Category: Travel Tips

A Guide to COVID-related Travel Requirements in the Philippines

It’s a really challenging time for travelers. With the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a lot of medical jargon being thrown around, unknown acronyms, long list of requirements that vary per destination, expensive tests, and the very real risk of getting sick or stuck in a quarantine facility. Most people have chosen to avoid traveling altogether unless it’s really essential, and I can’t blame them.

I recently had to go through the tedious process for a work trip to Bohol that involved air travel. And while I enjoyed the destination very much once I got there, what went on behind the scenes before and after made me reassess if it’s really worth traveling for leisure at this time.

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2021 Travel Guide: Bohol, Philippines (New Normal)

More tourist destinations around the Philippines are easing travel restrictions and opening up to domestic tourism. Bohol, well-known for its majestic chocolate hills, tarsiers, and beautiful white sand beaches, is the latest to reopen to leisure tourists just in time for the Christmas season.

READ MORE: What to expect from the new normal travel in Bohol

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DOT makes RT-PCR Test more affordable for tourists

Here’s some good news for domestic travelers! To restore confidence in safe travel and support the gradual reopening of specific domestic travel destinations, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will be subsidizing 50 percent of the P1,800 cost of RT-PCR testing cost administered by the PGH, bringing down the cost to just P900 for qualified Filipino tourists.

The DOT through the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines has signed a deal with the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to subsidize the COVID-19 swab tests of qualified tourists. According to DOT, the high cost of getting Reverse Transcription – Polymerase Chain Reaction or RT-PCR RT-PCR tests is one of the major deterrents preventing people for traveling, but presenting negative results is a requirement to visit many destinations around the country that have reopened.

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Philippine Travel Destinations that have reopened to Domestic Tourism

After months of living under the longest lockdown in the world, many people who live in Metro Manila are eager to travel once again. Different destinations are slowly opening their doors to domestic tourists for “non-essential” leisure travel. The cautious reopening is part of government efforts to kick-start the tourism economy that has suffered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic since March 2020.

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Travel Guide: Biking in Batanes

Bike tourism has really boomed in the Philippines during the pandemic. While most of us living in cities have had to content ourselves with urban rides the past few months, there are loads of beautiful places in the Philippines perfect for biking. The thought of being able to bike through coastal and mountain roads in island provinces is something I’m looking forward to doing once we can all travel freely again. The sad lack of green spaces to bike around Metro Manila got me reminiscing about some of the most amazing destinations in the country that I’ve had the chance to explore by bike, particularly Batanes.

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Ultimate Souvenir Guide to the Philippines

The Philippines has a very rich pasalubong culture. The term literally translates to “something for when you welcome me” and shows the giving spirit of Filipinos when it comes to bringing something from their destination for friends and family back home. Whenever I travel, I try not to skip the usual t-shirts and magnets, but look for something unique to the place. It could be anything from processed food, a local delicacy you can only find in that place, arts and crafts or home decor.

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How to Ride Safely amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

The government recently relaxed the community quarantine guidelines, which gradually reopens up the economy. Thousands of workers are finally allowed to go to their offices, provided they follow strict health and safety protocols. Although public transport will be operational, there are lots of limitations to ensure social distancing among passengers.

In the National Capital Region (NCR), the resumption of public transport systems will be done in two phases, says the Department of Transportation (DoTR).

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Top Destinations in the Philippines for Backpackers

The Philippines is made up of over 7,000 different islands, which can make getting around the country a bit challenging. For backpackers who want to cover a lot of ground at one time, planning your route and trying to visit major tourist destinations spread apart the country can be a bit of a puzzle. While there are ferries and boats that connect major islands, it’s difficult to know exactly where to go.

In most cases, it’s practical and faster to just fly between islands to maximize your trip. For some places in Northern Luzon without commercial flights, you have no option but to take a bus or travel by land from major cities. For first time travelers to the Philippines, it really helps to focus on particular regions and aim for quality instead of trying to visit every major tourist hub.

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Neighborhood Bike Shops in Quezon City

Looking to buy your first bicycle or need repairs done? A lot of bikers usually head to Quiapo and Cartimar where bikes and bike parts are generally cheaper. But with the bike shortages everywhere, it might be better to just head to your local bike shop or LBS in your neighborhood. It may cost a little bit more, but this way if ever you need spare parts or repairs or maintenance done, at least you don’t have to travel too far to get it fixed by bike mechanics.

For residents of Quezon City and nearby areas, these are just a few of the bike shops that are currently open as of June 2020 (including safety measures in place with regards to COVID.)

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Klook Unveils Home-Based Experiences & Free Virtual Tours

Social distancing, travel restrictions, and stay-at-home measures have limited our ability to travel and the desire for the human connection is now more important than ever. To help customers stay connected even while staying at home, Klook, a world-leading travel activities, and services booking platform announced the launch of its new home-based experiences initiative, Klook Home. 

Klook Home consists of home-based online experiences such as fitness and wellness online classes, digital learning workshops, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) gardening and baking kits, as well as free virtual tours to help you stay connected, wherever you are across the globe.

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