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wow huh??..for the first time??..don't worry..people here are harmless..just make sure always be careful..b'coz foreign people like you is an apple of the eye for notorious person here..i think you knew that already that's why you're asking for it..

because i want to hear the voices of foreign men staying in Philippines now a day. Lot of my friends worry about me,,,saying its not good for a foreign man to travel alone in a third world country like Philippines. I Love my fiancee so much and i want to be with her

Hi Drew, Belgian guy living in Philippines here

When you travel, do it in daylight. If you have to go out when it's dark, best before 9.30 pm. Public transpo is safe, but again, better not risk it after 9.30 pm they are harmless in general indeed, but in general, there are a lot of poor people on the street. Being a foreigner is for some like a dollar sign. Even for Filipinos dressed nicely (like my wife) it can be dangerous at night.

I have to say, I haven't encountered anything myself and I walked home from work many times past 11pm. Makati is not that bad I feel safe enough here close to the business area.

Just as probably in Louisiana, drunk people are not always predictable.

Try not to worry, pay attention to your surroundings and try to go out with a Filipino as much as possible

Hi Drew
I live in QC for 12mths, but never went out at nite,just have ur GF pick u up in airport, she will know what taxi to catch, let her do all transactions, as I still do living in Naga City.
Pete

Drew Lyn wrote:

I'm from Louisiana and i will be in Quezon City, Philippines for 2 weeks to visit my Filipina fiancee for the first time. My Question is .. is it safe to travel alone there?

What they say is true..... generally speaking, almost everyone can speak in english,
all road signs are in english,
all establishments,and staff do transactions mostly in english.. even newspapers..

i suggest don't bring too much cash on hand, just ask your girl friend how much is enough for a day of going out. Most establishments accept credit cards/visa/mastercard for (POS) Point of sales shopping..

im saying all of these if you are in the city....

but if you're going outside the city, bring cash.... because the beautiful sites are mostly in the provinces with less (but not zero) access to atm machines.

Makati is a business district, so it is relatively safe compared to other areas, and with a relatively good local government, so to speak.

OTHERWISE, enjoy your vacation, I bet you might even want to stay, because its more fun in the philippines! LOL

a piece of advice; spend wisely, you dont want some people thinking that you have a money-mill in Loiusiana.. let people know that you work for anything you've got.

be nice.... enjoy! and dont drink too much..... hahaha

no problem , u can go anywhere any time dont be afraid, but avoid to carry valuables ie..

Pedro1986, blueoakey, j.echo, krishn :

thanks guys!
I appreciate it

You have to be very careful... call your fiancee to fetch you to the airport for your safety..take an extra precautions when it comes to your passport and monetary...always bring it with you anywhere you go..put an extra purse in secret part of the body..ok..

just let your gf guide you. you'll be alright.

I have used the public transport,like jeepney and trycycle a lot.In Bohol,Cebu and Manila area.Also walked alone and have not had any problems as yet.However you must beware of pickpockets as a friend and i were on jeepney near the river by terminal 4 and they manage to get 2500peso out of her bag.There is a gang called Lag Lag Barya Gang.It means Dropping Coins gang.And that is exactly what happened,one guy dropped some coins in the jeepney and she bent down to pick them up for him.After getting out she found the money gone.So be warned.I also do not go out at night on my own.

Drew Lyn wrote:

I'm from Louisiana, USA and i will be in Quezon City, Philippines for 2 weeks to visit my Filipina fiancee. My Question is .. is it safe to travel alone there?

Totally safe to travel alone here in the Philippines. Just need to be smart and cautious. Generally, people are really nice and helpful. There are just some places that is quite chaotic so like what I've said just be cautious. Some people will take advantage of you coz' you're a foreigner like when you're riding a cab. just be wise. Have a great vaca!

Hi there, your fiancee must take care of you while you are here in the Philippines. As a foreigner, it is always best to travel with a trusted companion.

The best thing to do are, be look normal and smart, be alert in any places you go, be with someone you trust, don't wear to much shiny things on your body or any branded that could easily atract snatchers, always put your wallet in front pocket to avoid pick pockets, avoid going in dark places not unless you needed to . anyway bro wherever you go theres always bad people if you are careless. goodluck.

wish I could see who RECOMMENDED my post so I could thank her/him, thanks anyway.

Thank you guys for all the information.
Hopefully I will be there next year for 18 days.

So if your GF is in QC, I would recommend staying in Makati as QC can be chaotic and not that many tourists. A taxi should be less than p200 ($5.00) but traffic can be bad but since your on a vacation, can plan around it.

There are plenty of cheap places to stay around Burgos Street, which is a red light area but also has a lot of good restaurants and sports bars that are fine. A lot of expats (Canadians, Americans and Aussies) hang out at Handlebar on Polaris Street, can Google it.  Its a good place to meet up with your gf as they dont allow prostitutes to walk in and has decent food at reasonable prices. Dont go all local on your first trip here as your stomach needs to get adjusted and you wont do that in 18 days, so eat western or you may be on the toilet a lot.

BTW, I grew up in Arkansas and have been in the Phils for almost 3 years.

Hi Mr. Dhnindc, you must be a businessman....anyway becareful out their rain and floods are still unpredictable....... goodluck.

Hi,

Yes it is very safe going here in Manila, though its actually bigger than what you expect, since its your first time to come here, I suggest that you check already in google map for places your going to, if coming from the airport then your starting point would be in PARANAQUE CITY.

If riding cabs, be wary of taxis here, make sure you pretend its not your first time here, or they'll take you to route that would take longer and consume much of the meter.

Hope you'll get to your destination safely.

Your right Shid.buldiman, stay smart and be alert. Chose the cub that is registered from the airport not the "colorum" or private cub in order to ignore hoax.

Like any other country, there are places not for tourist. With global city & Makati business district... you can walk 2 in the morning without fear.

The most common bad thing that can happen to a tourist here is being pick pocket or scammed which exist almost anywhere in the world.

Just use your precautions same way you do in your country.

Hi,
On my visits to Philippines I have found that it's best if you look "ordinary", avoid flashy clothing, don't wear jewellery, have a basic mobile phone (not expensive one), keep a minimum of cash on you and keep it in a concealed wallet in front of you. Just be vigilant at all times. Travel with a trusted local. Good luck have a safe trip.

For those who are visiting for the 1st time to the philippines and meeting the love of their life for the first time as well (ie met on the Internet), well, make your own lodging and transfer. Dont be too reliant on her for picking you and and staying with her family in the provinces to save money, time, etc.   Some of these first meetups could turn out to be scams.

This answer is probably moot by now for the original poster. But for all those who have the same question:

It is not safe to travel alone to any place you are not familiar with. It's better to travel with a buddy, or be picked up from the airport or station by your contact.

You should always travel around the city with your fiancee / friend / contact. Create a game plan as to where you're going, places to visit, etc.

I'm from Quezon City. I've toured family and friends from abroad. If I were your fiancee, what I would do is first pick you up from the airport. It would be using my or my family's car. If I don't own one, I'd hire / lease a car service to pick you up, and also hire them up to the entire length of your stay. I would never meet up with you from the airport and I would never hail any cab from the airport to get to where we're going.

I'd then bring you home to my family's house. If I, or you, think that my family's house is not really secure (which in real life is in a gated village, with cctv and guard dogs and several lock systems), like say my family lives in a not-so-desirable part of the city, I might have you check in at a reputable hotel.

If you plan to give me or my family large or a lot of gifts as baggage, I would advise you just not to bother. It happens, but very rarely, that vehicles with a lot of baggage are followed from the airport and held up by robbers. If you insist on giving gifts, I'd tell you that it's better to just send them separately via "balikbayan" box, and not with your baggage.

We would never walk out the streets at night. Foreigners are an eyesore for pickpockets, thieves, criminals. (Every time I'm out and about with my American family, I and my husband are always alert, because he and the kids attract too much attention. After we exit a mall at night, we're always observant on our way to our car.) I would give you a cheap pre-paid load cellphone, and make sure that it always has load / prepaid text or minutes.

I would tell you to dress simply, regular street clothes. And I would also dress in street clothes too. Sometimes the Filipina girlfriend forgets that she too could catch attention. If she's wearing lots of jewelry or fancy or sexy or designer clothes, she becomes visible, and thieves would think she's well-financed by the rich foreigner boyfriend, and that she's coached her rich boyfriend to dress simply.

fam   -way over the top

I would suggest that you book hotel and ask if they provide airport pick-up. That will be more safer for you. You can ask her to meet you in hotel, rather than she bring you somewhere you're not familiar yet.

Goodluck!

its ok, but travel in the day and take a taxi. Note - with the taxis, make sure they turn the meter on straight away and lock the doors. Though that might sound worrying, you will find most people are more curious of you than anything. Like any country there is always a small percentage of crime, its just a matter of being aware and avoiding certain areas.