Travel In Style (Without Breaking The Bank) – Part 1 of 2

Travel Buzz

Not a few of you have been asking how I get to travel in style (business class seats, 3-5 star hotel accomodations, dining out, the whole shebang) particularly now that you’ve seen me in my newly opened Instagram account (columbusbee.gram). As I’ve mentioned in my previous post (Deconstructing A Myth: Travel Is Only For The Rich?), you don’t have to be wealthy to get to travel and you don’t have to be Crazy Rich Asian to travel in style. Truth be told, there are ways to travel in style without breaking the bank. So I’ll let you in to some of my ‘secrets’ so that you too can be stylish jetsetter.

In the last 9 years or so, there has been an advent of promo fares here in Manila and I’m not even referring to a local airline’s one peso fare. These are promotional fares from highly rated airlines, either thru travel expos, tie ups with major credit card companies or their very own flash sale. Looking for good buys is just like shopping for bargains and anticipating mall sale. My first venture into this airfare bargain hunting was going to travel expos. Every year, there is a travel expo around the 2nd weekend of February organized by travel agents association. Multiple airlines would offer marked down prices, especially for business class fares. I remember getting business class fares for $999 to Europe (exclusive of taxes), or something like less than $1100 net. That’s a pretty good deal given that it only costs as much as a regular economy ticket. Of course nowadays, you can’t find that kind of price points anymore. where the good buys would be between $1,600 to $1900 to Europe or US. Anything more than that would already be a rip off in my book (unless you’re flying Emirates or Qatar Airways where a little premium will go a long way).

The second path to a successful hunt is thru airlines tie up with major credit card companies. It is essential then to have a very good credit card for this purpose (you’ll need a credit card anyway when you travel). Personally, there are only two credit cards that in my experience offer the best airline tie ups: Citi and American Express (where the latter is issued by BDO locally). I’ve seen promos from BPI (usually tie ups with Singapore Airlines), Metrobank, Security Bank, etc. but nothing beats these two when it comes to the depth (prices) and breadth (participating airlines). Travel sale for these airlines gives the public the option to get it from their onsite travel sale (similar to travel expos but exclusively for their credit card holders), thru their airline offices, or online. For BDO cards, there are times that there would be pre-sale (usually a day before the actual sale) exclusively for their elite cardholders (ie Amex Platinum, BDO Titanium, etc.) where they can have first dibs on promotional fares. Sorry to say that not all credit cards are created equal. There is a caste system among credit cards but don’t fret, having the right credit card would already get you into this world of low airfares. For example, you don’t need to be an Amex Platinum or a BDO Titanium cardholder. All you need to do is just to have any Amex or BDO card. There’s this Blue Amex that I heard is being widely marketed nowadays (compared to the more exclusive Amex Platinum) and of course your regular BDO credit card. You just need to ensure that you are in their email list where they send announcements of their forthcoming fare sale.

This is how I got my latest promo fare. Oman Air has a promo last April for BDO cardholders (I’m an Amex cardholder). Though the flights to Europe on promo are limited to certain destinations only, Oman Air also launched its maiden flight to Athens starting June, so I decided to make Athens as my port of entry to Europe and booked the promo business class fare for $1,760 inclusive of taxes (so the airfare was about $1,600+). This is a good buy compared to regular business fare of about $2,600 (or about 33% discount) and regular economy fare of about $1,200 for the same airline.

Basking in the sun on infinity pool lounge with the Aegean Sea, beach, and mountains as backdrop (Mykonos Island)

The third path is thru airlines’ flash sale. Here, as long as you have a credit card, you can already purchase promo fares online. Airlines would normally have these flash sales on special occasions (such as airline anniversary, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any holiday or season that these airlines are celebrating). You just have to watch out for these special occasions during certain times of the year or to regularly check out the websites of your favorite airlines.

