The Country to Add to Your Bucket List

Why You Should Visit the Philippines on Your Next Trip

As Spring break and Summer approach, some of us are scrambling to arrange destination trips. But, the options are endless. Are you in need of a relaxing break on the beach or interested in learning a completely new culture? Are you on a budget and looking for cheap countries to visit? Well, consider hopping on a plane to one of the 7,107 beautiful islands of the Philippines. The Philippines is located southeast of China just north of the equator making it a great tropical location to venture out to.

There are tons of wonderful characteristics about the Philippines that make it an absolutely stunning place to vacation. Here are 3 reasons why you should go to the Philippines at least once:

• Beaches
• Food
• Affordability

Beaches

From the white sand to the picturesque sunsets, the beaches are probably the number one reason why tourists choose to go to the Philippines. Being there is like seeing a picture on a postcard—flawless. There are palm trees swaying, fine sand, warm waters, and Bangka boats (traditional Filipino boats) floating in the water. Boracay and Palawan are two iconic islands that have the best beaches in the Philippines. In fact, Forbes, Harper’s Bazaar, and CNN are a few publications that have featured those beaches as some of the top beaches in the world.

 

Boracay, Philippines

Boracay is a small island that is only about 4.5 miles long. To get there, you fly to Caticlan island then take a ferry to Boracay. From personal experience, I can promise you that this will be an amazing ferry ride—you get to experience the relaxing crystal blue water the second you get there and if you get lucky, you’ll even get a glass bottom boat to see the sea life underneath. Aside from that, Boracay is an excellent place for young travelers. Because it’s so small, everything is within walking distance. The second you step out of the hotel you’ll be walking on a sand boardwalk filled with local vendors selling food, drinks, and souvenirs. During the day, you can go on adventure filled excursions such as snorkeling, tubing, parasailing, and scuba diving. And at night, you can hit up the nearest bar to drink and dance the night away.

Coron, Palawan

El Nido, Palawan

Palawan is another island known for a couple of breathtaking beaches—El Nido and Coron. Compared to Boracay, Palawan has remained relatively untouched making the seascape there spectacular. What makes El Nido particularly popular is their white sand beaches, coral reefs, bright blue water, and dramatic rock formations. While Coron is known for the same characteristics, it is also known for their lagoons and lakes—the most popular ones being Twin Lagoon and Kagayan Lake. The lagoons and lakes are especially popular among tourists because they have been voted one of the top places for scuba divers to explore.

Food:

There’s only one word to describe the food in the Philippines—mouthwatering. Well-known chef and avid traveler, Anthony Bourdain is just one respected person in the food community that has acknowledged the wonderful flavors in Filipino cuisines.

Bourdain traveled to the Philippines for his show “Parts Unknown” just last year when he declared Filipino food as “underrated”. His favorite dish being Sisig, a sizzling dish that consists of crispy pork, vinegar, and peppers. He was so taken over by the dish that he even said that “… sisig is perfectly positioned to win the hearts and minds of the world as a whole” (Bourdain).

To make things better, Los Angeles Times food critic, Jonathan Gold, also stated that right now is the “Filipino food moment” in America. In the last few years, more and more Filipino restaurants across the U.S. have started to boom, further highlighting the scrumptious food the Philippines have to offer. 

Here are 3 other Filipino delicacies worth trying:

Lumpia, Adobo, Halo-Halo

•  Lumpia: If you’re a picky eater, this is the perfect dish for you. Lumpia is the Filipino version of egg rolls. It usually consists of ground pork, onions, carrots, cabbage, garlic, and soy sauce. If you prefer to not eat meat, the vegetarian option is tasty as well.
• Adobo: This is a classic go-to recipe for any Filipino. This dish consists of either pork chicken, or beef with onions, garlic, soy sauce, white vinegar, peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Eat this with rice and you've hot yourself a complete meal. 
• Halo-Halo: If you love shaved ice and ice cream then you'll love this dessert. Halo-Halo is basically a shaved ice sundae. It has red and white beans, fresh and jelly coconut, jackfruit, shaved ice, evaporated milk, and ube ice cream. This is the perfect dessert to get after a long day exploring the tropical islands. 

Affordability:

A dollar goes a long way in the Philippines. In the Philippines, their currency is pesos. Currently, the exchange rate is 0.019 dollars for 1 peso. I know that doesn’t mean much, but let me paint a picture. According to Investopedia, on average, a hearty meal at a local restaurant averages to about $2 per meal. Now, if you were to eat 3 meals a day for 1 week that would only be $42. Granted there is a chance that you may spend more than $42 for a week’s worth of food, but just know that there are always cheap and tasty options.

If you’re an adventure seeker, don’t worry, there are also cheap excursion options out there as well. Avid traveler, Sabrina, from Just One Way Ticket blog, said that starting prices in Palawan for island hopping can be as low as $14 for a day including lunch. If you ask me, that’s a remarkable deal. 

References

Bloom, Laura Begley. “The World’s 50 Best Beaches, Ranked, Plus 6 Gataways Millennials Will Love.” Forbes Magazine. www.fobes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2017/11/27/ranked-the-worlds-50-best-beaches/ (4 February 2018).

Brown, Jenn. “7 Reasons to Visit the Philippines.” The Huffinton Post. www.huffingtonpost.com/jenn-brown/7-reasons-to-visit-the-ph_b_9873328.html (4 February 2018).

Cabrera, Maryanne. “Halo-Halo.” The Little Epicurean. www.thelittleepicurean.com/2017/06/halo-halo.html (8 February 2018).

Carpenter, J. William. “This Is How You Could Live in the Philippines on $1,000 a Month.” Investopedia. www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/111115/how-you-could-live-philippines-100-month.asp (4 February 2018).

Gold, Jonathan. “Jonathan Gold Says the Time for Filipino Cuisine Is Now, and the Place Is Los Angeles.” Los Angeles Times. www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-filipino-cuisine-20170511-story.html (4 February 2018).

Lalaine. “Chicken and Pork Adobo.” Kawaling Pinoy. www.kawalingpinoy.com/chicken-pork-adobo/ (8 February 2018).

Lopez-Quimpo, Candice. “The Philippines’ Best Beaches and Islands.” CNN. www.cnn.com/travel/article/philippines-best-beaches-and-islands/index.html (4 February 2018).

Lovino, Sabrina. “10 Reasons Why You Should Travel To The Philippines.” Lifestyle & Travel Blog. www.justonewayticket.com/2012/12/05/why-you-should-travel-philippines/ (4 February 2018).

Lovino, Sabrina. “Coron vs. El Nido? Which One Is Really Better?” Lifestyle & Travel Blog. www. Justonewayticket.com/2016/07/23/coron-vs-el-nido-which-one-is-really-better/ (4 February 2018).

Magary, Ian. “Lumpia.” Genius Kitchen. www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/lumpia-418113 (8 February 2018).

Matthews, Lyndsey. “These Are The Best Beaches in The World.” Harper’s BAZAAR. www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/travel-dining/g3820/worlds-best-beaches/ (4 February 2018).

Spyrou, Constantine. “Anthony Bourdain Says This Cuisine Will Be the next Big Food Trend” Business Insider. www.businessinsider.com/anthony-bourdain-filipino-cuisine-2017-6 (4 February 2018).