philippines – MLE Travel Diary

Why Do I Solo Travel? Day 1 in the Philippines

MLE Travel Diary — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 14:00:00 +0000

In March I solo traveled to the Philippines, spending one week in Palawan, specifically Coron and El Nido. It was my first time in Southeast Asia and my first true solo trip in a long, long time.

Which, honestly unexpectedly, resulted in a whole lot of negative self talk and intrusive thoughts questioning my decisions when I arrived. I wanted to share these thoughts and my reflections in case you ever find yourself having the same thoughts.

You’re not alone!! What you see on Instagram is usually a highlight reel, and doesn’t always show the full picture of the ups and downs that is what travel is truly all about.

Wednesday, March 19, 2025 | 7:00 AM

As I sit at breakfast having just arrived the night before, I think to myself, why the heck am I here. And, why do I feel this urge to travel so much to the extent that it brings me to the Philippines, all alone??

While I’m waiting for my veggie omelette to arrive, I have an internal debate with myself about whether or not I wish I was with someone else on the trip.

Does being alone help me immerse myself more fully in the moment?
Or does it isolate me and enable me to stay inside and fall asleep at 6:30 pm, like I did last night?

I decide that I prefer the freedom of getting to do what I want and waking up on my own terms this morning. But that I would enjoy having another person here for peace of mind.

I haven’t felt unsafe being here in Coron, but it’s always a strange, unsettling feeling being somewhere new and unfamiliar.

Ironically, I’m probably less safe when I go for a run back home around Santa Monica, but I digress.

A small, flying insect comes close to my elbow, pulling me out of my thoughts. I swat it away, praying it’s not a mosquito that will infect me with the dengue fever.

I’ve been taking my malaria pills religiously the past few days, and am covered head to toe in both lightweight clothing and 12-Hour Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent. But that’s about the most I can do to protect myself against dengue.

It’s funny, the things you realize you take for granted about home when you travel.

I take a bite of my veggie omelette, reminding myself that this is just the beginning.

And that to travel is to push myself into moments like this, where I sit in a new place, questioning everything, and somehow feeling more alive because of it. I can't wait to see where the next week takes me.

Have you ever had similar thoughts when solo traveling? Let me know in the comments!

Be sure to follow along on Instagram for more travel content.

mariss

The post Why Do I Solo Travel? Day 1 in the Philippines first appeared on MLE Travel Diary.

Philippines Travel Guide: How To Spend 1 Week In Palawan

MLE Travel Diary — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Known for its crystal-clear waters, dramatic limestone cliffs, and lush jungle landscapes, Palawan is a breathtaking island province in the Philippines. It is one of the most beautiful places I have visited on Earth.

I would definitely suggest going for at least 2 weeks; there are so many islands and unreal places I didn’t get to visit with just 1 week in the Philippines.

However, I am still so thankful I went and will forever be wanting to go back! So definitely add it to your list, and make an effort to visit, regardless of how much time you have to come.

This Philippines Travel Guide will help you plan a 1 week trip to Palawan, with recommendations for the best things to do, where to stay, where to eat, and how to get around.

If this is your first time in the Philippines, make sure you’re aware of what to expect. These tips will help you appear less like a tourist, and more like a seasoned visitor, or even a local!

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With only 1 week in the Philippines, the breakdown of how I spent my time looked like this:

2 days – Coron
3 days – Coron to El Nido island hopping expedition
1 day – El Nido
1 day – Coron

I really wish I had had more time there, because I didn’t get to spend as much time as I wanted in El Nido. However, since I was flying in and out of Coron, I spent more time there by default.

I’ll share more about the island hopping experience, and everything I did during my time in Palawan to help you maximize your time!

Budgeting for the Philippines

When it comes to budgeting for the Philippines, the US Dollar will go far. Here’s what I budgeted per day in each category:

Lodging: $50/night (I wanted a private room at a nicer hotel/hostel but I’ve seen hostel rates as low as $7/night)

Transit: $5/day

Activities: $20/day + $350 for the Expedition

Check out my travel budget template for help building out your budget – you can download the actual template I use for free!

Coron to El Nido Island Hopping Expedition

The Coron to El Nido (or vice versa) island hopping expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will take you to various remote islands throughout the Philippines that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit.

This is a great alternative to flying between the two islands, or taking the direct ferry, if you have the time and budget during your visit to the Philippines.

There are lots of boat tour companies that are constantly running these island hopping expeditions in either direction, and for a variety of durations. The most popular companies are Big Dream Boatman, Tao, Keelooma, El Nido Paradise, and Buhay Isla.

If you want a luxurious experience, go with Tao. However, if you’re looking to save your money, I would just compare availability and pricing between the other companies – at the end of the day, they are all pretty similar.

The one-way tour will typically cost 18,000 – 35,000 PHP, depending on which tour company you go with and how many days you want the expedition to last.

Definitely book this as far in advance as possible. By the time I was booking my trip, just a couple weeks out, almost all of the expeditions were full so my options were limited.

