Chris Trost's Travel Blog: July 2026

Did You Do This on Your Own or with a Tour Company? I traveled with Gate1Travel on its "13-Day Philippines Culture and Adventure" tour . For me, the trip lasted 12 days because I had been in Taiwan beforehand and needed only one day to travel to the Philippines. Considering how much the cost of international travel has increased over the past four years, this tour was quite affordable by any standard. It offered a well-balanced mix of major cities, historic sites, and natural beauty. The itinerary was nicely paced and covered all the country’s major highlights.

I can't express enough how wonderful our tour director Mellany "Lany" Melendez was, as well as our motorcoach drivers and local guides. The hotels and food were also great. The only issue was all the people we had to tip. I don't mind tipping but they should just add it to the tour price as I was always short on small bills and constantly breaking larger bills.

My tour group consisted of 21 people, all from the United States. Two participants were Filipino and joined the tour to see more of their home country. Overall, we were a seasoned group of travelers, and everyone got along well.

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How Did You Get There and Back? I flew from my home in Milwaukee to Houston, where I stayed with my travel friend for 2 days before traveling to Taipei, Taiwan. I toured Taiwan for a week before taking a short flight to Manila. My route back home was the same but in reverse.

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Once on the ground...

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Was It Easy Navigating Your Way Around? Yes, because we were largely situated either in the heart of each town within walking distance to most everything, or shuttled by motorcoach to each of our destinations.

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Gate1 has a seat rotation policy so that the same people don't always have the coveted front seats. As usual, I sat in the back behind the rotation zone with a few others so we could talk without interrupting others.

Gate1 - Daily Motor Coach Seat Rotation

Where Did You Stay? We stayed in a number of 4-star and 5-star hotels. In the cities, they were always centrally located. In El Nido, which is a bit more more rustic, we enjoyed two resorts located right on on the beach. All hotels were modern, clean, and comfortable, with excellent restaurants, AC, WiFi and fitness centers.

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In Scandivania, power plugs and outlets of type C and F are used. These are the typical two and three pronged European rounded peg plug. Note that the standard voltage is 220V/ 60 Hz. US standard voltage is 110 V so you might need a voltage adapter for US devices that don't operate at 220 V. You will also need a type C plug adapter if you encounter type C outlets, but I only saw one Type C outlet the entire trip.

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Meals? Most of our meals were included in the price of the tour since it was a "Small Group Discovery" branded trip. Breakfast was included every morning and most of our lunches and dinners. All meals included healthy options to suit all tastes and dietary needs, as did the options provided when we dined on our own.

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How Was the Weather? I traveled in September. The weather was mild at night (mid 70s F) and warm during the day (mid to upper 80's F). The days were mostly sunny. It hardly rained.

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What Clothing Did You Pack? I packed very light--about 4 days worth of clothes--mostly shorts and t-shirts, swimsuit, light jacket, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and insect repellant. I brought one pair of long pants and a sweatshirt. As usual, shirts, socks and underlayers were all "Dri-Fit" material that could be washed every few days in the hotel sink. On several occasions, particularly at the airports, we had to porter our own bags so it helps to have wheels and pack light. It also pays to pack light since the airlines strictly enforce weight limits.

Trip Luggage - 4 Days Worth

What was the Time Difference? Scandivania is 7 and 8 hours ahead of my home time zone in Milwaukee (US, Central Time, GMT/UTC −06:00) .

What Was the Currency? What Were Prices Like? The Philippines uses the Philippine Peso as its official currency. In December 2025, the exchange rate was $1 = about 59 PHPs . You can get pesos at a major bank in the US. But I usually tap a bank ATM upon arrival. It seems exchange fees were high everywhere. You'll pay a fee of around 250 PHP ($4.25 US) plus 2-3% from your home bank for overseas withdrawals from a bank ATM. I made two withdrawals totaling $125, which was more than enough for incidentals, tipping and meals. The standard of living in The Philippines is about 30% lower than the US so a little cash goes a long way.

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What Did This Whole Trip Cost You? I spent $4,058 in total, or about $338 per day. I paid 89% of the trip cost ($3,611) before leaving the US. Once on the ground, I spent another $447 on items not included in the tour cost, such as tips, lunches and dinners on my own, and international mobile phone/internet charges. You can pretty much get by charging everything on a major credit card.

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Special Trip Considerations.

Safety. Scandinavia is safe. The most dangerous areas are not tourist destinations. Petty theft is the most common issue you might encounter, but terrorism and kidnapping, though less frequent, are also concerns. In addition, certain travelers, namely women, may need to take certain precautions during their travels. You can get the latest US Dept of State Travel Advisories here .
Air Quality. Air quality was generally quite good everywhere. On occasion, diesel fumes irritated my throat, but not enough to warrant wearing a mask.
Insects. While December might be part of the "dry season" in some areas of the Philippines, mosquitos are a concern due to the country's tropical climate. It's wise to take precautions due to the risk of dengue fever, malaria and other illnesses. You can find health information concerning travel in the Philippines here . Insects really weren't a problem where we traveled though.
Language Barrier. Not a chance. English is widely spoken and taught in school from an early age. You will encounter children eager to practice their English with you.
Physical Condition. We did a lot of walking and traversed a lot of steps, uneven surfaces, and steep grades in the heat and humidity. If you have mobility or heat issues, this is probably not the tour for you.
Customs. When arriving and departing, you are required to compete a separate declaration form card using the official online app and be prepared to show it if requested. However, nobody ever asked to see it.

Any Parting Comments? Travel is an adventure. It’s an opportunity to experience, learn and appreciate how people around the world live. While I’m always happy to come home at the end, I never come back the same person.

Having dispensed with the formalities, let's dive into the amazing things we experienced. Following is a day-by-day account of my trip. Each day starts with an overview of what we did, followed by my daily journal. I stopped giving history lessons in my posts but added links you can click on to read more about the places I visited. You can just read on from here or go back up to the Table of Contents above and jump to a specific day or topic of interest.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 08, 2026

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