How To Better Plan and Enjoy Your Trip To Exciting Destinations Around the World


Every day it is the same atmosphere, same people you meet and you tend to get bored with it. You want to discover something new, vibrant, and experience some joy, and a trip to places of interest can give you that refreshment and bliss.

But for enjoying a trip to a far-off destination in your own country or in a foreign one, you have to do some bit of planning. This will make your stay at a far-off location much more comfortable and enjoyable as you will encounter much fewer problems and even if you experience any, you can better handle them.

These are things you need to focus upon when you are planning for a trip to famous and popular locations around the world.

1. Time

You need to analyze on how much time would you need for visiting a specific place in a specific part of the world. You can make an assessment of the time that you will need for traveling to a place and for visiting places of interest like beaches, monuments, temples, and others. You also have to calculate the time spent onboarding and lodging. You also need to consider the time spent over flights, buses and another mode of transport as you travel from one place to another. You can consult your friends about this who went to a specific place which you are planning to visit. You can also read people’s comments on the net which will give you an idea of how much time is needed for the same. But it also depends on which activities you are planning to perform during your stay there. But do try to make a balance between what you want to do there and the time available to you.

2. Budget

Once you are done with the time part, you ought to focus on your budget. You have to ensure that you have enough money with you so that you can better enjoy your trip. You have to decide whether you are planning to stay in hotels or in less costly accommodations. Then it all depends on your paying capacity and your priorities. You have to take into consideration the cost incurred on arranging flights, buses and other types of transport. The visa charges have to be taken into account. The money spent over enjoying your pastimes has to be focused upon. You have to consider how much cash you have to take with you. Your ATMs should operate in places you are going to visit. So you have to make a fair assessment of the budget for the success of your trip.

3. Safety

Before you plan on visiting a place, just make sure that there is no law and order problem in that part of the world. Anti-government protests, workers’ demonstrations, and similar problems can snowball into big problems and can easily turn your stay there into a nightmare. Even if you are adamant about going there, do work out on a pullout plan if things get worse and you want to escape from there. Do check about credible news channels to know if everything is fine there. You also have to be on guard against pickpockets and muggers as some places are infamous for pickpocketing and thuggery. Take necessary precautions as advised by fellow travelers and locals.

4. Weather

Do check out weather updates for the places you are visiting. You have to ensure that if you are going to someplace for participating in some fun-filled activities, you are able to enjoy them at that time. As some activities are season-specific, they cannot be enjoyed all year-round. They can be enjoyed at a specific time in a year. So make sure you visit the place where you can enjoy things you want to. Also tune in to weather reports if someplace is witnessing a flood, excessive rainfall, drought, or similar other situation that can affect our pleasure as it can land you in a soup.

5. Good knowledge of rules and regulations

As you are planning to visit a different part of the world which is not your home, you have to be crystal clear about rules and regulations there. Lack of awareness about them can complicate matters and land you in serious trouble. In instances where you cross from one country into another country through a common border, you should follow the rules and regulations stipulated.

6. Fair Knowledge about local culture and language

Visiting a different place gives you a chance to see a different way of life. The people there might be speaking different languages, have different customs, and even practice a different faith. So it would be better if you know something about them in advance. Picking up their language can be hard, but you can learn some local words through a book or net that can prove to be helpful for communicating with them like asking for a bus or a hotel. Even sign language can be beneficial in such situations. If you know some words of their language, you can better bond with them and they will be ready to help you out in every possible manner.



7. Flights and travel arrangements

If you plan on visiting many countries and places for enjoying your overseas vacation, choose the best route which saves your costs and which is physically less taxing. Go for round the world tickets for a smooth travel experience as you can visit more places at relatively less cost. You can choose in those airlines who are part of an alliance and who are offering such tickets. You can get in touch with your tour and travel operators for more knowledge about these. This would allow you to visit multiple countries and enjoy your vacation there in a smooth and hassle-free manner.

