Published on 9th July 2025 by Tessa Robinson
Family time traveling is all about going somewhere new and finding the novelties and sometimes even the greatest surprises can be the little things of everyday routine. Singapore is an awesome family destination, it is a safe, clean, and an exciting combination of cultures. Although English is quite a common language, and the past influences the nation by British background, every day lives in Singapore may still seem to be positively new. Unusual local customs, and surprise flavors all add up to become a place that leaves kids and grown-up anticipating what the next step will hold along the way.
After you have flashed your Singapore Arrival Card on one side of the gates, a different world of otherness beckons you. So, let’s look at some of the familiar-yet-foreign finds you might come across in this island city-state!
Rarely Changing Weather
Forget packing for four seasons in one day. In Singapore, there are exactly two weather settings: hot and humid or torrential downpour.
Daily temperatures range between 26-34O C and humidity makes drizzle sound like a well-needed break.
The visitors, especially British may find themselves continually trying harder to get a-air conditioned refuge in some area whilst the locals seem to be totally unperturbed by the heat. The Singaporean ability to wear jeans and even light jackets in sweltering conditions might be the most superhuman feat you’ll witness during your visit.
The Food Culture Shock
The polite queue for a sandwich at Pret becomes a distant memory when faced with Singapore’s hawker centres. These open-air food courts are where Singaporeans gather for incredibly affordable, incredibly delicious meals that rarely exceed £5.
The concept of kaya toast for breakfast (coconut jam on toast with soft-boiled eggs) takes some adjustment. And though we Brits may order a milky coffee, the Singaporeans will demand that their coffee be ordered as a Kopi (with certain guidelines that sound like a code): either a kopi-c kosong (evaporated milk, no sugar) or a kopi-o (black).
Chilli crab, laksas, chicken rice and fish head curry may leave some eyebrows arched, but it does not take too long before these even the most ardent beans-on-toast gourmets.
The Transportation Marvel
The London Underground can feel positively Victorian after experiencing Singapore’s MRT system. Trains arrive with Swiss-like precision, stations gleam with cleanliness, and eating aboard carries stiff penalties.
Taxis don’t inspire the same prayer for survival as London minicabs weaving through traffic, and drivers actually know where they’re going without GPS assistance. The concept of affordable, reliable public transport available at 11 PM on a Sunday night feels like science fiction to most British travellers.
Perhaps most shocking is that traffic actually flows, thanks to an Electronic Road Pricing system that automatically charges vehicles entering congested areas. The resulting absence of gridlock feels almost eerie to anyone accustomed to the M25 at rush hour.
The Safety Sensation
Leaving a laptop unattended at a coffee shop table while ordering (still not recommended) doesn’t guarantee its immediate disappearance. It is at a tender age when children begin to use the public transport to school on their own. The all-seeing CCTV cameras which would feel prohibitive in Britain, create a tangible feeling of safety.
British high streets struggle while Singapore has elevated shopping malls to an art form. These centers become complete ecosystems with people eating, socializing, and exercising with the opportunity to live in them as there are transport hubs bound to these places.
The very idea of; having an entire weekend of pleasant time in a climate controlled shopping facility; is to me, un-British. Where’s the character-building experience of shopping in the rain?
Even more startling is the absence of eye-watering prices for quality goods. While Singapore isn’t cheap, the selection and availability of products can make British retail options seem quaintly limited by comparison.
The Rules and Regulations Reality
The famous Singapore strictness feels both shocking and oddly comforting.It is fined in case one litter bins, jaywalks, fails to flush a toilet in a public place.
The ban on chewing gum remains perhaps the most discussed Singaporean regulation among British visitors. The absence of discarded gum on pavements, however, quickly converts most to the cause.
This structured society produces remarkably clean streets, efficient services, and orderly queues (perhaps the one thing that feels familiar to British visitors). The trade-off between certain freedoms and functional infrastructure strikes many UK travellers as a bargain worth considering.
The Multicultural Harmony
Unlike sometimes segregated multicultural neighbourhoods in British cities, Singapore’s different ethnic groups live in governed harmony. Housing policies ensure balanced ethnic representation in residential areas, preventing the formation of isolated enclaves.
The Everyday Efficiency
Need to register a business? That’ll take minutes, not weeks. Banking tasks? Handled via an app without mysterious ‘pending’ statuses. Government services? Streamlined to minimize bureaucracy.
The realization that systems can actually work efficiently feels almost unsettling to those accustomed to British bureaucratic traditions. The concept of a government department responding promptly to inquiries might be Singapore’s most alien feature of all.
Singapore delivers a masterclass in how different doesn’t mean difficult. The initial confusion with celebrating hot Christmases and AC that runs cold like it is the arctic, turns to admiration of a society that operates with such efficiency.
To the British traveler, ready to accept the differences, Singapore promises to be a bizarre look into an alternative system of city living; where the system actually functions, the streets are clean and cultures actually combine and not just coexist.
Simply ensure to drive (or step on) on the left side of escalators, instead of in the right, and you will already have that feeling of being finally in the right place in this marvelously overseas-and-yet-home place!