Building a route
Base
The place where you stay while making local outings. Choosing one base is different from changing accommodation after each activity. Judge a base by the journeys it enables, not just its name.
An independent traveller’s library
Travel terms, in plain English
Twenty terms used in our guides and tools. These are practical explanations of how we use the words, not formal definitions or advice about local permissions.
20 of 20 entries · All words must match.
Building a route
Buffer day
A deliberately uncommitted day that can absorb a delayed transfer or changed plan. It is planning space, not a guarantee that every disruption will fit into it.
Getting around
Connection buffer
Time left between separate journey segments. Think about collecting bags, reaching the next departure point and checking in, rather than simply subtracting one advertised time from another.
Budgeting
Daily cost
An expense repeated for each day of a trip. In our calculator, food and local transport are entered per person per day; accommodation is counted separately by night.
Building a route
Day trip
An outing that returns to the same base on the same day. The return journey, not just the outward departure, determines whether the plan works.
Conditions & flexibility
Dry season
A relatively drier period in a particular place. It is not a promise of no rain or calm water, and a broad regional label is not a forecast for your activity.
Getting around
Gateway
The arrival point used to reach a wider destination: for example, the town or transport terminal through which a route begins. The gateway and the place where you sleep may be different.
Local life
Hawker centre
In our Singapore coverage, a shared eating place with individual food stalls. The guide is about understanding the setting and making your own food choices, not a universal list of stall opening hours.
Budgeting
Inclusions
The items explicitly covered by an offered price. Compare meals, transfers, site charges and equipment separately instead of assuming that two similar trip names mean the same package.
Building a route
Island hopping
Visiting more than one island during a trip or excursion. The phrase says little about the distances, time ashore or transport arrangement; those details need to be stated in the actual plan.
Getting around
Local transfer
A journey between arrival points, accommodation or activities. A hotel transfer and an inter-island crossing are separate items unless an arrangement explicitly includes both.
Getting around
MRT
Mass Rapid Transit: the rail system referred to in our Singapore transport guides. Read the payment guide for the distinction between a physical card and a mobile-wallet payment method.
Building a route
Overnight boat trip
A trip where the boat is also your accommodation for at least one night. Ask about the sleeping arrangement and complete inclusions rather than comparing only the number of stops.
Budgeting
Per-person cost
An amount charged or budgeted for each traveller. Multiply it by the number of people, and by days only if it is also a daily cost. Do not multiply a whole-group amount a second time.
Conditions & flexibility
Planning window
A broad period worth researching for a destination. Our season tool uses this expression deliberately: it does not confirm a departure, open site or suitable sea conditions.
Budgeting
Reserve
Money intentionally left unallocated for changes or unexpected costs. The calculator applies your chosen percentage to the planned subtotal; it does not predict what an emergency would cost.
Building a route
Research outline
A draft sequence of ideas to investigate. Our trip planner produces this kind of outline, not a verified route, reservation or assessment that an activity is suitable for your group.
Getting around
Shared excursion
A trip joined by people booking separately. Compare its stated schedule, group arrangement and inclusions with other options; shared does not automatically mean every detail is identical.
Local life
Slow travel
Our editorial approach to spending more time in fewer places and leaving room for ordinary life. It is a planning preference, not a rule about how many days everyone must stay.
Conditions & flexibility
Wet-weather alternative
A separate plan that still makes a day worthwhile when the intended outdoor activity no longer fits the conditions. An alternative should replace the original plan, not overload the same day.