8. Packing list

Before you head for a trip, you have to plan what clothes and accessories you have to keep with you. You should not overload yourself with too many goods as it can create problems for you as you have to constantly focus on your multiple bags which can affect your pleasure. Try to keep things in a rucksack with bare minimum goods, so you remain mobile as too much load on your back can get physically demanding at times. You can buy things locally which you need and even sell them or transport them back to your home through shipping. You can keep your guidebooks with you like Lonely planet and others for more knowledge about the lands you are visiting. You can keep your camera, mobile and other basic but important commodities with you. Keep bare minimum cash in your pocket and the rest of it in your bag. But do not put all the cash in the same place in your bag, also put your ATMs in the same way. Even if some of them get lost, you have something to bank upon.

These things will help you to plan your trips in a better and smoother way and you would enjoy more and worry less by focusing on these important points.

But focusing on so many things and ensuring that you have done justice to each one of them is not an easy task. You will come across situations when you will discover that you forgot to consider and execute some important things which featured prominently in your trip plan as these slipped away from your memory. These could be consulting your travel agency or your visa arranger over an important matter or it might be simply asking your friend for a piece of advice. But these did not come across your mind at the right time and you failed to perform them. Such inconsistencies can drastically affect your travel plan.

So you need to use an enterprising solution that helps you remember everything important about your trip right from putting accessories into your bag to consulting your friends and other people who matter. So you can better track them and get them accomplished without forgetting them. So you can save yourself from unnecessary lamenting over not performing them rightly and timely.

A web-based project management tool like ProofHub helps in proper planning over your trip matters and ensures that tasks and activities related to your trip are properly tracked and timely conducted without ever getting missed. You can better communicate and collaborate with your friends, travel agents, flight operators, and other important individuals and agencies over important matters and resolve them fast with the least time and effort. You and your co-planners all can get access to the same and latest information, data, and files as these are located in a single centralized place. So you remain on the same page over trip matters.

This project management system enables better task description, documentation, assignment, execution, tracking, and control. Thus every individual who is part of your team including yourself knows which task one has to perform at a specific point in time. Every time your task approaches its due date, you are sent an email notification making you aware that you need to perform the task by a specific time. So you can timely and satisfactorily perform them without missing or skipping them. There remains no chance of missing a task just as it slipped from your memory. So tasks can be better tracked and it can be ensured that they have been done in the desired and timely manner. Every activity featured in your traveling plan gets due attention and gets timely accomplished.

This tool is also helpful in those instances when some individual decides to go for a vacation, but he is part of a team that is working over a project and this project has to be completed within the stipulated time frame and within the allocated budget and other resources. If this person heads for the vacation, the work will suffer as he is playing an important role in the execution of the project. So there are two options for him. One is that he will sacrifice his vacation for his work and the other is he will say goodbye to the work and enjoy the vacation instead. But the need here is to balance them both, so the work also goes smoothly even if the person is busy in vacationing and even he can contribute in it if there is a need for the same.

This enterprising tool enables him to enjoy the vacation and check with everything important happening in his project through the mobile in his pocket. He can check important activities happening in it from the airport or the beach. He can read old comments as well as add new comments. Thus he remains connected to the project even on the go and remains updated about its progress. So his company’s work does not suffer as he can maintain a perfect balance between his work and pleasure. The physical distances between team members working over common projects simply vanish as they can communicate in a fast and accurate manner from anywhere in the world.

Another benefit that this tool has is that progress over projects and plans can be better assessed and tracked. Through its Gantt chart project management feature, a project manager can easily make out how much progress has been made over a project by seeing progress over individual tasks being performed by various team members. He can share this feature with his teammates to let them know where they stand over their tasks. They can self-assess their progress over them. Any tasks can be easily rescheduled if required. Dependencies among tasks can be easily established. In case a task gets rescheduled, all tasks dependent on it can be easily rescheduled. The comparison between planned progress and achieved progress can be easily done. All tasks are presented in graphical form and in a color-coded pattern which makes it easy to check progress over all the tasks and activities in projects. A project manager need not inspect each and every task to know their progress as all can be viewed in a Gantt chart at the same place in a concise and clear manner.

This feature can be immensely useful for an individual who is planning to go on a trip and knows how the project in which he is a part is progressing and how much progress he has achieved over his tasks. Thus he gets clarity over its tasks and can enjoy his trip in a more relaxed manner and even contribute to his work from his place of pleasure from his mobile, tablet, laptop, or any other device as per their availability. He can thus balance both his work and merriment with much more flexibility and control.

