I believe this would raise some eyebrows but I’m writing this anyway. If you are guilty at one point, please forgive me, I meant it- believe me, its for your own good.
Background: I have been receiving emails, PMs, comments, DMs, SMS, calls asking me itineraries, tips, and more travel-related stuff as if I’m all-knowing.
Example: Hello James! I’m reading your blog and…. I’m going to Palawan for 3days, can you suggest an itinerary? It is possible to go to El Nido? I arrive at this time, and be back to Manila at this time. Please, please, help.
(AD: If you want a hassle-free tour package for Palawan, you can book from any of my Palawan Tour Packages here)
So here’s my reply:
Dear Reader,
First, thank you for reading the blog. Thanks for taking time to research and ask comment on my blog. As much as I want to answer your question, I chose not too. I’m not a snob…
Anyway, here’s some pieces of unsolicited advice: Make Your Trip ‘UNFORGETTABLE”
1. Add some free time in your itinerary.
We have the tendency to bring office hours while traveling (I have to be here by 8:00am, experience this by 11, lunch by 12nn, be back by 5:00pm, etc. etc). Please don’t, let me remind you that you are on vacation. Let time fly when traveling.
2. Make some room for uncertainty and take risks.
The problem with most packaged tour is that it lacks flexibility, boxed and have little allowance (do I have to tell its expensive too?). Everyone is certain to do this or that. Then we try to justify that “sayang naman kasi yung 3 days, so imaximize na.” Problem with this thinking: You forget that traveling is an adventure. Uncertainty is one of the ingredients of adventure. It’s not the polished itinerary that makes the trip unforgettable. Don’t you want some element of surprise?
Need more convincing? Check out the caption of the photo below:
I would not have experienced this Grand Feast in Patikul, Sulu after a Mosque Inaguration if I listened to Zamboanga Region’s Tourism Officer advice not to go to Sulu because its “dangerous.”
3. It’s the journey, not the destination.
Be prepared to encounter problems, delay or detour. I always remind myself, that the “journey is far more important than the destination.” So what if I get delayed in one place (you can read my latest account of this: On the Road, Off-Loaded, Change Course) and I will not be able to see that tourist spot? Traveling is not a competition and please don’t believe the lie that “If you don’t experience/see/taste this or that, you haven’t been there.” It’s a BIG BIG lie and travel bloggers put that just as a come on.
4. Don’t cram all the activities in a 3D/2N trip.
Related to #3, you don’t need to see everything a place has to offer. Why? 1. It’s tiring. 2. It’s robs you the joy of discovering something new. 3. It makes the trip shallow. Stop being a checklist traveler. Pause, breath, take it easy, let time fly!
Stop going to places just for the sake of seeing it. experience, feel, savor and enjoy it; delve deeper into the local life.
Chillin’ out at D Last Resort, Borongan, Eastern Samar
5. Sometimes you have to extend your trip.
I’ll tell you a real story: I only planned an overnight stay in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. That is because I left some room for uncertainty, I told myself to go with the flow when I get there. But then, the overnight stay became a 4day, 3nights vacation. Why? Because I have learned that there’s Ayoke island and I was invited to tour it for free. Should I go on with the original plan, I would have missed Ayoke island, should I miss it, GMA’s Wish Ko Lang will not see the island and help the locals there. Extend your trip if needed, so what if you miss work?
GMA 7’s Wish Ko Lang helped Ayoke Island in their library and by giving a small banca for highschool students (Photo by RV Escatron / Cathe Duero)
Q: Can a day’s salary equal a lifetime of fulfillment and enjoyment?
Please SHARE/LIKE this post if you answered, “NO.”
PS. Please don’t go back home if you don’t have a nice story to tell to the next generation.
PS2: Here’s what readers say on this subject:
Hi James! Super guilty ako with your first point. Haha I make itineraries and get disappointed if they’re not strictly followed. I’ve never tried going on a trip without an IT before, maybe I should try it on my next trip (SG and KL with Jai-ho). 🙂 Cheers!
yehey, now i have a convert! enjoy SG and KL maan, ingat kayo sa border crossing ha, Johor Bahru, mas delikado pa dun kaysa sa tondo
one word bai james: TUMPAK!
Amen! That’s why I prefer planning our trips. We don’t like being crammed and being forced to run because there’s another schedule to follow… Why go on vacation when you’re going to stress yourself over it. Defeats the purpose… 🙂
spot on ms.lea! let me repeat that: “Why go on vacation when you’re going to stress yourself over it. Defeats the purpose…” -amen!
nice post James 🙂 sharing this…
thanks man! hope everything’s fine with your journey!
