General travel advices and costs

[EarlGray]

Hi! I have met a philipina girl by internet and it starting planning a trip. Would be glad to have advices for novice, about costs, places for living, transport, etc. Thanks in advance!

[no comment]

Earl Gray, that user name fits you to a tea.

I hope you're not going all the way to the Philippines to meet just one woman.  At least set up some other dates just in case.

Just used a site called  cheapfareguru.com  to search fares to Lima, Peru.

[robert angel]

Hi! I have met a philipina girl by internet and it starting planning a trip. Would be glad to have advices for novice, about costs, places for living, transport, etc. Thanks in advance!

It's all relative to what area there you're going to. Manila will cost you more, Cebu a bit less and Davao a bit less than Cebu. The smaller the city, generally the less expensive,  on down the beaten path into the oft lovely provincial 'country' areas, where if you're frugal, a few bucks a day will easily feed you.

I always made 'one woman, one girl' trips, but I took a long, long time online meeting Filipinos first cultivating friendships, so if things didn't work out, I had some people to contact, enough so that with out even setting things up before hand, I was pretty sure I could meet up and get a personal tour, meet up going on.

I was more worried than I needed to be actually. It's the most westernized of all Asian nations and in the cities, you could eat at US fast food chains all the time and watch US TV sitcoms if you so desired.

I also had previously met and made friendships with Filipinos in the USA, learned a bit about their nature, favorite foods, friendly nature, etc.

Even aside from taking the above mentioned friendships/contacts, I think just 'showing up'---in effect 'going cold' to the Philippines, you probably, outside a few nations like Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, would be hard pressed to find a nicer place to meet friendly people---people who understand your English and are genuinely friendly.

Yes, it's a helluva a long trip and a very expensive plane ticket, but aside from the plane ticket cost, if you want a great vacation, where there's plenty of beautiful women from ages 18 to 80 who'd love to meet you and food and lodging is very inexpensive outside of the glitzy centers of the biggest cities, it's hard to beat the Philippines.

Best to spend at least a couple weeks there, given the expense of getting there and to really have an idea about the nation and person/s there.

So as has been appropriately  asked, what's your situation? If going to meet one woman, how long have you two conversed?

[EarlGray]

>> Earl Gray, that user name fits you to a tea.


That was the point.


>> [size=0px]cheapfareguru.com[/size]
[/size]
Thanks a lot!


Robert Angel thank you for all this information.
My situation can sounds a little crazy. I just discovered one dating site, meet those girl and we communicating about week only. And it seems a miracle to me so I want to go and meet her in person just to look. I am adult enough, born in the poor country, moved to Canada, twice divorced, so I think I know life and people. I can afford this trip and don't want to miss a chance, may be the last in my life.

[robert angel]

>> Earl Gray, that user name fits you to a tea.


That was the point.


>> [size=0px]cheapfareguru.com[/size]
[/size]
Thanks a lot!


Robert Angel thank you for all this information.
My situation can sounds a little crazy. I just discovered one dating site, meet those girl and we communicating about week only. And it seems a miracle to me so I want to go and meet her in person just to look. I am adult enough, born in the poor country, moved to Canada, twice divorced, so I think I know life and people. I can afford this trip and don't want to miss a chance, may be the last in my life.

Wow, moving really fast there! But treat it as if you're expecting at least a great vacation,  keeping common sense--your 'wits about you' and you can't go too far wrong. If she's THAT special, immigration takes a long time and hopefully you'll have time to learn a lot more about her and her culture.
The only stupid questions around here are the ones not asked, so don't be shy. And don't have a 'thin skin', coz some guys will tell you you're crazy.  They already know I am and have reminded me repeatedly, LOL.

[piglett]

my wife & i spent about $100 a day for the 30 days we were in the Philippines not counting lodging

[robert angel]

my wife & i spent about $100 a day for the 30 days we were in the Philippines not counting lodging

I''ll bet that was living pretty good and eating out, doing a few other things with family 'tagging along' over there-- am I right? Maybe that doesn't include parts for all the mechanicals you repaired there, LOL.

 But aside from money what you guys have done, have-- is priceless--Congrats on a lotta fronts, Piglett. You and your lovely wife's story clearly shows  there's more than one way to make America GREAT again!

[EarlGray]

I need advice for a birthday present for girl in Manilla. Aside from flower delivery which can be found through google, any ideas?

[robert angel]

I need advice for a birthday present for girl in Manilla. Aside from flower delivery which can be found through google, any ideas?

Try pinasgifts.com  They have a huge variety of things. Not sure what she might like best, but for some family oriented Pinays, a huge 36 inch pizza--(not everyone likes the ones with black squid ink topping), and a couple big bottles of pepsi all delivered, suits the bill and occasion.

But they even offer regional food favorites specific to her area, various restaurants,  assorted gifts like teddy bears--a whole lotta stuff---phones, cameras, computers,  kitchen appliances ....

[Wildstubby]

Earl Grey, my advice to you is "don't let the little head do all the thinin' for the big head!" Keep your eyes open and head on a swivel! These are tips no matter where you go!

