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why Cebu, Philippines is for everyone

It was grey and raining when we first arrived in Cebu City. The taxi ride from the airport to the hotel took over forty minutes; it wasn’t far, but the traffic was slow that day. Time stood still as I watched pedestrians and motorbikes make their way around our cab.

We finally reached our tiny nondescript hotel all jet lagged and cranky. The room was small, and the area was a little run down. We spent the night in transit eager to be on our way. We left for Bohol the next day. Beautiful, slow, sunny Bohol. I was hesitant to return to Cebu City given the brief but cloudy first experience.

Lucky for us, Cebu City wanted to make amends. It welcomed us back with sunshine and blue skies. On the way to a new hotel, my son pointed out all the construction sites making for an entertaining ride.

We passed by restaurants, bakeries and shops. After a week and a half of living in a remote area outside a small town, I was looking forward to the conveniences of city life. Especially so, since we had just run out of diapers. As soon as we checked in, I inquired the whereabouts of the nearest grocery store. We were told that the mall was just next door.

The next morning , I found Big Brother peeping out the hotel room’s blackout curtains.

“What do you see?” I asked. We were on the 21st floor in the middle of the city; there was plenty to see outside our window. Thinking Big Brother watch traffic go by, I was surprised when he responded with: “Mama, I’m looking at a rainbow!”

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Cebu and I became friends right then and there. I apologized for judging it based on first impressions, and with each passing day, I came to like Cebu more and more.

Cebu is Great for Sightseeing

There’s no shortage of attractions in Cebu City, many of them are small in scale and only require 1 to 2 hours for a visit. We were able to check off a couple in the mornings and then head back to the hotel for a late lunch and nap. Here are the things we saw:

Tops Lookout

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Situated over 600m above sea level and 10KM from the city core, this place provides a magnificent view of metropolitan Cebu and beyond. There is a concession area food snacks and drinks, but other than that, there’s not much else; Tops Lookout is all about that view.

Taoist Temple

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The Cebu Taoist Temple was built in 1972 as a center of worship for Taoism by the Chinese community residing in the city. It’s open to the public to see. There’s not much too it, but it also provides another great view of the city. That and Big Brother liked going up and down the stairs to see the dragons.

Magellan’s Cross

Looking for landmark with historical significance? Head to the large wooden cross within the City Hall area, brought over by Magellan in 1841. That is all I know; my knowledge of world history is embarrassingly poor.

Mountain View Nature’s Park

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On the way down from Tops Lookout, we stopped at a park/camping site/resort/event space/garden/karaoke hall/canteen. Mountain View Nature’s Park appears to be a one shop stop for Filipinos (as we left the park at dusk, herds of jeepneys carrying locals up to the park for an evening of fun. There is a swimming pool as well as an “adventure” area with a rope course.

Fort San Pedro

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Built by the Spaniards as a military defense in Cebu, this historic site offers free guided tours. We had a lovely university student explain the historic significance to us which I no longer remember. We just had enjoy running around and sitting on canons pretending to fight pirates.

Cebu is Great for Shopaholics

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Filipinos love their shopping malls. I totally get it. First of all, they are heavily air-conditioned to provide relief from the heat outside. One of the reasons why we spent so much times at the mall was to get away from that hot sun.

Secondly, the malls are huge! They feature a wide range of stores, from designer boutiques to ones with more affordable goods, from Western stores to ones selling local products and souvenirs. The mall is organized by categories; there are areas specific to product type, for example electronics or kidsware. Daniel was thrilled when we stumbled upon a wing dedicated to sports gear (I, on the other hand, was bored out of my mind). The biggest malls in Cebu are Ayala Center and Shoemart (SM); Ayala Center is twice as big as Yorkdale Mall in Toronto!

The mall was the just the thing we needed- diapers aside. Need some water, let’s visit the mall. Need some new clothes, let’s visit the mall. Too tired to sight see, let’s visit the mall. Not going to lie, we were complete mallrats and made a trip visited the mall every single day. If we had to choose a theme song for our time in in Cebu, it would be Sparkles “Let’s go to the Mall”.

There is also the local Carbon Market to visit. There you’ll find everything from fresh produce to cheap goods made in China to Cebuanos products, such as dried mango and guitars.

