If Singaporeans can psyche themselves for day-long flights to South America, they will step into a charismatic continent with a spectrum of experiences from world-class chefs in Lima and coffee culture across Colombia to Galapagos wildlife and sultry Brazilian beaches.
Of the 12 countries on the continent, Chile and Argentina will be fine destinations for Singaporeans to visit next year as more airlines are offering flights there, says Mr Nicholas Lim, president of travel agency Trafalgar (Asia).
In February, low-cost airline Norwegian will start flying to Argentinian capital Buenos Aires, which is on travel publisher Fodor's 2018 Go List of hot destinations.
"With its flair for the creative, Buenos Aires has long attracted lovers of art and design," said Fodor's. Recently named the world's first Art Basel City, it has a multi-year partnership with the international art fair that includes a week of public art next September.
The Brazilian coast is also a sizzler. Airbnb, based on booking data for the first half of 2018, forecasts that more travellers will flock to Brazil's string of oceanside towns, with at least a dozen of these doubling in bookings.
"Beyond the big cities of Rio and Sao Paulo, destinations like Matinhos, Guarapari and Ubatuba are drawing travellers to endless miles of beaches and less of the urban bustle," the online accommodation service noted in its forecast of 2018 travel trends this month.
For a remote adventure, you could explore silent, otherworldly Bolivia in western-central South America. The place is especially popular with photography buffs, so if you're an enthusiast, strap on your camera gear and head there.
Bespoke tour operator A2A Journeys is organising "art-photographic" trips to Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni salt flat next year. The salt pans fill with water during the December-to-March rains and become a giant mirror.
The tour will include star or night photography. "I expect this to be a huge hit in Singapore, given the increasing interest in photography and the desire for wide open spaces, zero light and noise pollution and just being in front of natural beauty," says Mr Jose Cortes, co-founder of A2A Journeys.
South America need not be outrageously expensive for the traveller. Ms Xinen Chua, 28, spent eight months travelling through eight countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay.
She quit her job as an associate in a hedge fund to travel between May 2016 and January this year, spending a total of $18,000 or about $50 a day. All possible because she couch-surfed and took buses often.
Yet, she did not miss out on the best adventures - hitchhiking solo in Patagonia at the tip of the continent for five weeks, stargazing and cycling in the Atacama Desert of Chile, relishing Peruvian ceviche twice a week - and travelling with locals everywhere.
Ms Chua, who now has a portfolio of travel projects that includes freelance writing, says: "I encourage people to spend more time in the continent to make the long flight worth it."