Why We’re Spending One Month in Cebu, Philippines 🇵🇭

Why We’re Spending One Month in Cebu, Philippines 🇵🇭

Day 29 of the travel vlog So where are we going, where’s our 
next stop? Is it the Philippines? Well, if you’ve been watching along, you’ll 
know that we’ve been covering all this week destinations that we’re planning on visiting 
for our 12-month Southeast Asia tour. Tour, shall we say, slow travel tour. Yes, and today we’re going to talk 
about one of the stops towards the end of the 12 months, which is the Philippines. Okay, excellent. I’ve done my research because I like to do some 
research on every area. So excuse us if we’re looking down, it’s obviously because 
we want to get things right for you, and bear with us with the pronunciations 
again, because they’re not easy. Yeah, we’ve got quite a bit 
to go through as normal, and obviously if you’ve got any comments, 
we’d love to hear them as we go through. Yeah? Always. Yeah, please drop a comment and 
give any advice as well if you’ve been there. We are planning on staying in 
the Philippines for approximately a month. Yes, yeah. So where to base yourself for a month? 
That’s a good question, isn’t it? Yes, that’s the, I think that’s the key question 
really, is where would you base yourself? And I based my research around – we don’t really want to be moving every couple of days, so I was trying to, you know, find somewhere where we could 
use as a base and then explore from there, because it is only a month. It’s not as if 
we’re spending a really extended period there. So the first place that was recommended is Cebu, 
Cebu City, I think that’s how you pronounce it, CEBU, Cebu City. And actually I made 
a note of this area because one of our viewers actually recommended that we go to Cebu. Oh, okay. When we get to the Philippines. So 
if that was you, thank you so much. Obviously I remembered that and I made 
a note of it, and it was the first place that came up actually in the research 
of where to go, so that was interesting. Yeah, so it does help. So please, please, 
please do drop some comments below. Yeah, and join us on the journey. Yeah, join us on the journey. Yes, so where are we going, Cebu City? Cebu City, yes. And that’s Mactan. What’s Mactan, is that 
the area of the city possibly? Possibly. But the reasons that it’s saying that 
it’s a good place to base yourself from, the first being that there’s an 
international airport nearby. Okay, so I would imagine it won’t be 
far to travel once you arrive there. Mhm. The next thing – yeah, good infrastructure, 
hospitals, co-working if needed, so yeah, it’s a good place to land from the sounds of it, and get your bearings, which is always a 
good idea when you get into a new country, and then decide where you’re going to go. 
I mean, we’ll always have an itinerary but we’re not going to stick to it 100% because 
it is about freedom. It is about lifestyle. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, flexibility, that’s the 
main thing for us I think. So it talked about day trips then. From 
this city you can do a few day trips, which is quite nice. One is to a place called 
Moalboal, again forgive my pronunciation, but that area is famous for white beaches, great for 
snorkeling and diving with the famous sardine run. Do you know what that is? And sea turtles. And sea turtles. Now that piqued my interest. Oh, I bet it did. Yeah, because it’s the first time it’s 
stood out in — well, it’s the first time it’s been mentioned, sea turtles, 
in any of our destinations so far. And if you didn’t see one of our previous 
videos, I do talk about a trip to Mexico, was it?. It was Mexico. Where I was promised to swim with turtles 
and, to cut a very long story short, I didn’t. I didn’t see one turtle. Yes. Sadly. So if that is true, and there is 
an opportunity to see some sea turtles, I would definitely be up for that. I know you would, I mean at the end of the 
day I couldn’t stop you if I wanted to, I mean you’ll be there in a heartbeat 
I think. Well, I think because I was so disappointed last time, you know, when 
you build your expectations up and you’re so excited about something and then it’s 
just such a huge disappointment that, yes, I think I probably would, it hasn’t put me off, 
and I would, you know, try again, shall we say. Have you swum with turtles, and 
if so, where? We’d like to hear. Yes, that would be really good — what was your experience? 
