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You are Spot on Gio! I made a 3.5 week trip back in Dec 23 to BGC, Baguio, Cebu, Ilo Ilo and Makati. My number one desire is to live within 5 min walk of an Ayala or SM mall for the same reasons Gio mentions here - food and convenience. I did an interview with the Savvy Expat (from Seattle) and got a consulting hour with Gio. Some other tips - wear compression socks for the long plane flight, get a SIM card at the airport and exchange $$ at the best place.

totally understand the logic, but I am glad I jumped right in and learned the local "feel" and used the Jeepney's, Trike's and big buses.

Land in Cebu, stay in a hotel for 2-3 weeks, look for a short term AirBnB, go online, set up local meetings. A few months here, a few months there. No hurry.

Im this old shirt should have Atari on shirt. 80's were the best plus the music heavy metal

Great t-shirt Gio.

Some of the guys going to the Philippines (or somewhere in Asia) for the first time have never traveled outside of their own country or even traveled much inside of their own country. The only reason that they’re going to the Philippines is to meet a girl. I’ve met a few guys in person that went to the Philippines to meet a girl and immediately got robbed or used by the girl and/or her family. That’s why the advice given by you and other vloggers that have done it, have lived there, have traveled around there, etc…is so valuable. Some of these guys literally know nothing about what they’re getting into. You even learned the hard way a few times yourself and we appreciate you sharing your mistakes and other experiences. For new travelers, yes, Metro Manila and Cebu would probably be the easiest just for the fact that you don’t need to transfer planes too many times. Both cities have a lot of western comforts as well. You can find pretty much whatever you need.

You really should ask yourself why are you coming to the Philippines? - Is it to find a cheaper place to retire? - Is it to find a companion? - Is it just to "sow your wild oates" If you are not a city person, you won't like cities here either, though the westernized bubbles are tolerable if mall hopping is your thing. If you are looking for a companion, girls are everywhere. If you want to "sow your wild oates", go to Angeles City. My 82 yo American neighbor, owns his condo here in Angeles. He's never ever been married and likes serial girlfriends instead. His last GF moved in when she was 18 and left 6 years later at 24 to find a Filipino guy because she wanted kids. His current GF is 20.

I stayed at Waterfront hotel Mactan in Cebu and it was great because you can walk across the street at the airport to get there and they had great food, a nice pool and gym. Very convenient after the long flight

Hi Gio. Great 👍 video with good advice. I agree with you on your choices for a "soft landing" in the Philippines. Thanks and keep up the great work.

pretty important discussion Gio. I was going to land in Cebu and stay long term to start but decided to go to Iloilo instead. I liked the infrastructure, clean city, less air and noise pollution, less traffic, and bicycle lanes as well as the esplanades for walking. I'll spend 6 days in Cebu first to acclimate, then on to Iloilo. However, once I get to Cebu, who knows what the future will bring. Being 74, I want safety as a priority.

I’m thinking Cebu near IT Park

Here's a novel idea - treat it like a holiday and base yourself in Makati, close to Ayala metro/train station. You'll be near Glorietta, Greenbelt mall , where you can do your money exchange, phone swap etc in the mall. I don’t know why the metro is not talked about much becasse in top tier cities this is the main mode of transit for visitors. From Ayala station via LRT/MRT you can get to Ortigas, Pasay Malate/ Ermita to Edsa north. Many things to do in these areas. Eventually the metro is going to connect to the airport and BGC. Staying in a higher end area and accommodations for a first trip will ease the culture shock, namely being away from poverty and the lower standard of living …at least until you can get used to it. By far the easiest excursion is a package trip to Boracay because everything can be arranged for you, from trans to the airport, to the bus, boat, driver, van etc. to your hotel. This will introduce you to the various modes of travel that hopefully you’ ll be arranging on your own on future.

Super helpful video Gio! Thanks 🙏🏻 😊

Great advice! Spot on!

Agree, choose the city you want to visit, then choose a girl based on that location. My second visit got a stomach bug near the end of my visit. Pretty sure it was from the vegetables at a lunch buffet at the Church of Simala I visited. So be weary of eating any food that may have been out for awhile. Would choose Cebu City for a first place to visit. Manilla has way too many people and traffic (Cebu City has a lot too though). Although the US Embassy is located there and could be a reason to choose Manilla. Most countries have flights going directly to Cebu City. Mactan International Airport (CEB) is a modern airport and taxis are readily available at the airport. Good video, Gio...Jim

I think your advice to land, spend three days acclimating, and getting over jet lag is very important, especially with older guys!,,, I am 70, to return soon, and my plans are to recuperate and acclimate before trying to enjoy my time there.

It would be hard for me to live in a place that doesn't have good transportation options.

Back in the day going to Cebu was visiting the very untouched provinces. IT park was an airport. ( With the jail next door) The hey day of cebu was in the 1980s. Bit sad now 😢.Used to be heaven on earth. But if you want to get something done Cebu is good and manila is a nightmare . Manila was wonderful in the 1970s. Omg.

