Traveling Smart


Whoa! its just 10:54 PM Mnl. and I'm right here writing my blog! hahaha well there is a perfectly good reason for that.... This may be my last blog for this week as I may not have access to a computer for the next few days.

Yep, gonna hibernate.... actually I'll be going to Bohol tomorrow and my flight is at 12:30PM

Many of us think that traveling is so expensive. Well for me that is just fear of being embarassed. From what? well embarassed that if they inquire something and they can't afford it some people would think about something about them. Or maybe we just assume that we cant afford it without even considering it.

We have got to break out of the mentality! there are lots of promo fares floating around and we need to take advantage of it!

you are missing a lot man if you don't make your move now. The Philippines is such an amazing place to explore and you are missing half of your life you don't travel around!

So okay, have I whipped your ass enough for you to start traveling?

well of course we don't just pack our bags and hop on a bus or be a chance passenger in a plane! Unless you've got tons of Mulah baby! so in our case here's a step by step guide in traveling.

The key here is to plan.

1. Where to go.

think of the place where you would want to go. I suggest that you start with places near your home. if you are within Metro Manila Intramuros is a must! walk along the streets and relive the old Manila that our ancestors use to live in.

If your choice is Intramuros I highly recommend that you take Carlos Celdran's walking tour. I joined one of his Intramuros tours and it was worth it! Carlos was able to take me on a roller coaster ride while walking along the cobbled stone streets of the walled city. You can find more information about the tour in his website celdrantours.blogspot.com


2. Research

Know more about the place that you have chosen. In my case I researched about Bohol, where to go, what to do.

3. Transportation

A. Air - Book as early as you can. Promo fares are all year around with budget airlines and airfares are as it most affordable ever. so take a seat and surf the net and search for the best fares that you can get. For my Bohol trip I was able to get round trip airfare for just 2,000 pesos. So just be patient I know you will find "hidden treasures" tucked around the corner of your airline's website.

Here are some Airline websites that you can check from time to time. Remember that the trick here is to be on the right site at the right time... you know what I mean?

CebuPacific
(This airline is known for promo fares all year round so make sure that you subscribe to their newsletter online to make sure that you know if there are promos just before everybody else)

Philippine Airlines
(Midnight sale madness is what this airline is known for also I noticed that the nearer the flight date is, the cheaper it gets)

Zest Air

B. Land - If you are traveling by land there are a lot of destinations that you can go to. Northern Luzon is best traveled by land as you can see lots of interesting views and the roads are very good compared to the roads going to the south of the island.


Even if you are traveling by air you may also want to arranged transfers from airport to your accommodations as most of the time they are much cheaper than doing it on your own and way more comfortable. but if you are the adventurous type its a must to commute! Just make sure you have a map okies!

Buslines in Luzon Island

Victory Liner
Phone: (+632) 727-4688
Florida Buslines
Phone: (+632) 743-3809

ALPS Buslines
Phone: (+6343) 723-9033 (Batangas)
Mobile: (+63923) 650-4653 (Manila booking office)

4. Accommodation

Here is where your patience will be really tested. Again going back to our reliable friend the Internet. Search for accommodations depending on your needs. do not look for luxurious rooms for you to stay in. Remember you are there to explore the place and not lock your self up in a room! so just look for a room that would serve your basic necessity.

So what should you look for when searching a room?

A. Price - this is the first thing that I look at when searching for accommodations. Of course I should be able to a
fford it. common sense huh? =)

B. The location should be safe and near to the point of interest that you are traveling for. For example, I am going to bohol and what am I there for? The beach so I searched for rooms that are near the beach where I will be hanging around most of the time.

C. Clean! The room specially the bathroom should be clean and has water heater. the linens should also be clean so it
would help to look for a hotel that maintains a certain ambiance or standard to make sure of this.

D. Air-con or Fan - well for me it depends on two things, My Budget and the weather. If its summer and its dead hot, I gauge my self if I can withstand the heat if yes, I'd go for a fan. My budget becomes a factor if I really want to go to a certain place and I cant afford it, id just settle for a fan but as long as I can afford I'd go for air- conditioned rooms

Here's where we will be staying in Bohol





















5. ENJOY!

This is why you travel! enjoy your stay eat out, don't just stay in the comforts of your airconditioned hotel room. Make sure that you explore the surrounding as you'd never know if you would still have a chance to go back again to that place.

If you can book a tour package go ahead this will maximize your stay. But if you are an adventurer make sure that you do your research well so you could go to the places that tourists do not usually see.

Most of all stay safe!!!!

So with these tips in my head here is what I have come up with for our trip to Bohol tomorrow

2,000.00 Round Trip Airfare
67.00 Taxi (Cebu Airport to Cebu Port v.v)
420.00 Round Trip Ferry Fare
334.00 Round Trip Transfer
2,400.00 Room Accommodation inclusive of Bohol Tour (4 days 3 nights)
________ - Airconditioned room
5,221.00 Per Head

Convinced? By the way the airfare could have been much cheaper but because of an unforeseen event our initial booked flights were cancelled in another airline.


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