Because it is on Debbie’s bucket list. Yeah, there’s not many things on 
my bucket list to be fair, but yes, that is one that 
I would like to tick off. And another day trip is Oslob. Yeah. Which is world-famous for 
its white shark watching. No. Whale. Oh, whale shark, sorry. And I’m the one who’s dyslexic. Whale 
shark watching experience. And tourists can also swim alongside these gentle giants. How cool would that be? Yes. Now, can you picture what that 
looks like? Oh, they’re massive. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah, apparently they’re plankton eaters 
so they’re completely harmless to us. And when they’re feeding their mouths open 
up to, you know, like 3 feet wide or something. Yeah, yeah. Which is probably why they’re called shark whales, but they are actually a shark. I think they’re 
one of the largest fish species, I believe so yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, would you do that? I don’t know. I think I would. I think I’d have to do 
that, and I’d have to face all my fears, and I would have to do that, because that would 
be a hell of an experience. Well, apparently this Oslob is the place to go for that amazing 
experience. Whether I’d stay in for long is another matter. But I would definitely have to do it. Give it a try. Yes. Oh, I’m really glad you said that because Patrick 
doesn’t like the sea normally, so that’s cool. I have a fear of sharks. And this is a shark but it’s very — 
yeah, they’re very friendly and very docile apparently. And they 
enjoy swimming with humans. Yeah. See, I had a shark 
come up to me in Key West. Nice, what did he say hello? Yeah, and I saw the fin and it just, 
it felt like it was right in my chest, and I froze. It went round me, 
it went down, it went round me, and then it swam off. But that was enough 
for me. It scared the life out of me. I bet. Yeah, I can’t, can’t imagine. Yeah. Yeah, apparently I ran back 
to the beach. [Laughter] And another place you could 
go for on a day trip is Bohol. Bohol. Bohol. Bohol. And it’s famous for its 
chocolate hills. What’s that mean? Yeah, I was intrigued by that, I 
thought I wonder what’s chocolate hills? So basically it’s a geological formation 
of over 1,200 perfectly cone-shaped hills. Oh. So maybe it looks like, oh I’m 
guessing they’re brown, chocolate. Yeah, it’ll be interesting to find out, would it? Yeah, I mean, it’s a very unique landscape. If you’re interested, do subscribe, follow our journey if you’d like to, 
and maybe we’ll find out together. Yes. And then one other place that they’re 
suggesting to go on a day trip to is Malapascua. Malipascua. And it’s, that’s a diver’s paradise 
known for its thresher sharks. Yeah, won’t be swimming there, I’m afraid. No, not so friendly sharks. So yeah, I mean 
I don’t know much about thresher sharks. I think, I don’t, I think they’re quite harmless. Well they must be if the divers are going in. Yeah. Well, saying that divers go 
in with tiger sharks and stuff like that, and they’re very dangerous.
See, it’s always funny isn’t it, when you’ve got a fear of something, you know 
a lot about it, and I do know quite a bit about sharks. That’s probably where the fear came 
from, the amount of attacks and everything. Wow. And another thing that’s mentioned 
about Cebu City is that it’s good for island hopping from Cebu port or Mactan. 