I did a 3D2N (3 day, 2 night) boat expedition with Keelooma from Coron to El Nido, and would recommend the experience overall! If I did it again, I would probably go with Tao instead, just to splurge and sleep in nicer accommodations.

Day tours and excursions in Coron

I really only had time for day tours and excursions in Coron, so I will speak to the different options you have there, and which ones I did!

Each boat tour includes pick up and drop off from your hotel/hostel/airbnb (if you’re located in Coron town), and a buffet lunch! If you want to snorkel or kayak, you will either need to bring your own snorkel equipment or you can rent from your boat crew.

I booked all of my tours through Get Your Guide so I knew ahead of time what I would be doing, but you can easily book excursions once you’re there as well! Usually they’ll accept new bookings up until 8pm or so the night prior.

1. Coron Super Ultimate Tour

If you only have time for one tour, make it the Coron Super Ultimate Tour! This will take you to 7 iconic spots like Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon, Barracuda Lake and more, where you can snorkel and explore.

Every tour also includes a buffet lunch!

If you have a higher budget and want to tailor your tour, I recommend splurging on a private tour. This will allow you to choose what you really want to spend time on, so you can maximize your trip!

2. Tour A

If you want to spend a bit more time at the most popular destinations, then I would recommend Tour A. You’ll visit Kayangan Lake, CYC Beach, Sunset Beach and Las Islas de Coral and get to really enjoy each spot.

This is the tour I took my first day in Coron, and I absolutely LOVED it! I also spent an extra few pesos to get a kayak for the day, with another solo traveler, so that I could really explore the lakes.

The kayak rental isn’t necessary, but was definitely a nice way to float in the water and see everything!

3. Tour B

The second most popular tour is Tour B, where you’ll get to visit Twin Lagoon, Barracuda Lake, Coral Garden, Skeleton Wreck, and Atuayan Beach, and spend extra time at each.

This is the tour I took my last day in Coron, and I loved this one as well! If you have multiple days, I would definitely recommend taking both Tour A and Tour B separately, so you can spend more time at each spot.

4. Bea Beauty Salon & Spa

This is not an excursion, but if you’re like me – after all of the snorkeling and swimming around in the lakes, my hair needed some TLC and I honestly was scared to try to wash it and comb it out myself.

So I spent an afternoon at Bea Beauty Salon & Spa getting a massage and hair mask treatment!

This was honestly a big highlight of my trip – my hair was sooo smooth after. It cost me about $20 USD total and was so worth it.

Where to stay in Palawan

When visiting Palawan, you have a good variety of affordable lodging options! This trip, I stayed in a combination of hotels and hostels, so will walk you through each of your options.

Hotels

Given that the USD is pretty strong in the Philippines, I would recommend staying in a hotel if you can afford it. It will still be relatively cheap, and you can get a really cool room at a nice hotel!

In Coron I stayed at the Coron Bancuang Mansion, which was super nice – it has a pool and breakfast included.

Hostels

If you’re looking for a more social option, and especially if you’re a solo traveler, I would recommend staying in a hostel!

In Coron, the popular hostels that I’d recommend are Hop Hostel and the Outpost Hostel.

In El Nido, the popular hostels that I’d recommend are the Frendz Hostel and the Outpost Beach Hostel. I stayed at the Frendz Hostel in a private room and really loved it.

Airbnbs

If you’re traveling with your family or a larger group, renting an Airbnb is a great option. I would recommend renting one close to the town center if you want to go on boat tours, so that the tour operators can pick you up for free.

Where to eat in Coron

1. Om’s Thai

You know I can never resist a good Thai food spot, and Om’s Thai was so good I went there twice!

2. El Kuvo

This was the cutest spot that my (new!) friend found and we tried it out! I had the refreshing watermelon & lychee salad and OMG it was soo good – I would go back just for that!

3. Prince Wonton Restaurant

The place to go for wontons and noodles! It’s very cheap (like $3 for your whole meal) – if you’re hungry though you might want to order two plates!

4. AE’s Delights

This spot is open late night and is perfect for snacking on siopao (steamed buns) or churros!

5. Mama Café

Mama café has refreshing smoothies, salads, sandwiches and other brunch foods. Everything I ate here was delicious!

Get my FREE Google Maps List with all these restaurants & more! Drop your email below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox 💌

How to get around Palawan

By Walking

This is the easiest way to explore each city! The streets are narrow, and there are no sidewalks so you basically just walk along the side of the road!

There are tons of shops and restaurants lining the center of the towns, so it’s really fun to walk around and pop in and out of each place.

By Trike

This is the most common way to get around town quickly! Each ride usually cost around 200 – 300 PHP, or $3-5 USD.

I even took a trike to get to El Nido airport from my hostel, which was a bit of a long ride in one of these but we made it there safe and sound!

By Car

There are no Ubers or Taxis in Palawan. Check out my 10 Essential Travel Tips for the Philippines for everything you need to know about airport transfers by bus.

I would not recommend renting a car in Palawan. There are hardly any places to park a car, the streets are really narrow, and with pedestrians walking in the street I would personally be terrified to drive through town here.

