How To Plan a Trip

I’ve been to KK twice. My first time was a solo trip in October 2010. Second was last April 2014 with my cousin and sister. Why? Eh kasi may seat sale! Mwahahaha!

Both times, I stayed a week in KK. Whenever I visit another country, I usually make sure that I stay at least 5 days. An exception to that would be my upcoming Taiwan trip with Kai and Kavie, a 3 day-trip which was largely dependent, AGAIN!, on the air fare. Hahaha! Eh kasi kuripot kami! Ay! Meron pa pala, the trip to Brunei… eh kaso since side-trip lang naman yung Brunei that time, I guess ok lang.

Main reason for the 5-day-per-country-trip: Enough time to look around without being run ragged.

Kasi di ba? Kaya ka nga magbabakasyon… Para chill!

When travelling, especially kung ikaw yung mag-aayos, hindi lang pera gagastusin mo. Oras din!

Unang maiisip mong gastos is the money you'll be spending on the air fare, accomodations, fees kung may activity kang gusto gawin, food, at kung may konsensya ka gaya ng iba... pasalubong. Akala mo yun na! Eh kaso hindi! You also spend time to research the place and you spend time obsessing about it kung praning ka gaya ko.  Tapos 3-4 days ka lang dun?! Haller!? Eh di nagtapon ka lang ng pera! Ayus lang naman to para sa may mga K magwaldas, yung mga taong kaya panindigan at ipagsigawan yung "WHAT'S MONEY?!" Pero kung gaya ka sa akin na madalas ang ipinagsisigawan ay: "WHERE'S MONEY?!" Eh dapat talaga pag magplaplano ka.. sulitin mo na! di ba?

First of all, even after all the research you could have done... iba pa rin talaga minsan kung andun ka na.  If you've been there before, ok! Ayus! Confident ka na usually about the place. Eh kaso kung first time mo dun... haller nginig egg cells, kasi you still don't know if what you found online is exactly like it is. Kasi nga... sabi nga nila... things change. At since first time mo... di mo alam kung gano kalaki yung change at kung kakayanin ba ng powers/pera mo tapatan yung change.

Kung 3-4 days ka lang... clueless ka na nga kasi first time, haggard mode ka pa kasi lahat mamadaliin mo kasi nga gusto mo sulit. Unless talagang ipinanganak kang chill na tao na kahit nagmamadali na yung iba, ikaw naka-slow mo pa rin. Pero kung 5 days yung plinano mo... kering keri gawin lahat USUALLY... minsan ikaw na mauubusan ng gagawin. Kaya naman pagkabalik mo sa trabaho... wala ka na maalala kadalasan sa mga project mo! AHhahaahah!

Wala lang… naisip ko lang isulat tong post na to kasi, nagbabalak na naman ako ng trip sa China. Narealize ko kasi, kapag nakapagplano ka na ng trip ng sarili mo hindi na ganun kahirap mag-ayos ng trip on your own. Feeling ko kasi dati ang hirap eh. Dati kasi tag-along lang ako madalas. Itatanong ko na lang kung kelan at magkano kelangan bayaran. Swerte kasi ako kasi yung mga kaibigan ko, kuripot din so alam ko pag nagyaya sila yun na usually yung pinakamurang version ng trip na yun so ako naman go lang ng go! Eh kaso since we parted ways at iba iba na sched kelangan ko na magsarili kung gusto ko makapagikot.

Nung inayos ko yung unang Kota Trip ko, feeling ko lahat ng nakikita ko na guesthouses online manggagantso! Hahhahah! feeling ko kasi ang yaman yaman ko at interesado silang lahat sa non-existent kayamanan ko. Hinanda ko na yung sarili ko na wag madisappoint just in case naisahan ako.

Buti na lang, there's a nicer world out there! Chos! hahahah! Pero totoo. Usually, people in guesthouses are the more honest ones, I think. Maybe because we follow a certain etiquette: WAG MAGNAKAW KUNG AYAW MANAKAWAN. Di ko naman sure kung totoo talaga tong sinasabi ko, pero feeling ko oo. Hahaha! Kasi, feelingera ako. But then again, kahit naman feeling ko totoo yan, I always exercise a certain amount of caution. Hindi naman pwede yung puro tiwala lang. I always make sure that my passport and money is always on my person. Para kahit nagkagulo sa barangay, sure pa rin yung uwi ko sa Pilipinas. D bale nang umuwi nang bold basta makauwi lang. 

