Philippine Budget-How to Keep Track of a Budget on Trips+A Giveaway

There are so many different types of travelers and traveling styles. There are people who go all out on vacation and do not spare any expense. There are the budget travelers that try to get the most bang for their buck. And there are the backpackers who try to stretch their dollar as far as it will possibly go. There's absolutely no wrong way to travel, it's all simply based on preference and budget.

Without a doubt, Jeremy and I fall into the budget traveler category. We like to enjoy ourselves, will splurge from time to time, and try to overall travel comfortably. But for the most part we try to just get the best deal we can and save as much as we can. We figure that the cheaper we can go, the more we can see, longer we can go for and the more often we can go. Win win right? 

I have talked before how Jeremy and I have somewhat specific roles while traveling. He books everything from hotels to airline tickets, and I plan what we are going to do and keep track of the budget. I can be quite particular about this and actually have a notebook that I always carry with me while traveling. It's to write and document but also to keep track of our spending on a day to day basis. I fill in the sheets of paper like this:

DAY OF THE WEEK

Breakfast:

Lunch:

Dinner:

Snacks:

Entertainment:

Transportation:

Extra:

Then, each time we spend something, I put it in the correct spot. It doesn't take long and it's a great way to keep track of your spending. If we see that we're under our budget for that day, then we know that we have extra money to use towards something else, or do something extra on the trip. 

It's also a great reference for future trips. A lot of our trips recently have been around South East Asia. So if we save our detailed budget from Thailand (which we did) then we can pretty accurately plan our trip to any of the surrounding countries as well. 

So in hopes of helping some people out in their planning and budgeting process, I've decided to post our spending for each trip. Obviously from what we spend, you could easily spend a lot more or a lot less depending on your personal preference. Also, it's safe to say that depending on your starting point, plane tickets are going to fluctuate a lot. However, once you make it to South East Asia, you can stay pretty cheaply. 

Here was our total spending for our three day/three night trip to Moalboal, Philippines. The numbers include the price for both my husband and I. 

*I just had to share the $1 bike repair in the budget because I'm still in shock at just how inexpensive things are there!

Was this helpful for anyone? Would you like to see more of these?

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This giveaway is loong overdue! As promised, I have something to giveaway from a trip we took. And even though we had a short three days in the Philippines back in June, I still managed to find something to bring back and giveaway at the last minute!

On our two hour drive from where we staying in Moalboal, back to the airport, in Cebu City, we came across this small handicraft market. The owner has a small operation where she makes bags, placemats, baskets, hats and more all by hand. She told us that she actually produces some baskets that are bought by a company in Cebu City and then exported to Targets in the states. So if you ever see any of these baskets, please let me know! I quickly spotted this handwoven purse with wooden handles and thought that it would be a fun addition to any wardrobe. 

Enter below for your chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules

1. Open internationally. 

2. Winner’s entry validity will be verified by me and if an entry proves to be invalid, you will be disqualified.

3. Giveaway ends on the  14^th of September at 12:00 AM EST. Winner will be contacted by email no later than the 17^th of August. Winner has 48 hours to respond, if the winner does not respond, a new winner will be picked.

4. Please note that Lost in Travels Blog is responsible for the payment and shipment of won items but not responsible for any packages lost in transit. 

Swimming With the Whale Sharks VIDEO!

This has to be my favorite videos that Jeremy has made (well besides our wedding video obviously). Swimming with whale sharks was one of the most unique and exciting travel experiences I have ever had and the fact that we have it all on video makes it even better (even if I do make weird expressions when I'm under water). If you want to read more about it, click here.

Swimming with GIANTS from Lost.in.Travels on Vimeo.

Oh and I've received several questions through comments and emails about what equipment we use for our underwater shots and what was used for our rappelling video. We use a Go Pro Hero 2 (which has now been replaced by the Go Pro Hero 3 on their website) which is a great addition to any travel equipment and we have loved using it on our trips. We mostly use it for video but it has great photo capabilities as well. We also have a few add ons to it which enhance our capabilities even further. We use a dive housing which allows us to take it under water to depths of 60 meters. We also use the head strap mount and the Xshot camera extender which is an extending pole for wide angle shots or self portraits. I hope this helps and that you'll give it a shot! You won't regret it!

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And now onto one of my lovely sponsors this month. Be sure to check her out and say hi!

