soloflighted.com

A Lesson on Responsible Tourism

A lot of people in this blog can see how ‘crazy’ I can get for the sake of having a unique photo taken. I slipped and hit my head on a rock in Bomod-ok falls in Sagada, I stood on top of the lighthouse in Capones Island in Zambales, I jumped off a cliff in … Read more

Tips and Things to Know about Anawangin, Nagsasa and Capones in Zambales

At the end of every travel series, I usually write an article about tips and things to know about that particular destination. The same goes true for my trip in Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove and Capones Island in Zambales. It’s been two years since I waited for this trip to happen. One feature that enticed … Read more

On Couch Surfing and a Thousand Facebook Likes

I have a couch surfing account and it’s been with me for over a year. I seldom log in because of having less opportunities to use it. To those who are new to the term, couch surfing is an online community that gathers members/travelers from around the globe to share a space or time for other members. You get to interact with fellow travellers or to people who want to socialize and rent or lend a spare room in another country even when you haven’t met the person face to face.

couchsurfing can beat sleeping at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok

This is a free membership site and you can search for a space to stay for a night when you’ll be dropping by a particular place in one of your travels. If you already have a place to stay, you can just spend time with another couch surfer for coffee or to tour you around.

couchsurfing.org site

I received a letter of invitation one morning from the dean of College of Arts and Sciences of University of San Jose Recoletos in Cebu. They asked if I was available on a Sunday for the Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Awards 2011. It turns out that this site: soloflightEd.com, has been chosen as a Finalist in the CAMMA 2011.

15th Cebu Archdiocesan Mass Media Awards

Venue: SM Cinema 1
August 28, 2011 @ 5pm

The award-giving body recognizes content that’s been shared by different forms of media: whether it be in television, radio, newspaper, advertising or online.

CAMMA aims to recognize “local media practitioners across all media platforms” who help promote Christian values. The awards will be given in six categories: website, advertising, radio, television, Cebuano newspaper and English newspaper.

This is already the fourth episode of my podcast interview series which is a segment in my blog where I have a conversation with bloggers who love to travel in order to get to know them better.

Mica of Senyorita.net

Going back to Skype conversations, I interviewed Mica of Senyorita.net online due to location differences. She has been blogging for a long time but it was only during a free trip to Boracay did I get to meet her. She quit her job in order to travel and has been living through funds that she is able to generate online which is something a lot of people want.

Through Krispy Kremes meet-ups in Manila, I learned a lot of tips from her about the online world so I could maximize my sites and earn more from them. I couldn’t thank her enough for sharing her experiences so I may also live the same lifestyle in the future.

Interview Location: Skype from Cebu, Philippines to Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines

Mica in Sumilon Island, Cebu

Pundaquit Zambales Trip: Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove and Capones Island
February 18-21, 2011

So how much did I spend in our trip to Anawangin Cove, Nagsasa Cove and Capones Island in Zambales? Around 2556.50 Php. Air Fare is NOT included though as it varies on the promo. But just to let you know, our fare only cost only 250 Pesos each… roundtrip.

The amount is composed of expenses from Cebu to Clark and going back to Cebu (including airport terminal fees).

It helped a lot that we were able to travel as a group (there were 4 of us) so we were able to divide our expenses. We made sure to stick on a budget on this trip and discussed our itinerary over a conference call in Skype to make sure that we stayed on track.

Zambales Trip: An Afternoon Nap Under Pine Trees in Anawangin Cove
Zambales Trip: Exploring Anawangin Cove

Zambales Trip: Cooking and Camping in Nagsasa Cove
Zambales Trip: Morning Jog in Nagsasa Cove

Zambales Trip: Golden Cogon Grasses in the Island of Capones
Zambales Trip: Standing on Top of the Lighthouse in Capones Island

Although some may be happy that the weather is warming up, there are some who dread the onset of summer and the end of the Australian ski season. But for those of you who are addicted to fresh powder – never fear. You can ski all year round; you just have to plan it well.

Queenstown with lake Wakatipu from the top. There is great skifields in lake Wakatipu

NEW ZEALAND: JUNE-OCTOBER

When the snow in Thredbo and Perisher starts getting a little thin but it’s not quite cold enough in the Northern Hemisphere, New Zealand is a top spot to carve it up.

Queenstown, Christchurch, Wanaka and Methven, all located on the picturesque South Island, are the most popular destinations and there are a number of cheap flights to New Zealand cities available, particularly towards the end of the season. In the late season, you also have the added bonus of longer, warmer days and there is still typically a lot of snow on the ground. Skiing in t-shirts, anyone?

