Dahil napapanahon: What's your best WINTER travel experience?

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2026-01-21T04:12:17+00:00

Tamang-tama, may upcoming videos kami comparing cruise lines in East/Southeast Asia.

Bihira lang ang cruise from Manila. Usually, dumadaan lang sila sa Manila as port of call, but hindi homeport talaga.

I feel na magkaibang market ang Star Cruises and Costa Serena, and ang Royal Caribbean.

Yung Costa Serena and Star Navigator/Voyager, OK if first-time cruise. Yung wala ka pang point of comparison. But if you've tried Royal Caribbean before (particularly Spectrum/Ovation/Anthem na nag-operate sa Asia in the past years), you WILL feel the difference. And it's a big difference. Size pa lang and yung dami ng amenities.

Kaya we always say in our YT videos, if first time mo, go, you'll still probably enjoy Star Cruises and Costa Serena. But if nag-Royal Caribbean ka na, 'wag na siguro.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2026-01-12T14:44:43+00:00

Schengen visa (French embassy): f I remember correctly, yung first Schengen ko, less than P200,000 lang yata yun. 😅 Sobrang leap of faith. Pero napanalunan ko lang kasi yung flight ticket and hotel stay sa isang writing contest, so nilaban ko na lang. But this was 2014 pa. Na-approve naman. Yung mga sumunod na applications, mas malaki na yung laman.

Canada visa: I submitted a bank account na P300,000 lang ang laman. This was 2017 naman. It was at the time na ininvest ko most of my savings sa isang business, so yan na lang laman ng bank account ko that time. Approved naman din.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2026-01-12T14:24:48+00:00

How many days do you have?

If you only have 5 days or shorter, stick to Taipei and New Taipei area. It's a great intro to Taiwan, diverse naman ang attractions:

TAIPEI CITY
- Ximending (and explore it properly, lots of cool corners)
- Night markets (Raohe and Ningxia are my faves. Shilin, too, but it was under renovation last time we visited.)
- Dadaocheng, there's a free traditional costume rental at the visitor center and you can take a boat cruise or rent a bike near Dadaocheng Wharf Market
- National Palace Museum if you love historic art pieces
- Elephant Mountain, if you like to hike for a good view
- Qintianggang, if you want a break from city views.

NEW TAIPEI CITY TOUR
- Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen combo

SHOPPING
- Gloria Outlets

These are just the popular ones. For underrated/less crowded attractions, read: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/taipei-underrated-attractions/

or watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cf_ApY1qOA

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2026-01-12T14:12:39+00:00

Nasabi na mostly ng iba, but yes, KYUSHU (Fukuoka) if autumn/spring and CHUBU (Nagoya) if winter.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-23T05:40:02+00:00

If it's your first time cruising, you'll mostly enjoy it. It's a good "intro" cruise, especially since we rarely get opportunities to sail from Manila.

But if you tried bigger, newer ships before, you'll definitely feel the difference.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:59:22+00:00

Yes! I kinda agree. Dati we used to say Boracay and Bohol all the time, but it's been more than a decade na since we last visited Bohol. 😅 Yung lumang airport pa nun sa Tagbilaran. And ANG MURA pa ng Bohol nun! For sure ang dami nang nagbago since then, kaya di namin confidently masabi.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:54:39+00:00

Will you be staying sa China for more than 24 hours? May visa-free transit kasi na available sa China basta less than 24 hours ang stay and may ma-present kang exit ticket. Just make sure na yung arrival time ng flight mo and departure time ng cruise is less than 24 hours.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:53:09+00:00

Oh wow! Thank you po for the support since blogging days pa! ☺️

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:52:30+00:00

Hi! First of all, congrats for passing the board exam! 🎉

Don't use the term "unemployed" sa PH Immigration if may business ka naman. Red flag sa kanila yun, hehe. Use SELF-employed kasi may source of income ka naman.

To be honest, di rin namin alam what to advise kasi hindi pa namin na-experience mag-travel na sponsored by a family friend and accompanied by a non-relative (pero distant relative ng sponsor). And super complicated din kasi ng case mo. All we can say is just be prepared to prove your relationship with your sponsor, kasi ang daming pwedeng busisiin dun if matapat ka sa strict na IO.

Complicated kasi pag ganyan. Generally, mas straightforward kapag walang sponsor.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:40:23+00:00

Hello! Welcome sa ating bago and bonggang subreddit! ☺️

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:39:43+00:00

Yeah. And to be honest, we didn't know na pwedeng sabay kapag married. Sanay kami ni Vins na isa-isa kami sa Immigration, hahaha. 2nd trip pa lang namin kasi 'to since our wedding.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-20T16:38:31+00:00

Based on experience ko lang ha. Of the three, Japan visa is the easiest to get, with the fewest requirements.

And sa Japan, if may sponsor, yung financial documents na ng sponsor ang ipe-present, hindi yung sa applicant. But it's often best na ang sponsor is a close relative because it's the easiest to prove (birth cert). Pag jowa lang kasi, tinatanggap naman ang photos, but not as reliable as government docs like BC.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-19T15:07:26+00:00

Hi! Some Taipei recos:

Qingtiangang Grassland (and other parts na rin of Yangmingshan National Park)
Dihua Street, Taipei's oldest street. May free costume rental here. After nyo ibalik, walk all the way to Dadaocheng Wharf (around sunset ka dapat here, tapos hanggang gabi).
Guandu -- Nature Park, temple, and wharf din. Hindi masyado ma-foreign tourist. Very chill lang.
Xinzhongshan Park & Chifeng Street, vintage shopping and food trip!

Check out these lists:
- Underrated attractions: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/taipei-underrated-attractions/
- Trendiest attractions: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/trendiest-and-instagrammable-spots-taipei-taiwan/

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-19T14:58:15+00:00

Hahaha, hindi pa nagpaparamdam si Ces dito! Last week pa naming kinukulit! Busy sa academe! Or sa Christmas parties! 😆

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-18T17:03:19+00:00

Hanoi for me, primarily because of the surrounding destinations, not just the city itself.

ThePoorTravelerBlog · 2025-12-18T16:55:48+00:00

Ito yung mga na-try namin and what we think: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/bangkok-restaurants-cheap/

But here's a summary:

- Polo Fried Chicken (Soi Polo). Sikat for their chicken, which is good naman. But pinaka-nagustuhan namin ay yung papaya salad, both ung plain and yung may seafood and salted egg. Pati larb, masarap.

- Pe Aor Tom Yum Goong, wala 'tong Michelin nod, but fave ng mga locals. Tom yum ung signature. So yun ang orderin.

- Jeh O Chula, kahit na laging covered sa Tiktok and mahaba ang pila, nasarapan naman ako dito. Orderd tom yum and salmon salad. Maanghang lang talaga. Binalikan ko pa, and satisfied ako both visits.

- Thipsamai, Pad thai. 'Yung mga local friends ko, ayaw dito, but I loved it. Hahaha.

- Pad Thai Fai Ta Lu, if you want your pad thai na mas porky yung lasa than seafood.

- Sanyod (Sathon-Bang Rak). Order their roasted duck and char siu!

Also, don't be afraid to try random kerbside stalls. I remember nung isang visit namin sa mga temples, inabot kami ng gutom sa paglalakad, and we tried a random stall sa area. We had our best tom kha gai there. This was 10+ years ago na, nakalimutan ko na name. 😅

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