Cebu is Great for Foodies

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In 2008, Anthony Bourdain travelled to the Philippines for an episode of his show No Reservations. He tried lechon, roast pig, in Cebu and declared it “best pig ever”. We had lechon on multiple occasions in Cebu, and it is definitely delicious!

In addition to lechon, Cebu offers a vast array of food. Filipinos are known to enjoy all kinds of cuisines and offer rich culinary options for food. The cooking draws cultural influences from neighbouring countries, and there are plenty of restaurants, from Italian to Thai, to appease all taste buds. Being in the Philippines, typical Filipino fare was our cuisine of choice. Our favourite was Cafe Laguna, a family-run business said to serve the best traditional Filipino cuisine in Cebu; I couldn’t get enough of their gambas (sizzling shrimp plate) and Lechon Kawali.

The malls had limitless food options. There are restaurants for every budget: convenient and affordable chain eateries (like Jollibee for fried chicken!), cantinas for drinks and desserts (halo halo please!), and comfortable dine-in restaurants. There were also food stands/booths every few steps; we couldn’t help but buy fresh fruit shake at every opportunity.

Cebu is Great for Kids

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Cebu City, the second largest city in the country, has the energy of a big metropolitan with the friendly low-key vibe of a smaller place. It feels safe and everyone is friendly; the Filipinos love children and would give our kids a lot of attention. All the attractions seemed pretty close in proximity and easy to access.

Downtown Cebu isn’t very accessible by foot. While it is walkable, it can be difficult with children. Sidewalks are not always available on the side of the road; when they are, they can be uneven. It is can be tough to navigate with a stroller. Walking around with kids can also be tricky depending on the heat during the day.

The malls are a great place to take the kids. Not only is shelter from the sun, the malls have play areas with arcades games and rides for a small fee. Big Brother rode on a motorcycle and we didn’t stop hearing about it for days. Since we were in Cebu during the Chinese New Year, there were also plenty of performances to entertain kids.

Last Words

If you get the chance to visit Cebu City, spend time in the malls; they are wonderful. Malls aside, Cebu City has a lot to offer; it is a bustling metropolis with great food and many attractions to visit. In addition to the city, Cebu is a hub to explore many nearby islands, including Bohol. Had we more time (or no children with us), we would have loved to taken a day trip to a beach resort on Mactan Island or ventured inland to see more of the island. Cebu is a great place to visit. I’m glad I gave it a second chance

Travel

Exploring Bohol, Philippines with Kids

It took almost three days to get to Bohol. First it was the 26 hour flight to Manila from Toronto. We stayed overnight and then took the first flight to the city of Cebu, a major port in the Philippines. We stayed a night in Cebu, stepping out only to grab dinner and some provisions (baby food and mangoes). The morning after, we took the 2 hour boat ride to Tagbilaran, Bohol, and finally an hour van ride to the town of Loboc. Sounds tiring, doesn’t it? It was, especially with two jet-lagged kids, one of which had her eating schedule reversed and would only nurse at night. The first thing I did when we arrived in Bohol was take a three hour nap.

Even though we had been in the Philippines for about 48 hours by the time we arrived in Bohol, it wasn’t until after that nap did our vacation truly begin. Bohol was a delightful introduction to the Philippines: we look it slow and just observed the local way of life.

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ExploringBoholWithKids-Fishing

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Our resort was so lovely— enchanting even— that we didn’t venture far from it. There was so much to do on the resort grounds! Located at the bank of the Loboc River, there was 9 hectares of untouched land to wander and explore. There was an abundance of wildlife surrounding the resort, including monkeys, birds and lizards. We would wake up in the mornings to roosters crowing. One morning, we even found water buffalo grazing on the grass beneath our nipa hut. Big Brother had the opportunity to fish for the very first time, but much to his disappointment he didn’t catch anything (the fishing expedition lasted all of 15 minutes before he grew bored and moved on to chasing chickens). We took long walks, though with a three year old who needed to examine every single thing that moved, we didn’t go far. When tired and hot from the walk, we would take a dip in the pool. It was hard not to take things slow at the resort and take in the beauty.

There are plenty of activities and attractions in and around Bohol. Here’s a shortlist of the things we did:

To Do

Chocolate Hills

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The main tourist attraction in Bohol are the Chocolate Hills, a natural geological formation. There are at least 1,776 hills on the island, making quite an extraordinary landscape. The grassy hills turn chocolate brown, hence the name.