So Mactan is obviously an area within Cebu, I’m presuming, and it’s very convenient 
for any kind of travel that you might want to do. That’s good, because Philippines 
is all about islands, isn’t it? It is. It is. And I think it’s quite spread out over quite a 
large area as well, so I’m really glad that that came up after your recommendation. So yeah, 
that’s cool. It did mention another place. Okay. Dumaguete. I would say Duma myself. Duma. Dumaguet. Dumaguete. Yeah. Again, apologies for 
the pronunciation. That’s a small university city with 
a very relaxed vibe apparently. And it’s got a good expat community, so that might, you know, the Wi-Fi and 
everything must be pretty good there. Well, it’s saying it’s best for 
a very chilled coastal base. If you want a chilled coastal base and 
you can do easy day trips from there to Apo Island. That’s diving again. Yeah. Or Siquijor, which has 
beautiful beaches and waterfalls. See, I quite like the sound of 
that because I do love waterfalls. I mean waterfalls are stunning, aren’t they? Yes. And especially with pristine beaches that — 
yeah, I mean it’s supposed to be powder white sands there as well. And this area or that 
island is also known as the mystic island because of the presence of folk healers and 
their practices of spiritualism. Even these days people come to witness the preparation of 
brews and try the medicinal powers and herbs. Yeah, a bit witchcraft for me. No, not 
my cup of tea. Being a Christian and everything. Nah. So maybe we’ll just go and 
look at the waterfalls then if we go there. Yeah. But it’s good to tell you what 
these islands are well known for. And then another place you 
can go from Dumaguete. Bais. Yeah, B-A-I-S. And that’s whale and dolphin watching. Yeah. Yeah, we’ve only been dolphin watching 
once before, haven’t we, together? Yes. And that was, what was it called? It was a super pod. We were very lucky, 
we came across a super pod of dolphins, because I’ve never heard of it. Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve ever 
experienced a super pod of dolphins. I’ve seen dolphins and I’ve swum with 
dolphins, but that’s my first experience of a super pod of dolphins. But apparently you can see 
whales and dolphins from that island. Well, it’s actually, it’s in the straits between 
Tanon and Bais, however you say it. Okay. And it’s one of the cleanest and 
safest cities of the Philippines. Oh wow, okay. Yeah. So that’d be interesting. Yes. And the third recommendation to spend a month 
in the Philippines is Manila, the capital. Always heard of it, don’t know anything about 
it, so I’m really looking forward to finding out and exploring. I do like a city because I’m 
probably more of a city boy than you, aren’t I? Well, it’s, yeah, you’re definitely more 
of a city person than me. And it says here it’s only recommending you go there if you 
want city life, because it is a big city. Yeah. But it’s a good base for flights around the 
country but less recommended for long stays. Okay. Unless you really love cities. We might do a hotel there or 
a long weekend or something. Because I think that would 
be doable from Cebu City. To, you know, to go to Manila, because 
I’d like to experience it too. Yeah, because the idea is to have accommodation, 
be an apartment or a villa really, where we can put as a base and then go from 
there. Maybe a hotel here and a hotel there. I think that would be our best way forward, if it’s affordable. And stick 
with us and see if it is. Yeah. Because we’ll be letting you know. We shall find 
out if these dreams and aspirations are in budget. Yeah. Or just a pipe dream. Or a pipe dream. So on to top things to do. Obviously 
it’s obvious, the first one isn’t it? Yeah, island hopping and beaches. Yeah, 
I think that’s what it’s all about there. And the marine life, that’s what it’s coming 
across to me as. So the first one’s Palawan. Mhm. El Nido and it’s got, comma, then Coron. Coron. Coron. Maybe. Yeah. They must be areas within that area, 
because it says it’s boasting two UNESCO. UNESCO. Yeah.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites. A treasure trove of wildfire, wildlife, not wildfire, wildlife and biodiversity, with gentle, 
friendly people. So that sounds cool. Yeah, my experience of any Philippine people 
that I’ve come across is they’re all gentle and friendly. They’re just such beautiful people. Well, I actually lived with two, 
a couple, for about a year because I don’t know if any of you guys 
know, I was homeless for a while. Well, I doubt they’d know that. I don’t know 
if I’d mentioned it, but yeah, I was homeless, and I got back on my feet and I lived in a 
room in their house and they were lovely. Yeah, really nice, lovely people.
