Graham Hills
Yahoo! Travel

One of the great things about living in Singapore (besides the food) is the proximity to so many great places in Asia to go on holiday. Coming from Australia, Singapore was usually the first stop in any of my trips to the region. Given the distance, international trips for me happened once, maybe twice a year. Now that I’m 5 hours closer, travel is a lot easier. Thanks to the number of low-cost carriers, it’s also a lot cheaper. Be it a bus ride into Malaysia or a short flight to so many exotic locations in the region, the challenge is not so much the distance; the real challenge is finding the time to go.

I speak with expats and local Singaporeans alike and there is this idea that Singapore is a bit like a black hole. Before you know it, the weeks and months have flown by. Moving from Australia to Singapore, one of the other challenges has been dealing with a lot less annual leave. I’m used to 20 days in Australia and it’s only 15 here (for some of us at least!).

We all work hard here in Singapore which is why I like Zuji’s novel idea of petitioning the Singapore government for an extra day off. If Melbourne can get a public holiday for the Melbourne Cup, then I’m sure it can’t be too difficult to come up with a reason for another day off here. Sign the petition now. While you’re at it, check out the latest travel deals.

Couple at the Great Barrier Reef, Australia (Tourism Queensland)

Graham Hills
Yahoo! Travel

Voting is into the third phase for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The campaign runs on the back of a successful campaign to select the 7 New Wonders of the World, where finalists include India’s Taj Mahal and China’s Great Wall.

Australia’s Uluru and Great Barrier Reef have made the final 28 with other regional finalists, including Vietnam’s Halong Bay, Indonesia’s Komodo Island, and the Philippines’ Puerto Princesa Underground River.

Have your say by voting for your top 7 Natural Wonders from a list of 28 official finalists. The winners will be announced at an official event in 2011, with an estimated 1 billion votes expected.