3Playtopia, a community-based travel platform in Singapore, is teaming up with 2Travelling Aunties, a globe-trotting Singaporean duo who are social media sensations, to launch a journey through 20 countries in 80 days, starting in Portugal on August 9, 2025 and concluding in Singapore.
The trip will be “an unparalleled transformative adventure that offers cultural, religion, landscapes, history, language, racial, art and architectural diversities, spreading across vast timelines from Noah’s Ark times to modern times”, according to 3Playtopia.
In Europe, tour participants can expect to uncover secretive organisations that shape and run the world from behind the scenes, delve into the eccentric minds of famous artists, and hear stories of famous fashion designers. The journey will cover cities in Spain, France and Italy, stunning land formations across Slovenia and Croatia, and coastlines of Montenegro and Albania, and more.
As the group crosses the globe, participants will tread through Bosnia and Herzegovina’s past, see the mystical wonders of Greece, visit Turkey’s Bronze Age city, and call on Central Asia’s hidden gems such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
From there on, the tour will explore China’s ancient Silk Road cities as well as majestic deserts and mountain ranges, before setting foot in the tropical landscapes of South-east Asia.
The 20-country journey reflects the motivation of 3Playtopia, which was established to connect like-minded travellers and inspire unique travel experiences, as well as the adventurous spirit of the 2Travelling Aunties. The latter are two women in their 50s – Norah Soeb and Susie Chua – who broke free from their corporate jobs to explore the world together. They recently completed a 460-day overland trip through the Americas on a campervan, igniting conversations about how their life choice was vastly different from their peers in the same age bracket.
Through this tour, the duo hoped to share their unique travel experiences from their own journey through six continents and 38 countries in the last five years, and demonstrate to fellow travellers the “beauty of travelling local” and the enriching experiences that could be gained from non-touristy routes and activities.
Alicia Seah, one of the founders of 3Playtopia, described the itinerary as “not a typical tour (that visits) typical destinations”.
“We can leverage on the strength of our Singapore passport, which allows Singaporeans to visit 194 countries, visa-free. We hope to inspire people to step out of their comfort zone and explore the world; to live their lives to the fullest by seeking experiences that bring fulfilment, growth and happiness,” said Seah.
Acknowledging that taking off for an 80-day holiday is not possible for everyone, Seah told TTG Asia that the programme could be bought as one of five standalone trips, ranging from 11 to 24 days per segment.
The first leg covers Western Europe in 19 days. Eastern Europe is next, stretching across 16 days. The third leg features Central Asia in 24 days, followed by China in 11 days. The fifth and final segment of the journey focuses on South-east Asia through 11 days.
Despite the immense duration, Seah said there are already interested travellers – and most of them are keen on the full 80-day adventure.
The tour is sold through 3Playtopia, with Singapore outbound travel agency EU Holidays as a strategic partner.
She is also the founder of Wedding in Thailand, a company providing bespoke weddings and events in Krabi, Phuket and other locations in Southern Thailand.
Emirates has taken its product experience from air to ground, launching its first travel store in Hong Kong last week.
As the first in the Far East region, the 1,500m² concept store is located in Nexxus Building in Central and offers a relaxing, lounge-like environment with four dedicated customer service counters catering to flight reservations, ticketing and general enquiries.
Sizeable interactive screens set up throughout the store encourage customers to capture selfies with friends against iconic Emirates backgrounds. In addition, smart technology-powered self-service screens minimise wait times and facilitate faster service, while LED screens showcase the latest Emirates products and promotional offers.
Another key highlight is a limited-time Premium Economy Class seat display for customers’ first-hand preview.
According to senior vice president, commercial operations, Far East, Orhan Abbas, there are plans to expand similar stores across Emirates’ network.
The airline has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to boost inbound tourism to the city from various key areas across Europe and the Middle East.
In addition, it also re-opened the Emirates Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport after a revamp, while coverage of its complimentary chauffeur-drive service has been extended to include Business Class passengers in Hong Kong.