The ONLY Philippines Packing List You Need

So, you are all set to take your next trip to the Philippines. Planning is done. The itinerary is done. Flight tickets and hotel bookings are done. But what about the Philippines packing list? If packing essential things for your trip isn’t as important as planning and ticket booking, then there are higher chances that you will struggle on your vacation. I am pretty sure, you don’t want that to happen! Making a Philippines travel checklist is a way to ensure a hassle-free and indelible vacation time in this tropical paradise. You will be indulging in different sorts of experiences while in the Philippines and for that, you will need different essentials; for a waterfall hike, you will need a pair of comfortable shoes and some insect repellent whereas, for a beach experience in El Nido, you will have to pack flip flops, shorts, and swimsuits for the island hopping.

Thus, to make sure you pack all the right and highly-needed Philippines travel essentials, I have created this post just for you.

Table of Contents

TRAVEL BASICS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Appropriate Dress and Shoes for The Philippines

Just to let you know, a majority of people in the country are Christian. People in the Philippines can be seen in all sorts of clothes. There is no rule dictating one need to cover-up the body. You can expect to see tourists wearing bikinis on the islands or in cut-off shorts. All you just have to make sure that you pack the right clothes for the Philippines trip considering the season weather in which you are visiting the country.

Here are some recommendations in clothing and shoes that you should be carrying with you on your trip to the Philippines.

Visa and Passport Requirement

The government of the country allows travelers from most of the countries to visit the Philippines without a visa for up to 30 days. It is important to know your Philippines visa requirement for your country. Whether you require a visa or not, packing all the required documents along with passport and visa is important. Also, make sure you have your return flight ticket ready beforehand.

Travel Insurance

Being optimistic is a good thing. But let’s be honest, there is still some risk associated with traveling to any destination. Thus, having travel insurance is the most basic as well as the must-have thing to travel to any destination around the world, including the Philippines. You can say it is a permit to travel. We use SafteyWing for all our travel insurance needs. It’s basically like a Netflix account for travel insurance. No long contracts or cancelation fees. You pay month to month and are covered even during extreme sports.

ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ITEMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Travel Luggage

Don’t be amused to see travel luggage on this list of what to bring to the Philippines. You must be wondering that you already have travel luggage. Well, I am talking about travel luggage with smaller sizes for day outings. Why I am saying this is because in the Philippines, most of the time you will be riding tricycles because taxi services are not diverse in the country, especially in smaller towns like Dumaguete and Siquijor. These tricycles have minimal space, hence, small travel luggage will be the perfect option for you to travel with while in the Philippines.

Travel Pillow

No matter from which country you’re visiting the Philippines, the fact is, you will be spending most of your time on the roads or in flights traveling from one place to another like Cebu to Dumaguete. Thus, comes the need for a travel pillow. In the long flights, it helps to get some sleep.

Liberty Water Bottle

You won’t get a water tap everywhere in the Philippines, especially while traveling from one place to another. Having a Liberty water bottle will help you to keep yourself hydrated which is very much important for a traveler. I recommend you pack a water bottle with a built-in filter. Surely, the bottle would be an essential item while hiking, backpacking, and traveling around the country of the Philippines.

ELECTRONICS ESSENTIAL TO PACK IN THE PHILIPPINES

Travel Adapter

Being a digital nomad, it won’t be easy for you to work without a travel adapter in the Philippines. Just to let you know, electricity in the country uses 220 volts of power. To use the electricity to charge your gadgets, you need an adapter that supports 220 volts of power. Since it is an electrical product and you will need it the most on your Philippines vacation, hence, we recommend you to choose a reliable adapter. No matter what, a power adapter has to be on your packing list for the Philippines.

Waterproof Camera and Its Gears

Being a tropical paradise, most of the attractions are underwater, or at least you have to indulge in a water experience to explore particular destinations like Cambugahay Falls. Hence, it is recommended to bring a waterproof camera and its gears to your Philippines trip. GoPro can be a perfect choice for that. However, there are more options in the market. If you have no knowledge about cameras, do some research and then choose one.

Waterproof Cell Phone Case

On this list of what to bring to the Philippines when traveling, the next important thing is a waterproof cell phone case. Along with your camera, your phone is also important. You cannot leave it unattended at any place. It has to be either in your pocket or in a travel bag. Since you will have to indulge in numerous water experiences in the Philippines, the best way to secure your cell phone is by investing in a waterproof cell phone case.

Power Bank

Your phone will be the main source of information on your trip to the Philippines. I expect you don’t want the battery of your phone to be drained out when you need important info from it. Thus, power banks become an important gadget that keeps you alive. I recommend you to travel with at least 2 power banks. Also, consider it to be waterproof or invest in a waterproof case for your power bank.

Earbuds

On the long economical flights, you need a sort of entertainment to make the journey less-hectic and struggling. A set of Bluetooth earbuds are perfect to ensure your entertainment on your long-hour flights. Personally, music also helps me to get some sleep on flights.

