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How to Plan and Enjoy Slow, Comfortable Travels

Friday, May 31, 2024

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It's a normal goal when travelling to hit as many tourist spots as you can, especially if you're a budget traveller, tight on time, or just want to make the most of your trip. A few years ago, I'd tire myself out with a very intense itinerary. I would have an average of 30,000 steps a day. There were even times that my muscles were too sore to walk properly.


I don't think I'm so old, and that has not been a long time ago, but I have suddenly shifted to preferring slow, comfortable travel. And if you're planning to do so yourself, here are some tips that might help you out:



Book a nice hotel.


Forget the usual mindset of "we're just going to sleep in there anyway." If you want your travel to be comfortable, pick a hotel or an Airbnb that will surely provide you comfort. This time, you might be spending a huge chunk of your time there anyway.   


Want to enjoy a nice bath after a long day? Make sure the hotel has one.   


Looking forward to spending the entire day in the hotel room, not caring about the world? Pick an accommodation that has a nice ambience.  


Check out hotel room tours and reviews to make sure they match your comfy travel goals.  


via GIPHY



Pick only a few places to visit in the destination.


We're not doing intense itineraries this time, so it's okay if you pick and choose which spots to go to. Why not do just one or two spots a day?  


Research the popular things to do or places to visit in your destination. Watch travel vlogs on what it's like in there during peak hours and decide if that's something you can tolerate. If not, then it's okay if you don't go there this time or try going very early in the day.  


Another tip is to ask in online forums what locals like to do that is not touristy. They're usually the less crowded spots.  


via GIPHY



Don't completely let go of your comfort food.


I know one of the best ways to immerse yourself in a local culture is to try out their food. At times, the local dishes are way out of your comfort zone. However, remind yourself that in stress-free travel, you don't have to try it if you don't want to.   


If you're too scared to risk a stomach flu, then just go for what feels closest to home. Savour what tastes familiar to you if that's what will provide you comfort. There's always a chance to try out new dishes.

  

via GIPHY



Go all-inclusive.


I personally haven't tried the all-inclusive packages yet, but from what I've heard from friends and family, those packages sound like a delight. A trip where you don't even have to think about the extra expense of food in a really nice hotel is on top of my list.   


Countries like Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean, etc. have tonnes of all-inclusive packages. If you're looking for just the ultimate staycation, I think these are the way to go. I usually window shop for them on Expedia: https://www.expedia.com/lp/theme-vacations/all-inclusive-vacations.  


This is definitely something I'd like to do one day.  


via GIPHY



Hire a private car for the day.


Want to see the city but don't want to keep commuting or booking an Uber? A private car is your best bet. They are a little expensive, but I think it's the price you pay for comfort. Most private car companies allow you to set the itinerary for the hours you hire the car for. Not only do you skip the stress of being in a tour group, you'll also get to skip the spots you are not so enthusiastic about.  


You can book through a verified travel agency, or you can also contact the hotel you're staying at. 

  

You can also book online via Klook, and just make sure to book the ones that have higher reviews for your peace of mind. Get $5 off when you sign up through my referral link:  


https://www.klook.com/invite/6P44YD?c=USD


via GIPHY


Happy travels!

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Things I Wish I Knew as a Teenager

Friday, May 24, 2024

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I have tried to write about this a few times, but I ended up trashing my drafts. I thought I'd write this as some sort of retrospection or something that answers the question:


"If I can speak to my younger self, what would I tell her?"


Then I kept realising that my foolish younger self would never listen to anyone because she thought she knew better. So I just placed this topic in the backburner until today (as I'm writing this) that an epiphany came to me: if my younger self is stubborn, so am I today. And here we are.



Nobody had to pick me


It was a struggle to find friends who knew and accepted me as I was. In high school, I could count my friends with just one hand. I craved love and acceptance, even in the most toxic way possible. I wish I knew that I didn't have to lose my identity, hide, or change the things I like in order to fit in. It wasn't too bad not to fit in. Maybe it just wasn't the right environment for me to meet the people who I genuinely connected with and will be friends with for life.



Where to ask for help


When I was at a stage of raging hormones and identity crises, I grasped on to anything and anyone who offered me help. I didn't think about how I was being treated. I took unfair treatment and hurtful words as fair exchange for the good favour I received. I placed people on pedestals despite them being the source of my pain. I looked up the wrong sources. I thought that help equated with purely good intentions, so I should take everything that came with it. I did not recognise trauma because, in my mind, it was what I deserved. 