Once you have started flying, you can join the airlines frequent flyer programs. I’m currently a member of five (5) programs: Krisflyer (Singapore Airlines), Asia Miles, Miles & More (Lufthansa), Enrich (Malaysia Airlines), and Mabuhay Miles (Philippine Airlines). I’ve flown other airlines as well, but since they are part of airlines’ global alliances (for example, Thai Airways is in the same alliance with Singapore Airlines under Star Alliance) I don’t need to enroll in their own loyalty programs. The miles that I would be entitled to will just be credited to my existing loyalty program (so the miles that I will get from a Thai Airways ticket I will just have it credited to my Krisflyer account). What’s special with frequent flyer program is that aside from getting notified of the airline’s forthcoming promotional fares, they also offer miles sale (where you get free airfare at marked down miles compared to regular miles required to redeem a free flight). I find Krisflyer to be very good at this in terms of depth (miles discount) and breadth (you can have the option to redeem your miles thru another airline that is a member of the global alliance). For example, last December, when I went on vacation to Bangkok and Pattaya, I have an expiring 25,00 miles in my Krisflyer account. I tried checking for the required miles for a business class ticket and there was a business saver promo for 40,000 miles (compared to the regular 80,000 miles). So I transferred 20,000 miles from my Citi Premier Miles (that’s the credit card I would recommend among Citi cards if you like travelling) to meet the required Krisflyer miles for redemption. My business class redemption was confirmed for the Manila – Bangkok leg of the Singapore Airline flight (with layover in Singapore) but was waitlisted for the return flight. So I clicked the Star Alliance button on their website and found that Thai Airways business class was available for my return date. So I flew back (Bangkok – Manila) direct on Thai Airways flight business class for free (ok, not totally free coz only the airfare is free and you still have to pay a minimal amount for the taxes/surcharges). So I got to compare business class experience between these two airlines from these two short haul trips.

(Up next: Accomodations and Incidentals)

The Joys of Travelling (Solo)

Travel Buzz

Travelling alone seems to be a distant and daunting concept to most people. I remember in my latest foreign trip last December to Bangkok and Pattaya where the Philippine immigration officer asked me what’s the purpose of my travel to Thailand and I said ‘For vacation.’ That puzzling look comes with the dreaded question “Alone?”. I said ‘Yes.’ I lost count of how many times I would have to answer that question, both here in my beloved country and at the passport control of some countries (though some countries have already recognized the growing niche market of people travelling solo, particularly among millennials). So what makes travelling solo appealing to people like me?

Wandering in the wild while on wildlife safari (Pilanesberg)

Not that I don’t like traveling with company. I had the pleasure of traveling with my folks a few years ago to Europe. Since I’ve been to Europe a few times before that trip, I was officially their travel guide, baggage collector, personal assistant, and jack of all trades. It gave me the opportunity to play a role of a good host, making sure that all their needs are taken care of. I’ve never seen my Dad cried before, so when I finally did see those tears of joy, it was priceless. My Mom now has bragging rights of having breakfast in Italy, lunch in Spain, and dinner in France all in the same day! How’d that happen? Well, after spending a week in Italy, the next leg of the trip was Lourdes (France). But there was no direct flight from Rome to Lourdes, where we have to take a flight via Barcelona with about 5 hours layover. Since it was an early flight, we had breakfast in Rome. When we arrived in Barcelona before 10AM, knowing that we have about 5 hours to kill, I decided to bring them to the city (I was in Barcelona the year before so I pretty much know my way around). So I rented a locker in the airport, put all our hand-carry bags in, and took a cab to the city. I brought them to Sagrada Familia, the iconic, majestic Gaudi creation that is still unfinished up to this day. Then we had lunch before we took our connecting flight to Lourdes. We arrived in Lourdes late in the afternoon and had an early dinner.

Stumbling into the bizarre (Kuthna Hora)

I also had traveled with my sis and bro-in-law, both in Europe and US, a few years ago. For the Europe trip, we went together to London, then went our separate ways , them to places I’ve been to, while I to places I haven’t been to. We rendezvoused in Paris (among my top 5 cities), after which we went back to London for our return flight to Manila. With them it’s different, coz I’m in a company of people my age (ok, I’m a few years older, but believe me, I would usually be mistaken as the younger sibling). The activities and the dining are also different, since there are 3 people making decisions.

I have traveled with friends also and that too is different experience. You know, you play roles and act differently when you’re with your friends, family, and peers at work. You are behaved with parents, can be timid with siblings, goofy with friends, and proper with peers or staff at work.

Standing in the oldest standing structure in the world (Gozo)

So what makes traveling solo appealing? Traveling alone gives you that freedom to be just yourself. You don’t have to be behaved, timid, goofy, and proper. You are free as a bird. That freedom leads you to a path of self discovery.

As I mentioned in my earlier post (entitled Hey, it’s me), ‘I travel to overwhelm my senses, to discover and to explore, to savor and experience so that at the end of the day, I’ll come out a different, better person with a story to tell.’ What better way to achieve that than by traveling alone. This is why I now have stories to tell. I’m now a different person than I was before my last trip, than I was on that trip prior to the last one, and so on and so forth. The path to self discovery is best traveled only with and by yourself.

