Travel Smarter

Chinese New Year Holiday: Tips for Easy Travels During Omicron

Be Travel-Ready: 5 Tips for Safer Trips During the Covid Recovery

As February 1 - the Year of the Tiger - approaches, many Singaporean residents will be making plans to celebrate Chinese New Year overseas.

The first two days of February are national holidays in Singapore, presenting an opportunity to enjoy some time away - especially if you can swing one or two extra days off to benefit from the weekend before or after. For example, if you can book 31st January off, you'll have five days to travel. If you take off the 31st, 3rd and 4th, you'll have nine whole days to play with!

For many thousands of people with family in Malaysia, either travelling north over Woodlands Causeway or flying into Kuala Lumpur will be the main objective. 

But of course, where once you could skip over to Johor Bahru or take a budget flight into KL, Covid-19 has made reaching Malaysia more challenging today.

The Vaccinated travel lane (VTL) between Singapore and Malaysia has presented a lifeline for permanent Long Term Pass holders and Singapore residents with connections to Malaysia.

Indeed, when Singapore-Malaysia VTL bus tickets covering the first six days of February went on sale, they sold out within hours - all 6,480 of them.

But to give you the best chance of having a smooth, trouble-free overseas trip for Chinese New Year, we've put together a few helpful tips

Disclaimer^: Entry requirements can change at short notice. Every effort was made to ensure the information below was correct at time of writing. However, you should refer to the applicable immigration department of the destination country to double check entry requirements, or visit the MFA website for the latest updates.

^at time writing of this article – 17/01/2022

As mentioned, many of us will be visiting Malaysia because of family connections. But if you're considering somewhere a little different for CNY, why not look at Cambodia or Thailand? These nations both celebrate the Lunar New Year, and they can be reached through the VTL scheme. Check more information about VTL countries here

As part of the VTL deal, you'll need to take out adequate insurance with Covid-19 coverage. The minimum medical cover for Malaysia is RM100,000 - about S$32,000.
 
With Allianz Travel Singapore insurance, cover includes selected Covid-19 coverage* which far exceeds the minimum above, plus cover for epidemics and pandemics in general (when diagnosed with a disease). Medical and Dental cover limit is S$500,000 (Silver Plan), S$200,000 (Bronze Plan) and S$1,000,000 (Platinum Plan).

●       24/7 Emergency Medical Assistance

●       Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption and Travel Delay

●       Loss/theft/damage of baggage

●       Rental Car Excess cover (Silver & Platinum Plans only)

*Subject to terms and conditions and exclusions outlined in Allianz Travel Policy Wording
**Unlimited - Where used, the term ‘Unlimited’ means there is no capped dollar amount. Terms, conditions, limits, sub-limits and exclusions apply as set out in the Policy Wording. All costs and expenses claimed must be necessary and reasonable. Subject to the terms, conditions, exclusions and benefits limits of the policy wording. For more information please click on the Policy Wording to read the Allianz Travel Policy Wording.  

The Omicron variant has put many countries on alert again. In the case of Malaysia^[CB1] [ES2] , for example, this means you'll need to have a negative pre-departure test, followed by a test every day after arrival - for six days (and three of the tests are professionally administered).

Check more information on MySafeTravel

Disclaimer^: Entry requirements can change at short notice. Every effort was made to ensure the information below was correct at time of writing. However, you should refer to the applicable immigration department of the destination country to double check entry requirements, or visit the MySafeTravel website for the latest updates. 

^at time writing of this article – 17/01/2022

Unless you're staying with friends or family over CNY, you'll need to act fast if you want your choice of the best hotels in the big cities. Equally, you'll need to book planes, trains or buses in good time to avoid disappointment.
Currently, travelling across Woodlands Causeway in your own private car is severely restricted. You'll need to book a ticket on a designated VTL bus. If you do want to drive at your destination, you’ll need to hire a car. Don’t forget insurance from Allianz Travel Singapore includes Rental Car Excess cover* with Silver and Platinum Plans.
It's important to find out if you need to show a return ticket on arrival. Even before Covid-19, travellers could face problems if they couldn’t prove how they were going to leave. Now, in the case of Malaysia, you need a return ticket for a short air trip - unless you're a permanent resident of Malaysia or have a Long Term Pass).

Travel insurance is a critical part of arranging your trip over Chinese New Year, so why not get a quote from Allianz Travel Singapore today? We’ll be on hand to help you if you’re affected by Covid-19, or if you’re injured or fall ill for another covered reason. Our policies also cover Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption and Travel Delay*.

And remember, we have different types of plan to suit a variety of suit travellers’ needs, including Annual, Family and Single-Trip Plans across our three policy levels – Comprehensive Bronze, Silver and Platinum.

*Subject to terms and conditions and exclusions outlined in Allianz Travel Policy Wording
Blog Disclaimer
All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The content of this blog neither makes representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site, nor is construed as Allianz Travel's offering of travel insurance, unless explicitly stated. Details of benefits, limits, policy exclusions, terms and conditions of Allianz Travel insurance can be found under Allianz Travel Policy Wording.
By clicking the button below, you will be leaving the Allianz Assistance website and proceeding to enter the Allianz Care website to start your quotation.

5Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty Singapore Branch is the insurer and Allianz Care is the administrator. Whenever we use the terms “we”, “us” and “our” in the pages dedicated to the international health insurance we offer, it will refer to both entities.

The insurer is Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty SE Singapore Branch, address 79 Robinson Road, #09-01 068897, Singapore. Company Registration No. T11FC0131K. This policy is supported by AWP Health & Life SA, trading as Allianz Care, a limited company governed by the French Insurance Code and acting through its Irish Branch. Part of the Allianz Group, AWP Health & Life SA is registered in France: No. 401 154 679 RCS Bobigny. Irish Branch is registered in the Irish Companies Registration Office, registered No.: 907619, address: 15 Joyce Way, Park West Business Campus, Nangor Road, Dublin 12, Ireland. AWP Health & Life SA provides administration services and technical support for the policy. Allianz Care and Allianz Partners are registered business names of AWP Health & Life SA.

About Allianz Global Corporate and Specialty

Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS) is a leading global corporate insurance carrier and a key business unit of Allianz Group. We provide risk consultancy, property-casualty insurance solutions and alternative risk transfer for a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate and specialty risks across 10 dedicated lines of business. Worldwide, AGCS operates with its own teams in 32 countries and through the Allianz Group network and partners in over 200 countries and territories, employing over 4,450 people. As one of the largest Property-Casualty units of Allianz Group, we are backed by strong and stable financial ratings. In 2019, AGCS generated a total of €9.1 billion gross premium globally. For more information, please visit Allianz Commercial or follow us on Twitter @AGCS_Insurance and LinkedIn.

About Allianz Care

Allianz Care provides international health, life and disability cover and services to a wide range of customers, including multinational companies, intergovernmental organisations and private individuals and families. Our mission is to ensure that customers have access to quality healthcare through our support, care and commitment to go the extra mile. We are a truly global health partner ensuring fast and simple access to the best advice, treatment and value for our customers. Allianz Care is the international health brand of Allianz Partners. For additional information, please visit Allianz Care or connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.