In The Philippines You Will Enjoy Low Travel Cost
Travel cost in the Philippines is generally quite low. This holds true even for air travel. Hotel rooms can range from low cost or rather high in cost. If you are use to traveling in style and without a lot of thought to cost, you can get a room costing over $1000 a night. You can also get a room with air conditioning and a private rest room with for under $30 a night.
Related: Philippine Travel — When and Where
International travel to nearby Asian countries can sometimes be obtained for around $100 round trip. Usually it will cost a couple of hundred dollars for international travel but special pricing is frequently available.
Flying within the Philippines can be achieved at an even lower cost. Last week, I took a trip via ferry to a nearby city and it took about 12 hours to make the trip. I’m going back to the same location but this time I’ll be flying. I purchased my ticket last night for about $80 for my round trip ticket from Bogo City in Cebu Province to Tacloban City in Leyte Province. This was normal pricing for this trip.
In some of the remote areas of the Philippines, you will find it difficult to find a three star hotel or above. The cost will be under $30 but the rooms could be below your standards. You can’t expect a great Western style bed and other furnishing for this kind of money. You’ll get a room that will get you through. It will usually be very clean but it will not be plush. It will usually include cable TV but no in the room Internet connection. For Internet you’ll usually have to go to the lobby or an additional fee.
Related: Planning For a Philippine Travel? What Will You Need?
I often stay in rooms priced at under $22 a night. I have been happy with all of them except one and that was for my trip to Tacloban last week. I will stay at a nicer hotel on my return but I will pay about $37 a night. It is generally held to be the best hotel in Tacloban City.
If you’ve reached a point in life where you can spoil yourself with the nicer things in life and these things are important to you, you should ask a lot of questions before booking a hotel to make sure they can meet your expectations. You should ensure they have air conditioning in the room, private restroom for the room and anything else that is important to you. You should not assume that the comforts you are use to will be included with a hotel room in the Philippines. Often, the lobby and restaurant will not be air conditioned.
Western based hotels will sometimes be a little lower in cost in the Philippines when compared to Western nations but some are as expensive here as they are in the USA. Palawan has some plush hotels costing in excess of $3500 a night there. In Angeles City, I know of rooms priced at around $1000 a night. Both Cebu City and Manila can provide rooms of three and four star quality for about what you would pay in the USA. Various hotels including Microtel, Marriot and the Hilton all operate in the Philippines.
Car rentals and taxis are available and often with a driver. I recommend you avail of the driver unless you are familiar with driving in the Philippines. In some cases, you’ll be limited to using a bus and that is often less that comfortable. Your cost for this will generally be between $50 to $125 a day. The location you are in will be driving factor of the cost you encounter. Bus fares are very low. A 100 mile trip will usually cost less than $3.00. Filipinos generally uses buses to travel outside of their home city. You could very well see interesting things. You might find a rooster or two in the arms of a proud farmer.
The low cost of daily live in the Philippines helps retired people stretch their spending power. This usually increases their enjoyment in life too. That lower cost of living also helps one to enjoy the low cost of travel within the Philippines.
