Why exploring a single street can tell us more about the places we visit than any travel guidebook

Going on a holiday is like this in-built way for us Singaporeans to decompress. We work hard and then look forward to spending a well-earned rest in Japan, South Korea or whatever destination fills our fancy.

So when I got the job of hosting the new CNA travel show A Street Like This, it was a dream come true. I was working but also travelling to places I had always wanted to visit: Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Pakistan and India.

But it came with a really odd caveat – I wasn’t actually going around exploring these entire countries and territories but only specific streets.

Yes, it sounds absurd: You travel hundreds and thousands of miles, book flight tickets and accommodation, do your scheduling and then spend your holiday walking along just one street?