I wasn't just sad


I was depressed. I was angry. I was in control. An unknown mental illness was dictating my life. I didn't know it then because there was no name for it. Mental health wasn't a topic of discussion on a rural island. I thought I was just a problematic little teenager. I thought I was just sad. I needed help that a simple prayer or a cheesy Tumbler quote could cure. 



Not to let others take over 


My insecurity led me to believe that I was not capable of making my own decisions. I let other people tell me what I liked and what I could and could not do. Of course, I was a teenager, and legally, I needed adults to guide me. However, I wish I knew that even that legality is not absolute. As young as I was, I was also my own person, with my own passions and preferences. I wish I knew that my opinion and my own character had the most say in what happens in my life. I didn't know much, but that also did not mean I knew nothing at all.



Things happen at the right time


I didn't know why I wanted to rush things so much. I wanted to grow up fast and see the world much faster. I wanted the adult privileges, but I did not see the blessing of being young and carefree. I did not slow down and think about the present. I didn't give much thought to what I could do as a teenager that would positively benefit my adulthood. Maybe if I knew how to slow down and had understood that things would happen in their own time, maybe I would have taken more sure steps or taken the time to unravel the threads of my youth.


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My Experience on Grocery Delivery in Cebu City + All the Stores I Tried!

Friday, May 17, 2024

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My husband and I are still in a long distance relationship and I'm still living alone with our dog. One of the big challenges I find of living alone is figuring out a good and cost-effective way for meals and groceries. While I do live in the city, the nearest grocery store is a 5-minute drive and I don't have a car. I realised fast that it was too expensive to keep going to the supermarket. Lastly, I don't have a big enough fridge to store a month's worth of food. With that, I found that having groceries delivered is what works best for me.


So if you find yourself in a similar situation or just plain curious about online grocery delivery in the city, hope this helps!



Cost


Is it cheaper to have groceries delivered vs going to the supermarket? Yes unless I take the jeepney going back and forth which I never do nowadays anyway. A round trip to my closest supermarket is Php 250 on the average. The most expensive grocery delivery fee is Php 130. As for the price difference of the items, for some there is like a Php 3-5 pesos difference than the price on the store.


via GIPHY



Convenience


The convenience alone is what makes having groceries delivered so much more worth it. When I have my groceries delivered, I no longer have to worry about getting a ride to and from the shop nor do I have to worry about traffic. I also don't have to lug huge totes or bags of stuff around. Obviously, it's much easier just to sit around and wait for groceries at home.


via GIPHY



Quality


A common concern is that since you're not picking it out yourself, the quality of the item or its expiry date. Selling goods beyond the expiry date is illegal here in the Philippines under Republic Act 9711 which prohibits "The sale, offering for sale, importation, exportation, distribution or transfer of any health product beyond its expiration or expiry date, if applicable." I have experienced once receiving a loaf of bread that was going to expire the day after. I decided not to complain but it did really suck receiving that. It is very much possible receiving an item that is less than what you desire. However, it rarely happens to me.



Savings


What I realised is that if I do go to the store myself, I almost always end up picking some random stuff I need or more than what I need. I go over the budget. When I order online, I have the time to go through my cart multiple times and it does help me save more. I get to really think about what I buy because I am in the convenience of my own home and there's no rush for me to get it done. There's also a bunch of voucher codes for most apps.


via GIPHY



Delivery Experience


I will talk about which stores specifically later on, but just as an overview - the delivery experience has been equally good and not so good. I do have favourite stores and apps I stick with because of the efficiency. The big problem I usually have is when it takes forever to deliver frozen items. Other than that, most riders in my area are usually very friendly.



Unavailability and Refunds


It is unavoidable for stuff to go out of stock. I don't like waiting around for refunds so I like to use the in-app payment wallet such as Panda Wallet (FoodPanda) or Grab Wallet (Grab). Refunds are instant for those. For other stores that do not have their own payment, I use GCash since it's the fastest to reflect refunds.


via GIPHY



Stores I Tried


PandaMart


Panda Mart, FoodPanda's in-house grocery shop is my favourite. I just really wish they have fresh meat options. Among all the online grocery shops, Panda Mart has the fastest service and I never had an experience of receiving almost expired goods. The app has real time tracking and are also very generous with promo codes.



