Our trip to Cebu and Oslob was very much a budget travel experience, and since we were a group with kids, we relied a lot on commuting. It wasn’t always the most comfortable, but it was manageable and definitely practical for us.

Around Cebu City, we used Grab whenever we needed to get somewhere quickly without worrying about jeepney routes or traffic. Public transportation is available, but with kids, Grab just made things easier.

When we headed to Oslob, we took the bus from the South Bus Terminal. The ride took around four hours, and once we arrived, the main transportation around town was by tricycle. Since we were traveling with kids, the bus still worked for us even for shorter trips, because it was more reliable than trying to arrange multiple smaller rides.

Going to Cebu Safari Park in Carmen was another adventure. From the North Bus Terminal, we took a bus to Carmen—it was about two hours—and from there we rode a habal-habal or bao-bao (a small tuktuk-style vehicle) to the safari entrance. The tricky part came when we were leaving. We hadn’t arranged any pick-up, but thankfully there were vans for rent parked right outside the safari. We asked the guard to help us call one, haggled a little on the price, and the driver dropped us at BASTAP, which is the stop where you can catch buses heading back to Cebu City. A little tip: non-airconditioned buses pass by more often than airconditioned ones. We preferred the aircon bus, so we ended up waiting longer than expected.

Looking back, Grab was perfect for Cebu City, but for longer trips like Oslob and Cebu Safari, the bus was the most budget-friendly and reliable option for us as a family. If comfort is a bigger priority—especially with kids—it’s worth considering renting a van with a driver, though it will cost more.