I totally agree with #4. I always choose to travel slow and let a place slowly reveal itself. well-written post James!
that’s the right term- slow travel! galing mo talaga lois, 2 points ka na ah, “soft spot” and now “slow travel” thanks!
Hi James!
Guilty ako in making itineraries. Enjoy lang gumawa. Maybe, it also comes with the personality ‘coz I like to plan. But yes, I agree on the point that sometimes it leads to disappointments when the itinerary is not followed. But doing an itinerary maximizes the time and money of the person. Not everyone is like you who has the luxury of time. By doing a list, it gives me an idea on the budget.
Kapag dumating yung araw na mayaman na mayaman na ako, try ko din to travel without an itinerary and just wander. haha
but now, kelangan budgeted and listed muna 🙂
i also do itineraries but not ultra-planning till the very detail. or maybe OC ka talaga? hahaha
thanks for your thoughts izah, appreciate your input on the subject!
I’m a “checklist traveler”. I feel that I’m almost everything that the blog post said not to be. haha! I’ll try my best to just sit back, relax, and enjoy my upcoming trip! ^_^
glad you still read til the last part! and i hope you enjoy the time relaxing on your next getaway!
A lot of travellers will surely learn a lot of things from these 5 simple tips James. Kudos! Even I have been influenced by that box-type travelling which I actually find pleasing, but, on arrival at the destination, and after the 3D/2N of vacation, I would just realize that “hey.. it feels like I didn’t even went to that place! Have we been there?” =D
thanks for sharing this pre! i hope everyone learns from what i write.
Tama ka James, a traveller should be a risk-taker. I always travel alone, I don’t think of danger because I believe it’s only in the mind. Ayas ko kasi magtravel na may kasamang matakutin.
Tama ka James, a traveller should be a risk-taker. I always travel alone, I don’t think of danger because I believe it’s only in the mind. Ayaw ko kasi magtravel na may kasamang matakutin. I go on travel onboard my motorcycle alone to be independent.
yep, its only in the mind, a lot are paranoids.
wow, motorcycle traveler, wanna try that some day!
Siguro it really depends your purpose of traveling. If it’s just to get away from work, then a 3day 2 nights package is okay. But if you’re the curious, want-to-feel-kinda-lost type, you’d be more flexible. 🙂 In essence, it boils down to the question, am I a traveler or I just want to relax?
Cheers!
i understand you point mam! i guess travel and tours company should learn from this noh?
i find that researching about the place that i’m going to visit and making an itinerary for the trip is essential, more so when i will be travelling out of the country. it maximizes your vacation time, and won’t make you feel lost when you get to the place, but hey, leaving room for uncertainties is certainly part of the journey too… and i’m certainly leaving room for that on my next trip.
i agree with the research thingy!
thanks ms.maria, you got my point!
great post, james!brief but insightful.this is something worth-pondering on.i just started solo traveling (and slowly blogging about it) and I discovered that it is not really about how long you stayed in the place or where you’ve been to, but how you embraced the place as it is, not what you see in tourism ads or travel blogs.choose your own adventure kung baga. 🙂
great tips. although i believe there is a need for a site that provides this information.
i’ve never tried it but if you googled say a 3-day itinerary to palawan, would nothing come up?
i just been to a road trip where before i embarked on it, i googled 3-day itinerary to …. and voila there is a 3-day itinerary to that place. not that i followed the entire itinerary, but i picked and chose which ones I could see.
i totally agree, hehe google has it all. usually kasi, kapag marami ng itineraries about one place, i dont ike to write about it na. so usually, i write ung mga hindi pa nasusulat.
great post, james! this is something worth pondering on. i just started doing solo travels (and slowly blogging about it) and by far, i discovered that it is not really about how long you stayed in the place or where you’ve been to, but how you embraced the place as it is, not what you see in tourism ads or travel blogs. choose your own adventure kung baga. thanks to your and estan cabigas’ blog, i was inspired to travel and write more. looking forward to your upcoming posts.:)
hope you write more of your travel stories hannah. yep, estan is one of the inspirations ng blog.