About Belinda: Greetings lovely little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the girl behind the blog Found Love, Now What?, where I write about love and life and following your heart all while fueled with lots and lots of coffee.  Oh, and did I mention that I live in Wales? Moving there to be with my new British husband after being in a long distance relationship of 5,000 miles? {Sometimes I blog about that too!} I hope you can hop on over, grab a cup of coffee and introduce yourself. I'd love to meet you!

Her best traveling advice: I think my best tip for traveling would have to be to step away from the throngs of tourists.  Sure when you are in Paris you want to see the Louvre or the Seine, but walk off the beaten path a bit and experience the city as locals do.  Sit in a a cafe.  People watch.  Eat crepes with Nutella {yum!}.  Enjoy just being present, not always scrambling for a map or a metro or a museum pass, just be there.

Where to start exploring

4 Things I Did to Grow & Change My Blog

Moments of a Romantic Comedy Movie

Where to follow along

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Philippine Waterfall Rappelling Video

Remember how we went to the Philippines in June? And you know how good bloggers usually get all of their posts about a vacation done in a timely manner? Well that's not me. But I'm ok with that because that just means that I get to reminisce about old vacations for a very.long.time. Jeremy has been working like crazy to get the videos from the vacation done and I always love how they turn out. Yes, it's great to look through pictures, but there is something about having a video from your vacation that captures more of the feeling of the destination. Below is our adventures in waterfall rappelling. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Waterfall Repelling from Lost.in.Travels on Vimeo.

The next video that he's working on is the whale sharks! Stay tuned!

Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Molly

Whale Sharks, the Big Friendly Giants

I was always told that seeing a whale shark in the water with you will leave you awe struck and speechless. If you know me in real life, then you know that there are very few times that I am speechless, much to hubs disappointment (especially when he's trying to sleep). 

We made great time on our road trip and arrived in Oslob by around 9:30. As soon as you reach the small town, you're bombarded with signs leading to businesses that will take you out to see the whale sharks. I admit that it was a huge tourist trap but sometimes you just have to suck it up, put on your 'I love Cebu' T-shirt and fanny pack and join the other tourists in order to see one of the most amazing things I have ever laid my eyes on.

We first had to sit through a five minute safety and informational speech. They explained to us that each day they send boats out that throw small fish into the water to attract the whale sharks. This is yes, for the purpose of tourism, but also so scientists in the area can come tag them, study their behavior and hopefully use this information to protect them in the future. Around 12 o'clock, the feeding stops so the whale sharks will go back into the wilderness and hunt on their own, therefore discouraging dependency on the program.

They also explained (with diagrams I might add) that we must at all times stay at least four meters away from the whale sharks. If we did not adhere to this law we were warned that we could either be fined (about $50) or sent to jail for a few weeks. No problem we thought. Don't touch...got it. We had no idea just how difficult that would be until we got in the water with them. We headed away from the information tent and towards the water. As soon as we stepped foot on the beach, we could see fins stretching out of the water and towards the sky, along with massive shadows lurking beneath the surface. 

Technically a shark but getting the name because it's as big as some whales; these giants can get up to almost 12 meters (41.5 ft) long and can weigh more than 47,000 tons. Their mouth alone can reach up to 5 feet in length! But don't worry, they're filter feeders, eating only small fish, plankton and krill. The largest we saw that day was over 9 meters (29.5 feet) long.

We hopped in one of the small narrow boats that littered the water front, filled with people anxious for a glimpse of the infamous giants. We prepped inside the boat and donned our mask and fins as quickly as we could so we wouldn't waste a minute of our allotted 35 minutes in the water. Once we ducked under the water we knew what people meant when they said we would be in awe. We did not see just one whale shark, but nine gliding through the crystal clear waters, taking turns it seemed, to surface and gulp down the tiny fish the boats were pouring into the waters. 

As I was hanging onto the boat, readjusting my goggles, my feet dangling in the water, I felt a sudden jolt under my feet. Shocked and curious, I put my head down in the water and saw one of the massive beings swimming just inches under me. It had quite literally ran into me. See what I mean about it being difficult to stay far away? Panicked, I looked up to my tour guide to see if he had caught what had just happened. He let out a small chuckle and told me not to worry, it happened all the time. All they want is food and many times they pay no attention to the dozens of swimmers in the water around them. There were even times when I looked over at hubs and had to hurriedly motion for him to move out of the way because one of the whale sharks, mouth wide open, was just inches behind him, heading his way.

After spending every last moment we could in the water, we headed back for shore, not being able to wipe the childish grins off of our faces. On the way back home, the rain caught up with us as we rode the last hour in the pouring rain. Soaked to the bone as we arrived back at our hotel, smiles still plastered on our faces, the staff questioned us about how it went. It was the perfect ending to the perfect weekend getaway.

