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Personal Travel Manager, Nicole Edgar, shares her experience of the Race Around Singapore.

When thinking of racing, Singapore is probably not the first location that springs to mind. However, in August, over 200 personal travel managers and travel representatives embarked on an adventure to discover Singapore’s delights, during a Race around Singapore. The aim of the race being to get lost…and find the real Singapore!

The Race around Singapore was a great way to work out how to use Singapore’s MTR system (Mass Transit Railway) efficiently, to see some of Singapore’s hidden gems whilst on foot and interact with the friendly, local people. Plus, it was a great team building activity and lots of fun.

How does it work, you ask? Firstly, each team of 10 was given a bag containing MTR daily travel cards, covering train, light rail and buses within the city. We were then given a Singapore city map, cryptic clues and answer sheets to help guide us along the way. Oh, and let’s not forget our trusty “get lost around Singapore” signs, for novelty photographs.

Once we’d gathered our collateral, teams were given staggered start times. Then the tactics really started. Some teams strategically thought ahead as to where they would be going, and studied the map accordingly. Other teams divided and conquered to work out the clues, maps and bonus questions, whilst other teams left immediately to think on their feet whilst on the go. Participants could do the race in any order as they saw fit, as long as they got stickers at every checkpoint.

Our first destination was Chinatown. After deciphering the cryptic clues, we found the right checkpoint. A few travel industry press where there, to photograph us all holding the “get lost and find the real Singapore” sign. To earn bonus points, we had to incorporate local Singaporean people into our photos.  We got a sticker, and then we were off again.

Next, we found our way to Little India, where we had to find a henna tattoo artist and photograph one of our team getting ‘inked’. It was great fun – I doubt that we would have found a henna artist had we been following a tour guide!

The final destination for the race was the Pan Pacific Hotel, where welcome drinks, cold towels and welcoming parties waited for us. A cool towel and refreshing drink were most welcome after a hectic afternoon racing.

For a traveller who loves to soak up all a bustling city has to offer, Singapore is a great destination with a wealth of hidden gems just ready to be unearthed!

Plan your trip today with your local, personal travel manager http://www.travelmanagers.com.au/ptm-search/