The Jarvii I’m going through major Philippines withdrawals (and it’s not jet lag!). The vacation was such a great, fun, relaxing time despite the 24 hours of traveling to get to and from the Philippines.
I think my biggest concern about traveling, to what is essentially a third world country, was the health of the kids. I’ve had friends and acquaintances reassure me that it would be safe as they have traveled with their own children (who were much younger than mine). We also talked with the pediatrician who thought it was no big deal since they were up to date with their immunizations. Honestly the biggest problem we had was getting my daughter to eat her fruits and vegetables, which seems to be an ongoing struggle no matter the country. The other big problem was my son getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and sand flies.
Here are a few tips if you want to travel with your family:
- Cash! Businesses in Manila, for the most part, will accept credit cards. But once you are out in the provinces it is always safe to have cash on hand. Even large restaurant chains like Chow King and McDonalds only accepted cash during our travels. The exception are large hotels (like the one we stayed in in Boracay). If you are in a large town with a bank or mall, chances are they will have an ATM for you to withdraw cash.
- For the most part, they have everything you need for a baby/toddler. The one thing we had a hard time finding were pureed fruits and veggies (the easiest way to get anything healthy into our tot). We ended up bringing our own from the USA (we had my family look for the food before we left). We were able to find the same brand diapers and wipes, we just needed to know my tot’s weight in kilos.
- I would hold off potty training if you can. My son has been potty trained for years by the time we traveled, but we held out with my daughter even though she is sooooo ready. I say this because you will encounter more rustic toilet situations (e.g., dirty, maybe has toilet paper, definitely a bucket of water to help you flush), and if you have a newly trained child it may create a negative association with public bathrooms.
- Cold water showers–love it, embrace it, just do it! I absolutely hate hate hate cold water showers, but you’ll only find hot running water at luxurious hotels and those are expensive. For the most part it will be so hot that the cold water won’t be too awful. It will be tough for your children though; my daughter dreaded bath time even though she desperately needed to be hosed down. You can ask for boiled water for your children though and do it old school.
- Buy your sand toys in the Philippines and just leave them behind when you are done with vacation! We found a package of like 10 different sand toys at a local market for $2 USD. However, we did bring my son’s puddle jumper since that was something he was so used to having from his swim lessons. They do sell flotation devices at the local markets, or if you want something substantial you can go to SM or a Robinsons (Filipino department stores).
- You’ll be off the grid. Even if you have an international phone plan the coverage is often very slow or non-existent in the provinces. At one point we had access to wireless DSL, and even that is still pretty slow at times.
- Don’t be ashamed to negotiate on prices for mostly everything! It’s just the way of life there. Be prepared to walk away and they’ll return with a better price.
- By and large people don’t layout on the beach in bikinis like you find in the Western world. Even in Boracay, many wore a modest coverup over their bikini and all beach loungers were under the shade of a coconut tree. Any beach that caters to mostly Filipinos you’ll see them wearing t-shirts/long sleeve rash guards and shorts/pants. Don’t feel ashamed if you want to layout in your bikini on the beach–culturally, it isn’t desirable to get a tan for many Asians. Feel free to wear your bikini, but make sure you have a sarong or kimono to cover yourself up when you aren’t trying to get sun kissed.
- If you are going to island hop, you’ll notice that the only way to get from one island to another by plane is to stop in either Manila or Cebu first. Flights also don’t happen often, sometimes one flight a day depending on where you are going. Consider ferries, buses, and/or private van hire; you will probably end up saving money (depending on how many plane tickets you need to buy) and save on time too. You probably won’t be able to negotiate prices on ferries and buses, but it is a lot cheaper. You can negotiate on price for a private van, but remember that in the Philippines you also buy your driver meals while they are on the clock (but that’s usually about P500 per meal). There’s also no such thing as renting a car; it’s just easier and cheaper to hire a driver and their van.
- English is spoken in the Philippines; even in the furthest provincial towns you’ll find you can communicate in English. The Spaniards may have brought religion to the islands, but we can thank American colonialism for widespread education with mandatory English classes that still continues today. Now don’t expect in-depth conversations about the meaning of life, but at the very least you’ll be able to get your basic needs met without a struggle. The one exception I would say to this rule are the very elderly.
Overall, it was a great vacation. Usually it is expensive to fly out there, but right now you can find flights to Manila for cheaper than flying to places within the US!!! Once you get there you can definitely have the time of your life without breaking the bank. Definitely go for it, with your kids too!