Robinsons Supermarket Banilad - via FoodPanda, Grab Mart, Metromart and GoCart


They have a wider selection and is available in three applications. I like ordering via FoodPanda and Grab because of the promo codes and tracking. Their official app which is GoCart does have more options like lesser weight options for meat and vegetables. I tried GoCart once and never used it again because it does not have a real-time tracking. My order arrived 2 hours later than the schedule I chose. The only notification I received was a text message from the rider saying he's already in my location. MetroMart is another option. It still does not have the GPS tracking, but it does show what the shopper's already added.



The Marketplace Ayala Center Cebu and Robinsons Galleria - via FoodPanda, Grab Mart, Metromart and GoCart


I love the Marketplace both online and in their physical shops. They are doing really well with keeping their stocks up to date in the apps especially the Robinsons Galleria Branch even though they seem to have less products in the apps compared to their stores. I prefer ordering still via FoodPanda and GrabMart.



7-Eleven - via FoodPanda


I like this one the least except for beverage and other snacks. I rarely order from 7-Eleven and when I do, only order very small quantities. I got the expiring-on-the-day bread from a 7-Eleven branch before. The branches I ordered from are not keeping a good watch at the stocks they have in the app.



No Brand Ayala Center Cebu via FoodPanda


I wrote about my snack haul from No Brand before. I like this store for the snacks and they're also very quick in the shopping time. The products in their generic brand are really great quality as well. They don't have the biggest selection and I never expect to find all my grocery needs in this store, but they have good products.



Watsons Ma. Cristina Bldg, Robinsons Cybergate and Ayala Malls Central Bloc - via FoodPanda and Grab Mart


It's much faster and more cost-effective shopping Watsons online than browsing the aisles of their stores where I always end up picking up more stuff than what I really came there for. It also does not put me through the wildfire of sales talks they have in the store. Anyway, the branches I tried are very quick and often having my order delivered earlier than expected time. The problem is they don't keep a very good eye on their out of stock items. I like looking at the official website (http://watsons.com.ph) for the stocks in store before adding my items to cart, but even then their items still get out of stock in the app.

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7 Books to Get You Out of Your Reading Slump

Friday, May 10, 2024

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The dreaded reading slump happens even to the best of us. I have gone for 5-ish years without picking up a single book and I used to read non-stop prior to that. As cliche as it sounds, life does happen that sometimes we just stop doing the things we almost couldn't go without before.

Getting over a reading slump is not always simply hopping back on with 100 Years of Solitude. Often, you need to pick up the books that are light and very engaging to help start the momentum again. This list has seven of my recommendations of those type of books.

Most importantly, these books are likely to get you going again but in my personal opinion, these are not horrible quality (I'm looking at you, book with shattered lilies on the cover).

Note: None of the links in this post are affiliates.


The Midnight Library by Matthew Haig


Trigger Warning: Self harm, su!c!de



This is the book that got me out of the five-year hiatus I was on. This is about Nora Seed, a woman in her mid 30s and was stuck in between life and death, drowning in all the miserable doubts she had on her life. She attempted to end her life and through this, she found a "midnight library" where she had the chance to live all of her other possibilities which led her back to where her heart truly was.

Personally for me this was truly very engaging and because of it's multiple realities aspect, this didn't feel so linear. It's a book that's very difficult to put down. It could also get you to thinking about the choices you make in your life without getting too philosophical.

"Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices… Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?" 
― Matt Haig, The Midnight Library



Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid


I read this recently and my thought was just this book was almost too easy. But that makes this perfect to get back into reading again.



Daisy Jones & The Six follows the story of Daisy Jones, a solo musician who joined the up and coming band The Six. Daisy's presence unleashed the band's full potential and catapulted the entire band into super stardom. With that, their story also comes with all the highs and lows of fame. The book is written in a documentary style format with mostly just dialogues (like a script) and has very little descriptive paragraphs.


My only qualm about this is that throughout the book, because of the format that it's written in, my imagination almost had nothing to work with so I felt a little detached to the characters. However, the reason why this made this recommendation is that this would be perfect for getting out a reading slump. There are no pages-long paragraphs describing a tree or a very detailed description of someone's hair colour. It's almost entirely just dialogue and I know there are times when you're too lazy to read, you just pay attention to whatever is inside the quotation marks.


"But if I did believe in them, I'd believe your soul mate was somebody who had all the things you didn't, that needed all the things you had. Not somebody who's suffering from the same stuff you are." 

