Each country weβve visited has given us different reasons to fall in love. For some itβs the food. For others, itβs the people, the culture, or land itself that draw us in.
There are some countries in which the falling happens little by little. And others where the love is instantaneous. The Philippines, for us, was definitely the latter. This humble island country gave us more to fall in love with than most places weβve been before.
We traveled from the white sand beaches of Boracay, to the jungly island of BoholΒ thatβs mostly untouched by tourism, and ended our trip surrounded by the breathtaking seaside cliffs of Palawan.
Each island we visited had its own beauty and charm, and we decided early on that it certainly wonβt be our last visit. Next time we visit the Philippines, we are itching to visit the Banaue Rice Terraces, swim in dreamy blue waters near Coron, go scuba diving at Apo Island,Β and spend more time experiencing the things to do in Manila.
Tip: If you’re curious how we got these photos, we used a lot (if not all) of our 32 Easy & Creative Travel Photography Tips to make these shots happen. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, these tips will help you take incredible pictures!
You can find more about the Philippines here, but for now, keep reading to see why the Philippines should be your next destination.
Youβll meet the most warm and welcoming people.
We were greeted by smiling locals wherever we ventured. There are few places Iβve been where strangers, young and old, say βhelloβ not because they want to sell you something, but simply to be friendly.
We were shown genuine hospitality by everyone we encountered, and met some incredible people along the way.
Ati Atihan Festival in Kalibo
Cesar and Alfonso, two sweet boys we met on a walk near Nacpan Beach.
English is spoken everywhere.
Sometimes it is humbling to travel as a native English speaker. We see how lucky we are that our language is frequently spoken in many places, which makes it easier for us to travel.Β Β
Usually when we travel, we try to learn some useful phrases in the native language (Thank you! Where is the bathroom? Delicious!),Β but this time we didnβt need them at all.Β
And while we love challenging ourselves and traveling in places where we need to get out of our comfort zone, the Philippines is easy to navigate for any English speaker.
The prevalence of English seemed a bit strange at first β especially after living in Korea where it’s far less common. It turned out to be really helpful, not just for getting around, but also to engage in conversations with locals that delved beyond surface level. We got to get really deep with a few locals we met along the way, which doesn’t always happen.
Related: Find out whenβs the best time to visit the Philippines based on the climate, weather patterns, and your travel style.
The food is fresh and delicious.
One of the best parts of traveling (in my humble opinion) is trying the local flavors. Prior to our trip, Iβd read that Filipino food is nothing to write home about, yet here I amβ¦Β writing.
While I wouldn’t count it among the top cuisines I’ve tried, we were pleasantly surprised by the cuisine, and I truly can’t think of a bad meal we ate. We dined on fresh seafood, vegetables, and of course,Β tons of the famous mangoes.
Plus, we had at least one fresh fruit shake each day. Being that they were usually just a dollar and change, most days we had two or three⦠yeah, we spoiled ourselves!
Ma-ma-ma-MANGOES! My absolute favorite food in the world. And yes, that is yellow watermelon.
You can travel on a budget.
Still need a reason to pack your bags? The Philippines is incredibly affordable.
Just to give you a little idea, a 375ml bottle of the local rum is roughly $2 USD, an hour-long full-body massage on the beach will cost you about $8 USD, and our average daily cost of accommodation was $9 USD each.
We ate well and didnβt hold back on activities, and still spent less than we had expected. Check out our full report and how we traveled the Philippines on less than $50 USD a day.
The country itself is stunning.
I risk sounding clichΓ©, but the Philippines is full of the jaw-dropping, breath-stopping kind of beauty everyone dreams about. The kind of beauty that makes you wonder how the rest of the people in the world arenβt clamoring to get where you are. The kind of beauty that will never really leave you because it will forevermore be the βhappy placeβ you picture in your mind. We saw the sunsets you see only on postcards and swam in the turquoise waters you see only in movies.