Similarly, a tour operator can see the progress of his clients’ traveling plans as they plan to visit different destinations around the world. It can also prove to be helpful for the government authorities to check the status of visa applications of various applicants and better update these men over their individual status over their visa formalities.

This enterprising tool enables better planning of your trip and ensures that you are able to focus on each and every task and activity that is featured in your travel plan and perform them in a timely and desired manner without ever missing them. Thus you can better enjoy your trip and even do justice to your work while you are away from your workplace for merriment or for any other reason.

 Sharon
Guest Writer 

Where to Buy Pasalubong in Baler Aurora?



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We arrived at the Pasalubong Centre 6PM and the tenants were almost all close.

While all are busy shopping, I am busy roving around taking photos and taking glance of creative handicrafts.

What to Buy?


  • Handicrafts- surfboard miniatures, key chains, sandals , flip flops and bags. 
  • Wood Products- Sungka, wood figurines, and other wood carving products which are appropriate for home display.
  • Memorabilia- Printed Shirts (you can customize what design you want), printed mugs, board shorts.
  • Homemade delicacies- suman, kakanin, peanut butter, banana chips and etc.


 After 30 mins, we left Baler and we are ready now to go back to reality. 

A Video Blog in Morong, Rizal

I was given a chance to stay in Morong, Rizal . It was memorable travel So let me share it through this simple video.

Museo de Baler: The Face from the Past.




But in my case, we rented bikes and rove around the town proper of Baler. We just drop off at the Museum after we took pictures of Manuel Roxas’ Monument.

Adjacent of the museum outside is the vintage car. Take a look the image below:

Just a heads up, there are available rolling stores outside (That was the place where we ate our breakfast)

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Outside, the remarkable façade shows a very detailed mural. It Mural was was created by sculptor Toym Imao, son of National Artist for the Visual Arts Abdulmari Imao. The   work was commissioned by Sen.  Edgardo Angara and the Baler Historical

Entrance fee is for free. You just give a donation for the maintenance of the museum.

You can take pictures inside; in fact there is an indoor photo booth.

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Lot of artifacts are displayed



Not surprisingly, the museum contains pieces that are significant to the town’s history.


Dinner Party in Baler, Aurora.

After the wet and drenching hike from Ermita Hill, I dried out and changed T-shirt. The weather was still quite bad due to “Low Pressure”, it was cold. A cup of coffee and Aurora’s delicacy which is Suman were my food for meryenda. Five in the afternoon, night and darkness continued to annex the whole surrounding.

Others are busy chatting to other travelers. Some are preparing for the dinner and some are still on surfing class. I went to my tent and started to relax. The rain and the cold wind were perfect combination to feel the tranquility. Unconsciously, I was asleep.

Seven at night, Erwin (one of the travelers) awakened me in my tent “Uy Kumain kana” He said. When I peeped out from my tent, it was already night and totally dark outside. “WTF I am late on the Dinner”. I remember what happened in Zambales, I was also late in the Dinner of the group. The history repeats itself in Baler, Aurora. I run to the dining area and everybody were finished. I saw the dining table in a boodle fight set up which was full of leavings scattered.

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James Betia( journeyingjames) smiled at me “Kagigising mo lang? Pupungas pungas ka pa ah”.

Chef Arvin gave me the food…

Bonding with Party People.

After a short break to fix each other’s belongings, the team prepared the place for “Inuman Session”. I told James that -this time I’ll be joining the bonding moment and not to miss it anymore (Just like in Zambales that I missed the bonding moment). “JourneyingJames Tour” rented a Video-ke machine for the party. …..



Everyone was enjoyed and ready to take the singing challenge (except to those few who went to sleep right after the dinner). In addition, Cher Arvin (Cook) offered PHP1000 to someone who will get 100 score in Videooke. Elora won it and she donated the money to Tacloban Typhoon Victim.

The party continues with more upbeat music…..

Everyone was dancing, many were almost drunk… no inhibitions…

Just a heads up guys, Live Bands are also available on other bars. There are more bars available to choose within the proximity.

