The Philippines is the fourth largest English speaking country in the world. It can accommodate budget travelers. If you are not on a budget, you can have the very best for a reasonable price. The Philippines is the only country in the world that welcomes foreigners from all other countries. It is one of the very few you can enter without a visa. You will need to get one after 21 days if you stay that long.
Steps
- Get low airfare in the off season, May through October. You can even come over and back on a courier flight, any time and it’s very cheap.
- Book your hotel in advance since the good hotels sometimes fill up quickly. You can always find a good “pension house”, to accommodate you in the $35-$50 range. These will have private bath, cable TV, air conditioning and hot water most of the time.
- Travel by land since it is inexpensive. A ride across a large city like Cebu in an air conditioned taxi is about $2.40 US and the ride to most airports not much more than that. Most airports are close into town.
- Jeepney fares, are Peso 6 – 7, about 10 cents us, the main mode of transportation for most people. They are colorful and fun except when it is raining, they do leak.
- If you wanna tour around Manila in a much cheaper and faster long distances destinations, ride the LRT (Manila Light Rail Transit System) and the MRT (Manila Metro Rail Transit System) with fares ranging from 10-15 pesos (25-35 US cents) or a stored-value (multiple-use) ticket ranging from 100 to 200 pesos (2.50-2.80 US dollar).
- American and other international foods are available. Fast food places from Pizza Hut, KFC, McDonald’s to their own, Jollibee, abound and prices are cheaper than in almost every country in the world.
- The Philippines is always voted as best in night life by the expats in Asia, and the prices are the best too.
- There are many local handicrafts to buy. Do not overlook the silver, handmade in Baguio City, in the north of the main island Luzon, famous for years. Baguio is one of the cooler places to go too, in the mountains, the City of Pines.
- Tipping is the exception, not the rule.
- Golf and other entertainments abound. Japanese tourists fly from Japan stay two nights at a first class hotel, play two rounds of golf on the weekend, have a caddie and umbrella girl and a nice room and food for the price of one round of golf in Japan.
- First run movies are about 3.00USD or less and sometimes are in the cinemas before they hit larger countries.
- The most valuable and least expensive thing of all is the Filipino smile. It is free and every where. Filipinos are happy people, they are fun and will make you happy, great entertainers and hosts. And do not be surprised if you call 1-800 and the operator is a Filipino. Almost all major US companies outsource their customer service and help desk in the Philippines.
Tips
- Read the newspapers with a grain of salt. Problems with terrorism is worse in the United States and many other countries. The Philippines gets a bad rap from the newspapers who print the worst, never the best. To know for sure, find expats living in the Philippines. They will tell you that the Philippines is one of the safest places in the world.
- If you are planning to have a vacation in one of the beaches here, it is suggested that instead of going to the overrated and infamously known Boracay Island destination opt for a less crowded spots such as the island of Palawan that was rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine as the best island destination in East and South East Asia region in 2007, and the 13th best island in the world having incredibly beautiful natural seascapes and landscapes.
- For shoppers, you cannot miss visiting SM Mall of Asia which is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and is the 3rd largest shopping mall in the world in terms of Gross Leasable Area according to Forbes Magazine.
- If you don’t have time to shop for souvenirs or find what you need, visit www.ainaku.com. You could also get some ideas there of what Philippines has to offer.
