- Always feeling too tired every day or every night. You get enough rest or sleep but waking up in the morning is not as easy as before–it is never easy but when you suddenly realize you have lost your younger self’s enthusiasm and idealism, and when you just laze around all day, eating, sleeping, wriggling around your bed. Instead of hording calories, you definitely need to spend some time alone or take your friends with you and reboot your whole system.
- When there is too much toxicity in your environment, may it be because of your work or your personal life. It is never advisable to keep any negativity around you, you might not notice it affecting yourself at first but toxicity can slowly seep into your system and you would not know it until it has fully consumed you. Take a break once in a while, breathe and let out some steam. We can never avoid negative things to happen but you can balance it if you get out of the kitchen and have some good quality me time.
- If you feel lost especially when you feel lost and confused. It is normal to feel as if you are drifting and unattached. Travel, go somewhere when you feel lost. The irony is there alright, but it will reset your inner compass needle and help you find your true north. You can spend your time thinking, you can meet strangers that can surprisingly help you figure things out too. Conversations with strangers can actually bewilder you if you give it a chance.
- Distraught or heartbroken, a lot of things can cloud your mind and you can try confiding in others when you are in the verge of exploding or maybe imploding inside but travelling has its own magic of healing and emptying everything that hurts. Perhaps it is the nature? The fresh air? But going somewhere else will provide you a breath of fresh air, literally, to think clearly and finally defeat the overthinking.
- Torn. Some people can never be too cautious when making a decision, some can be too impulsive as well. Making rash decisions at the peak of their emotions can lead to catastrophic results. It can be an important business deal or again maybe something personal that only you can decide for yourself.
- When you just finished one path, unlike being lost or torn there are moments in people’s lives that can make them feel as if they have just crossed the finish line. Students who finally did it and graduated from college is one perfect example. Finally achieving your long term goal is another. Travelling after this kind of accomplishment is akin to asking yourself what’s next? Or as Flynn Rider called it, finding a new dream. Travelling as always will help you find whatever it is you want to do next, even discover something or another passion while travelling.
- If you are feeling trapped or stuck, yes you have an amazing job, yes you can pay the rent without problems but it is as if nothing is ever going to change. If you feel this way for so long you have lost count of the years then go and literally escape from everything. Tell your boss, you are going away. A nice vacation is a pretty nice start, this is one way to take the control of your life back to your own hands.
- Rebuilding bonds. A getaway surely never sounded bad to anyone. There are those who resort to a getaway when faced to a horrible relationship problems and just like the aforementioned, taking time off to breathe away from all the negativity is good to mend the rifts caused by probable external factors. Why not leave everything behind and just take what or who matters to you and focus there? Climb a mountain, have a sincere and profound conversation (mountains always do the trick of making people open up) at the peak and descend anew.
- Reinventing yourself, it can be a one way ticket and just choose to stay after leaving everything behind to start fresh. It could be about running away from something but not always. There are people who only wants another clean shit of canvas to paint with. Always a nice feeling isn’t it?
- When you have no idea what to do with your money. There are over 200 countries in the whole world, some people do not have enough resources and time to travel across the world so if you do not know what to do with your money and you still have the time to spare, go and see new places that can open your mind. Learning and growing up never ends and travelling to meet new people is the best way to be wiser.
Tag Archives: vacation
Palawander
Palawan and Wander
Philippines is an archipelago therefore it has a myriad of beautiful islands to visit but none can compare to the island province of Palawan. You can skip other beaches on your list but not this one. Skip Palawan and you miss half of your life, and that is not hyperbolic. Palawan is known all over the world as the “Philippines’ Last Frontier” and the island definitely earned the name. Centuries ago, Chinese sea voyagers called the island land of beautiful harbors or in their native tongue was Pa-Lao-Yu and overtime as language did evolve became Palawan.
Both the flora and fauna in the island are vast, giving safe refuge for over a hundred endangered species. The biodiversity of Palawan could also be considered as a global phenomenon. Palawan was once more declared as the best island in the world in 2015 by the Conde Nast Traveler’s annual list for the Reader’s Choice Awards where Palawan achieved an overall rating of 85.937. Imagine the African Safari in one province but greener, and wetter. You can take a 360 degree turn and you would see the crystal and turquoise water all around you.
What to do?
Meet some locals.
Palawan is not just a safe haven for plants and animals but also for the indigenous people that continued to live and thrive there. The Palaw’an tribe in Puerto Princesa is one and they are residing by the Palawan Butterfly Ecological Garden and Tribal Village. They are the legitimate caretakers of the wonderful refuge and the ones who know the island from the back of their hand. These people are the epitome of simplicity and innocence, following the implemented laws of the local government and being the productive and helpful citizens the way everybody should. The Palaw’ans do not mind sharing their homes to tourists and travelers as well, they treat any other people like blood. Many tourists feel right at home with the tribe that never fail to give everyone who would visit the island a sense of belonging. When tourist come back to visit Palawan and they always try to come back to the family that welcomed and accepted them to their own homes.