― Taylor Jenkins Reid , Daisy Jones & The Six

 

Amazon (CA), $16.80+ | Amazon Kindle (CA), $13.99+ | Audible (CA), $23.31+ | Fully Booked (PH), Php595



Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez


A great romcom book always has a high chance of getting someone hooked or get back to reading. And this book just delivers.



While the "city girl falls in love with a small town boy" trope is a tale overused one too many times in romance novels, somehow Part of Your World still manages to be as charming as it can be. Alexis is a doctor in the big city who has her entire life lined up for her. When she wandered into Daniel's world, she found herself loving every minute of it. However, her reality in the city soon caught up with her and she had to make some hard choices.


It is easy to hate characters like Alexis, but she is surprisingly a very lovable character. She's not bratty and she's actually not a superficial character. Their story is one that will surely make your heart smile and will remind you the great escape that books can bring.


"When she left, the only proof I ever had that she’d been here, or that she even existed at all, was the ache I was starting to feel when she was gone."

― Abby Jimenez, Part of Your World

 

Amazon (CA), $23.99+ | Amazon Kindle (CA), $15.99+ | Audible (CA), $28.27 | Fully Booked (PH), Php999*



Dear John by Nicholas Sparks


Still on the romance genre, but on a slightly different (uhm...sad) road we have Dear John from one of the most popular romance writer of our generation, Nicholas Sparks. You might have seen the movie, but the book does hit different. If you're wondering, yes they did change up quite a few things in the movie.



John, a soldier, meets Savannah while she was volunteering during her college spring break. They went on several dates and fell deeply in love in the process. Even after a serious conflict, Savannah and John promised to keep in touch through letters when John got deployed again. Months turned to years and one day, John received a letter from Savannah breaking up with him and letting him know she fell in love with someone else. After an unfortunate incident, John went back to his hometown and there he found that he knew the man Savannah married. This is a love story that has so many layers tightly knit with each other ultimately revealing how they truly felt.


The book will take your heart and just fill it with deep, strong emotions in a true Nicholas Sparks fashion.


"The saddest people I've ever met in life are the ones who don't care deeply about anything at all. Passion and satisfaction go hand in hand, and without them, any happiness is only temporary, because there's nothing to make it last."

― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John 

 

Amazon (CA), $16.99+ | Amazon Kindle (CA), $11.99+ | Audible (CA), $28.27+



The Huntress by Kate Quinn


Now if you're looking for a book that does manage keep you on the edge without boring you out, then I think you'd love this. 



This one is about the huntress getting hunted. In the present day, we have Jordan who is a very loving daughter and wants the best for her father and their new family. However, she couldn't help but have doubts on her father's new wife. Meanwhile, Nina (a former war soldier) and Graham (a war correspondent) who are both connected by a wrath for a Nazi murderess nicknamed The Huntress, work together to finally put their mutual enemy into justice. The other timeline unravels Nina's past as she joins an all-female night bomber regiment. Though their lives are vastly different, they're somehow connected by a very dark thread that will soon catch up with them revealing the secrets of the past.


Kate Quinn is one of my favourite writers and she definitely did not fail on this one. I think the story does move a little slower. You might have suspicions very early on, but it's still intriguing enough to keep you wanting to know what happens next.


"Time is a wheel, vast and indifferent, and when time rolls on and men forget, we face the risk of circling back."

― Kate Quinn, The Huntress

 

Amazon (CA), $22.70+ | Amazon Kindle (CA), $11.99+ | Audible (CA), $45.44+ 



Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn


I have mentioned this many times in other posts before. However, allow me to include this because if I think of a fast-paced thriller that keeps you wanting to flip one more page, it would be this one.



Amy and Nick Dunne could have had the picture perfect romance. Things suddenly spiralled down when Amy suddenly disappears one morning on their anniversary. Amy's disappearance led to a search that revealed the many ugly truths about their marriage and of each other. As events got more sinister, Nick is more and more pressed as the main person of interest. He knew he was innocent though no one seemed to believe him. And as you get closer to finding out what really happened to Amy, you will also find yourself questioning who the real villain is in this story.


Gone Girl is a good reading slump book or even something a newbie reader would truly enjoy. It's easy to read and the pacing is just right since it does not have the unnecessary drags that can usually make a book boring.


"Love makes you want to be a better man—right, right. But maybe love, real love, also gives you permission to just be the man you are."

― Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

 

Amazon (CA), $24.95+  | Amazon Kindle (CA), $15.99+ | Audible (CA), $27.97+ | Fully Booked (PH), Php559



Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin


I saved the best for last. We're only halfway into the year, but this takes the award of the most beautiful story that I read in 2024.