If you are looking for a beach getaway, you wonβt find a place more beautiful than the Philippines. You won’t find more welcoming hosts or a place with cheaper fruity rum drinks. We’re already planning our next visit!
We would love to hear from you!
Have you been to the Philippines? Did you love it as much as we did? We’d love to hear your stories!
Hello Ben & Katie,
I am happy to find your most detailed and well-written with a heart travel blog. I stumbled on your site when I was looking for travel tips to Osaka. Thank you. I am now looking forward to my family trip next June 2024.
I love how you described the beauty and wonders of my country, the Philippines; message or email me when you are back in the Philippines, and I will be happy to meet you both. I am residing in Metro Manila with a hometown in Bacolod City. God bless you both for sharing your travel diary. What a life-changing experience indeed!
We purchased our tickets to go to Palawan the last part of November. Is it safe to go? The state department mentioned kidnappings at the Southern end of Palawan. What do you think about that?
Hey Tony, that is a very valid concern, but honestly we wouldn’t let it get you too worried. The southern part of the Philippines has been tumultuous for a while, but in general doesn’t affect the areas I assume you’ll be visiting.
Every country has unsafe parts and bad things can happen anywhere in the world, but we felt incredibly safe during our time in Palawan. That said, we were mainly in Puerto Princesa and El Nido (both of which aren’t really "off the beaten path"). So if you’re sticking to areas like that I think you would be just fine and would most likely feel 100% safe (like we did).
We hope you have a great time in the Philippines and we’d love to hear about your trip when you return!
Best of luck!
Hi Katie, thanks for getting back to us so promptly.
We are looking forward to the trip and can’t wait to see the sites, snorkel, experience a new culture and hopefully make many new friends.
We’ll share some photos when we get back.
Lots of reasons to visit this amazing country, thanks for sharing.
Soooo many reasons to visit the Philippines π
Hi Katie and Ben,
Such a heartwarming description of our country. Hope to see you (through your blog) in the PH again. Hope I bump into you somewhere in the world! π
-Tel
Hi again Tel! I’m so glad we did justice to your beautiful country! We can’t wait to get back to the Philippines someday! Hoping our paths will cross in there or in Germany someday π
P.S. I love your hashtag/travel photos on the floor! Super unique!
Hi Katie and Ben!
I was actually reading random blogs for a 2 day itinerary to Busan and came across your blog! My fiancΓ© and I are visiting Busan from Seoul on the 4th of July. We both reside in Korea, him in Seoul and I in Incheon. I’m so excited to visit the places you’ve written here. And to be honest among other blogs I read about Busan , yours is perfect for us. (Especially that I like heottok, that caught my attention^^) but might stay near gwangalli beach.
And yeah I apologize for writing my comment here. π I’m from the Philippines. And glad you like our beautiful country. Thank you for the sweet words. Hope you can visit my city too soon, Bacolod, the city of smiles, ? and the Negros Island. ~Dolphin watching. Diving. And 20 minutes ride to Cebu, Oslob to swim with the whale sharks. ?
More travels for you and Ben!
Hi there, Myrrah! I’m so glad you found us and that the Busan itinerary is helpful to you! Ben and I both agree that Busan is our favorite big city in Korea. And yes, be sure to eat many hotteok! I have found it in other cities, but it’s not as good! The best is in BIFF Square! Mmm, I’m getting hungry just writing about it π
And oh my goodness, we both fell head over heels in love with the Philippines! Thanks for the suggestions – we will definitely be back there someday!
Thank you Katie and Ben for mentioning Filipino food as fresh and delicious! I am a Filipino now based in Montreal, Canada and I do miss the traditional Filipino food.
Bon voyage!
LGBRM
Hi there Lurhen! We are so in love with everything about your country and can’t wait to go back! I think my favorite dish was the sinigang – so delicious! We also had some great seafood when we were in Boracay and Palawan. Oh, and I can’t forget the mangoes! I think Filipino food sometimes gets a bad rap, but we everything we had was delish π