I need some tips. I am thinking of traveling to the Philippines.

Hello. I have been to the Philippines once, to Manila. A very beautiful impressive city. The people are so friendly. I didn't get to go to places of attraction for tourists. I know there are many beautiful islands, beaches. There are many myLotters here from the Philippines. They can tell you all about the country. Have a nice trip !

hi! i'm from the philippines. which part of the country will you be visiting and for what purpose? also which airline/airport will you be landing in? philippines is clustered into 3 groups of islands: luzon, visayas and mindanao. each offering international connection with specific asian routes. manila (luzon), cebu (visayas) and davao (mindanao) are the 3 major airports, manila being the busiest airport of the 3 with more international flights. each region offers different sights and activities; different dialects and culture; different food etc. depending on what you want to do here... hit the waters, explore mountains and caves, cultural immersion, sample the food, island hopping etc. weather and climate: ours is tropical. august is rainy and partly cloudy in some areas while the rest have sun all day long. september to december is cooler, with occasional rain showers. but basically it's pretty common to have both rain and shine in a single day. some days can be extremely hot, especially if you are touring the islands. summer capitals are baguio and tagaytay (both in luzon), which are cooler all year round compared to the rest of the country (by only a few degrees) and are easily accessible to tourists. but the mountain province (sagada, banaue rice terraces) is much cooler although longer land travel is needed. manila offers the widest range of food both local and international. lots of restaurants especially in makati city. there are also restaurants offering dine-all-you-can deals, great way to sample a variety of local dishes. lots of coffee shops and internet cafes as well as malls. visayas region is for island hoppers and beach-goers. boracay (beaches), bohol (beaches and chocolate hills)and cebu (beaches and oldest church in the philippines) are major tourist destinations. the fruit basket of the country is in mindanao. actually next week, there's a series of festivities in davao city... lovely ethnic and flower/fruit parades, food and more food everywhere, tropical fruits galore at a fraction of the usual price. cultured pearls is abound all-year round as well as fresh seafoods. some tips: - have a map (can be downloaded online). just so you know where you are and which part of the country you want to visit and explore. there would also be availabe info online on what's offered at each specific place. - book in advance. whether it's hotels, car rentals, airline travel or boats... it's much better to book ahead. - although major credit cards are widely accepted in the cities, better bring cash when traveling outside of the city and in local currency which is the philippine peso. malls and hotels have a lot of money changers... but malls offer better rates. - taxis are metered within city bounds and reasonable distances. car rentals can be easily arranged when going outside of the city or if you just want a vehicle for the day. airport taxis have fixed prices for certain pick-up and drop-off points. - tipping is not required, although in some establishments which do not ask for service tax it is sometimes encouraged. - accommodation has a wide range from 1-5 stars in major cities, 1-2 stars in select provinces. look at some promo deals, a great way to save (ex. 2+1 means pay for 2 nights and enjoy the 3rd night free). check your frequent flyer programs, they might have partner hotels that can offer you discounts or freebies. - rice meals, sweets and desserts are pretty common, but western and eastern cuisine are commonly offered too in international or specialty restaurants and hotels. - avoid crowdy areas where tourists do not go. seek advise for security alerts. there are certain areas not for the tourists. there are certain areas that i even don't go to. hehehe - plan your day/night. some streets can be very busy at certain times. manila's traffic sometimes can be a hassle but can be avoided if you plan ahead. important things to know/have: - hotel address and contact info in case you get lost or aboard a taxi who is not familiar with your hotel. ascot, shangri-la, marriot can sometimes mean or have more than one in a city. so better be clear which one. - which airport/terminal your flight leaves. in manila, terminals are in different locations so better make sure about it. - if you need to call someone locally, you can buy local sim and call cards. it's relatively cheap. - local currency. have local bills in your pocket... coz you'll never know when it's time to shop or try a local food. hehehe - airport taxes (international flight) and boarding fees (international and local flights). often, airlines do not include these when you purchased a ticket so be ready to pay for a specific amount depending on which airport you will use and your destination. i'm realizing this is getting quite lengthy... considering i'm not from a travel agency. hehehe but i certainly travelled a lot locally and i was with foreigners sometimes so i had a bit of experience what to have them expect on their visit to the country. goodluck on your trip!

hi there! I live in the Philippines.. okay here are the answers to your questions: weather: it's the rainy season, so expect a lot of typhoons,other than that, it's mostly hot and humid out here, though when it's BER months, the weather is usually good, cause the air is cool. FOOD: well, we cater to all palates, we have a lot of restaurants with american, japanese, chinese and all other kinds of food. Though you really have to try to eat the local cooking cause it's really good. =) TIPS: hmm. just be careful of your belongings, specially if there are a lot of people, when riding a taxi, make sure you ask for the meter. Hope you would take time to visit the provinces, cause that's where the beauty of our country is. Try Boracay, Bicol, Palawan, Batangas, Bohol and Cebu, that's the top tourist destination here. I hope you will enjoy your stay here, and PM me if you have anymore questions.

hi I'm from the philippines i live here in the philippines the weather now is okey no typhoon already there are so many kind delicious food here in the philippines like sinigang na baboy or kare-kare- letchon and many more the tourist destination from the philippines is boracay the beach is very clean white sand and beatiful view and palawan, davao,baquio,bohol,and many more tourist destination hope you enjoy your trip in the philippines happy trip to you and happy mylotting!!

