Celebrity travel files: This is what actress Ya Hui packs for a five-night city holiday

And just like that, the year is coming to an end. What does that mean? Holidays! Not just the festive kind, but the travelling kind too.
Let’s face it: It’s what many of us look forward to, including our favourite Singapore celebrities.
And with them always looking so picture-perfect in all their holiday snapshots, we want to know what their packing essentials are so we can take inspiration for our own photos too.
So with the year-end travel season upon us, CNA Lifestyle asked actress Ya Hui, born Koh Ya Hwee, what she packs along on vacation.
For her, 2024 has been a “pretty good mix of work and leisure holidays”. A quick scroll through her socials and photos of her taking in the sights across England, Iceland and Scotland came up.
“Iceland was on the top of my list for the past few years; I’m so glad I could tick it off finally!”
And when it comes to year-end breaks, the Coded Love actress shared that she often chooses places with cooler temperatures. Her travel bucket list includes countries like New Zealand, Switzerland and Portugal. “I’ve heard too many good stuff about these places that I need to check them out for myself,” she said.
As a traveller, Ya Hui admits that she is usually an over-packer, bringing more than she needs to use and wear on her trip.
Her motto: It’s always better to bring more.
“I always have different medication and even medicated oil on standby, which has always come in useful.” In fact, she shared that on her most recent trip, one of her travel mates did indeed fall ill, and she was thankful that she had the essential medication to help.
Ya Hui applies the same mentality towards clothes too, and especially when she is travelling in winter. “I would pack a lot more than usual because I don’t want to risk becoming a snow-woman and freeze. And if my friends need anything extra, we can share what I have too.”
Back from a recent trip to the UK, she shared her packing tips and what she brought with her for a five-night city break.
To ensure that she not only looks good in photos but feels comfy as she takes in the sights on her vacation, Ya Hui focuses on versatile pieces when choosing what outfits and even accessories to bring along.
Her go-tos are a pair of comfortable jeans and a couple of plain white or black T-shirts. According to her, jeans are easy to match with and if the jeans are roomy, you can also add layers underneath during winter holidays. In addition, T-shirts are the epitome of versatility. “Dress them up or down, depending on what you pair them with. Accessorise with chic jewellery – like earrings, bracelets or a watch, or a denim jacket, and you’re good to go,” added the actress.
In addition, she also packs a little black dress along for city trips because one should always be prepared for spur of the moment plans, such as scoring tickets to an always sold-out musical or having a meal in a fancy restaurant. Whatever the surprise event may be, “you’ll always be ready for it”, she said.
And let’s face it: Going on a holiday, especially a city one, often means clocking in at least 15,000 steps, or more, daily, as you visit the various places of interest. It’s why comfy shoes are a definite must. To this, Ya Hui shared that she usually opts for a pair of nice sports shoes or white sneakers that can match easily with any outfit.
Other essentials that she always brings along include a cap to shield from the elements like the rain or sun, or just from “a bad hair day”, as well as an all-in-one bag, like a lightweight backpack that she can store all her necessities, such as umbrella, sunblock, portable charger and camera.
Just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean that your skincare routine can take a break too. She keeps her travel beauty arsenal simple with the following: 
To ensure that she doesn’t forget anything, Ya Hui always writes down a packing list of the things she needs throughout her trip. In addition, she also tries to pack early to minimise any last-minute panicking.
And because wrinkled clothes show up badly on photos, she shared that she tends to opt for clothes that don’t require ironing. “It can save a lot of time and trouble.”
In addition, if winter wear is needed for a year-end holiday, she packs them into vacuum bags to minimise space in the luggage. All the more for shopping, we say!