In April 2012, I had the opportunity to head off for an adventure that granted me one of the best time of my life. It was a trip to visit Tokyo to experience a wonderful blend of tradition, modernity, nature & extreme subcultures.
With just 9 days, our trip included visits to areas such as Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Hakone, Mt Fuji & Nikko. Like any other first time traveller out to discover a new country, I was determined to ensure that I maximize my time during this trip and explored all the to-dos and to-see attractions that this place has to offer.
Blue skies & beautiful architecture awaits for us in Japan.
Inconvenience on arrival
I had planned to depart Singapore on Friday at 1am so that I could reach Tokyo by the morning. After 8 hours of travelling, I arrived Tokyo at about 10am (JPN time) and decided to head straight to the hotel to check-in. All excited to begin my adventure, I was looking forward to the day ahead.
“All ready to hustle, starting with the heart of the city”
Everything had seemed to be going well, up until we arrived at the hotel, where we were greeted with the news that our rooms were not ready and that early check-in was not an option available. Considering how I had planned my day around an 11am check-in schedule, this unexpected news did bring some inconvenience to us.
“Curfew on your travel time? Hell no.”
The hotel suggested that we leave our bags at the reception and come back later at 2pm for the official check-in. So we lingered around the area until check-in time and pushed back our schedule by 3 hours.
Departure: The greater problem
“Gloomy end to my adventure.”
I had a flight in the late evening and had to checkout in the morning as per standard hotel checkout time, which was by noon. There were still many places to discover, (eg. hipster areas in Daikanyama and a couple of shrines & temples that I missed out). But where do we keep our luggage?
We had 3 options.
- Leave the luggage at the hotel while going somewhere nearby BUT having to return to the hotel before going to the airport
- Drag my luggage around. Meh
- Lockers in the train station were full as well
- Go to the airport early.
I somehow took the third option and waited for my flight at the airport. The wait was 4 hours & that was when I wished and realize how much time was wasted just waiting. I could’ve stretched my time and make full use of it because there’s always more to experience in a new country. It’s never enough & I never got to leave on a high note.
“I could have been somewhere else, rather than being stuck at the airport.”
I thought to myself “If someone could take care of my bags and send it to the airport or hotel on my behalf, then I’m free to roam and explore the city just as I’ve always been over the past few days.” Without my bags & without the hassle of compensating time to return to the hotel before going to the airport, it would be awesome!
How travel should be
Travel is all about experiencing new places, forging great memories and immersing in serendipitous moments. It should be a hassle free experience and there should never be time wasted waiting at the airport just because you don’t have an alternative way out where you can park your luggage. I became a victim of wasting time at the airport.
“Wouldn’t it be great to be casually strolling & soaking the atmosphere without lugging your bags?”
How & why llugg was formed
I met 2 other individuals, Hangqi & Guiyue who faced the same problem in their travel experience. We were exchanging stories and sharing our experiences, and that was when we realized how much independent travellers like us value their time during travelling. Especially those on a short city break. Identifying that this is a pertinent problem for independent travellers today, we decided to collaborate and offer a service known as Llugg in Singapore.
We also realized that most other solutions out there are personalized limousine services or airport transfers which are expensive & much more favourable to larger travelling groups. So what about smaller travelling groups or independent travellers then? Are we stuck with the same old options and just sticking it out? Surely, there must be a smarter option especially in an efficient metropolitan city like Singapore.
“We don’t need all the unnecessary luxury, just a simple convenience that allows my freedom.”
Llugg transports only your luggage from the hotel to Changi Airport enabling a traveller, the freedom to maximize their travel experience. We’ll ‘llugg’ your luggage for you, taking away the root of the problem. So you’re free to explore Singapore on foot or utilize the extensive public transport network. We believe that every traveller is entitled to enjoy a full travel experience that moves away from time wastage (Eg. Rushing to buy souvenirs back home, missing out on taking pictures of an iconic place).
Most importantly, we want to help travellers who face the same problem we faced and turn it into a serendipitous experience. Perfect for independent travellers who see the value of spending time in experiencing the city, utilizing every bit of time at hand and have a worry-free ‘Llugg’age experience. Hell yeah.
“And you could be strolling like them on your last day in Singapore. I kid you not.”
(We’ve experienced a couple of ballsy travellers who went to USS on their last day. Dayum!)
For more information on the service, head over to: llugg.com
Irsyad Lokman
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