Two of the hills have been converted into lookout points. We went to one of them (not sure which one) to see the hills. They weren’t chocolate coloured when we were there, but quite a sight nonetheless!

Cost: 1100 pesos for a tour of Bohol in private air conditioned van. The tour stops at 3-4 places but we only went to the Chocolate Hills and the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary because Little Sister wasn’t feeling well.

Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary

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The second thing Bohol is known for are primates called tarsiers. They are peculiar little creatures! First of all, I find them a creepy looking, a cross between a mouse and gremlin. They have giant eyeballs which are fixed in their skull and have the ability to rotate their heads 180 degrees. They are shy animals and sensitive to noise and light; if stressed (by human interaction or too much noise and light), they’re prone to commit suicide.

Tarsiers are endangered species with less than 1000 remaining on the island of Bohol. The dwindling forest due to rapid human population growth threatens the survival of the tarsier. The Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary is a conservation area located near Corella, Bohol. The conservation serves to study and protect the tarsiers, but it is also open to the public for viewings.

Here, the tarsiers live in the wild in a 10 hectare forest. Visitors are welcome to a small area of the forest in small guided tours. Staff at the center search for tarsiers among the trees in the morning, and because tarsiers are nocturnal, they essentially stay in the place the entire day. There are 8 tarsiers in the visitor’s area, but only those who are found are shown to visitors.

We saw four tarsiers during our visit. We walked silently among the trees until our guide would stop and point up in a tree. Most of them were sleeping or too far and shrouded in shade for a good photograph, but we did see one who woke up briefly to stare at us with its incredibly big eyes. Flash photography and touching of the animals are prohibited.

Cost: 60 pesos per adult; children under 7 are free

Loboc River Cruise

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Loboc River is another popular destination on Bohol. The river is a kaleidoscope of every shade of green; the water is an emerald green, a reflection of the lush surroundings. There are several ways to explore the river; the most popular is the floating restaurant. At 450 pesos, it is considered expensive and a tourist trap, but you get a lunch buffet, live dance performance, and an opportunity to people watch. Most of the diners on board were excited Filipino tourists. Their energy and enthusiasm were so infectious and fun to take in. Big Brother was simply excited to be on a boat.

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Another way to see the river is by private boat, kayak or paddle board. Our resort offered us complimentary use of their kayaks. The kids stayed with the staff one morning while Daniel and I kayaked up and down the river. We had such excellent views of life on the bank, but our favourite part was being away from our two little buggers.

Cost: 450 pesos per adult; children 3 and younger are free

Fireflies Tour

Our resort offered evening tours to see fireflies along the river. However, they do not have children’s’ lifejackets and thus kids aren’t allowed. Instead, they arranged a tricycle to an inland location with fireflies. We went one evening it was a particularly magical experience. We were taken to a single tree on the road that lit up like as if it was strung with Christmas lights. Even more captivating was the starry sky above us.

Cost: 1000 pesos for a boat tour; 300 pesos for the tricycle tour

Mahogany Forest

On our way to the Chocolate Hills, the surrounding landscape morphed from farmlands to the lush green of Bilar’s Manmade forest. Tall and imposing, the tall majestic mahogany trees of the forest forms an arc, as if it were a gateway to a fantastical world (Lothlorien, maybe?); the thick canopy of leaves form a ceiling, blocking out the sunlight. As our car sped through in the shade of the 2 kilometer stretch of forest, and I stared out the window, completely hypnotized by the forest’s haunting beauty.

Haunting is truly fitting word to describe the splendor of Bilar’s; the forest has a dark side. Planted in the 1960s as a campaign to battle deforestation in Bohol, the mahogany trees are not native to the Philippines. I later learned that introducing alien trees harms the natural ecosystem. Native microorganisms are unable to exist in the soil due to the chemicals released during the decomposition of mahogany tree leaves. The forest lacks biodiversity and aside from the trees, there is little life in the forest—no birds, no insects.

While I only experienced the forest through the pane of the car windows, its beauty resonated with me, prompting me to read and think more about the reforestation efforts. The ability to teach and change perspectives is one of the greatest things about travel, no?

Cost: Free, passed by on the car tour of Bohol

Last Word

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Bohol was an amazing destination in the Philippines. It is great to explore with children, simply because of the diversity of activities it has to offer. Even though we were there for almost a week and a half, we only explored the area around our resort. The kids were still adjusting to the time change and new environment, and we opted to take it slow and just soak in the beauty of our surroundings. Big Brother was simply delighted with the nature and wildlife. And I- I was happy just to watch locals across the river bank.

