As an Expat who is also a frequent traveler in and out of the Philippines there are a few things that make life so much easier especially if you are here for only a short time. Its a vast country and islands everywhere with sights to see and no doubt many your not even aware of due to poor publicity.
The Philippines itself has not been proactive in promoting the country externally which is why it has a tiny portion of the tourism market that it should have. Tie that with the problems of corruption and terrorism the country seems promoted more like a war zone than a holiday destination. But lets remember here NEWS generally sells bad news not the good news and definitely not tourism locations. Truth be known terrorism is primarily located far away from the tourist areas and corruption although it runs through the veins of the Philippines like blood as a tourist or retiree your unlikely to encounter the issues unless you encourage it. E.g. offering a bribe to get visas processed.
Before you arrive in the Philippines your trip should already have begun. What do you want to see? Where do you want to go? Are there things I haven't thought of? I will run through these with you in small chunks.
What do you want to see - It may not be as simple as it sounds prime reason like now is the wet season has just arrived so travelling to a beach for a couple of hours on a bus may sound great but catch it on a rainy day and your couple of hours could end up a couple of days if the road gets damaged or bridge washed away. Prime example of that is a friend of mine who lives in a fairly remote area which involved waiting three days for the river to go down enough to get his vehicle across. So if you're looking at things you want to see the weather is important but also planning for days that may not be advantageous to go and having other things to do which are easily within reach.
Where do you want to go - A current example of "where people want to go" is the Volcano on Luzon which is classed as a danger zone due to risk of eruption which may be a costly mistake if you try to go there. There are some people already been forced back by coast guard but the tour operators were still keen to encourage the trip. But on a positive side there are thousands of things to see the biggest problem is finding a lot of the less publicised ones. I would advise searching around on the forums and Google to get as many places and reviews you would want to visit as this will quickly build a big picture that should give you more to do than time you have to do it in. Also the bigger resorts often have things that aren't publicised well either so worth scouting around the resorts to see what is their latest developments to their resort. Currently on Mactan Cebu there is huge developments ongoing which means every month something new seems to appear. Planning ahead then double checking everything is the only way to go with "where you want to go".
Things I haven't thought of - The forums are a great source to find out where to go or things to be aware of e.g. Sinulog in Cebu is a great festival but at the same time it bogs down the whole city so travelling around on the days that the events are being run can become time consuming. Same goes for most towns and cities as there is pretty much at least several festivals in the Philippines every month so knowing where they are and when to go is a must if nearby if you want to experience some of the local culture and events. At the same time if your planning on going somewhere else you really need to know where to avoid. Also remember the hotel reception is also a good source of things you haven't thought of but i generally talk to barmen and receptionists personally as they know what is worth visiting. A few smiles and a general chat often go a long way.
A few quick travel tips that may save your life
Firstly make sure your health insurance covers for hospital access as often they want cash up front or a chargeable card. As most internal insurance companies repay after the event. So a good credit card is worth having even if you don't use it for medical emergencies.
Don't wear lots of jewellery or anything that isn't essential for your trip snatchers operate all over the Philippines and removing the temptation could also save ruining your holiday vacation.
When using taxis always make sure they put the meter on and text the registration to a friend. Make it very obvious to the driver as it will reduce your risk of robbery but also if something else happens in the evening it also creates a trail of where you last were.
Tourists are generally overcharged as they are seen as an easy target. Spend a bit of time on the forums and ask a few questions relating to your trips including prices as no doubt some people have been lately to where your looking. Also remember tour operators and hotels are also looking for their percentage so forums where advice is free could work to your advantage as well as the fact a lot of Expat's generally know people to get you discount or at the "local" price.
Market areas are always good to buy the souvenirs from as they are often one third of the price you will find at resorts and the airport. Another thing to talk to your hotel receptionist about. When visiting the markets though bring a minimal amount of money with you as its a high risk area for bag snatching.
Finally I would just like to say that the Philippines is not as bad as its seen in the world media although there are many frustrating things going on here generally its a great place to visit and the people are very friendly.
Matt Wilkie is an Expat who originally arrived in the Philippines nearly three years ago. An experienced engineer and surveyor specializing in project and asset management in the UK. Has adapted to the new environment in the Philippines offering consulting services for a wide range of topics and working towards building a strong Expat community in the Philippines. This led to the development of TropicalPenpals.com a website which has literally a constantly growing collection of useful insights and information on life in the Philippines from someone who is already living and experiencing life within the county of the Philippines. I welcome you to join me at:- tropicalpenpals.com
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