Travel Tip # 4

So you want to travel but you think you can't afford to do so? As long as you have a regular job, I'm very positive that you can afford to travel anywhere in your country or even in other countries worldwide.

You just need to set a goal , where you want to go and when you want to travel. And then, SAVE, SAVE and SAVE some money meant for your trip. Once you've done your research for the cheapest airfare, cheapest accommodation and etc. You'll surely discover that you won't need so much of money to be able to go on your desired trip.

Be patient and wait until you reach your goal savings and don't be tempted to spend it elsewhere. I assure you it's really worth the wait. Imagine, traveling to different places, seeing different people, hearing dialects or languages different from yours and tasting different kinds of food... oh, the joys of traveling.

When you want to save up for a trip, it's good if you could open an account especially meant for the trip. Better yet, sign up for a free checking account from WaMu which offers free checks, free online banking, free wire transfers and a lot more. And then when it's time for you to be on the go you can access your money with their Debit Mastercard and thousands of WaMu's free ATMs.

Have a great trip ahead!!

Travel Tip # 3

How to do research on your travel destination?

1) Search..search..search - There are thousands of different websites that contains a lot of valuable information on your travel destination. All you have to do is look for the sites which are updated and has the information that is most necessary to you.

2) Join travel Forums - This is the place where you're most likely to 'meet' people who have been to the place you want to go. They can give you the real feedback, their good and bad experiences with the place, people food and etc, which you won't be able to read in travel or other tourism sites.

3) Ask around - You might know some of your friend's friends who has been to the place. You can ask them and they might be able to recommend you other interesting places to see, cheap accommodation, valuable directions, cultural advices and etc.

4) Print and take notes- And of course, after getting all those valuable tips and information. Make sure to print or jot them down. You won't want to be going to Thailand and forget the name of the most delicious food you wanted to try isn't?

That's all for now!! and have great travel experience!!!!

Traveling With Kids # 2

Making our kids comfortable during our holiday trip must indeed be the number 1 priority when we travel with them. So, we have to make sure they have all the necessary things to make them comfortable and thus make our trip a pleasant one. With kids trotting along with us, it's a bit more difficult to travel light. We bring their favorite books, toys, prams, carrier and etc. If only we could bring along their highchairs or car seats when were traveling by bus or train, then we would. :)

• Make a checklist of all the necessary items to be brought like disposable diapers, milk, food, water and etc.

• Check with the hotels where you'll be staying if they have baby cribs available. We ourselves get frustrated with this when the budget hotels we stay in don't have any. So, we ( 4 of us) end up sleeping on one bed with both kids kicking each other and wanting more space. If you have travel cots, then better yet, bring them along with you so as to make sure your baby and you get a good night sleep.

• Check the weather condition of the place where you're going. Does it always rain there or is it mostly hot and sunny?

• Take time to condition and prepare your kids for the trip. Brief them on the place where you're going, what activities you're going to do , how long you'll be staying there and etc.

b4uing1

Travel Tip # 4

Get the city map of your destination.

We cannot really underestimate the importance of a MAP. But somehow, even if we see the importance of it there are time that out of sheer laziness(?) we forget to procure one. :) So, result? Getting lost in a big city. ..hours and hours of going around the same place...a waste of gasoline or money..bored passengers which equals to cranky passengers.

So, before you hop on your car or the next plane, make sure to get the latest updated map of your destination. Von Voyage!

Travel Tip # 2

Travel Tip # 2 : Do a Lot of Research on the Place Where You're Going.

The amount of research you've done to the place you're going is equivalent to the amount of time and money you'll be able to save on the actual trip. Researching about the place, accommodations, fares , food and etc. are just at the click of our fingertips. For sure there will be a lot of websites available on the information we want. Joining travel forums will also be very helpful as you will be able to chat with actual people who've been to the place and therefore get real feedbacks. I'll be posting some helpful sites and forums next time.

SouthEast Asia Budget Travel

Several years ago, when one travels outside their own country, it really costs a lot. Now, thanks to all these Budget Airlines because they made traveling internationally cheaper.

Just like six years ago, a round trip ticket from Cebu/Manila to Kuala Lumpur would cost around 24,000 Pesos or approx $ 500. Now, a round trip ticket of the same destination will be around 10,000 Pesos (approx US$227) on a promotional price. And once my Mom bought her ticket for only P 2,800 (US$63) since it was a Zero fare rate.

Here are the Budget Airlines that I know that travel around Southeast Asia and beyond :). It's really cheap and as one of the airline's motto says, " Now everyone can fly!"

1) Airasia - They are the very first brave airline in SouthEast Asia to think of schemes to cut their operational costs and therefore lower their fare. At the start, their planes were small and looked like flying buses from the interior but as they moved on, they improved a lot and now they have airbus 300. They're currently flying around some parts of Asia and Australia and even planning to fly to Europe.

If you're seriously planning to travel around,to get their zero or cheapest rate, you have to visit thier site frequently or subscribe to their updates.

2) Cebu Pacific Air - Thier international destinations are quite limited compared to Airasia but personally I like their planes better. I've only tried the 'bus-like' planes of Airasia (haven't tried the airbus 300 yet), so please forgive me if I make this comparison in my limited experience.

3) Tiger Airways- They've got good planes too. Their planes are based in Singapore and their destinations include India, China and Australia at good rates.