Travel

How I saved $4 while travelling with my kids

At the corner of Calle Hama and main street in El Nido, there is a popular pizza restaurant that attracts throes of tourists. Every night there is a queue of sun-kissed island hoppers on the street, waiting to order thin crust pizza cooked over a wood-fired oven. One evening, to satiate a western cuisine craving, I took a glimpse at the menu; the description of their proscuitto pizza made my mouth water.

“You want to eat here?” Daniel asked?

I glanced at the prices. With drinks, a meal would cost around 750 pesos, which is around $22 CAD.

“Okay,” I said, “but let’s get take out. We can get drinks at the grocery store.”

As we waited for our pizza, I went to a grocery store to pick up some beer (50 pesos), 1L of water (30 pesos) and 1L of mango juice (90 pesos). One the way back to pizza restaurant I passed by a shake stand and couldn’t resist buying a fresh fruit shake (70 pesos). In addition to the pizza (420 pesos), our entire dinner (and more than enough liquids to last us till lunch the next day) came out to be 660 pesos ($18 CAD).

We enjoyed dinner in the little courtyard outside our hotel room. The pizza was delicious and hit the spot. Little Sister, who was overtired from a day at the beach, began to fuss. Daniel rocked her to sleep as he sipped his beer.

“Thank goodness we got take-out. She would have been insufferable if we stayed at the restaurant.”

“Yep, and we saved almost 100 pesos!” I said proudly.

9 Tips to Save Money While Travelling with Children

Here are other ways to save money:

1. Budget for it. Do you want to go on a trip? Get real and do some research to see how much it may potentially cost. Then start saving for it now.As soon as I found out I was pregnant with Little Sister, Daniel and I started saving up for a bigger trip to take while on parental leave. We determined how much we were willing to spend and then put aside money each month.

2. Plan ahead. The longer you take to plan, you will come across better deals and discounts. We planned our Philippines trip hastily (long story short, due to career transitions, we decided that Daniel would take parental leave earlier than originally intended); we planned a month-long trip in a week. Not only was it stressful, it also cost us more than we anticipated. We didn’t find any deals and domestic flight fares kept on going up every time we checked. Had we more time to plan for our trip, we could have had better choices for our accommodations and better prices on domestic flights.

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3. Rent an apartment. Every travel and personal finance blog will suggest renting an apartment. We’ve been doing it since before AirBnB existed. For our honeymoon, I rented a studio apartment in Paris to save money. The shower in the studio apartment was situated in the bedroom, separated only by a sheer curtain; not very romantic, but the cost was the affordable option for our two week stay in the city of love.

Renting a place in a desired location is usually cheaper than staying at a hotel in the same neighbourhood. Additionally, apartment rentals include use of its kitchen which allows you to cook, saving you even more money (see Tip #5). With kids, the flexibility of a rented vacation home is great; there is more space for kids to play in and when they’re asleep, you can just close the door to their room and escape them for a little while.

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4. Go for comfort. Sometimes it’s worth paying more for sanity sake. You will save on therapy in the long run. With kids, there is inevitably more downtime and you want to be able to relax at your accommodations.

Since we had a week to plan (and we were going during peak season), there was limited accommodation options within our desired price range. For our stay in Puerto Princessa, I debated between two resorts with a $10/night difference. The one we settled on was more expensive but it had a pool and restaurant on the premises. Having a pool is great; it kept Big Brother occupied when Little Sister was napping. Big Brother sometimes preferred the pool and lounging at the hotel over sight seeing because it gave him time to play with his own toys. We also used the restaurant more than expected; after a long day out, it was easier to dine at the hotel then venture to town for dinner with two exhausted kids.

5. Eat in. Eating out is a big expense whether you’re at home or on the road, and a great way to save money is to cut back those restaurant meals. Make breakfasts, at a minimum, and/or pack lunches for outings. If your accommodations do not have a have a kitchen, find hotels that provide free breakfast; one discounted meal is better than none.

When we were in France during our first parental leave, we cooked breakfast and dinner at our apartment every single day and packed lunches depending on what we were doing. France has amazing farmers markets so cooking— even on vacation— was a lot of fun. Ultimately, it saved us a lot of money.We were able to splurge on nicer restaurants and endless supply of pain au chocolat.

