About
Jean Goh is ShopBack's Travel Destinations Editor, covering trip cost breakdowns, city-level destination guides, and transit deep-dives across Australia, Singapore, and the United States.
Travel Destinations Editor at ShopBack, covering trip planning across the Australia, Singapore, and United States markets. Jean's work sits at the "where to go and what it costs" end of the travel journey, upstream of the booking decision.
The reporting draws on live pricing from airlines and hotels in each market, transit-authority publications (JR East, MTR, MRT, Amtrak), and government tourism board data, paired with in-cart booking checks rather than banner rates.
Areas of focus
Trip cost breakdowns by origin market. 7-day, 10-day, and 14-day budgets for the highest-volume outbound destinations from each of the three markets. Bali, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea from Singapore. Bali, Fiji, Japan, and Europe from Australia. Japan, Mexico, and Europe from the United States. Every figure attached to a booking date and a source.
City-level destination guides. Neighbourhood-level Tokyo, Bangkok, Bali, and Osaka for Singapore travellers. Sydney harbour versus inner-west versus Northern Beaches, and Melbourne CBD versus inner-north for Australia trips. New York borough-by-borough and Los Angeles LAX-adjacent versus West Hollywood for US shoppers. Which district maximises transit access against room rate, where the day-trip cost gets absorbed, which quarters are worth the seasonal premium.
Transit and logistics deep-dives. JR Pass math against single Shinkansen tickets by itinerary shape. Travel cards across each market: Suica and Pasmo in Japan, EZ-Link and SimplyGo in Singapore, Opal in Sydney, MYKI in Melbourne, Amtrak Guest Rewards in the United States. Visa specifics, eSIM options, airport transfer costs.
Cross-market travel pricing. Same hotel or destination priced from three origin currencies. Singapore versus Hong Kong versus Japan for the same luxury property. Which market gets sharper OTA pricing for a common destination.
Editorial standards
Every price in a Jean article traces to a primary source. That means the airline's own booking flow, the hotel's official reservation page, the transit authority's published rates, ShopBack's internal merchant pricing data, or government tourism board figures. Coupon aggregators and deal-listing sites are not cited.
Rates are checked in-cart during the article's coverage window, not off the marketing banner. Every figure gets a date attached; the date_modified field at the top of each article records when numbers were last re-verified, which happens at minimum every quarter and immediately after any known material change (fare hike, program restructure, JR Pass price change).
Currency conversions cite the mid-market rate on a stated date, not merchant-set FX. Recommendations are conditional: "worth it" is stated for a particular traveller under particular conditions, with trade-offs at the top so readers can self-select. Errors get corrected in-article with the date and the nature of the change logged at the top.
ShopBack receives a commission when readers complete a travel booking through a cashback link. This commission does not vary by editorial coverage, and merchants cannot pay for inclusion, ranking, or favourable language. Where a merchant pays a notably higher commission than its peers on a comparable route or property, the conflict is disclosed inline.
Get in touch
Tips, corrections, or destination data worth looking at: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeangoh
Corrections are logged in-article with the date and what changed.
Editorial team
Jean covers destinations. The rest of the travel beat is split with:
- Austin Pua, Travel Booking and Deals Editor: OTA and aggregator comparisons, sale timing, and reliability reviews
- Aryan Gaekwad, Points and Loyalty Editor: airline programs, hotel loyalty, and credit-card travel benefits
Editorial oversight for the ShopBack blog sits with Jia, Editor-in-Chief.
Brands, work with us: [email protected].
Articles by Jean Goh
Vietnam vs Cambodia vs Laos: Real 5-Day Budget from Singapore in 2026
A live 2026 5-day budget comparison from Singapore to Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Siem Reap (Cambodia), and Luang Prabang (Laos). Vietnam is the cheapest overall, Cambodia adds the Angkor Wat entry premium, Laos pays a connection-flight premium. Price your own dates on ShopBack Travel Planner.