Have you ever or would you ever swim freely with this mammoth of a fish?

Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Molly

On the Road to Whale Sharks

We got a flat tire. In the middle of no where. In a third world country. Most people would panic and trust me, I had my times that I wanted to, but thank goodness the people in the Philippines are some of the nicest I've ever met. Oh! And most speak perfect English. I'm pretty sure my 'almost' freak out would have most definitely turned into a full blown freak out if we were in a country where we didn't speak the same language. Just another one of those times that are truly unpredictable in traveling and you have no option but to sit back, laugh, and wait as your tire gets fixed.

So first things first. Let's start from the beginning. We woke up at the crack of dawn...ok, it was more like 6am but I'm pretty sure on vacation that can be considered before the crack of dawn. We woke up to the sound of pouring down rain on our little bungalow and immediately felt our hearts sink. Our plan for the day was to take our rented motorbike on the two hour trip to the town of Oslob where whale sharks can be seen daily. 

We would have been just fine waiting until the rain passed but the whale sharks usually leave the area around 11am. We were on a deadline. We were told that if we didn't leave by 7am there was a chance we wouldn't make it in time. As we looked out the window at the rain clouds that surrounded our hotel, we knew that it was now or never. 

We gathered enough determination and decided that despite the rain, we would head out anyway, through the pouring rain and onto the whale sharks. Might I add that this is probably making it seem like we were a whole lot more upbeat than we were. I believe our exact words were along the lines of 'screw the rain, let's go see the whale sharks'. 

Thankfully by the time we headed out at 7, the rain had cleared up. We went about twenty minutes out of Moalboal and were making our way through the countryside, dotted with modest wooden and concrete homes. I remember thinking how amazing this was and even with the rain, everything was working out perfectly. Tip: don't ever think that because the minute you do, your motorbike will begin to swerve and slow down and you will find out you have a very.flat.tire. At least that's what happened to us.

We rolled to a stop in front of a large wooden box of a house. No windows, no lights inside, this is what was common to see in the countryside of the Philippines. A friendly couple inside must have seen us and directed that there was a bike shop about a kilometer down the road. Well since the bike wouldn't drive, especially with two people on it, I hopped off and told hubs to go on ahead and I would catch up on foot. I know, I should have been more worried and hubs gave me several nervous looks before I finally convinced him and he slowly rode off. But it's hard to be worried or nervous when every person I encountered is so genuinely nice. I had several people stopping what they were doing to say hello and ask me if I was ok. Once I told them I got a flat tire, they nodded knowingly and pointed down the road. They must have seen hubs pass by just minutes before. When I finally arrived at the infamous bike shop, I saw five guys huddled around our bike staring at the gaping hole in the tube. Finally, the owner of the shop nodded his head and told us no problem, he'll have it fixed shortly.

I was relieved but apprehensive as I watched our mechanic use technics that haven't been seen in the states in decades if not longer. When he finally finished, and went to fill the tube with air, we were met with another disappointment. That hole was fixed, but there were five more that he hadn't seen before. He shook his head and set it down. We would have to go to the next town over and buy a new tire. By now I was getting really anxious as it was nearing eight o'clock and we had hardly begun our two hour journey. Hubs jumped on the back of a workers motorbike and I sat at the shop playing an unofficial game of peek-a-boo with the shy little girls in the shop next door. As one point, I prayed 'Why don't you want us to see the whale sharks God?!' It seemed like the trip just wan't going to work out. After checking at two different stores, hubs finally found the last tube available and returned looking triumphant. Things were finally starting to turn around. He quickly installed the new tube but the most important question was still to be answered. How much? We were obviously tourist and in a country that blatantly posts two different prices for locals and tourists, we were expecting the worst. 

The owner looked down, thinking of what to tell us, then talked with his shop mates to confirm. The total cost for his labor? 50 pesos or $1.25. As a traveler and tourist, these are the times when you double or triple the asking price without question. The total bill for labor, a new tube and paying the young man who drove to get the new tube was 280 pesos or $6.50.

In our short time in the Philippines, I was amazed not only by the prices, not only by the genuine friendliness that you encounter, but also by the simple way of life. It's a humbling experience to see how others live and to see a young man's face light up when you give him the equivalence of a dollar for driving you a short distance. It is these experiences and realizations that I cherish from our trips abroad.
Linking up with Rolled Up Pretty and Shanna 

Rushing Water and Lines of Rope

I never thought that I would be able to mark 'repel down waterfalls' off my bucket list. Then again, it was never on my bucket list to begin with. But leave it to hubs to find a new activity that I have never heard of and make me fall in love with it. 