4) Jetstar- I haven't been in any of their planes yet. But some of my friends have tried it and they also gave good feedbacks. What's interesting with this airline is that the price of your ticket depends on the amount of baggage you have. Like for example if when you only have a carry-on bag, then you get the cheapest rate, while if you check -in a luggage that's more than 30 kilos then you get a more expensive rate. So, for backpackers or light travelers who are just interested to see Australia or other countries, then for sure you'll get a reasonable price.

5) COMING SOON! - Malaysian Airlines - Presently, this airline offers a zero rate only in their domestic destinations but, SOON they will be offering zero rates for their international destinations. I'm surely looking forward for this since they are the premier airline of Malaysia and therefore they have a lot more international destinations compared to the others.

So, here is my list. I can't tell you for sure which has the cheapest rates since it all depends on their yearly promotions. Most of these airlines offer ZERO so, you just have to always check their sites or better yet, subscribe to their newsletters.

So you think traveling internationally is only for the rich and famous? No,no,no....With all these budget airlines , now everyone can travel abroad. SAKAY NA!! ;)

Travel Tip # 1

Travel Tip #1 : Save , save save!!

That's right before going out and even seriously planning for a trip, make sure to save money. Even if you want to travel on a budget but nevertheless, you still need money.

As we've talked to a lot of backpackers here in Thailand, we realized that they save up years before their actual trip. Once, they've saved up their money, then they budget this in such a way that they could travel in as many countries and see as many places as they can.

A Funny Experience

Well, not really funny...but I find this experience an amusing one and actually I learned a lesson after it.

It was during my 'single' days when I was still working and traveling a lot in various cities in Visayas and Mindanao. So, it was my first time visiting those cities too. In one of my assignments, I was to go to Bohol to check their Levi's retail stores there. I didn't know anyone in Tagbilaran, Bohol but I remembered that my classmate from high school, who's a med. rep. was assigned there. So, I called him and asked a name of a hotel where I could stay. He mentioned a hotel and with my backpack and Supercat (waterjet) ticket, off I went.

If I'm not mistaken, the name of the hotel was Meridien Hotel. When I landed on the city, I immediately hailed a taxi and confidently told him my destination. The taxi driver had a confused look on his face, asked me again of my destination and also asked me whether I'm staying there. I said, 'Yes' but this time I was already wondering why he's asking me again and again. Then he told me " Sorry ma'am, but that hotel is already closed' TOINK!

Since I didn't have any Plan B at all, I just asked the taxi to take me around the city and look for a place to stay. Finally, he sent me to a small hotel (I already forgot the name) that looks nice from the outside but has some funny noises at night. Oh..oh.. It was difficult to sleep at night.

Lesson learned: Before traveling, must always research first the place or destination you're going. With the internet now, we can get the information we need from the click of the mouse.

Canceled Trip

The Satun trip that I've blogged about last week has been canceled. That's what happens to spur at the moment decisions...the cancelation is also as fast..:)

So, Lesson No. 1 for me : Must alway plan trips ahead especially for us who're traveling with kids.

But anyways, we had a good weekend with friends last week. And little did we know that one of our friend who stayed with us for a night has a relative who owns a resort in Phuket and she's inviting us to go there and stay for a night or two for FREE! Hehehe!! I was so excited with the offer but I'm not jumping so much with excitement yet as our weekends are full and there are no holidays in between. But still we're not crossing out the possibility especially since we want to visit our student who's working there. hmmm....

Lonely Planet

A must-have for every serious traveller or backpacker is a Lonely Planet Guide Book especially if one has a plan to live and really go around a particular country for several weeks.

WHat does a lonely planet guidebook have?

• History of the place
• Getting there and around
• Money
• Cultural, Political, religious background
• Maps and Streetmaps with legends about everything from hotels, market places, banks and etc
• An intensive accomodation guide with approximate rates, facilities and helpful reviews. (VERY helpful if you're on a budget)
• Sightseeing recommendations/ travel interests
• Bars, restaurant recommendation
• etc.

What I like most about the Lonely Planet guide is it's like a compilation of all the information about the place PLus reviews and experiences of certain places, hotels and etc. So, you get to see the whole picture of a particular place and not just the good things. There's a difference when you consult a tourist agency and consulting a fellow traveller, isn't it? With lonely Planet, it's like fellow travellers telling you of their experiences of a particular place. Another thing I like about this guidebook is it specifically tells you how to go to a particular place, how to get there, how many minutes, how much it'll costand etc. No need to ask people around and get confused with language, it'll all be in the book.

I could remember a few years ago, my Hubby and I were riding a van to Penang, Malaysia. A German backpacker lady sat down beside us. She told us that she has worked for 5 years as a librarian, saved money , quit her job and plans to travel around South East Asia for 1 year. Her first stop was Thailand, then Malaysia and on to the other countries. Of course, she travelled on a budget or else her savings will be gone in a weeks time instead of travelling for a year. She was so confident, she only speaks German and ENglish, she has never travelled Asia before but on her hand is a copy of Lonely Planet guide. She was holding on to it, as if her dear life entirely depends on that book (just exagerrating a bit). BUt seriously, anyone can basically survive with it even if he/she is a first timer in a foreign land without knowing anyone. Wow! wouldnt that be a great adventure!

But anyways, this is only for serious budget travellers or backbackers but if you're only going to a place for 3 days to a week then I think internet information is enough help to let you find the most important information.