[robert angel]

Try pinasgifts.com  They have a huge variety of things. Not sure what she might like best, but for some family oriented Pinays, a huge 36 inch pizza--(not everyone likes the ones with black squid ink topping), and a couple big bottles of pepsi all delivered, suits the bill and occasion.

But they even offer regional food favorites specific to her area, various restaurants,  assorted gifts like teddy bears--a whole lotta stuff---phones, cameras, computers,  kitchen appliances ....

But as has been said repeatedly,  I'd be cautious with generosity and not rush in whole heartedly,  letting being pre judgemental towards her literally being 'the ONE' before even having spent a minute with her in person.

I never paid for internet time, cam, nothing really for literally years, until I had actually been there and proposed marriage.

And I had gone there in person on one woman, one trips, more than once, with high hopes on girls I'd thought I'd come to know quite well....

[EarlGray]

Thanks for advices.
My girl is not so family oriented as typical philippines. She left home early for education, now working for one of call centers for a long time. She still love her family, but rarely visit home, and spent most of her time with friends. We speak every day, for hours.

[robert angel]

Thanks for advices.
My girl is not so family oriented as typical philippines. She left home early for education, now working for one of call centers for a long time. She still love her family, but rarely visit home, and spent most of her time with friends. We speak every day, for hours.

In a nation that's typically thought of as one of the very most family focused societies, especially amongst females in terms of their love, involvement and allegiance to their families,  I am interested, actually concerned, for you. Hopefully it's not a situation that's a time bomb, possibly where she's so used to 'going it alone' that when things get rough, they she'll have trouble staying.

Just my own awful experience,  but my first wife was (is) a filipina who for most of her childhood, really 95%+ of it, had a miserable life. Later on, she had someone who helped her go to and get through college, but she was still an orphan from a young age on. Conditions as such, we're unstable and she was treated awfully. She seemed to be for me, first a loving, doting, girlfriend, fiancée and then wife.

There were a few signs before we wed, that later on, I realized I'd missed initially. But how her life changed her mentally, how she acted later on,  was quite similar to what we today call 'post traumatic stress syndrome'.

No two people, nor their situations are ever the same--that's just our story and quite different from the typical scenario like my current wife, who would sacrifice almost anything to help her family, even nieces and nephews and if she were an independent, 'leave and go my own way if things get rough'--she would've left me a long time ago,.

Once things got rough in my first marriage, that filipina knowing she was fully legal in the USA, making enough money to where she didn't need me around to live the life style she wanted, she was as gone as a T Rex dinosaur.....

I'm obviously willing to help you and I do wish you the best, but I'd be no kind of friend if I didn't tell you, based on my first hand experience there and here, having homes in both nations, having been closely involved with Filipinos ten or so years aside from marriage, then been married to Filipinas for almost 27 years, that you need to consider things like this carefully.

While I can care--can empathize,  I'd certainly never marry someone because I felt sorry for them. I know this  lady has a call center job--which is pretty good over there--my 1st was a registered nurse. Being a success later on doesn't change the inner person, their past nor it's ability to come back and haunt you.  Good luck, but proceed with caution!

[Wildstubby]

Robert angel said:

In a nation that's typically thought of as one of the very most family focused societies, especially amongst females in terms of their love, involvement and allegiance to their families,  I am interested, actually concerned, for you. Hopefully it's not a situation that's a time bomb, possibly where she's so used to 'going it alone' that when things get rough, they she'll have trouble staying.

Just my own awful experience,  but my first wife was (is) a filipina who for most of her childhood, really 95%+ of it, had a miserable life. Later on, she had someone who helped her go to and get through college, but she was still an orphan from a young age on. Conditions as such, we're unstable and she was treated awfully. She seemed to be for me, first a loving, doting, girlfriend, fiancée and then wife.

There were a few signs before we wed, that later on, I realized I'd missed initially. But how her life changed her mentally, how she acted later on,  was quite similar to what we today call 'post traumatic stress syndrome'.

No two people, nor their situations are ever the same--that's just our story and quite different from the typical scenario like my current wife, who would sacrifice almost anything to help her family, even nieces and nephews and if she were an independent, 'leave and go my own way if things get rough'--she would've left me a long time ago,.

Once things got rough in my first marriage, that filipina knowing she was fully legal in the USA, making enough money to where she didn't need me around to live the life style she wanted, she was as gone as a T Rex dinosaur.....

I'm obviously willing to help you and I do wish you the best, but I'd be no kind of friend if I didn't tell you, based on my first hand experience there and here, having homes in both nations, having been closely involved with Filipinos ten or so years aside from marriage, then been married to Filipinas for almost 27 years, that you need to consider things like this carefully.

While I can care--can empathize,  I'd certainly never marry someone because I felt sorry for them. I know this  lady has a call center job--which is pretty good over there--my 1st was a registered nurse. Being a success later on doesn't change the inner person, their past nor it's ability to come back and haunt you.  Good luck, but proceed with caution!

Sage advice!