Maldives

The original plan was to go to Bali after Singapore and then to Dubai. However, that flight was over 8 hours long, and I did not want to be on a plane for that long. Instead of Bali, I thought about going to Kuala Lumpur, but that was another 8-hour flight to Dubai. Realizing the Maldives is in the middle of both Singapore and Dubai, I thought, 'Why not?'. However, the Maldives has a logistical complexity in itself. Once you land at the airport, almost all the resorts are accessible by either boat or sea plane. Now, these modes of transportation are not included in your trip to the resort. They're a separate cost. Sea planes can cost $500 or more. So, I went back to Google Maps, and found which islands/resorts were closest to the airport and booked one. I stayed at the Taj Exotica resort, which is only a 15-minute speed boat ride away. After I checked into the resort, I immediately switched to swimming trunks and spent time in the Indian Ocean. About 90 percent of the time I spent in the Maldives was in the water. It was a much-needed break.