Yes, I’ve always had a really lovely feeling from Filipino people and I’ve met quite a few through 
work. So underneath the island hopping and beaches again is a place called Bohol and particularly 
Alona Beach and Panglao. Yeah, Panglao, and that’s well known for its coral reefs and 
unusual geological formations. So maybe we’ll see some karsts again like we talked about yesterday in — where did we talk about yesterday — Vietnam? Vietnam, yes. Good morning Vietnam! My favorite saying in a film. Yesterday we were talking about Vietnam. So yeah, I’m wondering if you know 
the geological formations may be similar. Who knows. So the next one 
— what’s that, Camiguin? I think so, Camiguin Island, and that’s 
springs and waterfalls. So again that’s on my to-do list. Anything springs and 
waterfalls, known as the island of fire, majestic volcanoes and hot springs offer a 
unique experience away from the more popular and crowded spots in the Philippines. 
So I think I would like that definitely. I think that would probably be better 
than the one we talked about a second ago. Okay. Because there’s no witchcraft there. Yeah, so you know, make you 
feel more comfortable. So yeah, that sounds quite nice. And then the last 
one is Bantayan Island, which is near Cebu, and that’s got pristine beaches, clear waters, 
laid-back charm. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? Yeah, one of the most underrated islands 
in the Philippines. That might be worth a visit then. Hopefully not too 
commercialized if it’s underrated, if people are not automatically flocking there. Yeah, it’s not on the to-do list of a 
lot of people. So yeah, that would be cool. And that’s one thing I love about slow 
travel, the idea of slow travel is meeting the locals and asking where’s the places to 
go and visit. We’ve done that before and you find some places that you wouldn’t find before. 
And some of the waters and rivers and lakes and waterfalls we found by being pointed off into a 
direction that we wouldn’t have gone to otherwise. Yes, by asking the locals. Yeah, definitely. Yeah, and then there’s a little bit 
about culture and history. Yeah. So did you know there was Spanish colonial towns
there? I didn’t know it was. Well, it’s obviously a colonial 
Spanish island at one stage. At one stage it obviously was and I didn’t 
know that either. So that’s very interesting, and I think there’s still quite a few with 
the leftover Spanish colonial architecture, which is lovely. Stunning. Well, which is they say 
a big contrast between the natural Philippines. Yeah, oh right. So it’s very different architecture, a bit like the British 
colonial is a big difference. Yes, all right, cool. So that would be quite interesting. 
Do you want me to say the next thing? Oh yes, please. So the next bit is Intramuros, and that’s an area 
actually in Manila. So that’s in the capital. Yeah, and it has Spanish-era landmarks like the Fort Santiago and ruins of its 
old walls and amazing architecture. That’d be cool. I like that sort of thing. So that would be good. I would like to go to Manila and definitely have 
that on our list, I think. Yeah. Is that the sort of thing you look at when 
you go away? Do you like the ruins and the, you know, going back and finding out about history and really looking into the country, which we do love? Yeah, we do. We do. Yeah. Let 
us know if it’s your thing. And then local food tours are 
available throughout. Excellent. We’re always up for a food tour. And then on to 
things to consider for a month in the Philippines. To be fair, I think it’s pretty similar to 
most of the other countries we are visiting, but we will go through it quickly. UK passport 
holders get 30 days visa-free, but they can extend in the country once you’re in the country. That 
is, and again, like we said yesterday and a few times before, we’ll probably be getting our visas 
in advance anyway. We’ll be getting them online. Yeah, and you should always check that yourself. Yeah, and I think you have to make sure 
that your onward travel is already booked. And I think that’s with most countries now 
as well. Yeah, you have to prove – I don’t think that you can just turn up. You have to prove your exit. The first time 
I turned up into America without an exit, and that was a long, long time ago, it was when 
I was in my early 20s. Because I didn’t have an exit plan, I had to prove that I could look 
after myself for a period of time financially. Yeah, and they probably wouldn’t even allow that now. I think things have changed so much 
now and got so much more strict. Yes, so that’s one thing that you have to consider if you’re going anywhere similar 
