How to Create Your Do-It-Yourself Trip

I remember back in high school, our class adviser asked us to write an essay entitled "Who Will I Be 10 Years from Now?" With a happy heart, I composed my essay saying that in 10 Years, I'm already in Law School, pursuing my dream to be a pro bono lawyer for my beloved countrymen. (I ended up taking Accountancy instead and worked in the BPO and Hospitality Industry)  One by one, we all read what we've written in front of the class. It sounded like the usual chant of being professionals and being successful. It's understandable. Coming from a bunch of 13 year old minds, everybody have high hopes and soaring dreams. Then suddenly, one of my classmates stood in front of the class. With a confident voice, he professed that in 10 years, he had already traveled the whole world. It really took my attention. At first, I thought it was silly, not to mention impossible but for some reason, I couldn't take that out of my mind. It was an idea that had lingered up until now. Maybe because secretly, in what was then my young mind and up until today - I secretly wish to travel the world too. I hope that someday, I might just would. Who knows? For now, I am happy and contented in discovering the wonders of my homeland and it's neighboring countries through my do-it-yourself travels. DIY travel gives me a chance to go to different places without breaking the bank and it allows me to truly immerse myself with local culture of a certain place for I have the luxury of time and capability to decide where i want to spend it.

So how do I go about creating my Budget DIY travels?

First, I plan ahead. 

I avoid traveling on a whim. With this, I am able to take advantage of seat sales and discounted rates from various airlines and hotels. The philosophy here is simple, the rates are cheaper if you book in advance. 

The second key is Research. 

This is crucial. This is the part where you will base most of your decisions for the trip. Once you've decided where to go, start making the web your best friend. We're lucky that in this generation, we are likely to find everything we want to know through the net.

Researching on Flights: 

As mentioned earlier, planning ahead is better. There are times though that we have to leave right away and I learned that most of the time, it is cheaper to book with flight search engines. I had worked in the hospitality industry for a while and the concept is these companies buy in bulk that they're able to get big discounts. Naturally, their prices are cheaper too, that is how they pass the big savings to their customers. So if you must travel indefinitely, it wouldn't hurt to check out  flight search services like Flight Network for considerably lower rates.

Researching on Accommodation:

I first check on hotels with the lowest rates then from there, I do my research. I also consider hostels, inns or homestays. I prefer budget accommodations - cheap but at the least, decent and safe. Unless a trusted family member or a friend have assured me that their stay in that place is seamless, I make sure to check all the reviews I can find about a specific hotel/resort online. Reviews are subjective so be sensible too and trust your instinct when choosing where to stay.

Researching on Places to Visit: 

Let's face it. Traveling isn't the only thing we do in life. Usually, we are only presented a very limited time to travel so why not spend it wisely? That's when blogs of fellow travel bloggers come in handy. Their insights about a specific place give me an idea whether an attraction is worthwhile. It helps me decide whether to still go or just skip a destination. I take note of everything that seems interesting then list them in order. That way, I'll not miss to see what interests me the most.  Then, to further avoid losing that precious travel time, I try my best not to get lost (although it proved to be so much fun when it happened to me once). Some blogs even share directions on how to hop from one attraction to another. That is mostly useful. Just be patient in searching for these guides.

Third, I Set a Reasonable Budget.

Having made your research, you will now have an idea of how much money you would need to set aside for the trip. Mostly, expenses would be comprised of transportation,accommodation, food and entrance fees. Depending on where you're going, there are sometimes other fees like environmental fee, guide fee, the occasional tips and taxes for custom duties. You don't have to sweat searching or guessing for an exact amount, a ballpark figure would do but don't forget to bring extra for contingencies.

Lastly, I think positively and stay flexible.

I have to admit it. There were several times that what actually happened during my travel is different from what I originally planned. Typhoons, getting lost and other circumstances substantially changed if not totally expunged my original itinerary. Don't have a heavy heart when this happens. Having an itinerary is ideal but sometimes,  it's even more fulfilling when you have to roll with the changes. These circumstances along with what you witness around you are the experiences that will truly open your eyes and enrich you as a traveler. 

More than ten years had passed since my classmate and I started noticing our dreams of traveling the world. Neither of us fulfilled it - yet. Despite that, I'm really happy right now that in this hard times when earning isn't easy,  I'm still able to travel and doesn't have to spend much of that hard earned money. I'm thankful that I learned the concept of Do-It-Yourself travels. If not, my purse might have already hit the rock bottom purchasing expensive package tours since I can never give up traveling. Worse, I might have ended up not traveling at all. 

