Things you should know before you go

There are probably many things you should know before going to the Philippines, so search around and find all the answers you need, but here are some tips to help you out.

1. Change your money in the Philippines, you will get more for your money, you can change some in America just so you have something with you, but they don't want you bringing in more than 10,000 pesos when you arrive, and that's a little over $200

2. If you want or need a cell phone when you get there, you will want to choose Smart Buddy. That is the best service, you can buy a sim card cheap for about $2 and add on 500 pesos of time and your good for your trip. I have seen some good deals on ebay, if you want to get your sim card in advance, but it's about $6 and some people are charging as much as $20 for a sim card, so it's best to get it when you arrive. Forget about all those other international sim cards, they can charge you 50 cents to $1 per minute and that is just ridiculous when you can get for about 5 cents per minute. You can get unlocked GSM phones cheap from ebay, I've seen them for as low as $20 including shipping.

3. Don't just go to the Philippines thinking you will look for a girl there, that would be a mistake, unless you are going together with a group of people and you are all looking for brides. I recommend that you get to know a nice girl first and then plan your trip and there are plenty of Filipina dating sites out there, but the one with the most girls and charges a fair price is Filipina Heart, that's why I put the banners on all my pages, they are the best and that is where I found my angel. So I know what I am talking about.

4. Save 750 pesos for when you leave the Philippines, because they charge tax to let you go through immigration, you have to pay your departure tax, so don't spend all your money, and you might want to keep some extra just incase they raise the price.

5. The fast food is different, you will see the same fast food places there as in America, but the menu is different, They still have a hamburger or chicken, but all the side stuff is different, some is close to American style, and every place has rice, so enjoy your hamburger, rice and drink. You do like rice, right? Of course you do.

6. If you are going to rent a car, watch the road, watch the cars, watch everything around them, watch for dogs, watch for people walking down the middle of the freeway, learn to drive with 3 cars in 2 lanes, always allow plenty of time, because you never know when traffic will stop and you sit there for 15 or 20 minutes. Keep some change with you for the children that will knock on your window and won't go away until you give them some pesos. They are good kids, they are just hungry, that's all. But if you are walking you might want to be careful handing out money, or they all might come running for you:)

7. The electrical plugs look like American plugs, but we are 110V or 115V and they are 125V, so I really don't know what you can do, even the higher voltage is 250V, so the converter I had was for 220V to 240V, lucky I didn't need it. But I did need to charge my 110 - 120V shaver for 1 last day, so I plugged it in the 125V for 5 minutes and then waited a few hours and did another 5 minutes and I got 1 shave out of that without ruining the charger. It just heats up hotter than normal, and if too long, would probably ruin it.

8. This isn't really a tip for your trip, but if find a Fiance, and you ever need to add some time to her cell phone, this guy on ebay is good, and when someone provides good service I like to let the world know about it, my guess is that he's in the Philippines, Add time to your Fiance's or your own cell phone I also recommend that you keep your sim card after your trip and put it on ROAM before you leave, I know Smart works this way, and your fiance can send you text messages cheap, because you can receive them free. There is no way she could afford to send you a text message to an American cell phone.

Useful Links

U.S. Embassy in Manila

Official Philippines Government Site

Philippine Herbal Medicine

Philippine Maps

Entire Area of Philippines

Philippine Hotels

Hotel Guide Angeles City

Manila Hotels

Cebu Hotels & Resorts

Philippines Hotels