THE WORLD IS JUST AWESOME

There are over 35 countries in the world we can go to and stay there between 14 – 180 days, without needing to secure a visa before leaving our homeland.

ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

Non-ASEAN: Hong Kong, Macau, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka

South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

North America: Costa Rica, Dominica, Haiti, Turks & Caicos Islands

Europe; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

Middle East: Iran, Israel

Africa: Burundi, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Source: http://www.visahq.com/visas.php

No worries of being mysteriously rejected when the others you’re going with had been approved. No extra expenses, which means, you can use that money for buying items and artifacts of interests.

masks from left to right: Korea, Vietnam, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia

I myself, by standard, always get a mask in every destination I go to, where one is available – I have a line of them populating my wall at home. I also like textile, so a bed sheet/cover or blanket would be in my checklist. And last, a blank book for a journal – I have kept up with one since I was thirteen years old, and I am now a quarter through my 20th book. Aside from what I buy for myself, I have also recently started buying one for my niece, to encourage her to write and document the time she shares with people around her.

Most of the time, my friends think I spend heaps of money in my trips. I usually just get to spend half of what they imagine it costs. The trick is to plan ahead. By that, I mean buying your plane tickets ahead of time. Luckily now, we have very good seat sales from various budget airlines (as low as PhP1+taxes one way). For a trip that’s only 4-hours long at the most, there’s really no need to get the business class; and I must say, these budget airlines – with the exception of Jetstar -- had been commendable in all my trips so far.

sleeping off a migraine after a day of walking @ Angkor Park

As for accommodation, research is the key. Check the feedback and rating online. Compare all of them if possible in the area of your choosing. I mostly go for inns, hostels, guesthouses, backpacker’s lodge, bed&breakfast because my logic is: I’m not staying in the room. I’m just sleeping in it . . . so all I really need is a decent bed and toilet/bath.  This doesn’t necessarily translate to poor service and horrid hygiene. The Golden Mango Inn at Siem Reap, Cambodia has a Deluxe Twin A/C Room with 2 large Single Beds, Cable TV, Mini Bar, Hot&Cold Shower, inclusive of breakfast for only $20. You’ve got your welcome drink and heaps more free stuff such as Pick up and Transfer, Use of Bicycles, Tuk Tuk to Old Market & Pub Street, 24-hr High-Speed Internet Access and Wi-Fi in all rooms, with your Tea & Coffee all day -- that’s less than P500 per night for each of you & your friend!

I spend most of my money on transpo and sightseeing. Here, nothing beats Vietnam in affordability. $5 for a single destination half-day trip, and $7 for a 2 destination day-trip – talk about cost efficient !That’s the equivalent of going around Camiguin where you get to pay only about PhP20 for the natural attractions in the island.

This brings me to the food. In the Philippines, don’t be afraid/shy to eat at the local carinderia, especially in the provinces. I remember eating ‘ginataang page’ once, some 8years ago, in an eatery in Camiguin for about PhP50. I even had an amazing PhP16 meal in Dumaguete just last year – rice & veggie viand. Now that’s epic! I love trying food I don’t recognize. I’ll eat anything within the friendly food group of a Pescetarian diet. I don’t even mind if somebody had handled it with their hands, before & as it is served, to me. On this point, I love Indian food (tika nahi) and Vietnamese street food. 

eating Chickoo ice cream from Natural (India)

enjoying a yummy meal @ BenThan Market HCMC

My desire to travel had taken over my functions but I am unable to stop myself. I dream of that South American leg (ala Che Guevara in Motorcycle Diaries), or a partial African trip (Morocco & Madagascar), both of which could be considered as my most ambitious projection yet to date. I want to see more, know more, be more. I DESIRE.