Channeling Leonardo di Caprio on The Beach (Phi Phi Island)

Traveling solo also gives you the flexibility and latitude to make the trip exclusively your own. You don’t have to wait for someone if you want to start your day already. You don’t have to worry if you want to make changes in your itinerary. You don’t have to be constrained by the needs of your company. Your time is your own. You don’t have to deal with the drama coz your drama is your own.

Charming the snakes with the snake charmers (Marrakesh)

The next best thing after self discovery is that you meet people and see the goodness in them. A couple of years back, I tripped and fell on the rugged cobblestone covered streets of Porto. Since it was my hand and cellphone that broke the fall, my hand was dripping with blood and I was a bit disoriented while lying still on the ground. Tourists and locals alike ran towards me to assist and helped me get up. Some offered me bottled water, thinking I was dehydrated and lost consciousness under the summer heat. In a second, you feel you’re not alone. Though your world turned upside down after the fall, you are surrounded by thoughtful, caring, and generous strangers, thinking how lucky you are to experience the innate goodness and pureness of heart.

Then there are the new friends you meet along the way. I have met young and old, abled and disabled, singles, couples, and families. The thing with solo travelers is that we tend to be magnets to families particularly if you have a certain charm (wink wink). How many times have I been invited to join families having a meal, or in their family activities. Like an adopted son or nephew. It’s actually very heartwarming.

Dennis and Maria of Germany. Lovely couple I met while having tapas in a resto (Barcelona)

You also tend to be adventurous when you are on your own. You try things you haven’t tried before, go to places you haven’t seen before. From mounting Mt. Vesuvius to cruising Milford Sounds. From discovering the bizarre in Kuthna Hora to navigating the exotic medinas of Marrakesh and Essaouira. To be awed by Kotor and dreamy in Amalfi. From channeling Leonardo di Caprio on The Beach of Phi Phi Island to water rafting the rivers of Queenstown for the Lord of the Rings sceneries. To be captivated by the Game of Thrones vibe of Dubrovnik and held captive for a moment in Alcatraz. From exploring the old in Gozo to what’s new in Shinjuku. You will realize that there is so much more you can do on your own.

So have I convinced you to go solo? I know that travel is not for everyone, much more traveling alone, but you should at least try it once in your lifetime. You will discover the world around you and uncover the world within you.

Deconstructing A Myth: Travel Is Only For The Rich?

Travel Buzz

Every time I bumped into a Filipino abroad (which is often as Filipinos are everywhere), the first question that would normally be asked is “Kabayan, taga rito ka ba o bakasyonista?” (Hey mate, are you based here or just vacationing?) to which I would say the latter. What would follow after that big smile normally will give me the cringe: “Siguro mayaman ka sa atin, noh?” (You’re probably rich back home, huh?) to which I would respond “No, I just have enough.” Which is actually true, coz my perception of rich (or wealthy) is Crazy Rich Asian, and I was not born with a silver spoon. But that common notion where travel is only for the wealthy is just something that I need to break down and prove that even with a 9-5 job, one can still get to travel. So before anyone thinks that I belong to Philippine royalty or its equivalent (re rich kid of a political clan), I will let you in to some of my ‘secrets’ on how I actually do it (re travel the world without breaking the bank).

Save and Go

Yes, I save money to travel. When I do my budget, it will always be allocated to these 3 items: monthly expenses, travel fund, savings. Monthly expenses are essentially the ‘needs’ (food, utilities, transport, etc.) while travel fund is the ‘want’. Savings, on the other hand, is a ‘must’. That’s for the rainy days ahead which may also be tapped for future investment (ie house), emergency, and retirement. So say you’re a single yuppie earning 30,000 pesos a month and still lives with your parents. You allocate 10 grand for each of the three items and at the end of the year, you will have 120 grand for your travel fund. Throw in your 13th month pay of say 30 grand (give or take), so in a year, you now have 150 thousand pesos. In dollar terms, that’s about $2,850 at current exchange rate.

Planning is Key

Now you have a travel fund. Where can that get you? How do you stretch that fund to cover your airfare, hotel, and incidental expenses? Travelling on a budget requires planning ahead. Airfares and hotels are usually cheaper if you book those long before your actual travel date. That means at least 4 months earlier. But you need to know where you want to go, how long you like to stay abroad, what minimum level of comfort you require, what food you will be happy to live with, and what activities are you willing to spend on. The timing of the trip is also crucial, as seasons dictate prices.

