photo by Ray in Manila via Flickr
When you’re traveling solo to the Philippines, it’s nice to join a group tour to make new friends and form lasting bonds with fellow traveling nomads. But when you’re traveling with a partner, with family or you’re a newly married couple, it might be best to book a custom trip so that you can tailor your trip to your specific needs and wants. So if you’re on the fence on deciding whether you should go custom or not for your Philippine tour, here are three reasons to help you make that decision.
photo by Zean Villongco
Complicated itineraries
You get the family together and you’ve booked your tickets but Uncle John wants to go on a hiking adventure and Mom just wants to relax in a spa all day. When you book a custom Philippine adventure, your expert guide will be able to put all of your destination wish lists into a compact, doable vacation that everyone will enjoy.
Bonus points if you travel with a huge family group because you will be eligible for discounts. Also, if half of the party would like to go to the spa for a day and the other half would rather go horseback riding or hiking, this is 100 percent doable and no one will feel left out or catch flack for holding the group back. Aside from accommodating different activities, customizing is especially important when it comes to traveling with multi-generations as you may need to change the speed of the trip to accommodate small children and/or seniors.
Families may also like their rooms to be connected and choose to stay in a 4 star hotel or travel by private coach to and from activities instead of taking public transportation. All of these changes can be easily made and once you talk with your tour guide, he or she will be able to offer even more ways to make your family trip more comfortable.
The key is just to make sure to choose the right travel agency to put together the best itinerary possible for the amount of time you and your family will be visiting the lovely Philippines.
photo by Ray in Manila via Flickr
Honeymooners
Newlyweds are often in their own romantic bubble and rightfully so but when you’re travelling to celebrate your new official nuptials, it can be a bit unromantic to spend it with a bunch of backpackers on a group tour. Sure, you’ll meet some great pals and maybe swap business cards but when you’re on your honeymoon, all you’re interested in is your significant other.
So even if you’re just a party of two, going custom for your Filipino adventure will be best. Why? Because your Philippine travel expert can make reservations for you at the hottest seafood joint for a romantic candlelit dinner for two, plan a shopping excursion or a hot springs visit as well as take you on the best nature adventure that fits you and your significant other’s fitness level.
Aside from enjoying an intimate tour for two, honeymooners may want to customize their accommodations; for instance, staying at a unique nature hideaway instead of a regular hotel or inn. Another benefit of customizing is that you can pack your day as full of activities or as little as you wish. The benefit of customizing is that you’ll have a uniquely special trip that makes both of you happy and not feel rushed. The sky is literally the limit!
photo by Imogene Huxham via Flickr
Special Interest Trip
Are you a birdwatcher, herp enthusiast or budding photographer? Then maybe you’re looking for something very different than what is offered in a standard adventure tour. Booking with a Philippine travel expert will help you map out the best locations to visit during your stay so that you can catch a glimpse of that endemic bird, meet an exotic frog face to face or snap that perfect photo. In these instances, it’s key to customize your adventure as you will be able to go to the best places for your specific interest and focus on your activity.
As such, customizing is especially important if you want to do your special interest trip in addition to seeing the other adventures the Philippines has to offer. For instance, if you only have a certain amount of time, your guide will be able to move an itinerary around to accommodate your special interest as well as make sure you see the county’s highlights during your trip.
Need to save time? Your guide may suggest private transportation instead of public transportation or a closer hotel to the location you’ll spend the most time at versus one in the inner city. Your Philippine adventure guide will also be able to cut itineraries shorter and show you the highlights ensuring that you’ll see the most in the least amount of time. Basically, if it’s on your wish list, your guide will be able to move things around to make it happen.
Why Wait?
The end of the year is the best time to travel to new lands to give you a fresh perspective on the year up ahead. And exploring a new culture will fill your heart with joy and your stomach with amazing cuisine (nothing beats a good piece of lumpia!). Contact your Philippine travel expert for your customized adventure now!