What is this country like?

Question

I would like to travel to Philppines and visit it for a month. I am very concerned about security. I would appreciate some feedbacks from those who have travelled the Philippines. Tell me about the people, places to visit and expenses.

Answer 1

i have lived in phills for 2 years. philipinos are friendly and not agressive people by nature but some are desperate and desperate people do desperate things. manila is just like new york, use your common sense, dress casual, dont wear alot of expensive jewelery and do not flash a bunch of cash and you will be fine. if you are meeting someone there you shouldnt have any problems at all. mostly in manila you wil get harassed by beggars, DO NOT give them money. its kinda like the "do not feed the bears" rule. again USE COMMON SENSE, dont cut thru an alley at 2am just to take a shortcut walking back to ur hotel. stick to the main streets if you are by yourself. outside manila in the provinces you will fine as long as you are acompanied by a philipino and not alone. place to visit in phills would be bagiou city (about 120 miles north of manila , they have buses you take there for about 10 to 12$ per person each way,) a nice city in the mountians. going south from manila you can take a WG&A ferry (tickets can be bought at most travel agents in manila) and go to baracay (nice beach resorts) or cebu (tourist city in visayas). ferry tickets for a state room (elite room) run about 100$ for 2 people depending on where u are going to. if you are staying for 1 month and you will be staying in hotel only you looking at about 30 to 75$ per night, (if u ask most places will give you a discount if you are staying more than a week, remember to ask!!) eating out ranges from 2$ (95php) for a big mac value meal to 20$ (1000 php) for a steak at chilis' if you want to eat american food. if you eat philipino food you can get by on about 1$ to 5$ per person per meal (30 to 250php). as far as shopping have a philipino friend take you to some of the places in manila like greenhills shopping mall to get some good deals. at the markets remember to barter dont pay the price they ask as it is usally triple what they will actully sell it for if your american. again its best if you have a philipino with you to translate tagalog and also to let you know if its a good deal. some local prices there for example are :
marlboro cigs: 32 php per pack/ 270 per carton (50 to 1 exchange rate)
beer: 25 to 150 php per bottle depending on where you buy
coke: 12 to 15php per bottle
i would say for 1 month EXCLUDING ur hotel fees you should be able to get by on about 1000$ easy.you can also use most atms with the PLUS,CIRRUS, OR MAC signs on them for a fee of about 2$ per transactions if needed, do not carry alot of cash on, keep your extra cash in the hotel safe or better yet if you carry more than 100$ cash on you i would sugjest you wear a money belt to hide it. also its best that you have some kind of backpack or something you can carry with you and zip up for things like digital camera, item you buy, ect, ect, but remember use your street smarts and common sense, if it doesnt feel right its probly not. overall you shouldnt have any problems at all. good luck and have fun.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The Philippines is a wonderful place. It's pretty much safe to travel in the Philippines. Dont forget to visit the following places:

Cebu
Bohol
Palawan
Boracay

But you have to be vigilant if you travel the city, like Metro Manila. Be careful of snatchers, keep you personal belongings close to you, dont trust anyone on the streets. Dont be too flashy like wearing lots of jewelry and stuff.

have someone you know tour you around.

Answer 4

Philippines is a nice place to visit. The Filipino people are very nice and friendly. The prices of the goods are cheap such as going to the grocery store, restaurants, hotels and night life. The weather is really nice especially during the month of November to February. If you love spending time during Christmas season I think it would be the best time to go there and visit because Filipinos celebrate Christmas the very best.I would suggest go to Angeles City.

Answer 5

The Philippines is such a beautiful country. Try to surf the internet and you will find WOW Philippines. From Aparri to Bicol in Luzon, you will find many historical spots and beaches and resorts. If you go downward to the Visayan Region, many virgin forests and beaches you will find. Try also Mindanao. Well, you can find good climate there for typhoon seldom attack Mindanao. Try the Pearl Farm in Davao. Oh, lots and lots of places. The expenses is very cheap. And the food and fruits are so delicious.

Answer 6

If you like sun, isalnds, water and very friendly people the Philippines is one of the best places in the world. You can find everything from basic accomodations for backpackers to five-star resorts.

Aside from Mindanao, I wouldn't worr too much about security & safety. Most Filipinos are honest and helpful. Manila is a big city with all of the advantages & disadvantages of any other big city in the world.

Answer 7

security is not a problem here, just be careful when travelling alone beware of robbers and snatchers as in most cities of the world. If you like going to the beach or island, we have 2,107 islands.. U can go swimming, scuba diving, snorkelling, or just plain island hopping, u can also relax under the white sands and have a great tan in Boracay, Palawan, Davao and other islands. Hope u have a nice trip!!

Answer 8

I have been to Manila mostly and twice to Cebu.

Not much in Manila, I guess 3 days would be enough to cover Intramurous, Corregidor, Mall of Asia and do spent some time for nightlife (if you are travelling alone). Its safe there ie. if you listen to all the other good answers.

There will be plenty of friendly girls wanting your attention but do respect them, i must say lots of the foreigners really treat them really badly.

I 've been all the way up to north Luzon (Abra) and there really not much there, so better you head Southwards down to Cebu and beaches and Boracay.

Jazzy Chi's right, those girls flirting for business (ie. sex), they don't have a choice, mostly single mothers from earlier mistakes, runaway boyfriends seemed a common culture there. so not all girls are sluts there, as a matter of facts, those doing it are not sluts too, its fire for fire with the abuse they are getting.

Answer 9

Alex got it backwards. High cost of living and LOW quality beaches. Do not eat anything that is not thoroughly cooked. The Filipinos are petty thieves and scammers. But the real danger is to your health. Pollution is so bad, air, water, soil. Food poisoning kills thousands of people each year here. Fish are often caught by using Cyanide so also be careful of the fish.
You may want to think about Cambodia , Thailand or Viet Nam. All much nicer than the Philippines and the people will treat you better.

Answer 10

Enchanting Philippines!!!

Answer 11

i used to live in the philippines. i mean it's a very nice place,cool people, and i loved it there. it's a little scary in manila,tho bcause there's lots of robbers, 'snatchers'..u should be careful and watch out for those peeps.. u cant just leave ur stuff anywhere..its like livin' in NY.. other than that, u should be able to have fun and visit lots of places.. have fun on ur trip!.. bring me some 'pasalubong'..lol☻