to the adventure we’re going on. Yes, exactly. Transport
— that’s interesting. Flights often cheaper and easier than 
ferries for longer distances. I am surprised at that because usually a 
ferry is a more reasonable price than flights. Is it? Yeah – okay – so that does surprise me. And it does say ferries work 
well for shorter routes. And to be honest, I actually prefer a ferry. I know. Than a plane, because I don’t like queuing and 
all the — you still have to queue to get on a ferry, yeah, but that’s only if you’re 
going by car. If you’re taking your own car, just walking onto a ferry is very 
simple. I’ve only done that once, and that was from Ireland to the UK, 
and it was very easy, very pleasant. Yeah, we’ve been on a couple 
of little ferries on our trips, you know, just to go across to another 
island. You still have to queue. Yeah, but it’s not for hours. It’s not hours. No, it’s not hours. No, and it is, I suppose, a more 
laid-back form of travel, isn’t it, and for somewhere like the Philippines, 
which is mainly lots of islands, it’s probably the only way to get 
around really, I would have thought. And the traffic in cities can be ‘crazy’. Yes, not like busy… crazy. So you 
have to plan accordingly. I don’t know how you plan accordingly for crazy traffic. I don’t know either. I mean, at the end 
of the day, you’ll have to subscribe, follow us on our journey, and come along 
with us and see how we cope with that. Yeah, let’s see. Let’s see what 
happens. So the next one’s weather. Yeah. So the dry season is November 
to May, which is the best time. Mhm. And then the wet season is June to 
October. Some islands still fine, but watch typhoons. So typhoons is a biggie out there certain times of the year. Yes, yeah, and we will be 
taking that into consideration. Yes, definitely. So money, ATMs are common in big towns but again cash is needed in remote areas. Yes. So always carry some cash with you, and then that seems to be across the 
board with Southeast Asia, doesn’t it? I think, well, all of our destinations, 
yeah, that we’ve talked about so far, it’s always been recommended to take a certain 
amount of cash with you. So yeah, I mean it’s probably going to be interesting to see if we can 
gauge it right of how much cash we need because we don’t want to end up with loads of currencies 
from all these different countries, you know, at the end of the 12 months. But it is saying on 
the budget it says £25 to £40 a day for mid-range. Yeah, British pounds. That is 
20 to 40 British pounds a day. Yeah. I mean that’s great, isn’t it? Yeah. Yeah, can’t beat that. Yeah. Connectivity, again as we’ve mentioned before in our other videos, SIM cards are cheap. It’s Globe and or Smart they’re saying in the Philippines. 
But again I’ve got eSIM now, which is an app which is basically instead of getting SIM cards, it’s 
a Wi-Fi operator through an app that basically sorts out your SIM for each country and you 
buy the amount of data that you require. Yeah. Yeah, so it’s quick, it’s easy and it’s 
simple. You don’t have to go searching for SIM cards. That’s why we’re doing it, 
because I think it’ll be a lot easier than trying to find SIM cards in some 
of these places if it runs out. Yes. Yeah. Yes. So it says the internet can be slow on remote 
islands, which concerns me a bit because obviously we have to upload videos to YouTube for you guys 
as well as for us. So there might have to be, yeah, there might be a couple of times 
where we can’t do a daily vlog. Well, I’m not sure that a daily vlog is actually 
going to be the way we’ll go once we leave anyway. Because just being realistic and 
practical, I think it might be that we’ll have to do every other or whatever, or go to 
a couple of a couple of times a week maybe. Yeah. Because we want to show you some nice 
experiences and we want to enjoy the experiences as well. Well, and also because they will be 
experiences and actually, you know, showing you the environment and our activities, they’re much larger videos and they take a lot more editing and just being practical about it. You know, it’s very 
easy for us to stand in our home at the moment and talk about all that what we’re going to do, but 
you know, going to these islands, that takes a day anyway, so you know, when each video takes at 
least an hour or two, doesn’t it at the moment. At the moment. To edit. Oh yeah, yeah, there’s a lot 
to put it up into YouTube. Yeah, there’s a lot of work that goes on behind 
the scenes that you’re probably not interested in, but yes, just to manage expectations once we get 
on the road, whether the internet is slow or not, I think we will be reducing down. 