If you’re planning a trip to the Philippines, feel free to send me an email or DM on Instagram with any questions or for personalized travel tips!

mariss

The post Philippines Travel Guide: How To Spend 1 Week In Palawan first appeared on MLE Travel Diary.

10 Things You Need To Know Before Visiting The Philippines

MLE Travel Diary — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

Sharing the essential Philippines travel tips that everyone should know before they visit! I only visited Palawan, so these tips will be geared towards visiting there.

I booked my trip pretty last minute, and honestly didn’t really know what to expect on my trip to the Philippines. I wasn’t able to find a ton of resources on travel, so wanted to share my experience going to the beautiful islands of Palawan.

Get my FREE Google Maps List of all the best Philippines recommendations! Drop your email below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox 💌

1. Safety in Palawan

To be honest, before I left for the Philippines I was hearing mixed thoughts on how safe it is to visit. Firstly, before you go anywhere, I always recommend reading the US Travel Advisory for that country so you are aware of anything going on.

I experienced no safety issues – I visited Palawan as a solo female traveler, and found the people to be very welcoming and friendly. I met a ton of other solo travelers around town and on many of the boat excursions!

Based on my experience, I would recommend Palawan as a solo travel destination – there are so many great ways to meet fellow travelers and socialize. While also feeling safe to walk around and explore on your own!

2. There are no Ubers or Taxis

Instead, there are these trikes you can take to get around the islands:

The trike rides cost about 200 – 300 PHP, depending on how far you are going.

There are also group shuttle busses that are typically used for airport transfers, and boat expeditions to get you down to the boat docks.

I would highly recommend reaching out to your hotel/Airbnb before you land to make sure that they reserve a spot for you on the shuttle bus to pick you up from the airport!

3. Cash is king

You will need a lot of cash (Philippine Pesos) on your trip to the Philippines. Most restaurants, hotels, activities, shops, etc only take cash, and all prefer cash even if they take credit cards.

There are ATMs located all over, and also right at the airport when you land. Make sure you get a ton of cash out of the ATMs!

I actually racked up quite a few ATM fees because I didn’t properly account for what I’d need. I’d recommend either taking out the max each time, or actually figuring out how much money you’ll need for your whole trip and budgeting accordingly.

I would also recommend getting as many small bills as possible – your hotel or convenience stores should be able to help exchange your bigger bills.

A lot of my trike drivers didn’t have change (or weren’t willing to give me change) so I ended up paying a lot more than I should have, just because I didn’t have small enough bills.

4. Tipping is not expected

However, I would recommend adding a small tip for stellar service (50 – 100 Pesos). It goes a long way for the locals.

5. There are no sidewalks

Yep, you heard me! You just sort of walk along the side of the street like this:

This took me a minute to get used to honestly, but you’ll soon realize that everyone else is doing it, so the drivers are used to it!

As a side note, I swear these drivers have the best spatial awareness. I would personally not recommend renting a car here!

6. Pack (and wear) a ton of sunscreen

The sun is so so hot in the Philippines! I was constantly wearing 50+ SPF and STILL got super tan!

Luckily no burn though; major shoutout to my Blue Lizard sunscreen. I put that stuff on religiously twice a day and did not burn once.

I would highly recommend packing and bringing sunscreen from home. Almost everyone who bought their sunscreen in the Philippines burnt – I think they have different standards and people said that the sunscreen they bought there just didn’t work as well.

7. Always wear a life jacket when you're in the water

I wanted to reiterate how important it is to always wear/bring a life jacket when you’re in the water! Regardless of your swim level!

I almost always had my life jacket on, but if I took it off to float or tan, I had it right next to me or hooked on my wrist.

This is something the tour guides started enforcing as a result of a couple really unfortunate incidences, I don’t wanna scare you so you can google the news stories on your own.

8. Bring lots of mosquito bug spray

One of my biggest fears was getting bitten by a mosquito and getting dengue fever on my trip, so I packed a ton of bug spray – specifically this Picaridin Insect Repellent Spray.

I did a lot of research on which bug spray to bring because I normally get eaten alive when the sun starts to set. But I sprayed this stuff on me constantly, and definitely think it worked because I only got a few bug bites and did not get dengue fever!

9. You will never be hungry

Filipino food is pretty dense and they serve you these huge buffets of delicious food on all the tours!

I also heard from a lot of travelers I met, that they think the Philippines is one of the only Southeast Asian countries to “do American food well.” I haven’t been to too much of SEA yet to personally verify this, but did have a burger one day that was really good!

10. You're never going to want to leave

The water in the Philippines was some of the most unbelievably blue waters I’ve ever seen. The people were all so friendly and welcoming and instantly made me feel right at home.

I was actually so sad that I didn’t have more time to explore more of the islands here; the biggest mistake I made was definitely coming here for ONLY a week.

Get my FREE Philippines travel guide! Drop your email below and I’ll send it straight to your inbox 💌

Let me know what surprised you the most the first time you visited the Philippines in the comments below! And be sure to follow me on Instagram for more Philippines travel content.

mariss

The post 10 Things You Need To Know Before Visiting The Philippines first appeared on MLE Travel Diary.