Violette Toussaint is a caretaker in a cemetery. She is a woman of grace and of dedication. Her past is not filled with love - rather, it lacked of it. Even if she loves what she does with all her heart and she still somehow finds happiness, it also does not take away the miserable fact that her husband abandoned her one day without warning. The only thing her future might have held was her routine which was suddenly disrupted by the arrival of Julien, a local policeman who wished to scatter his mother's ashes over the grave of someone who is a stranger to him. As both Julien and Violette slowly find out the stories of their lives and those around them, they also see their lives and each other in a whole new light.


I may not have made much justice with the summary, but I hope you still try this book out. Every single character and every event that unfolds grips the heart and takes you into the depth. Being a cemetery caretaker may not be the happiest or what would classify as conventionally pretty, but Valérie Perrin wrote Violette's passion to her job so beautifully that it brings light to all the good that surrounds it.


"You're no longer where you were, but you are everywhere that I am." 

― Valérie Perrin, Fresh Water for Flowers

 

Amazon (CA), $25.50+ | Amazon Kindle (CA), $1.99+ | Audible (CA), $45.44+



  • (+) Add GST to price
  • (*) Out of stock in the specified store at the time of publishing the post
  • Prices posted are the prices on the links at the time of publishing the post.

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Pinoy and Pasalubong: Things You Need to Know (Or Be Reminded Of)

Friday, May 3, 2024

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This topic never gets old.


Pasalubong, if you don't know, is the Filipino "tradition" of bringing souvenirs/presents back home or to whoever we're visiting. Since pasalubong is considered as a gift, another concept is pasabay where fellows ask someone travelling to bring something for their relatives or for themselves where the traveller is going. In this post, I will often collectively refer to both pasalubong and pasabay as pasalubong in this post. These can be something as small as a keychain or a sticker and as big as the contents of an entire closet. 


If this practice sounds inconvenient to you, it's because most of the times it is.


Don't get me wrong, it's always joyful to show gratitude to those who welcomed you back home or wherever you are going. I myself have gotten so many good pasalubongs all throughout the years. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, but it can also sometimes be abused. And that's the side of all this that I would like to shed some light in this post.


Some of the reminders here are things you may have already known so I wish this would be serve as a reminder.



For the traveller...


via GIPHY


You're the one travelling. Yes, you have all the right to say no.


It's hard for us Filipinos to say "no" because a lot of our families or friends have mastered the art of pagtatampo in Tagalog or pagkahiubos in Bisaya (in English it means displeasure/disappointment) to get what they want. In the context of pasalubongs, sometimes when you decline to a request, you will be met with utmost disdain. 


I mean, what do you mean you cannot spare 80% of your luggage space to bring their outlet shopping?! (*sarcasm)


Anyway, what I would like to remind you is that you are the traveller. You are paying for your ticket. Those baggage allowances are all and rightfully yours. You have every right in this world to decline the request if you want to.



NEVER accept any pre-wrapped packages for pasabay.


This is extremely important. It's the main reason why the ground crew almost always asks if you packed your own bags when you check in. There have been tons of cases where travellers accepted requests to bring something only to find out later on those goods were illegal. Have a look at this episode of Border Patrol where an elderly couple was victimised by a person they personally know:



Trust no one. If you do agree to bringing something for someone you know, ask them to give it to you unwrapped and you can wrap it yourself. If they don't trust you to wrap it well, they should not be asking that much of a favour to you at all. It is not also going to well in your side if the customs ask what the package contains and you say you have no idea about it or if whatever is inside does not match what you are saying.



There's no need to bring everyone something.


Unless you are running for a political position that you are under the pressure of impressing every single one of your relatives, neighbours, friends or even acquaintances...then there is absolutely no need to bring something for everyone. Or unless you just simply want to.


Think about those who really mean more to you, not some stranger who greeted you once in the last five years.


The main purpose of you coming home is...coming home. It's not a popularity contest and honestly, from what I have observed, those who are genuinely looking forward to see are the ones who don't expect any gift from you at all. They're just simply looking forward to spending time with you again.


via GIPHY



Do not accept pasabays before you have packed all of your personal belongings.


Pack your bags first - your belongings, the pasalubongs you are planning, etc before you accept any requests from anyone. This is to ensure you do have everything that you need and to avoid disappointment of turning down the request the last minute.