A ski resort in japan

I hurriedly clocked out from work in order to head home and pack my things. At 3:30 in the morning, I was still figuring out what to bring for a 6-day retreat abroad. I was invited to a free trip from Cebu to Hong Kong by Airphil Express (formerly known as Air Philippines). This airline … Read more

Podcast Interview with Brenna of PhilippineTravelogue.com

Third part of my podcast interview series. This was a fun session and I decided to keep some of the bloopers to make the conversation sound more natural. I couldn’t keep a straight face because of how many times we broke into laughter.

Brenna of PhilippineTravelogue.com

This SoloFlightEd Sessions episode, I interviewed Brenna of PhilippineTravelogue.com who represents one of the younger travel bloggers of the country. She, together with her family, visited Cebu for a week and decided to extend one more day to travel solo in Moalboal, Cebu.

What’s nice is that she’s also doing freelance jobs or part-time work in order to fund her travels. Money is definitely one of the factors to consider when you travel and being a student, it’s a challenge to seek funds for expenses. But Brenna has proven that when you really want to travel, you find ways to make it happen.

Interview Location: La Marea Pastry Shop, Asiatown IT Park, Cebu, Philippines

Brenna in Bohol

Despite sleeping early after our cookout and campout in Nagsasa Cove, I still woke up late. I must’ve been exhausted at the time because my mind aimlessly wandered on trivial things I could’ve just worried about later on – going back to the office in a couple of days and thinking about my pending freelance tasks that were way overdue.

My eyes were fixated on the view from inside the tent and I didn’t want to get up. But the sun motioned me to step out.

Nagsasa Cove, Zambales
February 20, 2011

who wouldn’t want a sight like this when jogging?
photo by Doi

I got out and saw my companions already taking photos of the beautiful Nagsasa scenery. Footprints were already present indicating how people have also awoken from slumber, taking advantage of the sand that was washed away by the previous night’s tide.

I used to wake up early even without an alarm to remind me. But it was too late to whine; besides, Nagsasa still holds its charm due to its stillness.

footprints

wallpaper

Had good feedback despite having some issues with my first podcast interview. Thanks guys. I’m ready to post the next one. By the way, I changed the title of my podcast series to SoloFlightEd Sessions to keep up with the branding.

Estan of Langyaw.com

This time, I had the opportunity to interview Estan Cabigas of Langyaw.com. I was able to travel with him and other bloggers on a free trip to Hong Kong and it was nice that he was willing enough to support me with this project.

Interview Location: Hong Kong International Airport

Estan in Batanes

The past few days, I was able to watch Around the World Travel videos which made me realize how much more of the planet there is to explore. Aside from the traveling aspect in these videos, they’ve motivated me to hone my skills and pursue my passions. Let me share these videos to you.

Where the hell is Matt? Dance

Matt Harding
wherethehellismatt.com

Where the hell is Matt? was supposed to be a funny clip of him dancing but after a few edits, the idea of this dance in different international locations became viral which gave him widespread coverage of his travels.

This is the third installment of his video series. He started dancing in postcard photo locations in the background when he thought it became boring for him and decided to include people to dance with him.

As I’ve discussed in one of my travel blog projects, I planned on conducting interviews with fellow travel bloggers. Now, after how many hours of reading through editing tutorials, I’m ready to launch my interview project in the form of a podcast file. Introducing…

SoloFlightEd Sessions

This idea was inspired by Flipnomad wherein I was featured in his ‘Meet the Nomads‘ section of his website. I wanted to hear the voices behind these travel bloggers so I thought about recording our conversation in the process.

Although a number of bloggers have already started podcasting, it took me some time to set this up due to lack of confidence and insecurities. I prefer to write than talk. But I realized that we all have to go out of comfort zones in order to develop ourselves and our passions.

Gael of ThePinaySoloBackpacker.com

First up, I have Gael of ThePinaySoloBackpacker.com. I had her in mind because she’s one of first travel bloggers I met during a free trip to Boracay and I wanted to start this podcast with somebody I’m comfortable talking to.

Gael in Palaui Island cove
photo by Angel

Of course, I also love her blog. A Filipina who travels solo with a backpack, it just proves how much spunk this Pinay has. She also has a way of capturing her audience when she narrates her stories in her articles.

So I just got back home from my Cebu to Hong Kong flight courtesy of Airphil Express. I was planning to write random stories between the six-day vacation but whenever I got back to the place we stayed for the night, I’d usually doze off, tired from the daily activities. So in true blue backlog … Read more

A Lesson on Responsible Tourism

Tips and Things to Know about Anawangin, Nagsasa and Capones in Zambales

On Couch Surfing and a Thousand Facebook Likes