It is very easy to get around Philippines because most of the people can speak english and besides signs are usually in english.

Here are some useful travel tips that can help make your trip to the Philippines enjoyable and memorable.

Travelling to the Philippines

All you need is a valid passport and you can stay in the Philippines for a maximum of 21 days, but you should present a valid return ticket or one to your next destination. People from states or countries with which the Philippines has no diplomatic ties will have to secure special permits from the Philippines embassies before entering the country.

If you're staying a maximum of 21 days, you only need a passport to stay in the Philippines and you do not need to pay immigration fees. But if you're staying for 59 days or more, a visa may be acquired from the Philippines embassies, consulates or at the Bureau of Immigration at Intramuros in Manila.

Be at the airport an hour before your flight to make sure everything is ready. But post 9/11, the processing time for international flights has been increased to 3 hours.
Food and other items inside the airport is almost twice the price in malls.

The maximum weight baggage is 20 kilos, hand-carried items should weigh no more than seven kilos. If you've got excess baggage, you can always beg the person behind you with the small backpack to add some of your luggage to his so you won't have to pay the excess fee (ranges from P18-P37 per additional kilo depending on your destination).

Dogs, birds and other pets are to be put inside cages and placed in the compartment section of the plane; you also have to pay a certain amount depending on the size of your pet.

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Mactan-Cebu International Airport, Laoag, Clark and Davao International Airport charge a one-way P100 local terminal fee, while smaller domestic airports charge P30-P40. International Fees are P550.

If you want to explore the countryside and haven't rented a car, there are other vehicles to try. Taxis in Manila, though expensive, are also the most convenient. They charge P25 at the start of the journey with P2 increments. The driver is usually given a 10% tip if you went through heavey traffic or rain, but don't expect change below P10.

Jeepneys and non-aircon buses charge P4 for the first 5 kms, and add 50 centavos per additional kilometer. Aircon jeepneys charge P7 for the first 5 kms. Air-con buses charge P9 for the first 5 kms, and P1 per additional kilometer.

Business Hours

In Manila, most shops are open seven days a week, from 9 or 10am to 7 or 10pm. As for shopping centers, supermarkets and departmental stores, the operating hours are from 10am to 7pm daily. Shops located outside of Manila don't usually follow a fixed schedule or business hours due to shop owners' attitude of 'whatever happens' (Bahala na).

Government, private offices and public authorities operate from Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm with workers breaking for lunch from 12pm to 1pm. Some private offices are also open on Saturdays from 8am to 12 noon. Business hours for banks are Monday-Friday from 9am to 3 or 3.30pm. Embassies or consulates are open to the public at 9am and close at 1pm. The opening hours of post offices in the Philippines differ from one place to another. Usually, post offices are open from 8am to 12 noon and from 1pm to 5pm on weekdays. And for those that operate on Saturdays, the business hours are from 8am to 1pm.

 

Essential Everyday Articles

The Philippines is a tropical country and during the summer, the sun, after a long time at the beach can burn your skin; sunblock will protect you while you enjoy every last ray of the sun. The sun dries a person out pretty quickly, make sure to drink plenty of liquid every now and then to prevent dehydration; some places like Manila or Makati have tapwater which is safe for drinking, some have different taste you may not be used to (mineral water is available everywhere or boil tap water for 10 minutes before consuming).

Clothing and Accessories

Cutton is the way to go. A light tee and shorts or jeans are staple wear here. Jackets are prescribed for the wet or cool season. For formal occasions though, men wear a coat and tie or Barong Tagalog , tailored slacks, and leather shoes. Women who adapted to the western influence of cocktail dresses with a light shawl slung around the shoulders or dressier occasions, come in floor-length gowns or terno.

TIME ZONE: GMT + 8 hours

Texting capital of the world:

The Philippines does indeed have the most number of texters/SMS users - or simply people who have the itchy finger syndrome - in the whole world. You're charged P1 per text, P6 per local call and International calls are 40 cents/minutes.

Credited foreign exchange booths are available in leading malls and most banks exchange international currencies for pesos. Visit Travellers Cheque

Sports: Filipinos are basketball fanatics. The popular professional league is the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), with the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) as its counterpart for amateurs.

Pasalubong: is a tradition never broken among friends or family when someone comes from abroad away from the family's bosom. Pasalubong is what the family member brings home, whether it be in the form of sweet meats like pastillas (candies made from purple jam), or clothes and other treats.

Weather: The Philippine summer has an average 30-33 celcius temperature and runs from March to June. The famous beaches would be full to bursting by this time with sun with sun worshipers, and the bright, natural colors of this tropical island are displayed in unbashed splendor. The rainy season is from July to October, when the Philippines is beset by storms and monsoons. November to February are the cool months after the rain when you get a breathtaking view of the clear, crisp landscape.

Customs: Of course, weapons of any sort are prohibited as well as certain rare chells, corals, and animals. Duty-free items are a reasonable number of clothes, jewelry, 2 bottles of wines not more than 1 litre each, 400 cigarettes or 2 tobaccon tins. According to the degree of severity, a person caught can face a sentence of 1 year to life imprisonment.
Foreigners and Filipinos can only carry P10,000 worth of local currency when going out of the Philippines. Tourists are requested to declare currency exceeding $3,000 to the Central Bank of the Philippines.
Likewise, foreign currency must not exceed the amount when going out of the Philippines.