30
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Paolo’s tips for
fuss-free travel
WANDER
LUST
1
PACK LIGHT (BUT
BRING ALONG AN
EXTRA BAG)
Nothing says “inexperienced
traveler” more than rolling
off of the bus, boat, train or
plane with a huge suitcase. It’s
an inconvenience to you and
your fellow travelers, especially
when you have to transit to
your accommodations via
local transport.
There’s always a tendency
to overpack when traveling,
but in the early days I always
came home with more clean
clothes than dirty ones. I
pack lots of clean socks and
underwear but just repeat jeans,
jackets and tops. Of course,
if you’re traveling and expect to
get clothes soiled and dirty after
one use, pack accordingly. Pack
a small bag heading out, but
make sure you pack a foldable
second bag for your inevitable
pasalubong
or souvenirs on the
way home.
2
ALWAYS HAVE A
REUSABLE WATER
BOTTLE
Water is a necessity, but you
should avoid having to buy
disposable bottles that just add
to the world’s garbage problem.
Many places I’ve visited have
perfectly drinkable tap water.
Another strategy I follow is this:
whenever we sit for a meal at a
café or restaurant, I ask for my
bottle to be refilled with water.
It saves you money, too.
3
VISIT THE LOCAL
MARKET
While it might tend to be off
the usual tourist itinerary, a trip
to the local market is always
interesting for me. You get a
real sense of what the place
is all about from the goods
you see for sale and the kind
of food that’s enjoyed by the
locals. There’s always so much
local color there. It’s usually
good for cheap eats and
unusual finds to take home, too.
4
GO FOR A RUN
Some of my best
sightseeing happens when I lace
up my running shoes and go for
an early morning run. The pace
is slower and I’ve discovered
many places near where I stay
that I wouldn’t have come
across had I been on a bus or
train. Keeping to your usual
workout routine also means you
have an excuse to eat more.
5
LEARN THE LOCAL
LANGUAGE
I’m not talking expert levels
here (though it wouldn’t hurt),
but a little bit of the local
pleasantries, like “thank you”,
“hello/goodbye” and “cheers”,
always go a long way in making
a good impression on the locals.
It shows you cared enough to
learn and immerse yourself
in their culture. “Where’s the
bathroom?” is also an important
one to learn.
6
DOWNLOAD APPS
In this day and age, almost
everyone uses a smartphone.
There are tons of apps out
there, from digital guidebooks
to train timetables, restaurant
lists to maps.
You don’t always have to be
online either. Screen-capture
relevant pages when you have
Internet access at your hotel
and use maps and guides
offline. They don’t call it a
smartphone for nothing.
7
DRINK LOTS OF
COFFEE
Cafés and travel are forever
linked in my mind: that
first pick-me-up after an
early morning flight or that
last lingering cup right before
you board and fly home. Sitting
at a café to watch the world
go by is one of my favorite
things to do on any trip. And
unless you’ve arranged for
some kind of data-roaming
service, it usually gives you
a chance to hook up to Wi-
Fi and Google your next
destination, look for restaurant
tips on TripAdvisor and, most
importantly, update your
Instagram!
8
SEND POSTCARDS
They say snail mail is dead
but this is a habit I’ve never
outgrown. Nothing gives me
more pleasure than putting pen
to paper and reaching out to
friends far away to somehow
share the experience of being in
whatever place I’m in.
Alone time with Suzi
in Laiya, Batangas
TEXT AND INTERVIEW BY CHARMAINE BAYLON
Checking out Coronado
Beach, San Diego
In rain-soaked
Osaka
With the family in Sydney
Going luxe in
Mactan, Cebu
