The best regional travel experiences around Singapore

Forget Eat, Pray, Love, we’ve long moved on from Elizabeth Gilbert’s novel. Still that doesn’t mean you can’t dream about falling in love abroad, it’ll just be with yourself at Revivo. Opt for its Emotional Balance and Mind Training retreat – other options include Mother-To-Be, Sleep Well, Detox and Organic Weight Loss – and for three days, gift yourself the benefits of chakra therapy, ayuverdic shirodhara, soul healing and sound meditation, to emerge as a new person – hopefully without the emotional baggage you checked in with.

It’s too easy to rock up to the Maldives and just focus on getting a sun-kissed tan with a coconut in hand. This August, take the opportunity to learn more about manta rays with conservation organisation Manta Trust that runs live aboard and snorkel expeditions. Not only do you get close to these gentle creatures, you learn to photograph and identify them (yes, their underbelly spots mean something) and how they’re more intelligent than your average fish.

Save your cash – you don’t need to go to Africa for a safari. Hit up Amala Destinations, which organises a tour of the often forgotten Nilgala section of the Gal Oya National Park, once protected by ancient royalty for its medicinal plants and rare birdlife. Today it’s also home to elephants, sloth bears, wild boar and a few different species of deer. Coupled with a hike up the ancient rock fortress, Sigiriya with its awe-inspiring cave frescos, and a visit to Polonnaruwa, the capital back in the 11th century and you’ll begin to understand why Sri Lanka is an underrated gem.

Tourism board taglines are largely a farce but it really is more fun in the Philippines. From its amazing islands, white sand beaches, whale sharks in Donsol and now the pastel-hued Inflatable Island in Subic Bay. Billed as Asia’s largest floating playground, this is not your average waterpark. Instagram- ready and chock-a-block with #instafun, there are unicorn floats, bouncy castles in the form of dinosaurs, a sea unicorn, an array of rainbow inflatables, and also, a human launcher. All this across a space as large as 8 basketball courts and from just $13 (one-hour access). Plus a tiki bar for cocktails once you’ve exhausted making like a kiddult.

Not quite ready to throw in that resignation letter till you’ve pulled together your multi-million dollar business plan? Buy yourself the pleasure of Unsettled’s co-working retreats (everywhere from Bali to Cape Town and Medellin for two weeks to a month at a time) where it does all the heavy lifting – setting you up with a room, Wi-Fi, a co-working space – so you can spend the time focusing on becoming the next Airbnb. It won’t be all work and no play,the beauty of Unsettled is its calendar of activities – from caving, cooking classes, sailing and dances classes – and workshops – ikigai, idea hackings, digital marketing – planned so you can mesh work and play in a productive manner. All the while getting to know and bond with other like-minded individuals (ergo potential seed investors). After all, it’s not work if you’re doing something you love, right?

Now that the Michelin-starred chef and Nahm are no more, there’s still one way to taste his food: onboard the Aqua Mekong where Thompson is a consulting chef. Designed by Noor Architects as a floating five-star hotel – think king-size bed cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows, top deck plunge pools, complete with an on-site spa, no less – not only is the on-board cuisine top notch, Thompson will host a sailing in June from the 22th to the 26th and another from August 3 to 7 from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh where he’ll hold market tours and cooking classes so you’ll learn how he does it in the kitchen.