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6. Pack Less. Not only is more stuff bulky and inconvenient, extra luggage can be costly during flights. Most budget airlines charge for a fee for check-in luggage.

We try to travel only with carry-on luggage as much as possible. Excluding backpacks, one which belonged to Big Brother, we had three pieces of luggage: a 24 L backpack, a carry-on suitcase with wheels, and the Lotus travel crib. The suitcase did exceed carry-one the weight limit when it was full with diapers and baby food, so we did pay to check it in on domestic flights.

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7. Skip the organized tours and excursions. They can cost a lot of money. When we went on cruise with Big Brother a couple years ago, the ship advertised organized tours around town or to a beach for a hefty fee. We chose to the same thing DIY fashion. In Belize, we rented a van for a city tour; advertised cost was $35/person and we paid $30 for the three of us. In Mexico, a beach trip would have cost $50/person; we grabbed a taxi and went to a beach resort for less than the cost of one person, even with the cost of pina coladas and lunch. Sure there was the convenience of having the tour organized for you, but unless you really don’t want to plan, tours are not worth the price. Ultimately, travelling with kids is all about spending time as a family; you don’t need a fancy excursion to do that.

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8. Travel slowly. We took it pretty slow in the Philippines, staying about a week at each city. We spent 9 days in Bohol and it was the least stressful segment of our trip. We took a couple of day trips, but most of the time we wandered around the streets surrounding the resort or the extensive resort grounds. We reserved “activity” for mornings; on some days the activity was a walk into the nearby town for lunch. In the afternoons we would take a family nap and swim in the pool. As dusk approached, we would sit by the river and people watch.

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There is so much to take in when travelling slowly. Big Brother loved playing with with other kids. In El Nido, he and some local kid spent an hour burying jellyfish that had washed up the beach. In Puerto Princesa, he became enamored by an older kid also at the resort and followed her around. When he wasn’t around kids, he chased rooster and dogs around or collected rocks, leaves and shells. Being in a different environment is more than enough to entertain and stimulate a child. Taking it slow teaches children about the world around them and teaches you the simplicity of play. Also, play is free.

Last Word

Daniel laughed when I told him we had saved 100 pesos. “You know that is only $4, right?”

I was aware.

I also saved another $4 for using the same tricycle driver two days in a row, and $7 for each day our hotel provided breakfast and $30 for organizing our own Honda Bay island hopping tour instead of booking one with an agency. It all adds up.

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Travel

Travel, not a necessity but a luxury

My family didn’t travel when I was growing up. At 16, my parents took my siblings and me on a cruise vacation in the Caribbean. It took my parents years to save for the trip. Travelling, for the sake of seeing the world, wasn’t high on the lists of things to accomplish given their financial circumstances in their twenties and thirties.

During my last year of university, Daniel’s parents invited me to visit them in the Middle East.I began saving diligently for a post-graduation trip. I spent as little as possible and even passed on my grad Sci-Formal, the culmination of achievement for engineering students at my university. A couple weeks after the last final exam, Daniel and I flew to Lebanon.

In Lebanon, traffic signs are merely decorations, roads are shared with animals, mopeds carry families of five, and drivers weave in and out of oncoming traffic. I thought I just might die.

I thought I would die within minutes of leaving the airport in Beirut. It was the first time I experienced driving outside the western world: traffic signs are merely decorations, roads are shared with animals, mopeds carry families of five, and drivers weave in and out of oncoming traffic. After surviving Middle Eastern driving, the experience was worth the daily diet of buttered bagels for two semesters.

That trip to Lebanon shifted my perspective on travel and opened the door to a whole new world. The proverbial lightbulb turned on over my head; travel wasn’t only accessible by the wealthy. I, a new university graduate, was not considered rich and had gone on a trip! After that, I traveled as much as I could. I viewed travel as a necessity in my life, working hard to save for multiple trips every year and learning secrets to stretch my dollar.

“You have come to my country; I really hope I can one day go to yours.” Travel for the sake of seeing the world is experienced by relatively small group of people.

Budget travel. That is the term I use to describe the way I travel as if it gives me street cred. Please don’t lump me in with the type of traveler who taxis to the Marriott or Four Seasons— don’t you know, I sleep in rented apartments and hostels?!