Some other electronic items that you should also consider to pack for your tour to the Philippines are:

Extra Memory Card, Spare Camera Batteries, and External Hard Drive

Yes, you can also find these things in the Philippines also. But you never know the quality of it and the price as well. Memory cards often get corrupted while shooting and taking pictures, hence, having an extra memory does nothing but saves you from a big situation. Similarly, having one or two spare camera batteries also ensures continuous shooting of your experience in the Philippines. I recommend packing an external hard drive for the security of the data and also make sure you do not run out of space to store your videos and photos.

ESSENTIAL TOILETRIES TO PACK IN THE PHILIPPINES

Containers For Liquids

When it comes to toiletries, it is hard to choose what to pack for the Philippines. I would recommend you to put all your essential products into small yet leak-proof refillable bottles. You can also consider taking pouches of each essential with you on your trip.

Toiletries

Well, there are plenty of shops and stores in the Philippines selling all sorts of toiletries. However, I would recommend you to buy the basic ones from a store in the Philippines. Whereas, the toiletries that you should look to bring with you are:

Tampons – It’s not necessary, you will find tampons everywhere in the Philippines, especially in small towns.
Body Lotions – Just to let you know, most of the lotions in the Philippines include whitening agents, i,e., bleach.
Sunscreen – Being a beach destination, the sunscreen in the Philippines is pretty expensive. Hence, bring your own.
Dental Floss – Even in large grocery stores, it is difficult to find dental floss in the Philippines.

Some other health and beauty essentials to pack for your Philippines vacation.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS TO PACK IN THE PHILIPPINES

Sunglasses

Keep a pair or two of your eyes protected sunglasses. In the blistering heat, polarized sunglasses will protect your eyes.

Neck Wallet

On your Philippines what to pack list, do not forget to add a neck wallet. It helps prevent pickpocketing and theft. In highly-crowded destinations, it becomes important to safe and secure money and other essential things. Theneck wallet is the perfect accessory to help you secure your phone, passport, cash, and credit cards. To accommodate all these, there are separate pockets.

Window Travel Umbrella

The country of the Philippines remains subjected to heavy rainfall. Hence, to be prepared for sudden heavy rainfall, carry a travel umbrella and backpack rain cover in the Philippines. A good quality travel umbrella can accommodate two people and is also windproof.

Mesh Water Shoes

Surely, you don’t want to regret not bringing a good pair of mesh water shoes. These shoes are not just good for hiking, but you can also indulge in water sports with these shoes.

Swimsuit Cover Up

Surely, you will be taking a swimsuit on your trip to the Philippines and there is no need to mention it. But what I also suggest you bring is a swimsuit cover-up with you. The Philippines is home to numerous pristine beaches and island hopping is also a popular activity in the country, hence, swimsuit cover-up is a major journey essential on your trip to the Philippines. You can just wear it over your swimsuit and walk into a restaurant or cafe.

Travel Towel

Since there are more water encounters in the Philippines, a travel tower becomes an important thing to pack. Though hotels and other accommodations offer towels to their guests, yet I recommend you to bring your own considering the hygiene.

Small First Aid Kit

One of the most important on this what to pack for Philippines list is a first aid kit. Includes all the essential items and medications that could help you patch small wounds, injuries, and immediate treatment. Also, I recommend you to search for how to use a medical kit properly and how to treat minor wounds. Being alone survivor in a different country, you will have to do minor things on your own.

Rain Jacket

For the unpredictable weather in the Philippines, especially the rainfall, it is recommended for you to bring a rain jacket. Do some research on the best rain jackets for travel and then purchase accordingly. However, make sure your jacket includes an adjustable hood to help stay dry.

Packing Cubes

If you want your backpack to be organized then consider having packing cubes. They come in almost every size to accommodate all your belongings from jeans, t-shirts, jackets to socks, underwear, and more. The packing cubes make packing a lot easier and hassle-free.

Activated Charcoal Tablets

The food, air, ambiance, and everything in the Philippines is different from your home country. Travelers often catch common diseases like diarrhea in a new destination by eating street food. Hence, it is better to be safe than sorry in the country of the Philippines by having activated charcoal tablets. Being fast-acting tablets, these tablets remove all the toxins from your system that could upset your stomach.

Money Belt

Instead of a neck wallet, you can also consider packing a hidden money belt. The money belt stays away from the sight and remains hidden beneath your clothing to prevent any sort of pickpockets. The hidden money belt is a must-have thing when enjoying the nightlife of the Philippines.

Now we come to the end of this blog post. These are some of my recommended travel essentials to carry on a trip to the Philippines. While packing your stuff for the trip, I suggest you be very considerate towards your needs and requirements. Also, make sure you cross-check your packing essentials at least twice, if not thrice.

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