Traveler's Warning : Modus Operandi in Public Transportation




As someone who regularly takes public transportation, I have had the displeasure of encountering several bizarre approaches to crime in buses, jeepneys or cabs. Apparently, people have decided that just declaring a robbery straight up isn’t the Filipino way, so we have a whole bunch of strange, alternative methods by which these criminals can liberate you of your wallets and gadgets.
I don’t think I need to point out that if you are under threat, no matter how much you protect yourself, putting up a fight would only increase your risk of getting icepicked. If it comes to that, just give them what they want. Here are 8 different methods they use that are off the beaten path of the standard robbery…

8. Activan Gang
(Via abiolatv.com, /haileyshelpfulhints.blogspot.com, theconversation.com, lucerosaldana.com)

The MO: A cab driver befriends a foreigner or balikbayan on the long drive to their destination, then offers their target a drink. When they fall for this, they then pass out from something in the drink, and when they come to, they are divested of their possessions. They also sometimes pull this same stunt in hotels and other similar places.
Protect Yourself: Don’t accept drinks from strangers. That should be common sense, but sometimes, because of a sense of pakikisama, we overlook this little fact–and pay dearly for it.

7. Zesto Gang
(Via liveinthephilippines.com, tatakblogong.wordpress.com, nekosugamo.blog39.fc2.com)

The MO: Often plying the Cubao area, members of the Zesto gang pose as a bus conductor and ask their mark “Ilan?” The target assumes they meant tickets, tells him how many, pays the impostor, and then the Zesto gang member magically produces Zesto juices from behind him, rapidly hits them with straws (how they do that when it takes us mere mortals minutes to stick a straw in from the top of the Doypack, I will never understand), then hands them to the mildly bewildered victims. More often than not, no change will be provided, and you can’t ask for a refund since he already oh-so-helpfully put the straw in for you, which is pretty unsanitary, when you think about it.
Protect Yourself: Always make sure first that this is really the conductor you’re about to hand your money off to. If you see a bucket with juice packs behind him, that’s a dead giveaway he’s part of the Zesto gang.

6. Laglag Barya Gang
 (Via frendz4m.com, francolevi.wordpress.com, bryologue.com)

The MO: This happened to me back when the Nokia 3330 was relatively new (so, y’know, it was a long time ago). I was in a jeepney in Cubao (what is it with this place?), being youthfully stupid (now, I’m no longer youthful) and oblivious to my surroundings when a man in front of me dropped a coin near my foot. He then proceeded to reach for it, and I even helped him. He dropped it again. This time, he grabbed my foot, as if to imply that it fell in my shoe. I struggled with him, and next thing I knew, my pants pocket was sliced open and my phone was gone. The man immediately got off the jeep, along with two other people who were seated near me.
Protect Yourself: If they can slice your jean pocket open, they can slice you open. I would suggest immediately getting off jeep or bus the minute someone tries to drop a coin within a two-meter radius.

5. Dura-Dura Gang
(Via thelongestwayhome.com, bitsandpieces1.blogspot.com, frequency.com)

The MO: One of the most disgusting methods to pilfer people’s belongings, the Dura-Dura Gang operates by distracting you with spit or even vomit on your shoulder, which a “helpful” co-passenger points out to you. They then “helpfully” suggest you open your bag to look for something to clean off the spit with, and while you do that, with your bag left open, they quickly grab whatever valuables they can and then get off the bus or jeep.
Protect Yourself: Keep your bag closed, and have tissue at the ready in a valuables-free pocket for this very occasion. I would also suggest yelling “para” and leaving the moment this happens to you.

4. Bimpo sa Aircon
(Via philstar.com, sulit.com.ph, facebook.com)

The MO: I’m still not entirely sure how this works, but supposedly, while in a cab, the taxi driver will hold something up to his air conditioner that will knock the passenger out, leaving you at the driver’s mercy, akin to the Ativan Gang. How this works without knocking out the driver as well, I am not quite sure, but if you see that they’re wearing a face mask, then don’t even bother getting in, I guess.
Protect Yourself: Always have a friend you can text your cab’s plate number to. The ideal approach is to have a friend see you off in a cab, so the cabbie knows someone got a good look at him without really calling attention to the fact, as opposed to taking a picture of the cabbie, who might be offended if he wasn’t actually trying to rob you or something.


