If you’re groaning over the price of plane tickets, perhaps all you need is a change in perspective.
KAYAK, a travel search engine, has released their Explore Limited Edition function, so that when you search for plane ticket prices, you’ll see how much it costs in relation to local goods like EZ Link cards or packets of nasi lemak. The fares displayed when you use this feature are for economy class travel tickets found on KAYAK, including all taxes and fees, though baggage fees may not be included.
This may do either one of two things — make travelling seem much cheaper, or make our local goods seem much more expensive.
The fun thing about this feature is that it anchors the painful numbers connected to plane fares to the prices of smaller items, making it easier for you to save. So while you might be happy to fork out $30 for a chilli crab, KAYAK is essentially telling you that giving up 5 chilli crabs can get you to Hong Kong.
Sneaky, KAYAK, very sneaky.
However, this price comparison only works up to a certain extent. When numbers get too high, even anchoring the prices to more affordable items won’t mask the price of travel. Some people would much rather 35 durians than a round trip to Doha, while others would really rather have 158 char kway teows than fly to Los Angeles.
I mean, that’s 158 meals you’re giving up for a trip to the US. 
Debby Soo, KAYAK Vice President, APAC said: ‘At KAYAK we want to make travel planning as easy as possible, but a fun experience at the same time by providing inspiration to travellers who are overwhelmed by choices. We know how stressful it can be while on the hunt to find the offer you’re looking for. The Explore function inspires travellers to see how far they can travel within their set budget, and our Explore Limited Edition shows how affordable it can be to travel by comparing local goods with airfares.’
On top of providing search tools to help travellers plan and manage their trips, including price alerts, price forecasts and free itinerary management, KAYAK has also recently released a heat map function that helps you find out where the hottest spots for food, sightseeing, shopping, and partying are in any given city almost instantly. Having just landed in Singapore this year, KAYAK has been active in providing Singaporeans interesting and new ways to travel, and are being very clever about it in the process.
The Explore Limited Edition feature may not be around for long, but it is some good fun if you’re starting to plan your end of year vacations. You’ll also be able to understand yourself a little better, and see how many nasi lemaks you’ll be willing to give up for your next trip.
