About
Jean Goh is ShopBack's Travel Destinations Editor, covering trip cost breakdowns, city-level destination guides, and transit deep-dives across Australia, Singapore, and the United States.
Travel Destinations Editor at ShopBack, covering trip planning across the Australia, Singapore, and United States markets. Jean's work sits at the "where to go and what it costs" end of the travel journey, upstream of the booking decision.
The reporting draws on live pricing from airlines and hotels in each market, transit-authority publications (JR East, MTR, MRT, Amtrak), and government tourism board data, paired with in-cart booking checks rather than banner rates.
Areas of focus
Trip cost breakdowns by origin market. 7-day, 10-day, and 14-day budgets for the highest-volume outbound destinations from each of the three markets. Bali, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Korea from Singapore. Bali, Fiji, Japan, and Europe from Australia. Japan, Mexico, and Europe from the United States. Every figure attached to a booking date and a source.
City-level destination guides. Neighbourhood-level Tokyo, Bangkok, Bali, and Osaka for Singapore travellers. Sydney harbour versus inner-west versus Northern Beaches, and Melbourne CBD versus inner-north for Australia trips. New York borough-by-borough and Los Angeles LAX-adjacent versus West Hollywood for US shoppers. Which district maximises transit access against room rate, where the day-trip cost gets absorbed, which quarters are worth the seasonal premium.
Transit and logistics deep-dives. JR Pass math against single Shinkansen tickets by itinerary shape. Travel cards across each market: Suica and Pasmo in Japan, EZ-Link and SimplyGo in Singapore, Opal in Sydney, MYKI in Melbourne, Amtrak Guest Rewards in the United States. Visa specifics, eSIM options, airport transfer costs.
Cross-market travel pricing. Same hotel or destination priced from three origin currencies. Singapore versus Hong Kong versus Japan for the same luxury property. Which market gets sharper OTA pricing for a common destination.
Editorial standards
Every price in a Jean article traces to a primary source. That means the airline's own booking flow, the hotel's official reservation page, the transit authority's published rates, ShopBack's internal merchant pricing data, or government tourism board figures. Coupon aggregators and deal-listing sites are not cited.
Rates are checked in-cart during the article's coverage window, not off the marketing banner. Every figure gets a date attached; the date_modified field at the top of each article records when numbers were last re-verified, which happens at minimum every quarter and immediately after any known material change (fare hike, program restructure, JR Pass price change).
Currency conversions cite the mid-market rate on a stated date, not merchant-set FX. Recommendations are conditional: "worth it" is stated for a particular traveller under particular conditions, with trade-offs at the top so readers can self-select. Errors get corrected in-article with the date and the nature of the change logged at the top.
ShopBack receives a commission when readers complete a travel booking through a cashback link. This commission does not vary by editorial coverage, and merchants cannot pay for inclusion, ranking, or favourable language. Where a merchant pays a notably higher commission than its peers on a comparable route or property, the conflict is disclosed inline.
Get in touch
Tips, corrections, or destination data worth looking at: jean.goh@shopback.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeangoh
Corrections are logged in-article with the date and what changed.
Editorial team
Jean covers destinations. The rest of the travel beat is split with:
- Austin Pua, Travel Booking and Deals Editor: OTA and aggregator comparisons, sale timing, and reliability reviews
- Aryan Gaekwad, Points and Loyalty Editor: airline programs, hotel loyalty, and credit-card travel benefits
Editorial oversight for the ShopBack blog sits with Jia, Editor-in-Chief.
Brands, work with us: garry@shopback.com.
Articles by Jean Goh
Portugal vs Italy vs Spain Solo for First-Time US Travellers in 2026: English Density, Safety, and Daily Budget
First-time US solo travellers compare Portugal (Lisbon/Porto), Italy (Rome/Florence), and Spain (Barcelona/Seville) in 2026 on English density, solo safety, and daily USD budget.
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Bora Bora vs Maldives vs Fiji: Best US Honeymoon Destination 2026
Bora Bora vs Maldives vs Fiji for a US 2026 honeymoon: shoulder-season windows, LAX/JFK/SFO airfare bands, overwater bungalow price ranges, and which fits.
