• Dress for the weather – hot! Light clothing is ideal year-round, and absolutely during the hot and dry months from March to May. Temperatures average from 78°F/25°C to 90°F/32°C. Mean humidity is at 77%.

• Never leave home without your rain gear, umbrella, and heavy clothing during the rainy months from June to October as well as when setting out to the mountainous areas.

• When shopping in a public market, it is perfectly acceptable to haggle for the cheapest price.

• English is the most widely spoken next to Filipino/Tagalog, the national language. Learning the basic local phrases may come in handy. Over 111 local dialects are spoken in the country.

• Comfortable yet sturdy footwear are best, as traveling the islands will often involve some walking.

• When headed to the remote areas, come prepared with an insect repellant and even your own water in handy containers. Always have the island map with you.

• Prepare to hop in a jeepney, tricycle, or pedicab – exotic modes of land transport that are the most commonly available for going around. Always bring loose change when taking public transport.

• Know the transport schedules. Some destinations are only being serviced intermittently, not to mention extreme weather conditions that will affect these schedules.

• Air-conditioned taxis should cost PhP25 on the meter. An extra PhP2 will be added for every 500 meters.

• Casual clothing is acceptable inside churches and business offices. Dining establishments and hotels impose no dress code but shorts and slippers are deemed improper.

• For formal occasions, the traditional Barong Tagalog, the Philippine national costume for men, is just as suitable as the suit-and-tie.

• When traveling by car, be mindful of the number coding ordinance for vehicles that is being implemented strictly in selected cities.

• Do not miss visiting during the summer, when there is a concentration of major festivals, celebrations, and events.

• Adopt to local customs; accept local differences. The Filipinos are divided culturally into regions a total of 16, at present, each with its own distinct traits and traditions.

• The Philippine monetary unit, the peso, is generally preferred for financial transactions. Money-changing shops are available in key cities and towns.

• Tipping is expected for many services. The standard amount is 10% of the total bill. Tipping is optional on bills that include a service charge, which is often 10% as well of the total bill.

• Be sure to sample the endless variety of native delicacies and local cuisine, which differ in every region. The Philippines is made up of 7,107 different flavors that you will want to take home with you.

• For tourist information and assistance, get in touch with the Department of Tourism and any of its accredited offices nationwide.

A trip to a foreign country can indeed be fun and exciting. However, a fun trip can sometimes turn sour without proper planning or prior knowledge of the country. Therefore, it is always advisable for travelers to learn more about a foreign country that they are about to visit so as to expect the unexpected and take proper precautions before making the trip there. Here are some useful travel tips that can help make your trip to the Philippines enjoyable and memorable.

Climate
Philippines is blessed with a tropical climate that has relatively generous amount of rainfall and gentle winds. Basically, there are three noticeable seasons namely the wet and rainy season (June-October), the cool but dry season (November-February) and the hot and dry season (March-May).

When To Go?
The best time to make a trip to the Philippines is from the middle of December to the middle of May because that is off-season for typhoons. Any travelers to the country in December (Christmas) or April (Easter) are advised against traveling more than necessary as the entire country is on the move, making it difficult to get a seat on any type of transport.

January, May and December are the best months to visit the Philippines if colorful celebrations and fiestas are on your list of ‘purpose for making the trip’. If your itinerary includes visits to the rice terraces in North Luzon, the best time to do this would be in March and April as the weather is pleasantly warm. Apart from that, these warm summer months are also ideal for island hopping. Do be advised that for those who can’t take the heat, the month of May can be quite an experience of warm discomfort.

What To Bring?
The golden rule of traveling is to bring as little of your belongings as possible. Fortunately, most of the things that you might require are easily available upon arrival in the Philippines. Apart from the basic traveling necessities and your own special personal needs, it is not necessary to bring anything else other than (perhaps) a travel plug adapter, a pocket calculator, a torchlight, an umbrella and photographic supplies. Medications can be found at drug stores in major cities. In the event that you are confronted with problems when finding the things that you need, the ever-helpful staff at any Tourist Information Center will advise you as to where you can acquire them.

What To Wear?
Like its wonderfully varied culture, the country also has enough climatic changes that would require a wide variety of clothing. It is advisable to bring light and loose clothing that are suitable for tropical temperatures when visiting the cities of Philippines. If you are planning to make a trip to the mountains or scale the odd volcano, do bring along warmer clothing such as jumpers (sweaters) and a light jacket, even on the hottest months. And also, do bring along your thongs or flip-flops as you might find it useful in hotel bathrooms, showers or when you visit the beach. Don’t forget to pack some of your formal clothing, as you might need it when you attend formal gatherings, festivals or religious services.

Tipping
Unlike most Asian countries, the culture of tipping in the Philippines’ service industry is becoming more prevalent with much influence from western countries. Although, nearly all major hotels and restaurants have a policy of automatically adding a 10 percent service charge to your bills, a small token to show you gratitude is still expected in the form of a tip, leaving the amount for the tip to the customer’s own discretion. Apart from hotels and restaurants, other smaller service establishments as well as taxi drivers expect a small gratuity in return for the service rendered.

Business Hours
In Manila, most shops are open six days a week, from 9 or 10am to 7 or 10pm. As for shopping centers, supermarkets and departmental stores, the operating hours are from 10am to 7pm daily. Shops located outside of Manila don’t usually follow a fixed schedule or business hours due to shop owners’ attitude of ‘whatever happens’ (Bahala na).

Government, private offices and public authorities operate from Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm with workers breaking for lunch from 12pm to 1pm. Some private offices are also open on Saturdays from 8am to 12 noon. Business hours for banks are Monday-Friday from 9am to 3 or 3.30pm. Embassies or consulates are open to the public at 9am and close at 1pm. The opening hours of post offices in the Philippines differ from one place to another. Usually, post offices are open from 8am to 12 noon and from 1pm to 5pm on weekdays. And for those that operate on Saturdays, the business hours are from 8am to 1pm.

Electricity
The standard voltage of electricity used by most business centers and residents in the Philippines is 220 volts AC, 60 cycles. However, quite a few major hotels in some areas also have the US-style 110 volts capability.

Time
The island republic is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). When it is 12 noon in the Philippines, it is 3am in London, 8pm the previous evening in San Francisco and 11pm in New York. With the country lying near the equator, sunrise and sunset are almost equally spread at about 6am and 6pm give or take half an hour.

Philippine’s time has a strange nature, which includes lack of punctuality. So, don’t be surprised if you are either waited for or left waiting.

Source: Marimari.com

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