The Joy of Creating Travel Itinerary

The joy of creating my own travel itinerary started when I first joined a barkada trip to Caramoan last 2008 when my co-worker planned and took care of everything . I enjoyed the trip so much that I decided to try it on my own.

Are you fond of traveling around Philippines or in Asia, and you're on a tight budget but wanted to maximize your time on a place ? Why not create your own travel itinerary? I know, some people might think it would be a big hassle to research and plot schedules on your own, and some people think it would be more fun to have a spontaneous travel without any plan at all. First of all,it's practical for people traveling with a tight budget not to pre-plan their trip. More likely they would end up wasting most of their time and money. The second thing, if you have a travel agency arranged the itinerary for you, as per my experience, you can't really maximize your time on the places you want to be-- this is referring to a joint travel group. Lastly, you would be very proud of yourself once you it became a successful trip!

Well, it's not that hard planning your itinerary. You just have to allot a little of your time and effort for research. It has a advantages, and it can be a source of fun learning too, so I would suggest start it now.

So where would you start? Just turn on your computer with an internet connection, get your pen and papers. And voila! You're good to go!

It would be a great advantage to have your own credit card for booking to avoid the hassle of depositing on banks.

1. First , plan the date of your trip. Usually, for a domestic trip at-least allot 3-4 days.
2. If you're not in a hurry, wait for promo fares that would fall on your planned date trip. Usually 3-5 months before the date.
3. When done booking your flight/bus ride, start researching on the place to visit on your picked location. Google search and map is a very useful tool. You have to know their locations and the details like is there an entrance fee to get there? Is the place always open to public? and other related information.
4. After-which, if you now know the locations, group the places that are close to each other.
5. When done grouping the places, you can now look for a cheap hotel that is near your listed destinations. You can book directly at their website or through trusted booking site-   www.agoda.com, www.asiarooms.com . When researching for a place to stay, it's also a must to read on the reviews of other travelers who stayed at that hotel.
    You can visit www.tripadvisor.com if you're looking for a reliable review site.

   Things to consider in booking a hotel:

   a. worth the price to pay
   b. nearby your destinations
   c. nearby restaurants, convenient stores and shopping areas
   d. ameniteis and facilites included according to your own personal needs
   e. a lot of good reviews on the internet
   f.  a free airport hotel transfer would be a good addition

6. Once you're settled on the hotel, research on how to get to your destination from your booked hotel. Either thru a public transport like train, jeepneys (philippines), cab, ferry boat and other means of transpo. You may find that some destinations are not reachable through public transportation. Another option is to directly contact the hotel that you'll be stayin' to help you with private van or car rental. Pretty much all of them provides that service.

7. When you found all the information mentioned, you can now plot your travel itinerary from the time, to places, where to ride through the expenses you need.

Here's an example Itinerary guide I made for my solo trip in Hongkong. You can create one and will serve as your template for every trip you wish to arrange on your own. :)

Notes for traveling on your own without the help of a travel coordinator:

1. Always bring extra money. It makes you more comfortable even if you get lost or something unexpected happen. Good to have something to pull out on your pocket.
2. Get the hotel's front desk number. They know more about the place and they will surely good to assist you.
3. Avoid talking to strangers if not necessary. Follow your instinct on people whether they  look someone you can trust or not.
4. Always take care of your important belongings. For international, you may opt to bring your passport with you or leave it on your hotel (inside the safety box) but be sure to have a photocopy with you when you go out.
5. Of course, don't forget to smile and enjoy the rest of your trip! If you're worried you're trip might end up a mis-adventure, you can first try arranging your own trip with a partner or involve them in planning. And if you have a plan A, be sure to have plan B-Z in case there's something wrong with your initial plan. :)

~Life is too short to stay at home! Go out and explore the world! ~

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Travel by Sea

I often travel by airplane or  land if travelling in a distance of more than 100 miles. Well, plane is pretty much a faster way to get to your destination than anything else. But isn't also exciting to try something new? I got the chance to finally ride a ferry for the first time (excluding this on the list of boats and small ferries I have already tried). This time, from Manila going to Negros Occidental.

My boyfriend's a seaman, and I previously told him that I wanted to know how it feels to be in the middle of the ocean on a big boat for a day. He did not fail to let me experience it. We booked 3 weeks ahead of our planned date of leaving. I found out that Negros Navigation and Super ferry were now merged and formed the new name 2GO Travel. I think it's pretty good as the booking and services were improved. But 2 days before our scheduled date of departure, I received a text message from them informing me that our departure 10AM of Friday was moved to 10PM. Quiet disappointing for us as we have already laid out our itinerary and schedule from the expected time and day arrival at Bacolod.

Travel time is almost 24 hours. We stayed on the suite room. Our ship's name was Thomas Aquinas. (Wow! it was named after my Alma matter's patron saint) . According to one of the ship staff, it was previously a  Superferry ship and was just renovated this year. They only have 2 suite room, 2 six-bed cabin room and a hundred more public beds.

Thomas Aquinas - Suite Room

For Php3,000+, we enjoyed our private room, with full board meals good for 2. It was a pleasant voyage, and the weather was nice. I'm not a good swimmer, so if you're too or even if you can swim. , be sure to check the emergency exit signs and where the life vests are located in case of emergencies.

Some people tend to travel by sea rather than plane for the following reasons - always cheaper (unlike plane which you still need to wait for promo fares to get one), an instant 70kilos allowable luggage, for people who wants to mingle with strangers, they can definitely meet one in this ship, some to avoid their fear of heights on planes, or just try a different experience.

Just like plane, you can now pre-book your tickets online through credit card payment. Just go to http://travel.2go.com.ph/eTicket/search.asp  to check the schedule then book and buy. Be sure to call them 3-4 days before your expected date of departure to check if your schedule has changed.


Whether you're bored or you just lost the excitement in riding planes or cars, it will always be an adventure to try something new :) ...

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