Many Filipinos have been a victim of leaving behind their personal belongings just to accommodate those who they have said yes to before they even started packing. This can also happen in the middle of packing.


Going back to my first point, it is okay to say no and explain that you'll pack your bags first and you'll let them know if you have any space left. Don't be afraid to make it a point that you only have x number of grams or kilos for that request.


via GIPHY



Take the time to research if the item you are being asked to bring can be imported to your destination.


The unfortunate truth is there are some people who don't give a flying fck and will just ask you to bring whatever their heart desires. There may even be those who would ask you to bring a whole entire boat if only that doesn't sound so wild.


via GIPHY


Anyway, the point is that others will not always check if what they're asking you to bring is even legal to your destination country. As unfortunate and annoying as it may be, you would have to take on the responsibility of checking if it is legal. Don't forget to check airline restrictions as well. A simple Google search on "What can I bring to (country)" or "Can I bring (object) to (country)" would yield answers. Make sure you are referring to the official customs or border website of the destination country. Pay attention to the weight limit as well.


Here are links to the official customs restrictions or list of things you can and cannot bring to some countries:


Now, the second part of this blog is for those who are non-travellers. We've been both the traveller and non-traveller at some point of our lives. Since I may mention points that may be hard pills to swallow for others, but I hope we approach this with an open mind. My aim for this is that we practice more empathy to the person travelling and hopefully have healthier approach to pasalubong.


via GIPHY



For the non-traveller:


The person coming home or coming to you means more than the pasalubong.


There is nothing wrong with getting excited over pasalubong. It's a very justifiable human emotion. It also shows how grateful you are that someone thought of bringing you a present. However, it is also important to remember not to let the excitement for material things overshadow the most important thing which is the fact that the person you have not seen in a while is coming home or coming to see you.


If they only had enough money for the plane ticket, remind yourself to check in on them and still be very happy they're coming. 


Getting disappointed over not having a pasalubong that you refuse to be happy someone is coming home is not a sign of pure intentions. 



If you're not the one travelling, you don't get to dictate how much you can pasabay.


It is a different story if you are paying the person, their plane ticket and everything else in their trip just so you could have your stuff sent over - in that case, why not just ship those over? 


via GIPHY


If you are not the traveller, you don't get to dictate or just decide on your own how much you wanted to ask the person to bring. The right thing to do is to ask the traveller if he/she/(insert pronoun) has finalised how much they're planning to pack and if how much weight or how large they're willing to bring for you - if they're willing to bring anything at all.


Besides, you can bring as much as you want when it's your turn to travel.



Ask yourself the very important question - are the items you are asking for available in your area?


In our current times, we are blessed to have a lot of international brands already available locally and it's often even cheaper than the price abroad. Overseas, there are already a lot of shops and sometimes grocery stores that sell Filipino products. There is a bit of a price difference for Filipino products abroad considering the import taxes and adjustment for local pricing. However, if there's only cents difference in price, it does not really justify the many kilos it could take up in a luggage allowance.



Packing is a very stressful part of preparation for travels.


It is very important for us to remember that when we ask someone to bring something, the person doesn't just teleport to the destination.


Travel preparation involves packing which is a very major source of stress for most Filipino travellers. When you ask for a pasabay, the traveller has to figure out how to fit that amongst his/her/(insert pronoun) personal belongings, their own pasalubong, etc. So we should think twice before asking someone to bring a folding bed back home. Believe it or not, I have heard stories of people asking things of that size to be brought for them.


Let's exercise more empathy or sympathy towards the traveller and only ask what's necessary and what would cause the least inconvenience.


via GIPHY



Research the restrictions of the destination country prior to asking the traveller for the pasabay.


This should be common sense, but is often ignored. Countries like Australia, for example, have very strict border patrols and have many restrictions on what could be brought in the country.


As someone who's just asking the traveller for a favour, it is good measure to check if it is legal to bring to the destination country. If you care about the person, you would also care for the high penalties and other legal implications of bringing prohibited goods to a country. Also, if you have to ask the traveller not to declare it at customs, then you should not be asking that favour at all. Dishonest declarations are illegal.


To check whether or not it is okay to bring your pasabay, check the official border or customs website of the destination country. I have also listed some of them in the first part.



I hope you've made it towards the end without getting angry at me. Again, my aim for this post is to have a clearer view of pasalubongs. It is a very beautiful practice and one we could pride ourselves of, as long as it's with pure intentions.

Happy travels!

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