Things to Keep in Mind in Manila – the Capital of Philippines

Nowadays, Manila as well as Philippines becomes a well-known destination in Asia. Along with the development of tourism, there is also negative side of Filipinos which may scare tourists.

Following the previous post about things you should not do in Philippines and having a clearer view of Manila, let’s check some advice from a local people. This travel guide from the local may help you much if you travel to this city.

Firstly, don’t over concentrate on your safety. Keeping safe in every trip is good and essential, but if we over focus on our safety, then it may ruin the beautiful image of destinations, make places where we visit become dangerous more than they are truly.

There are always taxi scammers or purse snatchers in many countries or travel destinations, not only in Manila. Cheating is not only a problem of Filipinos, but also in many places.

There are many travel bloggers falling in love with Manila, even some moves to the city. They share that the Filipinos are hospitality and friendly. When they get the city, they are family of Filipinos.

The capital of the Philippines, is regarded as “The Pearl of the Orient”. When people mention “Manila”, they may refer to either the actual city of Manila (capital of the Philippines) or the entire metropolitan area consist of some cities, such as Manila, Makati, Pasay, and Quezon City.

According to a report of June, 2016, Manila is the most densely populated city in the world. This city has been developing, especially in tourism. Manila has become one of 11 destinations where tourists must travel in the Philippines. Along with the development, Manila is attracting more people to visit and live. That’s why the city has become so densely populated. Besides, the traffic system has not been developed to catch up the population yet. So, the Manila traffic is truly a night mare to the local as well as visitors.

There are 2 seasons in Manila: dry season (from December to the next May) and rainy season (from June to November). During a year, the weather is hottest with temperatures frequently exceeding 40°C (104°F) in March to May, and wettest in July to September, coolest in December to next February.

Sygic Travel is basically a travel app which is free and helpful for travelers. You can use Sygic Travel to make plan for your Manila trip.

This app can show you details, including your hotel, distance between your location and destinations.

Pocket wi-fi device is essential for your trip, especially to use commuter apps. You need to connect internet to make sure that you can use apps smoothly. Even though many public areas provide free wi-fi, internet is not so good that you can use regularly.

Renting a pocket wi-fi device or buying a sim card including internet data will help you much more. You can either pick them up from Ninoy Aquino International Airport or have them delivered to your hotel.

It’s easier and cheaper to find any deals on interesting tours and attractions in Asia, including Manila city on internet.

Nowadays, there are many booking platforms helping tourists to buy deals with best price. Don’t forget to look for discount for your trip on some websites.

Even though domestic travel or international travel, travel insurance is good. For your trip to Manila, you also should invest travel insurance. When you take some risky tours while travelling, travel insurance will be a godsend.

The Philippines is a tipping country. Tourists should give around 10% gratuity when making payment of services in the case that serve charge doesn’t include 10% top.

It would be much appreciated if you are pleasure to give them more.