Thai teen brings grandfather to Singapore, travels 2,000km by train and bus, stays in JB to save costs

The 16-year-old, who goes by Queue, visited the Merlion Park with his grandfather. — Instagram pic via AsiaOne

First Published: Sunday, 11 Oct 2026 12:23 PM MYT

SINGAPORE, Oct 11 — Travelling overseas, especially to a destination like Singapore, certainly isn’t budget friendly. 

But that didn’t stop a 16-year-old Thai teenager from taking his grandfather on his first trip to the little red dot.

“As a 16-year-old boy, not from a wealthy family, I took my grandfather on a train journey covering 2,000km to Singapore for the first time,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday (Oct 6).

In a series of accompanying posts, the teenager, who goes by kollawat_2626, or Queue, documented the journey from Thailand to Singapore, travelling by train, bus and on foot. 

Queue and his grandfather’s 2,000km journey to Singapore involved taking trains, buses and walking on foot. PHOTO: Instagram/kollawat_2626

They started from Nakhon Pathom province to Su-ngai Kolok district in Narathiwat province, before crossing the border into Malaysia.

According to Queue, they had taken a third-class train, described as the cheapest class.

The pair then took a bus to Pasir Mas railway station in Kelantan. 

From there, they spent around 390 baht ($14.80) per person for a train towards Johor Bahru and crossed the Causeway into Singapore by bus, which cost 50 baht each. 

“I travelled by train from Kanchanaburi to Singapore without taking a plane. At 16, I actually managed to do it. All that exhaustion just disappeared,” said Queue.

While it was his grandfather’s first time here, the teenager was no stranger to Singapore. 

He had previously visited in 2022, during which he visited the Merlion Park.

During their recent trip, he once again visited the iconic attraction, this time taking photographs with his grandfather. 

And despite Singapore being their main destination, the pair reportedly chose to stay overnight in Johor Bahru to save costs, where they spent 2,000 baht a night, according to Queue.

He also shared that a man he regarded as an older brother had helped cover their accommodation expenses. 

The 16-year-old’s journey has since drawn an outpouring of support from netizens, with his most popular Instagram post garnering over 792,000 likes and 4,000 comments.  

“You are so lucky to have had the opportunity to take your grandfather on a trip,” said a commenter.

Another wrote: “You did an amazing job. Even when I travelled alone with everything prepared, I was still nervous. But you’re only 16 and you brought your grandfather along too. That’s something to be proud of.” — AsiaOne