3. Biglang Sakay
(Via rappler.com, timotraveling.blogspot.com, dailytelegraph.com.au)

The MO: This very terrifying MO happened to a friend of mine, who was just in a taxi when three other people boarded it and threatened her. Needless to say, when it suddenly becomes a four on one situation inside a taxi, there is very little you can do other than to give them what they want.
Protect Yourself: The same standard safety procedures apply: document the cabs you ride in, lock all your doors, and bolt at the first sign of suspicious activity. Don’t bother with politeness when it’s your life on the line. If you have to ask them to stop and you just toss the money for fare at them then make a run for it, just do it. This also means you need to check the cab’s child locks before boarding the taxi.

2. Batang Hamog
(Via gmanetwork.com, definitelyfilipino.com, gmanetwork.com)

The MO: These are often kids along C5 or EDSA-Guadalupe who attack during rush hour. Since cars are stuck in traffic, they will randomly open cab doors, usually from both sides, then quickly steal anything they can from the passenger in as little time as possible. This also almost happened to me, but thankfully, I was quick enough to pull my bag to my side then kick the kid off before shutting the door.
Protect Yourself: Obviously, lock your doors. Ever since that near-miss, I always made sure to do just that whenever I would take a cab. Make it a habit.

1. Pasagasa Gang
(Via gmanetwork.com, twicsy.com, commons.wikimedia.org)

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The MO: In the middle of the night, a pedestrian will appear out of nowhere then get run over, or at least pretend to be run over, by your most likely slow-moving taxi. If the taxi driver stops, the “pedestrian” will use this opportunity to pry open the cab and rob you. They normally have accomplices to pull this off, or will threaten to throw a rock at the cab. If all else fails, they will try to extort money from you under threat of being reported for hit and run. This obviously is not limited to public transportation, and private vehicles are actually even more lucrative targets.
Protect Yourself: Don’t give them an opportunity to reach in and grab you, so don’t open windows or doors, even if you feel concerned for their well-being. Call 117 instead for help if you have to. It’s very tricky when these things happen, but again, when it’s your life on the line, don’t take any unnecessary chances.

Stay safe, follow these tips from the Philippine National Police:


  • Always consider doubts/gut feel when riding a taxi.
  • Always check the taxi first and make sure no one is hiding on the floor or between the seats.
  • Sit on the backseat and keep a distance from the driver.
  • Check if the doors can be locked from the inside.
  • Memorize the plate number and name of the driver. You can text or call a friend or relative and let the driver know that you are taking note of his plate number.
  • Insist that the driver use the regular or usual route you take towards your destination.
  • Report any defective plate or meter and driver’s discourtesy to the
  • Land Transportation Franchising & Regulatory Board (LTFRB):
  • 0921-448-777 and 426-2515.
  • (The LTFRB can alert other commuters of any new modus operandi of drivers after receiving reports from some victims.)

HOW TO DETECT “BATINGTING TAXIS”

Tampered or missing meter seal.
Meter only displays fare and not the distance and waiting time (if present).
Taxi name, plate number and operator contact number are erased or missing in the interiors of the vehicle.
Driver is clicking a switch hidden somewhere.
Driver would not usually argue/complain if you pay the usual fare since they know they’re equipped with a faster-than-a-speeding bullet meter.
What to do if confronted with such a situation?
Always take note of the taxi name, operator phone numbers, plate number and if possible, take note of the taxi driver’s name and face. It is recommended that you send these information to a friend or relative.
Ask the driver to use the meter. If they say that the meter isn’t working or offer any other excuse, don’t get in the cab. If you’re already inside, ask the driver to stop and get out of the vehicle.
Make sure to check the meter. Some “batingting” drivers intentionally hold the stick shift in order to block the meter’s line of view.
Some drivers tend to keep a minimum speed even when in high-speed areas. This is because the moment they get too fast, the increments will happen at an incredible rate and the meter will show that it is obviously tampered.
If any time you notice that the meter is going too fast, tell the driver to stop and get off the taxi.
Report the taxi with defective meter to the
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board
by texting the taxi’s name and plate number to
0921-448-7777 or call 426-2515.
Source: http://8list.ph/taxi-modus-operandi/

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