Overland Journal Day 232-233: We drove from the Netherlands to Singapore!

We roll into Singapore in disbelief. This is it. The final stop. The dot at the end of the line we’ve been tracing across the map for months. And somehow… it still doesn’t feel real. We’re euphoric, of course. We’ve actually done it. Driven all the way from the Netherlands to Singapore in our Toyota 4Runner, overland, across 22 countries. That’s wild. And yet, there’s this strange echo in the background: is it really over? Because we don’t want it to be. The road may have ended, but inside, everything’s still moving. The people we met, the borders we crossed, the things we saw. They’ve shifted something in us. And the idea of simply going back to a so-called “normal” life? Haha. Yeah, no thanks. So, now what?

Getting into Singapore with a foreign car

From Tioman, we make a beeline for Singapore. We’re so close now that we can practically smell the city skyline. No more scenic detours or lazy beach mornings. We’re on a mission. What once felt like a far-fetched dream, an “imagine if,” is suddenly within reach.

But crossing into Singapore with your own vehicle? That’s a whole different game. We’ve been emailing, calling, and filling out forms for months, trying to sort out the paperwork. You need at the very least:

• A local Singaporean car insurance policy
• An International Circulation Permit (ICP), $65.40 in admin fees
• An Autopass to pay for the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP), which is $35 per day

And that Autopass? You can’t even apply for it without a valid Carnet de Passage and all of the above documents in hand. No online shortcuts, no courier service, no friendly fixer at the border. You have to show up in person, in Singapore, at least a week before you want to cross the border, with your original paperwork.

We considered it, seriously. Even looked at flights. But the thought of spending several hundred dollars and flying into Singapore just to arrange a 48-hour car visit? It felt ridiculous.

So we made the only decision that made sense: we leave the 4Runner at the border. After all this time together, it’s strange to walk away from it, even temporarily. But hey, our car earned a break too.

Trying to cross the border without the right papers (cannot recommend)

Still, we can’t help ourselves. After 35.000 kilometers on the road, it feels absurd to stop now. So when we reach Johor Bahru, the border town just across from Singapore, we decide to go for it. We know we don’t have the proper documents, but maybe – just maybe – we can sweet-talk our way through?

Bad idea. At the border post, it quickly becomes clear that this plan has some flaws. For starters, there’s no turning around. Once you’re in the checkpoint flow, you’re committed. A customs officer spots the missing paperwork right away. And technically, we’re not even allowed to return to Malaysia.

What follows is a round of forms, confused faces, and a growing line behind us. Eventually, with the help of some surprisingly patient officials, we get funneled into the so-called “reject lane.” A less-than-glorious end to our border experiment, but at least we’re not in trouble.

We park the 4Runner at a hotel just outside the checkpoint and repack for the final stretch. A short city trip, this time without our home on wheels. Singapore, here we come.

Seasoned travelers?

The next morning we wake up early, determined not to mess up our border crossing a second time. We’re taking the train into Singapore now. Easy, right?

We follow every sign that says “Singapore,” confidently hauling our bags through customs. Only… something feels off. There’s no train platform. Just buses. Turns out we’ve ended up at the bus station, not the train station. And our train leaves in fifteen minutes. Classic.

Panic mode is on. We dash back through customs and try to explain that we’re in the wrong place, even though we followed every single “Singapore” sign. We’re allowed to return to Malaysia, but that would mean missing our train. And every other one is already fully booked.

So we do the only thing we can: we walk to the bus platform with no ticket and hope for the best. Miraculously, we manage to buy two seats on the spot. There’s still space. We’re in.

You’d think after 8 months on the road we’d have learned a thing or two. But this morning feels like a rookie backpacking blunder. And we’re not done yet.

At Singapore immigration, Charelle makes things worse by pulling out her phone to film the moment. After so long on the road, she just wanted to capture it. Our final border crossing. But this is Singapore. A customs officer appears next to her instantly and tells her to delete the footage. Thankfully, that’s all.

They call it the fine city for a reason. Littering, chewing gum, forgetting to flush. The list of things you can be fined or even jailed for is long. Definitely not how we want this expedition to end. Time to play by the rules again.

We made it. The final destination.

It’s day 232 of the expedition. We’ve driven exactly 33.915 kilometers to get here. And here is Singapore. But as you know, it was never about the destination. That was just where the line ended when we traced it on the map. What we really wanted was a goal big enough to scare us. One that stretched far beyond our comfort zone.

It was about everything in between. The fairytale towers of Neuschwanstein in Germany. The wild coastline of the Balkans. Istanbul, where Europe melts into Asia. The golden domes of the Imam Reza Shrine in Iran. The surreal white marble of Ashgabat. The Pamir Highway, snaking through jagged mountain passes in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The endless expanse of the Gobi Desert. The silent army of terracotta warriors in China. The grandeur of Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

It’s hard to wrap our heads around the fact that this is the end. That we’ve been moving toward this point for months. We feel euphoric. Proud. Lucky. But there’s also something else. A soft restlessness.

Because it doesn’t feel finished. This chapter might be closing, but the journey – the one inside us – is far from over.

The southernmost point of continental Asia

Singapore hits us like a brick wall of reality. Not because it’s rough, but because it’s so polished, so efficient, so… much. We’re out of the car now, and suddenly everything feels different. No more quiet roadside lunches or slow village mornings. We’re back in the world of public transport and packed platforms. People rush by with furrowed brows, barely looking up from their phones. It feels like culture shock, but it’s not even cultural. It’s pace shock. Was it like this back home too?

We slip into full tourist mode. Even though we were here 11 years ago, we check off all the classics. And of course, we head straight to the southernmost point of continental Asia. That tiny spot on the map where the Asian mainland officially ends. There’s a sign, some palm trees, and a view over the sea. We take way too many photos. Then we just stand there for a moment.

We actually did it. We drove here. From the Netherlands. Our eyes fill with tears as we stare at the horizon. This really is the end of the road.

That night, we let ourselves be swept up in the glitz and glow of Singapore. We watch the lights dance on the avatar trees in Gardens by the Bay. We stop at Marina Bay Sands, where the fountains put on a show like it’s their job. And we toast, Singapore Sling in hand, in the neon-lit buzz of Clarke Quay.

What. A. Trip.

This is just the beginning

So… that’s it? We’ve reached our final destination and now we’re supposed to slide back into our “normal” lives? Haha. As if.

In just 8 months, we’ve lived a lifetime. We’ve laughed until our faces hurt, cried behind the wheel, made friends we’ll never forget, and collected more memories than we know what to do with. The world cracked open for us, and we walked right in.

There’s no undoing a journey like this. It’s not something you fold up and put away like a holiday brochure. It sits with you. Changes how you see things. You notice different possibilities now. New questions. Quiet longings you can’t ignore anymore.

We actually did it. We drove from the Netherlands to Singapore. And 2024 was easily the best year of our lives. So much freedom. So many moments of pure joy. And love, more than we ever imagined. We feel insanely lucky to be able to do this together.

Thank you for following along. For cheering us on. For being part of it all.

And yes… the dreaming has already started again. Of new roads, new lands, new stories waiting to be lived. One thing’s certain: this overland life isn’t ending. It’s only just getting started.

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