Hi kykidd, its great you choose Philippines to travel. There are many beautiful places here to visit. Now my question would be, where in Philippines you are particularly going? I am asking it because as to weather its not the same as pertains to typhoon. I am from Davao and we don't have typhoons here, which i would like to correct with the prior comment. However when there's a typhoon coming we only have short heavy rains, just a normal rain. Typhoons only heat some certain regions of Philippines but not in our city and nearby cities because we are protected by the Mt. Apo. As a tropical country, you can expect the weather to be sunny, warm and rainy. I suggest when you go exploring like visiting water falls be sure the city itself is free from flash flood because in Bohol Philippines during the recent typhoon a local people had been buried alive in the water falls when the flash flood from the upper mountain came down. A tourist was able to captured in pictures that incident. The locals and the tourist don't know the coming flash flood of course so no one to blame for it. Its a very rare incident though. Anyway i think its a precautionary measures to know places you are planning to go. So in other words, always do a research first for the place you are going to. BTW, Bohol is one the beautiful place to visit. As for food, Philippine food is great. You will discover new taste if you like to try. However if you prefer food like your food there then i think that would not be a problem as there are many food restaurants that serve variety of food that suits tourist taste. As for what to be cautious about aside from the one i mention above is that the mosquitoes. We have lots here so prepare something to protect yourself. Another thing is that pick pocketers which i believe is everywhere not only here but in other countries too. However it only refers to some few people not all. Mostly are friendly and honest. So to be cautious just be careful with your pockets and belongings. As for taxi's there are some who took advantage so be careful with that also. My daugther's fiance from England has been ripped off by a taxi in Manila that charge him 500 hundred peso for a very short ride outside the airport which would originally cost just around 50 to 100 peso only. Hope this helps, just ask me if you have any questions and i would gladly help you. Have a nice day!

I am from the Philippines and I can say that we have a lot of nice places you can visit. Our people are very warm in welcoming guests and that is what we are known for. The weather here today is a bit hot or humid, making it good to stay at beaches. Maybe you want to visit Boracay or the beautiful beaches here in Cebu. Staple food here is rice, but if your not used to it, there are lots of restaurants who offer different cuisines.

One thing for sure, it will be a lot different from where you come from. The culture is different, most of the citizens are wearing smiles and are friendly and more than willing to help. But being a developing country, poverty is obvious in many places. There are many things that come to my mind that you should prepare for but the best thing to have is to know of someone whom you can truly trust if indeed you plan on coming here. Hope you make it. cheers.

I live in the Philippines myself and this is what I can advice you upon going here. If you love beaches and nature you will enjoy it here. You can go to Boracay a nice beach in here, in Puerto Gallera another beach. We also have beautiful volcanoes and you can try to have side trips to see the volcanoes. in foods, we have delicious foods and if you want to try some exotic foods which are very delicious you can try it here. Now, I am a filipino but I want you to be cautious with other filipino's also. You might stumble with people who aren't nice and will fool you, we all know that anywhere we go there are those kinds of people that will not do anything good to us and we also have those in here. Some will try to fool you and ask money from you so when you want to tour please go to the tour guides that belongs to a company. I hope you will enjoy your tour here.

I am a full-blooded Filipino and living here in Batangas, Philippines 43 years ago, which is actually my age now. Philippines is a tropical country which means the weather is most of the time hot, but of course we also have the rainy season. For food, it depends on where will you live but I guarantee you that it's among the best in the world. Unfortunately, we also have some rebels and bad guys too. However, I can say that Philippines a safe country to visit in general. But just like in any place, you should be careful with your things and don't trust someone immediately. The best part of our country is we Filipinos are very accommodating and sociable, as we love to entertain visitors. You visit a lot of websites relating to Philippines for more information. Good luck!

if you are really in a god mood then my country india is the best place to visit ,it is surrounded by hstorical monuments ,beautiful rivers ,valleys mountain areas and is cool these days

Hello,. do you already visit Philippines? how is the experince? if not there is nothing I can say, other mylotters have already discuss it,,, enjoy!

Hi there! I am from the Philippines. My country is such a good place. My countrymen is very hospitable. The climate here now is sunny. We don't have winter here. We have a lot of food here to choose from. There are a lot of restaurants her that cater different cuisine. So you don't have to worry about the food. We have a lot of fresh and cheap fruits here. There are a lot of wonderful places to vist. But the only problem is the traffic. But all in all Philippines is really a good place to visit and to live in. Hope to see you here real soon!

Tips/advice for first time Philippine travelers: 1. If you are staying here for weeks, you can just always stay with condotels (condominium-hotels). There are few good condotels around Makati. 2. If you are traveling here by September-January onwards, you might wanna bring some clothes for rainy season and not so thick cardigans because it's really not cold in here. If you are traveling beyond those months that i've mentioned, you can just bring some California summer climate clothing because it's pretty humid and hot in here. 3. You should be always cautious with CAB drivers, street children and other public utility vehicles. Cabs in here are not issuing receipts but they should always follow their flag down rates.

i am a 100% filipino but i could give you an objective answer. the philippines is a tropical country. this month and until december you can expect a rainy weather. we have good beaches: boracay, panglao @ bohol, bantayan @ cebu, pearl farm @ davao, el nido @ palawan, white island @ camiguin, cloud 9 @ siaorgao(to name a few) what is your preference? do you want to discover great beaches? do you want spelunking? do you want to go to the highlands? i'd be glad to answer your questions.. we have a mix of different cuisines - chinese (noodles), spanish, american, etc. but we also have authentic Filipino cuisines like the adobo, lechon baboy (whole rosted pig). but if you are not that adventurous, we also have a lot of foreign restaurants that you can choose. bring a lot of summer outfits for even if it is raining, a lot of my friends from abroad says it is still warm down here.

I am also from Philippines and if you're plannin to go here well i could say you will have a very enjoyable trip here. I am proud to say that we have a lot of people here who's really hospitable and very helpful. hmm. when it comes to travelling in here, we've got so many wonderful sites that u're gonna love,really.