When we arrived in the Philippines, hubs only had one thing planned and that was repelling...down waterfalls. The gist of it was that we took about an hour ride in the beast, hiked for 45 up the side of a mountain and then hiked/repelled down waterfalls on the Montaneza River until we reached the bottom. We repelled down a total of five waterfalls, the largest of them being 30 meters. 

The walk up the mountain was a little less than enjoyable. The views were fantastic, the company was great, but walking uphill for 45 minutes in what my guess was 100% humidity was not my idea of fun.

With it being low season right now in the Philippines, we were actually the only two that had signed up for the trip. This was great because we not only could we go at our own pace, but we got to know our guides a whole lot better. 

This was just one of the many 'iffy' walking paths that we had to take. Good thing we had helmets on!

After we were finished, we ended back where we had started and the driver had prepared a feast of a  meal including fruit, barbecue chicken and fish, rice wrapped in bamboo and and my favorite, shandies. I tried to get hubs to stay behind so he could learn how to cook but it was a no go. 

I couldn't get over the landscape in the Philippines. Everything was lush and green when we went and the areas around the river were astounding. I would highly recommend if you ever make it over to the Philippines, find a spot to go repelling! 

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About Belinda: Hello lovely little jelly beans! My name is Belinda and I am the writer behind the creative space of Found Love, Now What? I moved from Seattle to Northern Wales all to be with my British husband. I write on travels throughout the UK and beyond, life as an expat, advice on long distance relationships and more. Hop on over and say hello. I look forward to meeting you!

Her Favorite Trip: That is a tough question Chelsea! Hmm.... of all the places I have seen and visited I would have to say that one spot that would make my short list would have to be Istanbul. I loved the combination of the different elements of history, design, colors and cultures. I was mesmerized. I hope the dissent in Istanbul is resolved soon so the city can welcome visitors back with open arms.

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Linking up with  Carissa, Rachel, Logan, Leann, Molly

The Simple Life

I'll be the first to admit that the Philippines was not high on my travel bucket list. I've heard great things about their beaches but with us being more of the 'go go go' type of travelers, beaches alone didn't draw me in. With the Philippines being just a short four hour flight from Korea and with tickets as low as $150 per person, it's the perfect getaway for a long, or even in our case, a short relaxing getaway. 

We stayed at the Tipolo Beach Resort in Moalboal, about  two hour drive south of Cebu City. While I admit, it's nothing luxurious with basic rooms including a bed, wardrobe, mini fridge and nothing else, the genuinely friendly staff and ocean views far made up for it. 

The hotel has a total of eight rooms, three of which offer prime ocean views. But don't worry, they are all close enough to the water that you can fall asleep to the sound of the tide breaking against the shore. And that alone is worth the four hour plane ride. 

I can't speak highly enough about the staff here. They go out of their way to help you and to make sure that your trip is everything you hoped it would be. Many times we sat around chatting with the staff after eating or while we sat by the ocean. This is part of the reason I love staying at smaller accommodations. You have the chance to get to know the staff, their lives and more about their culture. 

They also had absolutely amazing food! (that's the most important part right?) Breakfast, lunch and dinner, residents from other resorts walk over to try their food. Wood-brick oven pizzas, mango smoothies and....well we stuck with that because once you find a good thing you should stick with it right? The staff also introduced me to a new drink. This probably isn't new to anyone else but the concept of mixing beer and Sprite blew my mind. Finally, a beer drink that I can get behind!

As a part of the hotel, they also have a side business, Planet Action Adventures. You can sign up through the hotel to go on day excursions like repelling down waterfalls (what we picked), river climbing (what we want to do next time), horseback riding, mountain biking, and city tours. Below is a picture of the beast that took us to the waterfall location, custom built by the hotel workers. 

On our last day, we called a 'tricycle' to come pick us up and take us to the taxi stop. These are extremely popular here and both tourists and locals alike use them. Pretty much a small cab attached to a motorbike or bicycle. A great and cheap way to get around. 

Some of these tricycles serve as food vendors. My favorite by far were the ones that served up fresh pastries. You could see locals carrying around huge bags of these and at only 5pesos(12cents) each (seriously guys...12 cents for fresh pastries. My jaw literally dropped when I converted it), I was stocking up too!

Stay tuned next week when I highlight repelling down waterfalls and our motorbike road trip through the pouring rain!

Linking up with Lisette