We won’t be able to do daily vlogs at that point. I don’t believe so 
anyway, but we’ll see. We’ll see. Then health and safety. Again, as with most 
places, bottled and filtered water only. Yeah. Don’t drink the tap water. And watch out for strong currents on some 
beaches, which is the same anywhere in the world. Yeah, it’s common sense, isn’t it? Yeah. Luckily English is widely spoken, so that’s handy. 
Although we do have our interpreter, and the Philippines is very friendly and welcoming. Well, 
that makes sense, and the Filipinos that we’ve met in our time in our lives over the years, they’ve 
always been very friendly anyway, haven’t they? Yes. Yeah. So looking forward to meeting them, 
Filipinos in their own environment basically, their own culture and their own country, 
and learning from them, which is going to be amazing. That’s what I’m looking forward to, 
seeing what they can offer to open our minds. Yeah, me too. I can’t wait. So again, respect modesty 
in rural or church settings. Yeah, which you’d do anyway, wouldn’t you? Yes, you would hope so anyway. So the summary for the Philippines — 
a one month stay in the Philippines is that, if you want a single base as we do, 
it’s better to be in Cebu or Dumaguete because they have strong transport links, 
great medical and co-working if needed, plenty of trips within a few hours and 
decent infrastructure for long stays. Yeah, so that makes sense to us to probably 
stay in one of those areas and take that advice, because we’re not going out trekking and stuff 
like that and that’s not what we’re looking for. We haven’t got the time, although 
we’re slow travelling, we are, you know, we’re going through quite a bit of territory to 
actually enjoy the country – and I wonder sometimes if it is actually going to still be too fast-paced 
for us. So that would be interesting to see. Yeah, it’d be interesting to 
see what slow travel really is. Yeah. And do we look at slow travel after the 12 months and say, well actually a month in each place isn’t long enough, isn’t considered slow travel to 
us? You know, it’s how we’ll feel about it. Yeah, maybe you need a minimum of 3 
months or something to settle in. Maybe. Yeah. Yeah. I mean we spent, you know, we’ve done a bit 
of it for about a month, haven’t we, abroad? And you’re just getting into the culture, you’re 
just getting into what’s around you, the local, I know it sounds daft, but the local shops, where 
the supermarkets are, what sort of food, because you’re realigning your food expectations as well 
because there’s different foods and everything else. So there’s quite a bit the first couple 
of weeks to get your head around, isn’t there? Yeah, and that’s apart from doing 
all kinds of activities and videos and exactly finding train 
stations and bus stations. We may feel that it’s too 
rushed for us. Who knows? Who knows? It’d be interesting. Be interesting to see. So do come along if you’d like to 
know and just hit that subscribe button and join us on our journey. 
We’d love you to come along with us. We would. We want you to not miss a thing. So I think that’s it for now. So 
bye for now and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow. We’ll 
see you tomorrow. Bye bye.

🌏 DAY 29 Travel VLOG | Our Cebu base and exciting adventures🌏
Email us: freedomlifestyle0316@gmail.com

We’re so excited for our next stop on our 12-month Southeast Asia trip: the Philippines!
We’ll be spending a whole month based in Cebu, and exploring incredible spots like Bohol, Moalboal, Malapascua, and more.

In this video, we break down why Cebu is the perfect home base, the must-see places around the Philippines, and what we’re planning to do from diving to island hopping to trying local food.

Have you been to the Philippines? Share your travel tips or hidden gems in the comments — we’d love to hear from you!

➡️ Subscribe to follow our full year-long adventure through Southeast Asia!

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