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Cheapest Month to Fly Singapore to Korea in 2026: SIN-ICN and SIN-PUS Fares Month-by-Month
For a Singapore traveller in 2026, June and early August are the cheapest months to fly SIN-ICN and SIN-PUS on Singapore Airlines, Scoot, T'way, Jeju Air, and AirAsia, typically SGD 380 to 650 round-trip economy. Cherry blossom (mid-March to mid-May) and autumn foliage (mid-September to mid-November) sit at peak pricing (SGD 750 to 1,400 round-trip). Chuseok late September or early October is the single highest-price week of the year. Typhoon season July to September carries flight-disruption risk and rewards flexible fares.
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Is Boracay Cheaper Than Bali vs Phuket for Singapore Families in 2026? Total-Trip Cost, Weather Windows, and Airport Realities
For a Singapore family of four on a 5-night resort holiday in 2026, Bali is the cheapest total-trip destination (roughly S$4,200 to S$6,500 all-in), Phuket sits close behind (S$4,600 to S$7,000), and Boracay is the most expensive of the three (S$5,400 to S$8,200) mainly because of the two-leg flight via Manila or Kalibo/Caticlan and the mandatory boat + van airport transfer chain. Boracay wins on beach quality and low crowds during Nov to Dec SG school holiday windows; Bali wins on price, food, and villa options; Phuket wins on flight simplicity and family theme-park variety.
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Cheapest Month to Fly Singapore to Taiwan in 2026: Month-by-Month SGD Pricing for Taipei and Kaohsiung
May and October are the two structurally cheapest months to fly Singapore to Taiwan in 2026, with Scoot economy round-trip to Taipei landing around S$310 to S$420. February (Chinese New Year) and December mid-schools break are the most expensive, roughly S$680 to S$980. Typhoon-season July to September is cheap on paper but carries higher cancellation and re-route risk.
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Singapore vs Bangkok vs Taipei for a Solo Female Shopping Weekend in 2026: Fashion, Beauty, and Jewelry
For a Singapore-based female traveler planning a three-day solo shopping weekend, Bangkok and Taipei each win on different vertical. The one you pick should follow the wardrobe gap, not the flight price. This is the 2026 category-by-category comparison across fashion, beauty, jewelry, and safety, plus which SG-based OTA booking route stacks up best on each destination.
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Bangkok, Bali, or Phuket for the National Day Long Weekend
NDP long weekend (Aug 8 to 10, 2026) turns Bangkok, Bali, and Phuket into the same three-way decision every Singapore traveller runs. Phuket is cheapest overall for a 3-day trip; Bangkok is the sharpest value on shopping and food; Bali stretches SGD furthest per day once on the ground but pays a flight-cost premium out of NDP week.
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National Day 2026 Long Weekend from Singapore: Batam vs Bintan vs JB, Cheapest Short-Hop
National Day 2026 long weekend (Aug 8 to 11) is 3 nights, 4 days. Batam is cheapest for spa and food, Bintan wins on resort-beach comfort, Johor Bahru is unbeatable on transit cost and food value. Here is the cost, transit time, and honest miss for each.
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F1 Singapore 2026: Cheapest Hotel Strategy Across Marina Bay, Orchard, and Beyond
F1 Singapore GP 2026 runs October 9 to 11. Hotel pricing across Marina Bay, Orchard, Bugis, and suburban zones splits along a four-tier walk-and-transit spectrum. Here is which zone earns its markup and which does not.
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National Day 2026: Singapore Day Trips Under S$100 Per Pax for the Aug 9-10 Weekend
For Singapore residents planning National Day weekend Aug 9-10, 2026, seven day-trip formulas under S$100 per pax cover Sentosa, Pulau Ubin, Johor Bahru, Bintan, Batam, a Kallang staycation, and a Marina Bay dine-and-view night, without touching the price of a long-haul flight.
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Japan Asian Games 2026 (Nagoya + Aichi) Trip Cost from Singapore: The Full Budget for the September to October Window
A realistic, itemised trip cost for Singaporean travellers heading to the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and Aichi Prefecture from September 19 to October 4, 2026. Covers flights, hotels, JR Pass timing, event tickets, and when to attend as a day-tripper from Osaka or Tokyo.
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