[FRESH] EPISODE 2: DO’s AND DON’Ts OF HOW TO BEHAVE IN SINGAPORE (according to “expert” travel blogs

HEY GUYS! It’s your favourite host @berrywerryjerry, and today I’m joined by the gang to give you some useful tips and guides on how to behave appropriately in Singapore. All the tips that you see are sourced from expert travel guides who probably have been in Singapore infinite times to fully understand their culture and practices; probably better than the locals themselves! So what are you waiting for! Let these experts tell you how to behave in a country they don’t belong to.

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Seriously tho,

Such travel guides often behave like “experts” and come up with a list of Do’s and Don’ts to tell their readers what to do and not do at their destination. Upon reading such articles, the traveller might form an impression even before visiting the country that Singapore is such a “strict and conservative” city. While such stereotypes and regulations might have been more sensitive in the past, many of these stereotypes have changed with time. Thus, it is important not to treat these Do’s and Don’ts as set in stone across time.

Furthermore, in the article, it is said that “many Asian people think of lowly feet as dirty. It is considered offensive to point with your toes or show the bottoms of your feet. … Similarly, patting someone on the head is not appreciated here, as the head is considered sacred.” While we have heard of some of these etiquettes when travelling in some Asian countries, that does not mean that all countries in Asia are think that way. Just head down to a coffeeshop in Singapore and you might just find an uncle propping his leg up on a chair while sipping his afternoon kopi. As such, it is crucial not to perceive such Do’s and Don’ts as homogenous across different countries, but to recognize that the context and attitude we have while doing such things are important factors too.

If you watch the video in the link below you will also realise that the scenes featured in them are not taken in Singapore - which makes us wonder, did the travel blogger even visit Singapore before writing up the post? As a non-local, did s/he even consult local Singaporeans on whether such Do’s and Don’ts were even an issue before coming up with such a list?

Watch right to the end to find out what some locals themselves feel about it!

Here’s the articles where we found the list of Do’s and Don’ts: https://www.destinationtips.com/…/15-things-not-to-do-in-…/…

http://www.traveltaboo.com/singapore-travel-tips-dos-and-d…/

Or if you prefer to watch the video: https://www.destinationtips.com/…/15-things-not-to-do-when…/

Do you think such representations are problematic? Are these stereotypes as funny and innocent as they seem to be? Let us know what you think in the comments below!