It was the last 3 days of our Southeast Asian jaunt. We felt like it was the end of the world.
Chichi and I were on a plane ride from Bali to Kuala Lumpur. We were already feeling the weight of the impending end of our journey of a lifetime. We tried to think of future trips to keep the post travel blues away. We realized that are still so many places in the Philippines that we haven't yet explored.
Why not explore our very own 'backyard'?
It's a shame we've traveled to so many countries and yet some travelers we've met have explored so much more of our home country! Imagine talking to an Austrian guy you've met on the border of Cambodia and Thailand about swimming with the whale sharks in Donsol, Sorsogon. And no, you're not the one sharing because you've never even been there!
 |
| Photo Credit: pinay_diver |
We also felt frustrated that a lot of travelers were skipping the Philippines from the Banana Pancake Trail. We know the Philippines has something to offer travelers and backpackers. Perhaps even more. The more we've traveled around Asia, the more we were convinced that the islands, beaches and natural beauty of the Philippines are at par with that of our neighbors. The Philippine archipelago has a rich diversity that can cater to all types of travelers.
Why then does the Philippines lag in terms of tourism from its Southeast Asian neighbors?
In 2010, the Philippines had only 3.5 million visitors compared to Thailand’s 15.9 million and Malaysia’s 8.9 million!
We've interviewed many travelers who have decided to skip the Philippines from their itinerary. Here are their common reasons:
1 The Philippines poses a major travel challenge because it’s an archipelago. Many travelers are put off by the hassle of multiple flights and badly linked airports.
2 Foreigners are given only a short 21-day initial visa to go around the country. That’s nine days shorter than what our Southeast Asian counterparts offer!
These 2 major travel turnoffs are the main factors why we want to go on the 21 Day Pilipinas Challenge. We want to show that traveling around the Philippines is not as difficult as it seems. We're going to create a travel documentary to help boost Philippine tourism. We want other travelers to come here and discover the beauty of this country. Not just that, we want to empower Filipinos and encourage them to travel around their own backyard.
This is our response to the DOT Secretary Jimenez's call for every Filipino to help create the buzz for the country’s tourism.
So where are we going? Who's part of the team? How can we accomplish such a major travel challenge? We'll answer these questions in the next few days! We can't wait to share those details!
Getting really excited,
Sole Sister Lois
If you liked this post - Like it, Tweet it, Stumble Upon it and let the world know by clicking the share buttons below. We'll love you for it!
53 sole trails:
im excited to see the itinerary!
all the best lois!
i feel giddy out of excitement
RON
gow gow gow ^_^
excited for another feat in the making Lois and Chichi! You two rock and real winners for setting the travel trend! you deserve the PBA Best Travel Blog award!!!
I want to do the same: travel the entire Philippines while i still have the (free) time. All the best!
wow.. goodluck sole sisters :) make Madre Filipinas proud!
i wanna be part of this... *crossed-fingers*
Wow! This sounds amazing girls! I plan to visit the Philippines this January for the first time and I am VERY excited too... I am following Anna's Flip Flop Tours Itinerary for the first 10 days and then will hopefully get chance to catch up with you guys! Is there any way South East Asia Backpacker Magazine could be involved! Sounds like a PERFECT idea for an article...or more!? I will send you both an email with my ideas that are brewing... ! Best of luck with the trip preparations!! Talk soon :-)
excited na din ako sa 21-day challenge nyo na 'to... hope to bump with you on the road Sole Sisters... :)
It'll be an epic series, sort of a 'foreigner's backpacking guide in the Philippines" sakto 21 days pala.
If you are going to Romblon, just let me know. Maybe I could help you out there. :-)
in 21 days sana makadaan kayo ng Cuyo Island, Palawan... (^_^)
Wow, this is cool! I hope you get to visit Mindanao. A lot of tourists, both foreign and local, are still afraid to go there due to the common misconception that the entire island is a war zone and/or haven for kidnappers.
Go Sole Sisters! Just let us know if ever you passed by Bukidnon.
if zamboanga's goin to be part of the IT... hope i can meet you here! :-)
Sounds like and exciting new adventure! Can't wait to read about this one girls :D
looking forward to your adventure girls! road trip ito!
Very exciting trip! Can't wait to read your posts :)
Still tweaking it James. Lam mo naman mas forte yan nila Hutch and Chichi haha
Giddy talaga Ron! 2012 can't get here soon enough.
yes Grace! we can't wait to explore Pilipinas!
