She Walked 14km Home From Boat Quay At 12.30am To Save On $50 Grab Fare, Took Almost 4 Hrs

How far would you walk to avoid paying $50.80 for a Grab ride?

For 26-year-old content creator Denise Tan, the answer is apparently 14km.

At 12.30am, no less.

Denise was at Boat Quay on a Friday night when she checked the fare for a ride home to the northeastern part of Singapore and saw it would cost $50.80.

Instead of booking the ride, she decided to make the journey on foot — a trek that would eventually take her almost four hours.

And she did it in Mary Jane shoes.

Denise, who is currently on a career break while doing content and planning her wedding, documented her late-night adventure in an episode of her TikTok series Detour with Denise (@de_knees__).

“It was one of those random decisions that sounded like a good idea at that point in time because Grab was so expensive, so I just started walking,” she said in the video.

To be fair, it wasn't entirely about saving on cab fare.

Denise told 8days.sg that she had wanted to try walking home at night for some time, and figured she could turn the spontaneous adventure into content for her Detour series.

The pricey Grab ride was simply “the push [she] needed to finally do it”.

Denise set off from Boat Quay at 12.30am, reaching Bugis at around 1am and Kampong Glam 15 minutes later.

She continued through Kallang Bahru, Potong Pasir and Woodleigh. Along the way, she passed late-night supper spots and stopped for an iJooz orange juice when she got thirsty.

“There’s actually something really different about walking around Singapore late at night,” she said.

“The streets are obviously quieter, the usual crowds are gone, and you get to see a completely different side of the city.”

By the two-hour mark, fatigue was setting in and her shoulders were starting to ache from carrying her bag.

Still, Denise described much of the walk as “quite therapeutic”, saying she enjoyed being alone with her thoughts and watching the city quiet down.

There were some less relaxing moments too. She admitted to getting “a little scared” at certain points, particularly when she had to walk past the Japanese Cemetery.

She pressed on and eventually reached home at 4.20am.

Her Strava recorded 12km and 17,274 steps over two hours and 40 minutes, though Denise explained that she hadn't started recording at the beginning of the walk. She estimated that she actually covered around 14km.

Her feet started getting sore a little over halfway through the walk, but surprisingly, she was fine the next day.

“No blisters,” she said.

Netizens were divided over whether spending almost four hours walking to save $50 was worth it.

Denise certainly thought so, quipping in the comments that “$50 can buy myself a good meal or a dress”.

In fact, she continued checking Grab fares along the way. Even when the price eventually dropped to just $13, she decided to keep walking.

“It became a personal challenge for me and I just didn't really care about the Grab fare afterwards already,” she told us.

For Denise, the four hours of uninterrupted time to walk, think and experience Singapore differently made sacrificing some sleep “pretty worth it”.

As for those who asked why she didn't just cycle? Denise wasn't interested then, though she said she may try it next time.

Of course, walking alone from 12.30am to 4.20am also sparked discussion about safety.

Denise said she felt “relatively safe and peaceful” throughout the walk, helped by the cool weather, empty roads and the fact that she didn't encounter anyone who made her uncomfortable.

But she stressed that didn't mean Singapore was “100 per cent safe”.

“You got to be cautious and alert no matter where you go because you never know who you will meet,” she said, adding that she was “really lucky that it was a peaceful walk that night”.

Denise had told people she was walking home, though most of those she texted were already asleep. She admitted she should have shared her live location too.

She also avoided headphones, played her music moderately out loud and stuck to main roads instead of taking shortcuts through alleys.

Her advice to anyone considering a similar adventure? Wear proper shoes, keep your phone accessible, stick to well-lit routes and stay aware of your surroundings.

Most importantly, if something doesn't feel right, stop.

“Finishing 14km was never more important than getting home safely,” she wrote, adding that she probably wouldn't attempt the same thing overseas.

“The environment I was in played a big part in why I felt comfortable doing this, and I'm thankful that Singapore is a place where I'm able to have an experience like this,” she said.

This isn't Denise's first long walk for Detour with Denise.

In another episode, she tackled Singapore's 36km Coast-to-Coast Trail, which had been on her bucket list for the longest time. The journey took her 12 hours.

Other “detours” have been less physically punishing, including spending a day exploring Joo Chiat and visiting Snow City before the attraction closes on Sep 30 after 26 years.