Happy Tripper

Tripper Tips: Manila Oceanpark

Posted by Carambs

Here are some tips that may be helpful for your trip to Manila Oceanpark.

1) Go there early. We went in the afternoon and there were so many people! Our friends lined up for 45 minutes just to buy tickets. Then we had to line up for around 20-30 more minutes to get inside. I’m not sure if there are less people in the morning, but nothing could be worse than what we went through.

2) Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. I’m not sure if there was no airconditioning or if there was something wrong with it, but I didn’t feel it at all. Bringing a fan will help a lot, I ended up using the flyer as my fan because it was just too hot!

3) Don’t go there hungry. Have a meal first before you go there. It takes a while to go around, and you can’t bring food inside. There was a bunch of unfinished pop corn and sodas at the entrance because people had to leave them there.

4) Bring a camera! There are so many interesting species that you will not see often so it will be good to take pictures. But please, follow the rules and don’t use flash photography. That’s not hard to understand right? I didn’t understand the other people there who had to be reminded so many times!

5) Bring your kids, nephews or nieces. It’s for everyone really but it’s just so amazing to see the reactions of the kids.

Tripper Tip for Sinulog

Posted by Carambs

Thinking of wearing flipflops because it’s hot and you’re on vacation in Cebu?  Think again!  Wearing flipflops during Sinulog’s parade day will be a very bad idea.   You will be stepped on and the roads will be full of litter and liquid, so it’s best if you wear sneakers or rubber shoes.

Tripper Tip: Roadtrips 1

Posted by Carambs

Bring a small cooler and fill it up with ice and drinks.  This will be helpful especially for long trips.  No need to wait for stops if you’re thirsty.  Just be careful because you might end up wanting to go to the bathroom in the middle of nowhere.  Stock up on candy and chips as well.

Tripper Tip: Packing and Shopping

Posted by Carambs

Pack light if you’re traveling to a place where you’re planning to shop, such as the US, Singapore, Hongkong, or Bangkok. For the US, you don’t have to bring a lot of clothes because you can wear the clothes you will shop for there. For Singapore, Hongkong, and Bangkok, even if you will only be there for a few days, bring medium-sized luggage. Don’t worry if it’s not full - it WILL be full on your way back.

Just a warning though - make sure you know the baggage limitations of your airline, to avoid surprise fees during check in.

Tripper Tips: How to Prepare for a Travel Emergency

Posted by ordnacin

I’ve been lucky enough to have worked for a multinational company which has allowed me to experience the joys of traveling. Over the past years I’ve encountered problems and emergencies during different trips, though most of these are out of our control we can prepare ourselves so that when they do happen we are ready for the consequences, minimize the impact and more importantly remain a Happy Tripper.

Tripper Tip #1: Make a copy of important ID’s

You never know when you might lose your bag or wallet and along with it your ID’s. Worse still you could get robbed or get your wallet picked. Being stranded in a foreign country without any means of identification is definitely no fun.

I usually bring with me photocopies of my passport, visa, license, credit cards, company ID, business card and even my birth certificate. I place them in a separate location from where I keep my ID’s usually at the hotel safe. I suggest you also scan them and keep a copy online, Flickr and Picasa are good options as they offer free accounts with generous storage allocation.

Tripper Tip #2: Keep an extra set of clothes with your carry in luggage

They say in life two things are certain, death and taxes. Well in travel it’s delayed flights and lost luggage.

Make sure you have a spare set of clothes and toiletries with your carry in luggage. Or if your bag is too bulky already at least have a complete set of underwear and a fresh shirt. That way if your luggage is late/lost or if your flight is delayed by a significant amount of time you still have fresh clothes you can wear for one more day. This is becomes more important if you have a meeting right after your flight in. Looking haggard and wearing crumpled clothes isn’t the best way to make an impression during a meeting.

One time during a trip to New Zealand our luggage didn’t make it to our connecting flight so they had to ship it in the succeeding flight. Ironically enough we were rooting for our luggage to be late for at least 12 hours as we found out that Qantas had a policy wherein they would give you money to buy clothes if the delivery of your luggage was late by 12 hours.

Tripper Tip #3: Make a list of important contact numbers

My HSBC Visa card has a nice though often irritating security feature. If someone were to use it abroad the card is disabled to safeguard against fraudulent transactions, unfortunately that someone is almost always me. The first time this happened was when I was about to checkout at a hotel. Imagine my surprise (and embarassment) when I was told my transaction got rejected. I had to make an international call to the Philippines just to clear up the problem. Needless to say I was pissed when my phone bill came in.

To avoid similar situations in the future I list down all the important contact numbers I might need - Hotlines for ATM & Credit Cards, travel agent, the consulate or embassy and the hotel I’m staying at.

Read the rest of this entry »

Packing Cubes

Posted by Carambs

I’m done packing! Thank God for my packing cubes! I recently purchased a set of medium packing cubes from Amazon, and these babies are worth it!

I first owned a packing cube 2 years ago, when I was given a travel set. There was only 1, which I didn’t use right away. The most useful item in the set was the toiletry bag, which I can say has already visited quite a number of destinations. Just a few months ago, I decided to try out the lone packing cube, and lo and behold - it was so useful! My travel bag was more organized, and more things could fit! This prompted me to search online and eventually purchase the eBags Packing Cubes for $24.99. In my opinion, this is a must-have for travellers.

Packing for a Trip

Posted by Carambs

I’m currently packing for my Europe trip, and I am not yet done! I don’t have a clue as to what I’ll wear during the second day of the conference, and during the trip back to Manila. It’s not usually this hard to pack, but with this trip, I had to take into consideration the weather, luggage space, and of course, fitting in fashion-wise.

It’s easier to pack for a regular trip. I start by referring to my list, which I have stored on my phone. This list contains the basic items I need for ANY trip, near or far, by land or by air. It includes toiletries, eyeglasses, clothes, and even gadgets such as my iPod and chargers. It’s important to be very detailed - instead of just listing “toiletries”, break it down to “tissue paper, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.”. Thanks to the list, I don’t think I’ve ever left anything important during any trip we’ve had the past 3 years.

Non-regular trips are trickier, such as this Europe trip. Research, and an additional list, are necessary. Some of the non-regular items included in my current list are thermals, mittens, and scarves. And because of the inclusion of these items, it’s necessary to start packing ahead of time. Cramming may result to you not having several items, which could definitely affect your trip.

Tomorrow, off to Barcelona I go. Tonight, I continue packing…