Philippines It is a country signed by more than 7,000 islands and is in the Southeast Asia, in the Pacific Ocean. Although it is not one of the first places in the world as a tourist destination, it has many things to see, especially its mountainous landscape mixed with rain forest and plenty of beaches and natural spaces. Filipinos have a reputation for being very smiling, friendly and warm. If you are thinking of traveling to the Philippines I will give you all the information that I think you may need:
– Passport and visa: Your passport must have a minimum validity of 6 months and in order to enter the country you need to have the return ticket. As soon as you enter the country you are given a visa for 21 days, and if you need more you can request them at the Philippine consulate in Spain before making the trip. EU citizens do not need a visa if their stay is not going to be longer than 21 days.
– Time zone: The time slot in the Philippines is PHT, 8 hours more than in Spain. Business hours are usually from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day of the year.
– Language: Tagalog or Filipino and English are spoken, both official languages. In addition, there are many areas where Spanish is spoken and there are also more than 70 indigenous languages. Knowing English you will have no problem communicating in any corner of the country.
– Currency: There you pay in pesos and one euro ranges between 63 and 70. You can change the currency at airports and hotels, although you will not get the best prices, you will get them on the street in the so-called «black market».
– Transport: Taxis are cheap and very safe, in addition to having very nice taxi drivers, something that cannot be seen in all parts of the world. There, the drivers have a lot of respect for each other, although there may be a bit of chaos from time to time. You can also move in Jeepneys, a way of going in community and which is like a bus but in a jeep. You can also rent a bicycle for two people.
– Purchases: A Filipino with an average salary earns around € 70 a month, so shopping there is very cheap in exchange. Its hairdressers are very famous, where they will cut your hair giving you two massages on the head and shoulders for an hour and for which you will pay less than € 4. In addition, the treatment in any store, bar or business in general is exquisite since they are very grateful. Due to the low prices, tourists are usually very generous when it comes to tips, leaving double what it has cost, that is, for that haircut you would leave € 12 and still it would be very cheap.
– Islands: Get organized to visit an island. For example, Hong Kong is less than an hour by plane and for € 100 you can have the plane plus accommodation to spend a day there.
In short, the Philippines is a very beautiful country and worth discovering. If we add to that the economic crisis and that we must choose destinations where we spend little money, it undoubtedly becomes one of the best places to visit.
Philippines Travel Guide (No BS) - My Frustrations & Highlights (April 2024)
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