Matapos lahat ng nasabi ko sa taas, ang point lang naman ng post na to is to outline what I do when I plan a trip. Para sa mga alipin ng trabaho na gaya ko, ito yung mga unang kelangan ayusin:

1.      Decide on a location. Ako, I usually decide on a location kapag may gusto akong gawin specifically in a particular country: umakyat ng bundok, mapuntahan yung isang island, etc. Nauuna sa akin ang #3 para makuha ko tong #1.

2.      Check the country’s visa requirements. Kung ASEAN yan, usually walang VISA required if you’re not planning on staying for more than 30 days. Otherwise, malamang kelangan ng Visa… gaya ng China, S. Korea, Europe, etc. Minsan, kasama sa visa requirements yung return trip tickets, accommodation bookings, IT, etc. Verify number of days for visa processing para naman hindi mo makuha yung visa mo same day ng flight mo… tapos haggard ka na naman kakamadali sa kung saan saan. Gaya ng ibang kakilala ko... itago na natin siya sa pangalang Hubert.

3.      Kung hindi ka satisfied with a “walk-around-and-see-what’s-around” kind of person, research on possible activities na pwedeng gawin sa location na yun at kung sulit ba sa tingin mo for that trip.

4.      Decide on the dates. Make sure you have enough time to plan for the trip and make sure the date is apt for the acitivities you’re planning, better kung may holiday sa bansa mo para less leaves to file. Kung gusto mo mag-beach… wag December! Kung gusto mo umakyat ng bundok, wag sa rainy season ng bansang yan! Kung gusto mo ng Cherry blossoms, wag January! Kung gusto mo ng snow, unless ok lang sa yo ang fake snow o kaya naman Arctic yung pupuntahan mo, wag April/May. Unang KK trip ko, I planned a year ahead kasi clueless ako. My second KK trip, around 3-4 months ahead. For my China trip, I’ve started planning now for a scheduled trip on June-July 2015, around 10 months ahead. Eh kasi I’m scurred! Baka ibenta nila atay ko sa China pag nawala ako duN! Hehehehe!

5.      File a leave on those dates.

6.      Leaves approved? Wait for a seat sale kung kuripot ka. Mayaman? Book your flights na! Now na! Leaves Denied? Murahin mo manager mo! HAhaha! JAZKIDDING! Back to 4, check with superiors if you can agree on a date that would still match your plans. Ayaw nila compromise? Resign ka na lang! Not kidding this time. Eh ano pa silbi ng VL MO?!?!?

7.      Kung naka-book ka na, plan your IT.

8.      Kung may IT ka na, arrange your accommodation. Research! Research! Research! Make sure accessible yung accom mo in a way. When arranging your accommodation, kaakibat na nito yung pagresearch sa local transportation to arrive at and leave from your hostel/guesthouse/hotel/kung-san-ka-man-matutulog, and again, unless mayaman ka at kaya mo magtaxi everytime or mag-rent-a-car. Actually, pwede mo gawin yung research while waiting for approval of leaves kasi malamang sa malamang by the time na approved na leaves mo, di ka pa rin tapos sa research mo. Kung gusto mo ng adventure, do not research. That is, kung sigurado kang may makakaintindi sa yo dun sa pupuntahan mo. Kasi nga madali lang naman magtanong, ang problema kung maiintindihan mo yung sagot. At oo, let's assume na sinagot ka nila in English! Hahahah!

9.      A month/2 months before your trip, make sure you completed your visa requirements, if any (again depends on what the embassy indicated as number of days for visa processing). Submit requirements and make sure you have your visa 2 weeks prior your travel dates. KASI NGA PRANING AKO! Hahahha!

Kung may namiss man ako, edit ko na lang siguro to. HOmaygaaaaasssh!! Excited na akooooooooooo!!! Antagal mag-reply ng HR kung ok na ba yung leave ko for next year!!!!!