The one thing that happened to me Gio, in 2016 was my last trip to the Philippines and my lower legs swelled up to the point where I had to buy compression socks. So my next trip I’ll wear them plus get up and move around on the flight.

I finally went to BGC and went to the canal Venice mall and had a steak dinner at Texas longhorns it was a treat after being here for almost two years!!

You mentioned food a lot. Well, I'm used to preparing all my own meals and prefer it that way. Does this open up more options for me for a soft-landing? Really, for me anyway, it's access to fresh meat and produce, nice accommodations, a good gym, and a nice beach.

Manila and Clark are good for soft landing. In Manila Aseana and Ayala Center are the nice area to stay. Clark has a lot of hotels and resorts and you can do the north Luzon loop tour . Central and northern Luzon has a lot of beautiful tourist attractions. Then you can go to the south for island hopping.

Cebu

Rule of thumb: 1 day per hour of time difference to adjust. 10 hours = 10 days.

Dumaguete hands down the best place in my opinion. Cebu is also a very good choice.

I know a guy that invited me to the Philippines 12 years ago. 8 years ago, when I retired, I moved to Panama. Have lived in the interior. Big mistake. Finally sold my farm and house and downsizing and Philippines is the only place I can see to go with all the research I have been doing

Ciao Gio, your video is very unsettling for me. You see, if there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to avoid at all costs, it’s having to acclimate to a large urban space. I already live in a metropolis, and I do not appreciate the skyscrapers and the vast urban conglomerations. To me, they are human anthills, barely livable and never sleeping. My travels have shown me that what I disliked in my own country often turned out to be even worse abroad. So, I understand very well the risk of significant culture shock, but what are the alternatives if one does not appreciate large modern cities? I had planned to land in Cebu, spend at most a night or two there, and then quickly escape to a smaller town like Tagbilaran or Dumaguete, which seem more my pace. Do you really think I should reconsider?

Totally agree with the soft landing idea; however, I still think that Dumaguete represents a great happy medium between those big cities and provinces life style: I could even find italian style bread made from some expat 😀

I like both Cebu and Manila as they both have Muay Thai and BJJ.... but most importantly, Calvary Chapel churches. Looking to do a 30 day stay to see if I can handle the culture.

very good advice!

LOL Shirt. For me it's the same except that 3 1/2 floppy would be a 5 1/4 floppy instead, maybe the 8 inch as well

I’d say if you’ve never been to the PI or any foreign country for that matter, do your research in the areas first. I went to Manila for the first time and had found a hotel in Malate across from a mall. I had did everything online without researching the area. Once there, I did some google searches on the area I was in and found out the area was a red light district. When I went to the mall to eat, I was having multiple girls asking if I wanted a massage!!! Being that I am half Filipino and my Dad was there is the reason I went. I wanted to experience my background from my Dads side. I didn’t like the Manila area because of how congested and all the traffic. I was only there for a little over two weeks so I didn’t get to explore areas like Palawan. I’ll be retiring in a couple of years and my plan is to go back and explore more areas with the intention of living permanently in the PI.

Love the tshirt !!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe 12 mo more & I'll be there. Thinkin check out Manilla just to say I did it, then fly to Cebu. Being more a country boy, will rent a bike, get a cheap short term condo rental "base camp" and try branching out. Ill check out your list for places to stay, where to get passport ext done, ...etc. Along the way, maybe meet a nice woman and try to improve conditions.

I am going to Manila BORACAY Feb 26 to March 13. It not my no 1 to find a woman Food sun BGC beach is I am looking forward to

Eff that. Life is hard, and resilience is key. If they can't handle it, stay home.

Yeah sure!

Nice shirt Gio👍.

Arr, ye scallywags! If ye be quakin' in yer boots 'bout sailin' to the other side o' the earth all by yer lonesome, flop down on yer mattress the night before and shout to the skies, "Lord, take the wheel!" Trust me, when ye finally meet that lass, ye'll be walkin' on cloud nine like a parrot on a pirate's shoulder. Yo-ho-ho, set sail with confidence, me hearties! Shiver me timbers, amen! 0:01

Thank you Gio

Comes down to age. Old guys I guess Dumaguette lol. Younger guys to younger middle age definitely Manilla.

Thx Gio!

Ayela is good to

I can relate to that shirt….

If you use to cooler weather tagaytay

Tha ls gio good info

Hi Gio, How about Davao as a “perfect soft landing” destination?

I will be going to laupo laupo near c4bu

How can you try to give travel advice when you haven’t been anywhere in this country except little tourist traps?

Divorcee looking for a wife Phillipines is hard to beat. Older can't ride a motorcycle or drive a car Thailand wins. Safe modern country good infrastructure Perhaps Japan wins Need national medical care, perhaps Ecuador wins Most of the guys in the Phillipines were seeking a much younger prettier wife. If already married, already have money, speak other languages, then the Phillipines may not be at the top of your list

😎👍🇺🇲

The biggest problem in Philippines is the public toilets. Not only are they extremely crowded, the toilets do not have toilet seats, so basically you cannot do the big business outside your home and that restricts the freedom of movement severely.

Ayela is good to