I hope to continue doing budget DIY travels in the future and have more beautiful travel memories to share in this blog. I hope you all do too. :)

Sampaloc Inn: an Accessible accommodation in Tanay Rizal

Front facade of Sampaloc Inn

For the night, we stayed in Sampaloc Inn during our quick get-away in Tanay. There are quite a few considerations on how I chose where to stay. We came from Daranak Falls that afternoon and would go to Sierra Madre Resort the following day so I was thinking of settling somewhere between the two. With the help of Google maps, I decided Sampaloc Inn was the perfect place. Located roadside, it is very accessible and felt safer to go to plus the rates are affordable.

Rates

Arriving there at early evening, we we're shown the rates available (which I had already researched prior to my trip). We were given the room key and upon entering the room located on the far end of the hallway, we decided the roadside rooms would do better so there will be a view. I requested for it and was promptly accommodated. Their housekeeping entered one of the rooms and quickly made some final touches to make sure the room is clean.

   

       Deluxe rooms

We stayed in a deluxe room. It is a room with basic amenities like non-cabled TV, a DVD Player (DVDs are free to borrow from the front desk), hot and cold shower, closet with hangers, and a dining table with 2 chairs. The bed is a double bed with two pillows that I wish is thicker and fluffier. The room is airy, spacious and clean not to mention it smelled fragrant. I specially like the wide sliding glass windows that can be opened to let the cool breeze of Tanay to enter the room. The aircon is cold and quiet in our room but I guess climate in Tanay is that cool so we ended up turning off the AC came 3 AM. I had a comfortable stay in Sampaloc Inn.

one of the Filipino breakfast served

The Inn have their own restaurant and the only food we got to try is their breakfast. I loved their sinangag (cooked rice sauted and added with seasonings). It is available for room service.

   friendly frond desk

The front desk is helpful enough giving us directions and tips on traveling to our next destination the following day. Although Sampaloc Inn is a simple accommodation with basic amenities, I wouldn't think twice staying here again. 

Commuting to Sampaloc Inn

1. From Star Mall Van Terminal, ride a van going to Tanay. Stop would be the terminal in Plaza Aldea.

    Fare is P70 and would take 1 and 1/2 hours.

2. From Plaza Aldea, ride a jeep going to Sampaloc. It is a 35 minute uphill drive/travel. Fare is P26.

3. Drop off at Sampaloc Crossing then a ride a tricycle to Sampaloc Inn. It wouldn't take you 5 minutes and        

    the ride is P10.

Aniceto Pension, Budget Accommodation in Puerto Princesa

Aniceto was suggested to me by my boyfriend's sister who stayed there during her Palawan trip. I emailed several budget accommodation places just to have an option and upon reading replies from these pension houses,  I booked a room for three adults, that's with one double bed and a single bed. The room is air conditioned with hot and cold shower. There's no television inside the room. We paid Php900 per night for the three of us.

The pension house's location is a short walk from the Puerto Princesa Cathedral and Plaza Cuartel. It's not far from Rizal Ave which is the main street of the city. I appreciate the fact that it is accessible and a lot of tricycles are passing the area.

The room has very basic facilities. There's a table with a chair and closets to store our things. The pension house as a whole is kind of cute, not to mention homey. It truly stands for their tag: Aniceto's Pension - A blend of Home and Nature. At the rooftop is a garden of different ornamental and flowering plants that made the place look and feel even cooler. Chairs and tables are set up so guests can relax while enjoying the view of the sea feeling the cool breeze. It's a small nook perfect for a bottle of beer or a cup of coffee shared with new found friends. :)

The other half of the rooftop was converted into a kitchen where guests are allowed to use the fridge, the stove,  plus cooking and eating utensils for free. That's where I cooked the kuracha (a kind of crab that looks like an lobster) we bought from Pandan Island during our island hopping tour. While I'm preparing it, we've met Tonio, a Spanish solo traveler who was doing a backpacking trip in our country. He was preparing his ginger tea at the other burner of the stove and we managed to share some chit chats. We offered him to try the kuracha with us not knowing he is a chef in profession. I hope my steamed kuracha in calamansi and butter sauce made justice. hahaha!!!

The pension house is lovely. It also has a reading area with fiction and practical books. This area has a comfy couch that I could probably fall asleep in while reading. The absence of  TVs in each room is made up by the television placed in the common seating area. The faces I've met in the pension house (mostly were foreigners) were all friendly, including Ms. Tess, the owner who I felt has a personalized relationship with her guests.

We stayed there for two nights and had a good night sleep. For solo travelers, they offer a nightly rate of Php350 for a non-AC room and Php500 for an AC room. You can contact them through these numbers. This is not a paid review.

The Blogger Would Like to Share: Tips on Creating Your Do-It-Yourself Travel