Snorkeling and Island Hopping at El Nido
Marveling at the sceneries are not enough without shedding some sweat doing fun activities in Palawan. One thrilling activity aside from the usual swimming and diving would be the island hopping not by boats or yachts but by air. Zip-lines connect a small few islands in Palawan and it is open for all adrenaline junkie tourists.
There is more to Palawan when you wander under the its waters. The marine life of the island stuns even foreign professional divers. It only justifies why there are certain laws that were made to protect the reef but nevertheless tourists and friends to fishes can enjoy the exotic marine view.
Party and entertain yourself
Where there is a beach, there is fun. Go visit Pukka Bar in El Nido. This is called the place to make walwal if you are ever in El Nido. One of the oldest place to chill and drink in the island, due to new competition Pukka has responded by expanding its glorious gift and now has two entrances, one on Hama St. and one on the beach. Enjoy the live reggae music and buckets of beers and spirits of your own taste.
If you are less of a party and rave person, you can definitely unwind with a bottle of drink in your hand at the Snake Island Bar or also known as the floating bar located in Bacuit Bay. However this beachy bistro can only be visited by boat and during the low tide which is only about 4am to 4pm every day.
Try the local exotic cuisines
The tamilok or woodworms or in some parts of the island are called shipworms and the famous crocodile meat. Both have been featured in the Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho television show. For tourists the cuisine are unbearable also for some Manilenos but truth be told it is rich in protein and vitamins. Only those who has the guts can actually try these two out.
You can always take a break from work or school to wander in Palawan. We help you get closer to the world. Check the available offers and package that we have for you here: https://www.egetinnz.com/s/palawan–philippines/ChIJRZ65UOe8tTMR6zuNDGxfxt8?&guests=1
Photos courtesy of Samantha Baluyot
Boracay for Vacation and Forever
A vacation package to the Philippines isn’t enough if it’s going to be a trip to Boracay. You’re going to need to go for longer durations of vacation rentals if you want the best beach party scene and, at the same time, relaxingly iconic island vibe the Philippines has to offer.
Boracay, in recent years, has garnered mixed receptions from both the local and foreign tourist. The biggest beef that it has is how commercialism has consumed what was once a virginal strip of untainted paradise. Even with the reputation, Boracay is still constantly flocked by people year in and year out which, we’ll guess, is what majorly makes up its new found appeal: it’s the island equivalent of Facebook or Twitter.
Going for Vacation
Boracay is an island just off the coast of Kalibo, within the province of Aklan. To get there, you will need to fly from Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) to Kalibo airport and then take a boat ride to the island.
The Philippines is such a foreigner friendly country and a short term rental is a great option to go for when availing for accommodations in Boracay. Not only are Filipinos very friendly towards none nationals, the accommodations are budget friendly as well especially for short- and long-term transience.
Some hotels could go for as much as 6,000 Philippines Pesos (PhP) a day but a short term rental place might only cost around 14,000PhP a month, and that’s for the nicer places nearer the shore. They go lower the further from the shore a place is.
But why go for short term rentals? Because it’s hard to completely appreciate Boracay for very short stays. A trip of 3 days and 2 nights would be enough to get your party on (because the party scene is very “lit” in Boracay, if we may say so ourselves) and do some water activities like kite surfing or island hopping but you will need more time to be able to also enjoy the local culture, most of the other islands and secret beaches, and good Filipino company.
Going for Longer
Boracay might be a great place to retire. It isn’t jam-packed throughout the year so you still get to enjoy the laidback seaside experience that the island was once known for. Not to mention, you can choose which of its 12 beautiful beaches to crash depending on your mood. If you have a budget of less than 2,000 USD per month, you can live quite a comfortable & luxurious life in Boracay (generally, most vacation rentals in the Philippines might cost somewhere around 200 USD per month, more if closer to major cities like Manila or Cebu).
Going Forever
If you aren’t going to the Philippines for vacation packages and are looking for something along the lines of “permanent stay”, the Philippine government offers special considerations for retirees through the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa or SRRV. You can read more about it here. They also, since 2015, have opened their government subsidized health care system to foreigners. The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) accepts and provides health care benefits to expatriates living in the Philippines for long periods or permanently—the coverage could take of as much as 80% which is especially helpful if you get hospitalized. Not to mention, the Veterans Memorial Hospital (albeit only has their main facility in Manila) also provides veterans with medical services.
Whether for vacation rentals or permanent stay in the Philippines, Boracay should be one consideration on your mind. It has familiar Western comforts but even behind the massive parties and consumerism, it also retains its friendly Filipino culture of hospitality and camaraderie.