Philippines • Proper Travel Preparation

The best travel time is probably seen between January and March:

It is not too hot, the dry season has already begun, one can observe whale sharks in Donsol and does not get into the danger of a typhoon.

Those who wouldn’t mind traveling regardless if it is hot can also visit the country happily between March and April.

But after that, from the beginning of June to October, the rainy season and typhoon season begins. And even though it is often said that November and December are already good times to travel, one hears more and more often than these two months are also affected by many typhoons and flooding is common.

Basically no. German or most other foreign passport holders are allowed to stay 30 days in the Philippines without a visa provided that your passport is valid for at least six months after your arrival. You can extend your visa for your stay in the Philippines in any Philippine consulate office to 59 days.

Below is the list of the documents required for visa application:

1. Duly accomplished visa application form
2. Valid passport at least six months after arrival
3. Two photocopies of airline ticket showing (two-way travel) with arrival and date of return
4. Your 2×2 ID picture
5. Proof of your financial capacity (latest bank statement, employment certificate with salary statement, payslip, or your latest ITR if you are employed)
6. Visa application fee

Important

If you are on a long term trip and want to enter with an OneWayTicket because you don't know how long you want to stay or you don't want to decide where to go next (like we do), you need to know that the Philippines wants to see an exit ticket. For this we can recommend the service BestOnward Ticket: You borrow an exit ticket, the company cancels it again, done. How exactly this works, you can check here https://bestonwardticket.com/!

In short: Yes.

With the most important point for the travel preparation! Extra international health insurance is generally recommended when traveling outside Europe. The insurance covers medical costs in case of injuries, hospital stays, or illnesses abroad. Especially if you are an active traveler, it can happen very quickly that you fall over while hiking in the rainforest, get injured while surfing, diving, snorkeling, etc., or even get bitten by an animal.

In our opinion, you should take care not to take out insurance with excess, because otherwise you will have to pay costs up to a certain limit and the insurance can only be claimed beyond that. And often it is also the little things that get you to the doctor.

On the larger islands, you can easily find an ATM to withdraw cash. Always make sure that the ATM shows the Mastercard or Visa symbol. Generally, it is best to always withdraw from a large bank! Not at small cash machines, which are located somewhere along the street. Simply to avoid fraud, even though we have never been the victim of one.

However, on smaller islands and rural areas, it happens that there is no ATM. For example in El Nido. Even though it is a tourist place, somehow there is still a lack of ATMs. So think about it before and withdraw enough cash before!

The best way is to withdraw the money on the spot with your credit card "bit by bit". This way you don't have to carry your entire travel budget with you and worry about losing or getting all your money stolen.