Oct 26 2007
Planning a Trip Can Lead to Site Ideas
I’m about two months away from landing in Manila on a one-way ticket and at the moment I know absolutely nothing about the Philippines. I only recently learned how to spell it! I was bored at work earlier and I thought today would be as good a day as any to get cracking with some travel planning.
I spent most of my time this afternoon looking at maps and Googling things I read about on message boards. I wouldn’t say I’m planning some sort of crazy trip off the beaten path and I’ve noticed lots of gaps in the information that’s available for some pretty basic things. Once I realised this, my travel planning quickly changed gears and became website planning. Instead of jotting down names of hotels and the best places to buy ‘happy’ shakes, I started making a list of the places and things I can’t find anything out about.
It’s not going to help me much when I touch down in Manila without a clue and find myself sleeping in the gutter, but it will give my overall trip a purpose. The plan is to try to fill in as many information gaps as I can while I’m on the road and I think making a list in advance is the best plan because I won’t assume that people will know things, I’ll know exactly what sort of info people will be after because I’m after it as well. But then again if nothing comes of it at least I’ll be able to recommend all the coziest gutters in Manila.
This probably won’t work for places like Paris or the Queensland coast or anywhere with a path that is well worn but for anyone planning a trip that’s a bit off the typical tourist trail then paying attention to what you can’t find out should leave you with some pretty good ideas for websites. When you’re searching for something and mighty Google doesn’t come through, look at it as an opportunity to develop something of your own.
I don’t intend to spend all of my time as a researcher of obscure parts of the Philippines but it makes sense to make little notes here and there since I’ll be going there anyways. If I can pull a bunch of useful bits of information together into a good resource then I could be onto a nice earner.
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go.
Sweet! Looks like you are allready starting to think & act like a nomad
I did some research recently on where I would like to study in China, due to the fact I have lived close to the ocean & in warmer climates for twenty years now I dug pretty deep trying to find something in China that would fit the bill. I found a place down south & only a few miles from Vietnam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fangchenggang apparently it is one of the most prominent ports in china & has a thriving tourist business
coupled with the fact it has many cncessions from a tax point & is heavily linked in some asian free trade deal it looks like a hoppin place.
Unfortunatly I could find little in english about it so It could make for a nice site more so as I bought www.fangchenggang.org which is gettin a few typeins
Does that make the whole trip a tax deduction now
Make sure you bum around Thailand - the food is awesome, and CHEAP.
Thanks for your suggestion about the blog that my husband started. I don’t know when we can get to experimenting it. Today I started mine - still www.zylla3.wordpress.com - hopefully enough to let you know you won’t end up in the gutter if you let me know when you would be there.
I’m still here in California, but my sister (just one among the many of my huge family circle) and several empty rooms could surely accommodate you if you want the taste of the polluted city of Metro Manila. We’re in Quezon City, an hour or two (depending on traffic) from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). You might want to google Fort Santiago, Intramuros - the Walled City (http://www.tourism.gov.ph/explore_phil/place_details.asp?content=description&province=80).[Here’s the Wow Philippines website–www.tourism.gov.ph –if you want to explore more.]
If you don’t have any respiratory problem and would like to stay longer, you can go further north to Subic Bay, Olongapo (previous U.S. base, with beach area and the only place with stop signs that’s being followed just like in the U.S.). Since your target destination is Borneo, you might want to go south to the Visayan Islands, try Boracay (tourist beach spot–my sister went there last summer). This is closer to Cebu where there is another International airport. Happy googling and good luck!
I tried to post some Phil. info links in my blog www.zylla3.wordpress.com if you want to check it out for a starter. At least you have something to consider in the 3 major islands: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. You might be able to get some ideas from the mindanao.com guy on how to get to Borneo.
I even stumbled about a Malaysia blog that was staring back at me…screaming to get started in learning how to customize my theme. I finally took the first baby step and you’ll see why I’m ready to tumble. Goodness gracious! I just learned to use the tag and look where it took me. Good night…or is it good morning, again? My brain is already fried. Whiner…or winner?
Neale that’s exactly what I’m talking about. You plan to go there anyways so why not write some bits about it, especially since there’s nothing really already. When are you heading to China?
Lissie I’ve asked people about this and it seems like it does, to a certain extent. I haven’t looked into it at all but so far from what I’ve read it seems positive.
Cecilia thanks for all the info! Like I said, I haven’t had much time to plan but I’ll be dropping you an email at some point with some questions, no doubt! Keep at it… if your brain is fried that’s how you know you’re on the right track!
Interesting that you are heading to Manila first. I wanted to go this year, but never made it. I heard Manila is a bit of a sh*thole that you probably won’t want to stay too long. Palawan is suppose to be awesome. Two months away? So you should be getting there around Christmas?
Beijing is getting colder now and I am going home in Dec for some warm weather and will be back here in Feb-March or so.
Visit Angeles City, too. It’s just about two hours from Manila.