Comeback post AKA How to plan a tipid trip :)
Wow! Back again on LJ. Natatawa pa rin ako pag nababasa ko yung mga kabataab posts ko, nyahaha. Di naman ako writer by nature, pero madaldal ako. And dahil kailangan ko ng outlet sa mga bagay-bagay in general, let's do this again!
So for my comeback topic (naks!)... travel! My non-fandom friends always tell na dapat daw mag put up na ako ng travel blog. I think magandang ideya naman yun. Thing is bukod sa tamad ako mag sulat, my travels are mostly fangirl related. So kalahati fangirl, kalahit gala. At minsan nga, fangirl lang talaga. So shempre di naman sya applicable sa mga "normal" na tao. Pero ang maganda dun, the gala part of my trip is usually very cheap (kasi lahat ng budget napunta ma dun sa fangirl part! Hahaha). So that, I can share with you 😊
So we are planning on a tipid trip, ano ba dapat ang mga kailangan i-consider. Yung di makakabutas bulsa at may pambili ka pa ng pasalubong 😉
1.Kailan ka babyahe?
Kadalasang factor dito? Long weekend at seat sale. Hehehe! Mas maganda sana kung magtugma yung dalawa diba? But airline companies usually allocates less sale seats pag long weekend so it will all boils down sa pagalingan maghanap ng dates and promos.
Tip 1: Airlines, like Cebu Pacific announces seat sales 2 days or a day before a holiday (like before June 12 or November). Meron din naman, like AirAsia, nauuna ang sales sa members lang nila, then after several days, so open to the public na. So make sure to make an account. Saves time na din kasi kailangan mo din sya when booking.
Tip 2: Mag isip na ng tenative dates kung kelan ka babyahe. Mag save na ng list ng long weekend sa phone mo para pag nag notice ang seat sale, ready ka na! (Isama mo na din sa list ang names and birthdays ng mga kasama mo, for easier reference)
Tip 3: If flexible naman ikaw sa dates, say okay lang kahit kailan mag byahe, take time to consider kung high or low season sya sa destination countries. Like end of March to early April in Japan, this is cherry blossom season. July-August in Seoul is summer sale and festival season. First week of October in China is like their Independence week, so week long holiday. So what does this mean? Ibig sabihin, mahal ang airfare, hotels and madami kang kaagaw mag picture. Pero if eto din mismo ang sadya mo, manageable naman the expenses, if you book way in advance.
2. Saan mo gusto mag stay?
I rarely stay in hotels. Nakaka pag stay lang ako sa hotel pag dun din naka check in ang pinafangirl ko (see, fangirl pa din!) It's usually backpackers or hostels or 3 stard chain hotels for me. Dahil mas mura and nase serve naman nya ang purpose nya... tulugan sa gabi.
Tip 1: Choose an accomodation na malapit sa train station. These places may cost a little more than those sa mas lakarin, but I think it's worth it naman. Dahil at the end of a long lakaran day, wala ng mas sasaya pa sa paglabas mo ng train station, hostel mo na! Hehe.
Tip 2: If di ka naman maselan at hindi particular sa iyong personal space, dorms and even private rooms with shared bathrooms are way cheaper than rooms with ensuite baths. Di ko pa na try ang mixed dorm, but I've stayed in an all girls room. Comfy naman sya and my room mates are friendly. Also, I suggest booking these kind of accomodations during winter. Kasi most of them naliligo at night. Eh ako bilang Pinoy, shempre ligo sa umaga kahit malamig. So solo ko ang shower :)
Tip 3: Airbnb! For groups of 4 or more. You can choose yung mga apartment type accomodations. May kitchen sya usually (so you can cook) and spare bathrooms para di kayo nag uunahan. Just take note that most of them have strict cancellations, so make sure na yun na talaga yung optimal (naks, big word) choice mo before booking.
3. Anong gusto mong ganap?
Gusto mo ba mag shopping? Mag sight seeing? Kumain? Mag Hanapin ang iyong sarili?
Tip 1: Wag mo puntahan lahat ng gusto mong puntahan sa isang puntahan. Lol, na gets nyo ba? Ibig sabihin lang, save other sights for the next trip. I prioritize lang yung mga gustong gusto mo talaga. Say, you go to Hongkong, di naman kailangan punta ka ng Disneyland at punta ka ng Ocean Park. Pareho silang theme park, so bukod sa kailangan mo ng tig one day para malibot sila (na sana pinunta mo sa ibang lugar na gusto) medyo mabigat sya sa bulsa at nakakapagod. Di naman aalis yan, and at least you have a reason to go back.
Tip 2: If you want shopping, my top pick is Bangkok and Ho Chi Min. Super mura lalo na if magaling ka makipagtawaran. For stuff naman na may brands Hongkong or China.
Tip 3: Sa mga gusto kumain lang pero mura, streets of Taipei and Seoul. Lalo na for streetfood! (Ximending and Shillin in Taipei and Myeongdong and Namdaemun in Seoul are my personal fave).
Some other points to remember!
Tip 1: Choose a country with a good transpo system. Like trains and buses. Yung makakadating ka sa hotel easily without getting lost or ripped off ng mapagsamantalang taxi driver. For me Hongkong ang pinaka first timer friendly.
Tip 2: Choose a country that speaks a langauage you know. Shempre hindi naman Tagalog, so English. Para less likely na mawawala ka, at di ka mahihiya magtanong pag nawala ka. Mahal ang mawala! 😛 Top country in mind, Singapore. (Bonus pa na one of the safest sila)
Tip 3: Choose a country na mababa ang ekonomiya (seryoso yan!) After the Japan tsunami, mababa economy nila and since they need to attract tourists so low ang travel cost. At! Wag magpapalit ng money sa airport kasi mas mahal. Exchange lang enough to go the city. Tapos dun na maghanap ng money changer. Better yet, dito na mag pa change if currency is available.
Oh ayan, I hope that gives you an idea on how to plan a tipid trip :) I'll show you a complete sample itinerary next time kasi ang haba na nito. Hope this helps! Have a great week ahead!