Globetrotter who visited every country by age 25 joins Skyscanner as a travel ambassador and has some tips for us
“The best travel advice I’ve received from someone else would be to always carry a copy of your passport/visa with you during your travel, and to carry some passport sized photos with you at all times,” said Basanth Sadasivan, one of Skyscanner’s new Everywhere Agents, when asked to share the best travel ‘words of wisdom’ he had received.
He continued, “If stopped by the authorities in your country of travel, having a copy of your passport to prove your identity can save you a lot of time and hassle. Additionally, some countries occasionally require you to register with the authorities on arrival in which case having passport sized photographs will help you complete the registration process with ease.”
Basanth’s advice sounds like something a friend would say about their recent travels and the opposite of what you might find on touristy brochures or when looking for travel tips online. This personable approach seems to be the vibe Skyscanner is going for with its newly launched Everywhere Agency, an initiative that connects travellers with seasoned globetrotters, including Singaporean Basanth Sadasivan, who visited all 195 countries in the world by the age of 25.
Other record-holding travellers taking on the role of an Everywhere Agent for this campaign include Gunnar Garfors, the first to visit every country in the world twice; and Renee Burns, a world record holder for travelling to the most countries in a year in a wheelchair.
“I find that people naturally want to know about the best of everything – where to find the best street food, where is the best place to find unique experiences on a given budget, where to experience a once-in-a lifetime activity, to name a few,” Basanth told WiT.
“While prospective travellers are very often open to exploring new destinations, they are often deterred by the lack of or the inability to find information and get the assurance that they will have an enjoyable time there.
“In Singapore, research by Skyscanner has shown that 73% of Singaporeans are more likely to trust the recommendations of actual travellers. At the very least, I hope that I can share my personal travel experiences with Singaporeans via the 1:1 sessions to help them with their planning.”
The novelty of seeking personal opinions via chit-chat with an actual human in the age of AI and ChatGPT isn’t lost on us.
“AI has really come a long way, but I think what it still struggles with is to unpack the nuances – the deeper,more emotional and more unspoken understanding of what someone really wants,” said Basanth. “So many cues that we take for granted during face-to-face interactions are lost when interfacing with AI, such as body language and verbal cues.”
Skyscanner’s data echoes Basanth’s insight – while 95% of Singaporean travellers express a desire to explore new destinations in 2024, 37% admit to struggling with the decision-making process. Their data also shows a 13% increase in Singapore’s travel search volume from December 26, 2023, to January 2, 2024, compared to the same period last year.
Explaining his curation process, Basanth says, “The most important thing is to understand what each individual hopes to achieve out of their travels. Skyscanner’s research shows that 2 in 5 Singaporeans pick their travel destinations based on the location’s “vibe”– so I would want to know what kind of “vibes” they are looking for.
“For instance, are they looking for a lively and boisterous city, or a more tranquil setting? To provide better recommendations, it would be great for me to also understand their constraints or factors that stop them from exploring the world outside the most commonly known destinations,” he said.
“Based on Skyscanner’s research, 69% of Singaporeans based their decisions on price, and 41% of them are unsure of the best time to travel. Understanding these considerations are helpful for me to zoom in on the most appropriate destinations that fit their wants and needs. Otherwise, I could talk forever on my suggestions to any destination in the world!”
Powered by Skyscanner’s ‘Everywhere’ search, an engine that orders destinations by price from thousands of travel sites, the campaign aims to cater to the diverse travellers market with a range of customised preferences.
Of course, it’s not every day that you get to tap into the experiences of someone who has literally travelled the world, so we had to ask Basanth for a few travel tips of his own.
“Firstly, always plan ahead. That includes itinerary factors like what you specifically want to do or see at any given destination, but also includes logistical factors like transport, accommodation, and time taken to travel,” advised Basanth.
“Simply rocking up to a place and deciding where you want to stay only, or where you want to go, can take up a lot of the precious and limited time you have in a new destination. So, I would always advise people to plan and book everything beforehand where possible – it just eliminates so much unnecessary stress and hassle when you are in a foreign and unfamiliar place.”
Basanth continued, “Secondly, it’s always really helpful to know the economics of a place. Read up beforehand whether the destination you are going to is a place where bargaining is part of the culture, or not. If it is a city where you expect to bargain, find out the average reasonable prices of daily essentials or things you want to buy.
“It is also good to know how much higher sellers initially set their prices at, so you know how to haggle, and when you have reached a reasonable price point to pay for.”
Basanth’s last nugget of information sounds simple enough but is deeply profound and almost gospel in any Southeast Asian household, especially in the days leading up to a big vacation.
“As Basanth says, “Another great piece of travel advice I’ve received is to always carry medication from home for common ailments such as ‘stomach upset’, colds, allergies etc!
“Obtaining medicine abroad even in tourist hotspots can be extremely cumbersome and having suitable medication on hand during your trip can save you a lot of suffering if you do fall ill!”
Again, “Don’t forget your charcoal pills!” could be mistaken for something a relative would say the night before a longhaul flight.
Travellers can also access the Everywhere Guide, an online widget on Skyscanner, that shares responses to frequently asked travel questions, based on each Everywhere Agent’s personal experience. Questions include “Where’s the most memorable night out?”, “Where should everyone try a once-in-a-lifetime activity?”, and more. The Everywhere Guide also displays a Trip Snapshot for every suggested destination, showing the lowest flight and hotel prices, and the cheapest day to travel, for any selected month of 2024. These link out to corresponding search parameters on Skyscanner, allowing travellers to complete trip bookings for their newly discovered destination.
Basanth added, “I think it is a really great initiative by Skyscanner to connect their travellers with Everywhere Agents who are both very equipped, and very enthusiastic, to share their experiences, tips, and recommendations in travel.”
