S’pore travellers say first holiday together more exciting than first kiss: Survey 

SINGAPORE – The course of true love never did run smooth. Yet, while travelling together might be challenging for a new relationship, Singapore travellers see it as the most exciting experience a couple can share.

Taking their first holiday together (47 per cent) ranked top on a list of relationship milestones, ahead of their first kiss (27 per cent) and holding hands for the first time (21 per cent), based on a survey by travel metasearch platform Skyscanner. 

The survey polled 1,000 Singapore respondents in July – of whom roughly 41 per cent were single, 39 per cent were married, 16 per cent were in a relationship, and 3 per cent indicated “others”. 

In collaboration with Skyscanner, dating application Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) also conducted a survey among 380 of its Singaporean users in July to find out how travel factors into their dating considerations. 

Around 90 per cent of respondents said a trip with a potential partner does not necessarily convince them they have found “The One”, but can help them understand whether they have a future worth exploring.

“Travel is often the first time a relationship moves beyond chemistry into compatibility,” says Amanda Chong, CMB’s dating trends and insights lead.

“Travelling together introduces dozens of tests in the form of shared decisions and unexpected situations – from planning an itinerary to discussing budgets to dealing with delays or changes. Those moments reveal how two people communicate, compromise and support each other.”

Married couple Natasha Conceicao, 29, and Erwin Chong, 32, both content creators, met on the dating platform in 2019. Four months after matching on the app, they went on their first holiday together to Bangkok. 

Chong says: “When you travel together, you get to learn so much about each other and find out each other’s quirks.”

Conceicao adds: “It gives you a snapshot of the next 50 years together.”  

Roughly 24 per cent of Singapore CMB users list “travel” or “trips” among their interests. Users can pick up to eight interests from categories such as food, sports, music and travel. 

CMB’s survey also found that around 56 per cent of users are more likely to start a conversation when someone shares a travel experience on his or her profile.

“Travel gives people a glimpse into someone’s personality and lifestyle, making it a natural conversation starter. More importantly, it often signals qualities people are looking for in a long-term partner – curiosity, openness to new experiences, adaptability and world view,” says Chong. 

There is some seasonality to the local dating cycle, says Cyndi Hui, Skyscanner’s travel expert. 

Skyscanner found that 47 per cent of Singapore travellers are more open than usual to dating or starting a new relationship in the second half of the year, with festive seasons and year-end holidays approaching. This could be a pragmatic move, suggests Hui. 

“By the second half of the year, there is likely to be more clarity about work and some leave days to clear. There are also festive seasons coming, like Christmas, New Year’s, Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day,” she says. “One of the reasons people may want to get into a relationship is to have someone to celebrate festive seasons with.” 

Asian destinations were the top choices for couples’ first trip together. Tokyo (39 per cent) ranked first, followed by Seoul (26 per cent), Taipei (24 per cent) and Bangkok (19 per cent).