Basic Tips for the Philippine Tourist
When traveling within the 7,100 islands of the Philippine archipelago, a tourist is treated to a lot of sights, sounds, friends, culture and hospitality with a lot of wonder thrown in. And as expected, tourists tour with one thing in mind – to enjoy!
Nevertheless, even with all the island-hopping, souvenir shoppings, food-trips, tourist spot visits, and fiesta merry-making, there are things that are bound to be neglected or forgotten that may hamper the trip or dampen the spirits. With a little more planning, however, these things can be avoided.
Below are some tips on what to bring and even what to wear for that maximum Philippine experience.
What to bring?
It is always easy to get excited and try to bring everything that you´d like to bring with you. But in traveling, the rule of thumb is always this: travel lightly. In other words, pack as little as you possibly can, choose ONLY the essentials, and don´t go overboard.
You are excited but try to curb that down a little and be practical. List down all the things you would like to bring. Out of this list, cross out those that you know you can purchase anyway from wherever it is you are going to. There are many stores in the Philippines to buy these from, particularly if you are going to stay in known tourist spots. This also applies for some services. For instance, you need your laptop for communication. The alternative? Save files you need in a USB and/or email important documents to yourself.
eave the laptop at home. Leave on the list things that are really essential to you and that cannot be bought or be given an alternative to. A special medication may be very important to carry around (in original, clearly labeled containers and with a signed letter from your physician). Or your cellphone (including charger, perhaps), for faster connection with business partners.
Leave things that you don´t really need. Do you really need to bring two books with you? After all, you´ll be traveling to enjoy the sights and the people, not to read while everybody else is happily living it up at the beach.
Before you go packing, do a little bit of research on the place you are going to so that you will know what can easily be available to you should you need it. Meanwhile, should you be at your destination already and need to find out where you can get things, you can ask around on where to look. People can be easily approached for such queries. It would be better, still, to also bring or have a credible and trustworthy tourist guide with you, and much better if it´s someone you know. Don´t forget to travel with an insurance, by the way.
Lastly, don´t forget! It is very important to bring money – cash, ATM card, credit card or traveler´s cheques – for you to be able to enjoy your stay to the fullest and avoid problems. The most practical would be cash in case of immediate need (most rural areas can only accept cash) and ATM cards (ATM´s abound in the country).
What to wear?
Like its people, the Philippines, being a tropical country, can be very warm most times. You cannot expect every place to have air-conditioning, either. It is often on the contrary. Therefore, it is advisable to bring light, loose clothing. It´s comfortable, plus it allows more space for other stuff in your baggage. ¨Less is more,¨ in a sense. For the feet, a pair of walking or rubber shoes should you need to do some trekking up some mountains and the likes, and maybe a formal pair especially if you expect to attend a formal gathering. Tsinelas (flip-flops) can be bought in many stores in very affordable prices.
Depending on the days or month you are visiting the country, you have to be ready for some sudden changes in the weather. The Philippines, in fact, is visited by a number of typhoons in a year, it would be wise to bring some ¨heavier¨ clothing like a jacket. The Philippines is also not an all-warm country. There are colder places that would be nice to visit.
And so, for a wonderful and hopefully hassle-free travel in the Philippines, it all boils down to knowing where to go, what to bring, what to wear and a little bit more of planning, planning, planning.
Sources:
www.LonelyPlanet.com
www.Marimari.com