Europe Here I Come

So say it is always your dream to see Europe (of course after starting small with typical Filipino fare Hongkong, Singapore, and Bangkok, and Korea or Japan after your last promotion). Is $2,850 enough? Depends, but I can draw a budget that will make it enough to get you by. Let’s start with airfare. Early in the year, you will see a lot of airlines having promotions usually in partnership with credit card companies (hence it is essential to have a good credit card, which you will need anyway when you travel). I will write soon separate articles on this (so watch out for it). I could easily get you a coach fare to a European destination for less than $600 roundtrip. To ensure that you can stretch your budget further, avoid going to Europe on summers (July – September). Go there springtime (May – June) or autumn (October – November) where you will enjoy the same long daytime (sun sets at 9PM and even at 2AM in the Nordics!) but cooler air. During these off peak periods, you can actually book a 2-3 star hotel for less than a hundred bucks. So for 10 nights, that will set you back for about a grand.

For your first Europe trip, you would probably want to see more than just one city or country. My advise is to look for adjacent countries where you can easily access thru Euro train. If you like to see Paris, then you can bundle that with Amsterdam and Brussels (Netherlands – Belgium – France). On the map, these 3 countries are just adjacent to each other and Euro rail have stops in several cities, including those three. This will save you some intra Europe airfares (though airfares are sometimes cheaper than train tickets, depending how early you can book your airfare). Your train fare would probably cost you about $200. At this point, your expense budget is now $1,800. That leaves you with more than a grand for meals and incidental expenses. For a 50-dollar daily meal allowance, you can actually have a decent meal in a restaurant ($10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch and also for dinner). You won’t subsist on fastfood (though you will sometimes crave for it even if you have enough money for a resto). For this first Europe trip, avoid UK or Scandinavia coz your 50 dollars would only be enough for a single meal. Don’t even think about the peso equivalent as it will only drive you mad and will suck the joy out of the otherwise very satisfying dining experience.

You’re now left with a little over 500 bucks. I suggest you spend some on hop-on-hop-off bus to get yourself acclimatized to your new environment. A 48-hour ticket would be about 40 dollars so in 3 cities, that’s about $120. Since you’re in Europe, museums are best to get some culture and entrance fee would be about 20 dollars (some though are free), or $60 for 3 cities. Airport transfers would be less than 50 dollars, or $100 for a return trip. So you still have more than $200 left, which you can spend on subways/buses (once your 48-hour tickets expire), travel SIM cards, grocery for your midnight snacks, a couple of drinks in a bar, souvenirs, and chocolates at duty free to bring home to Mom.

So there you have it. A dream come true without living off your parents’ money (or lack of). Coz your social status does not define your travel opportunities. It’s your passion to travel that will drive it coupled with hard work, savings, and smart spending.

Hey, it’s me

Hello. Welcome to my blog.

This is a lifestyle page dedicated to sharing stories and experiences. Subjects may be varied, but mostly focused on travel, food, dining, health, and everything positive!

So let me tell you about myself first. When it comes to social media, I’ve been living in a cave for years and woke up this morning with an idea of coming up with a blog to share my vast experiences and stories on various subjects particularly those above. Why? Because I’ve been actually doing it with friends, acquaintances, and even strangers, usually as a topic of conversation and to some degree proved to be helpful and valuable tips. So why not create a blog for wider reach!

Modesty aside, I have traveled to 27 countries with more than 70 cities/places in 5 continents (as of this writing). I have dropped some reviews in Tripadvisor highlighting the best and the worst (the latter is more on constructive criticism). Unlike some people, I don’t travel for Instagram purposes (though I do not see anything wrong with that) coz I don’t have any social media account before this and now even contemplating to open one. I travel to overwhelm my senses, to discover and to explore, to savor and experience so that at the end of the day, I’ll come out a different, better person with a story to tell.

So yes, travel is my passion. Along with travel comes food, dining, and health. That’s where the name Columbus Bee comes from. Columbus from Christopher Columbus, popularly known to have proved that the world is not flat. The Bee is someone who fictionally followed him in his expeditions while literally feeding from flower to flower to create food with health benefits. That pretty sums up what this blog is all about.

So in time, I’ll be filling up this page with more stories and experiences and hopefully will resonate with more people who share the same interests and have similar stories and experiences to tell. Positivity is the theme so let’s keep it classy guys.