July 13, 2014
Expect Something Big: Travel Around the Philippines With Locals
Philippines is such a beautiful country. Many people from different parts of the world look forward to visiting the Philippines while those who have already experienced travelling in the country’s top tourist destinations would definitely love to come back. According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), around 4.68 million foreigners visited the country in 2013 which showed a 9.56% increase in foreign visitors arrival. The increase can be attributed to the various tourism campaigns launched by the DOT. The latest successful campaign launched by the DOT was “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” which invites travelers around the world to explore the beauty of the country.
There are many fun things that one can do in the Philippines. One can enjoy extreme watersports or epic parties at Boracay Island. One can also choose to be one with nature by visiting Coron and exploring its natural beauty. A tourist can also go to Baguio city and see the old playground of the Americans in the 1900’s. Ilocos Norte can also be a visitor’s favorite for this province showcases the rich Filipino culture. The Enchanted River and Tinuy-an Falls in Surigao are perfect for a traveler who just wants to appreciate what nature has to offer. Indeed, it’s more fun in the Philippines!
And I believe that it’s even “most” fun if tourists get to travel with locals! With this set-up, a foreigner can get acquainted with a local Filipino who knows everything about a specific city, municipality or barrio in the Philippines. The local can introduce the foreigner to the country’s rich culture, tradition and practices. To give you a clearer picture, allow me to introduce to you WithLocals.com.
What is Withlocals?
The Withlocals website is a marketplace connecting travelers from every corner of the world with locals in Asia offering unique travel experiences and home dining opportunities. The experiences at Withlocals are sorted out in three categories namely: EAT, TOUR and ACTIVITIES WithLocals.
Philippines, get ready! Withlocals is launching in The Philippines.
The Withlocals website launched first in South East Asia with experiences offered in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Now, they will be launching in the the Philippines. This is the best way to connect travelers from around the world to the hospitable hosts (locals) of the country.
Now, they are inviting everyone to become a registered host. If you are from the Philippines, you can sign up by following these steps:
Step 1: Fill in the host details
The interested individual should give the full details about the tour, activity or home dining experience that he or she wants to offer. All these will appear in the website which the travelers can check upon making their bookings. Withlocals reminds everyone to be honest in all the information to be provided by the host.
Step 2: Get visited by the ambassador
Upon submission of your details, the Withlocals team will look over it. All you need to do is to wait for the call from the ambassador and the schedule for the visit. During this visit, photos will be taken to be uploaded on the site.
Step 3: Receive bookings
The nice thing about Withlocals is that the host has the choice to accept a booking or not. At the same time, all bookings can be easily managed through Withlocal’s website and online calendar. All the bookings will be made through the profile created via Withlocal.
Make new friends, earn money and offer local experiences! Sign up to become a Withlocals host and share a meal, a tour or an activity.
If you need more information about Withlocals, you can visit their site at http://www.withlocals.com. You can also like them on Facebook at fb.com/withlocals or follow them on Twitter and Instagram at @withlocals.
Another travel org who could help our economy and in tourism, Withlocals.
I see that there are more and more of this kind now being available. Travelers should watch out. I would like to try Withlocal soon.
Wow! this is something my bunso Marie clara should avail. Mahilig mag-promote ng Pinas yun.
Traveling with locals gives you a better understanding of their culture as well as their cuisines and traditions.
Withlocals seems like a nice and experiential way of discovering the Philippines.
I might try this soon! Thanks for the infos!
Nice idea! It's just like Couch Surfing! It's about time that we should introduce our city to the foreigners on how wonderful our place is. 🙂
I can say that this is one big step for the Philippines to elevate the tourism of the country. I would be more than willing to host, but I am not there. Maybe soon.
bookmarked this one already. never tried out yet so i'm excited for my first.
This is a great alternative to the usual style of travelling we are used to! I am very interested to try this! 😀
I'm sure more travelers will be encouraged to come to the Philippines through Withlocals.
This will definitely give a huge boost to the tourism industry in the Philippines and give locals the change to have their best places and food featured. 🙂