Thanks Mhe-Anne, we need to keep pushing our limits and see how far we can go. We're really excited!
You should do it Krista! Gow!
we might open up a slot soon Erna. Stay tuned :-)
we're so proud to be Filipinas Ivan!
We really hope to catch up with you Nikki! Please let us know how you would like to get involved. We welcome your ideas. We look forward to maybe meeting you in January. That would be the 2nd time we'll 'try' to meet you :-)
yes mervz, di man lang tayo nagkita sa blog awards :-) pero dapat sa biyahe magkita kita na.
oh yes marky, we'll even start at the airport ;-)
Thanks so much for the offer Koko! Means a lot. we will finalize the itinerary soon.
sana nga umabot ronald :-) major challenge lang talaga..
oh yes, the challenge is to get to mindanao from manila actually. and we hope to have 7 days for all 3 major islands.
oh yes Earl, thanks for the offer. we will let you know :-)
we want to go to zamboanga but not sure if kakayanin sa sched. If not, I want to make it out there another time. and we hope to meet you!
Thanks Nina! super excited to start this major challenge!
road trip, sea trip, hahaha it'll be fun!
Thanks Jill! We can't wait to jump in to this adventure!
goodluck po. will follow your adventure!
I'm excited for this! ;)
So glad to have stumbled upon this challenge! I will be visiting the Philippines in the very near future, and I'd love to see the island experienced through natives.
I'll be making the pilgrimage with my Dad who is from the Philippines, and while I'm there I will be meeting a very large extended family (my Dad has 7 brothers & sisters) that I have never met before.
It is also my understanding that not enough people travel there, so I am definitely interested in doing what I can to help people see how wonderful it is through my travel blog, too!
I look forward to following your journey!
WW
Awesome motivation! Go for it!
in 21 days! very interesting. will follow your adventure! =)
This is such a great idea! I wanted to visit the Phillipines when I was traveling through Southeast Asia, but I wasn't able to. Getting to an island is more difficult than other places because you have to fly or boat there specifically. I know that is a big part of why I wasn't able to go there.
There are a lot of beautiful things to see and experience there so I can't wait to see how it turns out.
Thanks for following Namnama!
We are soo excited John!
Thanks for taking time to comment and follow our blog. Its so great you are visiting our country soon and even sharing the experience on your cool blog. Please let us know when you plan to come. maybe you can even join for some parts of the journey.
Woohoo! Thanks for the boost bex!
Thanks for the support Chyng!
Thanks for sharing your perspective Steve. A lot of travelers we've met felt the same. These islands do seem daunting don't they? Maybe you should join us for some parts of then trip! We may have a slot open...
Hey Lois and Chichi, I've been following your blog for a while and I really love it. Some very excellent, solid advice for solo ladies travelling about. I'm planning a big trip next year, and originally I was supposed to be going just to Russia, Mongolia, China, and South Korea. However, plans have changed and it looks like I'll be able to go to Southeast Asia too! I really want to make it to the Philippines, based on your blog and other blogs like Legal Nomads & The Longest Way Home...it looks absolutely gorgeous. And even though the visa seems like it might be a minor hassle, I don't think it will be anywhere as difficult as it was for me to get a Russian visa!
I really appreciate all the great tips that you've posted on your blog. Those posts are what made me think - you know what, it's not that hard to get to the Philippines. I should give it a shot! (And it definitely doesn't hurt that the photos are amazing.) I will definitely try my best to visit!
Hey there! So glad you stumbled upon our site! Oh yes, please make it out to the Philippines. You'll find (like we did) that it's very unique compared to its SE Asian neighbors so hope you come visit. Please let us know when you have dates in mind. We would love to meet up and show you around a bit. Thanks for stopping by and writing a thoughtful comment!
Ahh, it's precisely all the great blogs I've seen that go on about just how different the Philippines are that has made me want to go! That's great to know!
I'm not sure when I will be heading there - most likely sometime next spring/summer - but when I do know for sure, I will email you. :) And thank you! That would be awesome!
Great concept, gals! Some of the best nooks in the Philippines are in those hard-to-reach corners though (think Batanes or Caramoan). But they sure are worth it! Can't wait to see your itinerary! =)
hello! so glad to read this post! is it possible for others to join this challenge? My sister and I would love to! :)
Post a Comment