Daniel and I backpacked through Southeast Asia a few years ago on a budget of $10k, $5000 per person. Our flights around Asia alone cost over 20% of the budget. In order to keep costs down, we chose to forgo some comforts as backpackers tend to do. In Thailand, we stayed in hut by the beach for $7 a night. The most basic of accommodations, the hut contained a bed with a sheet and nothing else. It also included a private washroom, though I did share with geckos and giant cockroaches.

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We traveled through northern India by rail. We shared a berth with six others and pull down bunk beds. Despite 12+ hour trips through the night, I barely slept, horror stricken at the rats and cockroaches roaming freely in the dark beneath my bed. I survived 3 overnight train rides. Though I am a bit scarred and have vowed never to ride an overnight train through India ever again, I patted myself for seeing the world on a dime.

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On a bus in Brazil, I met a man eager to practice his English. His dream was to one day visit Canada- Saskatchewan, of all places. “You have come to my country; I really hope I can one day go to yours.” he told me with excitement. The average monthly wage in Brazil is barely $800; the cost of a round trip ticket to Canada from Brazil is $1600. The average Brazilian would have to fork over more than two months income for just the flight. That’s nearly 20% of their annual income- for endless cornfields!

That’s when I had a moment of clarity- nothing profound or novel- just a moment where I grasped a concept that escaped my attention thus far. Travel- any travel– is a luxury. When using the word luxury to describe travel, it conjures images of beautiful and clean resorts like in Bora Bora or something. Luxury travel is for gorgeous people who enjoy sunsets from their balcony while sipping champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Luxurious indeed, but so is riding a cockroach infested train with a backpack. Every opportunity to leave home is should be considered as luxury travel. Travel for the sake of seeing the world is experienced by relatively small group of people.

I wrote this while sitting on the patio of a hotel in Cebu. The $33/night hotel was like a shining beacon, relatively clean and well-maintained, in the middle of a grey and dirty street The kids sat across from me eating breakfast and people watching; Big Brother exclaimed every time he saw a tricycle pass by.. I was overwhelmed by gratitude, at the opportunity to see the Philippines, to bring my children—one of whom won’t even remember a single thing—to a foreign across the world for leisure, to travel for the sake of seeing the world. Yes, I budget travel but it is a luxury I am extremely grateful for.

In the next few weeks, Daniel and I will be sharing our experience here in the Philippines and tips for travelling with young ones here. Hope you enjoy!

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Travel

Travel Plans for 2016

For as long as Daniel and I have been married, travel has always been a priority. Even when Big Brother was born, we didn’t let a child stop us from seeing the world. Instead, we shared our passion with the kid, taking him along with us. Every year, we have the privilege of travelling abroad for a few weeks as well as spending a week at a locally rented vacation home. Even with a lower annual income (from being on parental leave) and career transitions, this year will be no different. The wanderlust is strong in us, and when distant lands calls, we answer.

Philippines

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Daniel and I will be spending a month of parental leave in the Philippines with the kids. We leave at the end of this week! For the longest time, we couldn’t decide where to go and entertained practically every country in South America, Asia and Europe before settling on the sunny Philippines during the cold and dreary Canadian February. There are four weeks of island-hopping planned, jumping from Bohol to Palawan. An itinerary isn’t set; our only goal is to spend quality time together and soak up as much vitamin D as possible.

Camping

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The first time I went camping, not having gone in over a decade, was last year- with a baby. Despite not being the outdoorsy type, I thought it would be great fun to spend a couple nights in the great outdoors with a then two-month old infant (who know’s what I was thinking; I was sleep deprived). With borrowed gear and a cooler filled with hot dogs, the family drove to Provincial park two hours east of Toronto where we slept in a tent for two nights. Surprisingly, the baby did well. More surprisingly, I survived and enjoyed roughing it. Wanting my children to appreciate nature and not squirm at dirt and insects like I do, we are making camping an annual family tradition. Oh, the things I do for my kids.

Last Word

With the weak Canadian dollar, it is definitely isn’t the best time to travel. The same can be said about our timing, being on parental leave with a reduced income and all. But, we see things a little differently: we both have the month off and we only have to pay for one kid. Why not now? Yes, travel is luxury, but one we save up for and are willing to pay for. According to a Capital One study, 85% of Canadians would rather have experiences over a luxury vehicle. It would appear we are in good company. We drive a used 15 year-old Toyota, so I’ll see you abroad!

What are your travel plans for the year?

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