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Belize vs Panama vs Guatemala (US, 2026): Safest Family Central America Pick
Belize, Panama, and Guatemala compared for US families in 2026: safety, direct flights from ATL and MIA, spring break windows, and cost per person.
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Brightline vs Amtrak Acela vs California HSR: US Passenger Rail Reality in 2026
US passenger rail in 2026 is three parallel stories. Brightline runs the country's newest intercity service in Florida (Miami to Orlando, plus early construction on the Las Vegas to Southern California line) and rolls out a network reset on October 6, 2026 with eight-car trainsets running every two hours. Amtrak Acela remains the workhorse of the Northeast Corridor (Boston to Washington, DC) and is mid-fleet swap to the new Avelia Liberty trainsets rated for 160 mph. California High-Speed Rail is still under construction on the Merced to Bakersfield initial operating segment, with a completion window that has slipped toward the early 2030s. This guide compares all three so you can plan the right ride for the right corridor.
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Royal Caribbean vs Carnival vs Norwegian: 2026 US Caribbean Cruise Compared
For a 7-night Caribbean cruise from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, or Port Canaveral in 2026, Royal Caribbean wins for families and thrill seekers thanks to Perfect Day at CocoCay and mega-ships like Icon of the Seas, Carnival wins on value plus a fun on-board vibe with Half Moon Cay and Celebration Key in the itinerary, and Norwegian wins for flexible dining, Free at Sea inclusions, and Great Stirrup Cay. Route matters more than brand: pick the sailing that pairs your private-island fit with your preferred embarkation port.
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Amtrak Acela vs Northeast Regional vs Brightline in 2026: Which US Rail Wins for Speed, Comfort, and Price?
In 2026 US intercity rail comes down to three real choices. Amtrak Acela wins for Northeast Corridor business travellers who value 150 mph top speed, First Class seating, and Moynihan Train Hall access; Northeast Regional wins for leisure travellers who want the same Boston to DC city-centre corridor at roughly a third of the fare with more stops; Brightline wins for Florida travellers who want a 3-hour 34-minute Miami to Orlando ride with premium cabin food included and a downtown to theme-park connection Amtrak does not offer.
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Puerto Rico vs Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic: Best Caribbean Family Vacation from the US 2026
For a US family of four planning a 2026 beach-plus-nature Caribbean holiday, Puerto Rico is the verdict when the priority is passport-free travel, short flight times, and USD-only spending. Costa Rica is the verdict when the priority is rainforest, volcano, and wildlife immersion with older kids (7+). Dominican Republic is the verdict when the priority is all-inclusive-resort economics with young kids (under 7) and a fixed nightly budget. All three are bookable through ShopBack Travel Planner and ShopBack partner OTAs including Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, and Hotels.com.
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LAX vs JFK vs SFO: Airport to City Transit Cost and Time Guide 2026
A live 2026 cost and time comparison of every practical way to get from LAX, JFK, and SFO to downtown, including LAX-it and FlyAway, JFK AirTrain and LIRR and taxi flat rate, and SFO BART, Uber, and shuttle. Cheapest, fastest, and most convenient options per airport.
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Hawaii vs Mexico vs Caribbean: Real Family Vacation Cost from the US in 2026
A live 2026 family-of-four vacation cost breakdown from the US to Hawaii (Oahu/Maui), Mexico (Cancun/Riviera Maya), and the Caribbean (Punta Cana/Jamaica). Mexico wins on all-in price, Caribbean wins on all-inclusive convenience, Hawaii is the domestic-comfort premium. Price your own dates on ShopBack Travel Planner.
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Is Prime Day Cheaper Than Black Friday in the US 2026? A Category by Category Answer
For US shoppers in 2026 asking whether Prime Day or Black Friday is cheaper, the honest answer is category dependent. Prime Day tends to be cheaper on Amazon-owned devices, some laptops, and mid-range TVs at the entry-tier level. Black Friday tends to be cheaper on premium TVs, apparel, home goods, kitchen appliances, and toys. Prime Day is a two-day retailer-specific event; Black Friday is a five-week cross-retailer season. If your target purchase is not Amazon-exclusive or Amazon-strongest, wait for Black Friday.
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