I always planned my trips, research, mapping etc.. And naeenjoy ko nmn cya.. But as u said its the journey not the destination.. Cant forget the unexpected 6hours in mt. Pundaquit dahil nastranded na kami sa anawangin due to typhoon… Ang paglusong namin sa baha in negros occ dahil din sa bagyo.. All of this things happened for a reason… And yes, those trips are so unforgettable talaga..
Happy travels
Marie
that’s what i mean- you dont forget the unexpected things that happened during the trip. thanks marie for sharing your experience sa pundaquit
Thats the ideal way of traveling. Sadly in my case – I need to do mostly amazing race pace, as I need to go back to the job that finances my travel. Saving up though for that no-holds barred long term ass grinding travel ala Journeying James haha.
bilisan mo na mag-save pre! ala-journeyingjames talaga? hahaha
Great Blog James .. thanks for sharing your trip in Sulu. One of my plan is to visit Sulu. Marami akong naririnig na nakakatakot magpunta dahil sa hinde safe ang lugar. Btw, na amazed ako sa home screen mo it was a beautiful terraces .. keep on travelling your blog is inspiring to newbie blogger like me. Been to travel but not same as your’s (kakainggit) 🙂
wait for my Jolo, Sulu series. it’s safe basta may contact
I would love to visit Sulu. In your opinion is it possible for a person like me who obviously cannot blend in by wearing local dress, to visit these places without running into trouble there??
What advice would you give to Europeans to safely visit??
not this time sir. i suggest tawi-tawi and zamboanga first.
You made a good point on this. One of the reasons I dont like booking tours is because you have to leave for the next destination before you have all the time to explore the place. I would like all the time to explore, savor the place. Im going to Palawan next week and your article “Not Your Ordinary Palawan” is really helpful since its my second time and I want to go somewhere else aside from Underground River 🙂
glad you found that article! enjoy the little secrets of my favorite province
“the journey is definitely far more important than the destination” — i’ll keep this in mind from now on…
i’m glad that my co-worker shared your story with me…
God Bless! Keep on inspiring!
🙂
Absolutely agree with you James.
When you rush around and follow a tight itinerary you turn yourself into a tourist who doesnt know where he has been (as the famous quote says)
Yes we all have our list of places to visit and see but the real fun of travel comes from being spontaneous.
One of the ways i make decisions is with the toss of a coin….. Heads is the bus to Iloilo and tails is the ferry to Mindoro.
There is always another day, another trip to see what you have “missed”
Travel slow,go with the flow, and discover a whole new world away from the well trodden path of the mass tour groups.
i love this sir “Travel slow,go with the flow, and discover a whole new world away from the well trodden path of the mass tour groups.” tossing a coin is a good option, want to try that sometime!
guilty as charged! but i will definitely take your advice for my next trip..thank you james and happy birthday!…btw, pwede ko din bang maging contact ung contact mo sa sulu? i dream of experiencing that place one day in my quest also to tour the 80 provinces. thanks!
hmmmm… i have to accompany you if ever.
Kuya James! Nagkabreak na rin ako, salamat sa Holy Week. I went to Hong Kong and Macau. I only decided on it 2 days before the flight. OC pa naman ako and worried kasi this is the first overseas trip I would be financing and planning on my own. I had an approximate of how much I’ll spend and a rough IT. In the least, may idea ako kung anong gagawin ko paglabas ko sa airport.The rest, go with the flow nalang. I only had 3 goal places. In the end, Macau lang ang natuloy.But kapalit non were unforgettable experiences.I stayed in a hostel where I met tourists from different parts of the world, and fellow CSers too. The exchange of ideas was awesome. May mga nameet din akong Pinoy tourists, common mentality ata satin na dapat masulit ung nilipad nila.
Sobrang relate naman ako sa mga sinabi mo. Those were the things din na naisip at natutunan ko in this trip. Ah basta, I’m here to relax, not see everything there is to see. Chill lang, bakasyon lang. But I think, some expensive mistakes can also be avoided with planning ahead. Balance lang. So ngayon, feeling ko achievement to para sakin. And salamat sa blog mong as always, nakaka-inspire.
At hahaha, about your missing GF posts, darating din siya in God’s time. Sa ngayon, live your single life. Di ba, it’s the journey and not the destination? -wink!- hahaha….
‘Please don’t go back home if you don’t have a nice story to tell to the next generation.’ –
I think this is the best advice I have ever heard.
Love the video, love the wiki, love the whole darned thing! W00t! Y’all are going to have so much fun! Will try to go add snetmhiog useful to the wiki in a sec