back to Singapore!

3. Whip out your credit card to book your flight

Did I say whip out your credit card? If you don't have one already, find the best credit cards here. With no more VTL flights, you can fully focus your attention on finding the cheapest flights. 

4. Check-in procedures before flying

The most exciting moment is boarding the plane itself, but before that, some more paperwork!

Have these documents ready:

• Your passport
• Negative PCR test result or Vaccine certificate

Again, do your due diligence on the travel documents that's required by the foreign authorities of your travel destination. What's worse than being turned away at the airport?

5. Travelling to your country of choice

It goes without saying that every household runs itself differently, and you can apply this concept to other countries as well. You will have to adhere to their health authority mandates: