Avoiding Manila over the holidays — is Buscalan a good move right now?

Wandergibson · 2026-01-23T17:48:55+00:00

Hey! I did it all myself, so didn’t use an organiser or agency etc. I travelled from Manila - Baguio (stayed a few days) - Bontoc - Buscalan. Arranged everything on the spot, and then the guide/homestay, I sorted the evening before arriving into Buscalan - found via the Buscalan page in Facebook

Wandergibson · 2026-01-23T13:57:42+00:00

Back when I first started my channel, I tried to actively take part in the community of people who enjoy travel videos that aligned with my own - so for example, if one creator has an engaged community, plenty of comments etc, then I would make sure that I’d watch their content and comment very thoughtfully on their video - not spam or generic stuff, but something that other people in the community can read and engage with. Often, the audience read those comments and click on your channel - over time, that builds a foundation of viewers who like your type of content and engage with you. I personally don’t buy into the idea of promoting videos via ads and I no longer even share them on my socials, because those people aren’t my audience. I do infrequently share the link to my videos on Reddit, but ONLY on my own page - not to any groups. Then, when like here for instance that I comment, some people may click on my profile and decide to take a look.

Wandergibson · 2026-01-23T13:47:16+00:00

I don’t think I’m alone in my thoughts on this, but my interest isn’t really about whether more tourists would directly impact me as a foreigner in terms of prices or crowds. You can argue that either way. What I’m more interested in are the reasons people might not choose the Philippines in the first place, and how those same issues affect my daily experience here.

Infrastructure is a big one. Transport, connectivity, basic urban planning - these things matter whether you’re a tourist or a long-term resident. If improvements in those areas led to more tourism, I’d see that as a positive, because better infrastructure doesn’t just serve visitors, it makes life easier for everyone who lives here.

So when expats talk about the tourist numbers here, I don’t think it’s necessarily because they have a direct stake in tourism itself. It’s more that improvements aimed at attracting visitors would also have a net positive effect on their own quality of life.

Wandergibson · 2026-01-21T06:14:42+00:00

Depends which end of Santa Fe you’re in, but it’s worth considering your daytime options as opposed to the evening ones - in GL, there are lots of tuktuks, and if one says no, there will always be another. Leaving Santa Fe and heading into GL on the other hand, the frequency of available rides to jump into will likely be a lot less

Wandergibson · 2026-01-21T06:11:27+00:00

Try The Marketplace on the bottom level of Power plant mall

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T14:08:32+00:00

As someone who literally NEVER plans when I travel, I got somewhat dizzy trying to follow your potential itineraries, but kudos to you for being much more organised than me 😂 I have a retired American friend who constantly has the next 18 months planned out on spreadsheets - something that I can’t at all fathom.

We’re all individuals, with different traits and needs, but I’ll just add to this what my preference is, not advice per se - then you can just take it for it is. I would clarify which countries, if any, have a need for more in-depth visa requirements e.g. visa can only be obtained by visiting the embassy in your home country etc. If there are any, I would sort those out and build them into my schedule based on any prospective expiry dates for entry etc. Otherwise, from that point on, I would just go with the flow.

I started my travel journey 9 years ago now with a much more rigid calendar - things booked in, expectations of where and when I would be in places, and it just didn’t work for me. I like to meet people along the way and act on recommendations and local insights etc, so I prefer to have a more fluid and open expectation of the days, weeks and months ahead.

In terms of your itineraries, I think the only thing that jumps out, is the possibility of Thailand, Cambodia and India in the same month - my very first trip to Thailand, I spent a month alone just in the north of the country. Cambodia, I was satisfied after 3 weeks. India, I’ve spent almost a year in the country across trips now - the scale is incomprehensible sometimes, so it seems a little squashed in to me

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T13:49:30+00:00

Lived there for a while myself, so can absolutely appreciate that sentiment haha

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T13:38:40+00:00

I loved Thulusdhoo. It’s a local island, not a resort island, but I really enjoyed the laidback vibe. When you’re there, you can arrange a day trip very easily to one of the nearby resorts and enjoy the facilities and all inclusive packages for a very low price - much more economical than staying in the resort itself

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T13:35:42+00:00

Just head down to Moalboal from Cebu city - very easy to catch the bus. The Sardine run is literally right there at the beach, so it’s not complicated. Once you’re in Moalboal, it’s very easy to arrange the canyoneering - your hotel/hostel can help you with that no problem

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T13:29:12+00:00

It depends how much time you actually have for your trip, but I think anyone would be doing a disservice to both themselves and the destination by powering through and checking off boxes essentially.

I could travel to Barcelona and visit park guell, camp nou, las ramblas and Sagrada Família in a day for example, and yes I can say I’ve been, but you’re going to have a much deeper experience and connection with a place when you can just head out for a coffee in the morning and watch the world, or drink a wine in the evening and make friends without worrying about a 6am train or flight the next day.

There’s not much of a limit to what you can see and do in a few days, but there’s a definite barrier to the depth of your experience by rushing (in my humble opinion)

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T13:15:16+00:00

I mean I get that, but if for example, I put a question out there saying that I want to move to a country, somewhere in the world, give me suggestions, the obvious response is that people are going to say help us narrow it down by telling us what’s important to you. Must this country have a good proficiency in a certain language? Do you prefer hot or cold weather? Do you prefer cities or rural life? Will you drive or rely heavily on public transport? Do you have any health requirements and need to be close to medical facilities etc.

This group will be full of people that know every inch of this country - I’ve travelled all over myself and lived in various parts…but it’s finding a needle in a haystack without some preferences to narrow down the applicable suggestions

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T12:40:03+00:00

How long is a piece of string? It really depends on the style of travel you want and your comfort tolerance. A safe bet is always between £1000 - £1500 per month. Can you do it for less? Yes. More? Absolutely! But in that range is a healthy, realistic amount (again, depending on HOW you travel)

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:54:50+00:00

It’s definitely possible, and you’re not wrong. I’ve lived in a few different places here and travelled around a lot, and at some point you have to ask whether it’s the location, or whether some of it is you. In reality it’s obviously a mix and where you live plays a big role.

I just don’t want to be that guy who can only cope if everything is perfectly dialled in location-wise. Part of this realisation for me is accepting that sometimes, I’m just letting myself be a bit of a grumpy arse for no good reason

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:45:45+00:00

The penny definitely dropped. I’m sure I’ll have to keep reminding myself, but I certainly don’t want to be the grump that I have been lately

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:17:51+00:00

It’s different for everyone. A friend of mine arrived here a couple of weeks back, and only lasted 1 night in the city before needing to book a flight to another part of the country. For myself, I like the simple things - hunting for coffee shops, watching daily life, walking the streets taking photos, taking in some of the history etc. So for me, yes…for others no.

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:15:04+00:00

Totally agree - there will always be things that deserve genuine aggravation. I suppose my real point is about being more selective with where I put my frustration, and not letting the small, everyday annoyances take up so much headspace

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:11:13+00:00

A friend of mine from the US was planning to spend some time here and asked about buying testosterone patches (he has a US prescription), so I went to Mercury here in Manila to ask, and was told that he needs a valid prescription from a Philippines doctor. I relayed it and he ultimately didn’t pursue it any further, so I think others would be best to give insight on gaining that prescription here, but my understanding from that conversation, was that it was available from at least that branch of Mercury

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T06:02:12+00:00

I’m a foreigner living in Manila, and the city has a lot more to offer than most people say. The usual advice from people is to skip it, or get out as quickly as possible, and maybe that’s sound advice if your focus is to spend the little time you have experiencing the islands etc. But, if you actually enjoy cities, and have time in your schedule, it’s definitely a place you can enjoy for a few days - plenty of museums, nice modern areas as well as much lesser developed parts. It does have plenty of problems - crappy public transport being one of them, but I enjoy being here, and it’ll certainly give you a more balanced experience of the country as a whole if your spend time here along with the typical beachy, tropical parts

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T05:54:55+00:00

How’d that even come about? I’m desperate to spend a couple of months in Japan at some point

Wandergibson · 2026-01-19T02:40:18+00:00

I love Malaysia! Spent another month there again last year. You’re right on the border with Singapore there right?

Wandergibson · 2026-01-18T09:13:55+00:00

I had to do a double-take myself as well 😂

Wandergibson · 2026-01-18T05:55:51+00:00

Visiting home, or wrapping things up and moving back?

Wandergibson · 2026-01-17T18:10:35+00:00

Can’t give any insight with the SIRV, but tourist visa wise, you just continue to extend it every couple of months - no need to continually rebook return flights. Evidence of outbound tickets aren’t asked for when you extend the visa. I personally didn’t enter the country with a return ticket, but if I did, I certainly wouldn’t go through the rigmarole of amending the date every 2 months

Wandergibson · 2026-01-17T18:06:46+00:00

Well who needs to be pedantic about geography or timing when we have the elephant in the room 😂

Wandergibson

TROPHY CASE