TRAVEL | Airport Lessons (Some Tips to Remember)

Airport Lessons (Some Tips to Remember)

Bored waiting for my VISA to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; I decided to buy a plane ticket going to Bohol. I've heard a lot of good things about this province but I never really had a chance to visit and experience the place. Well I had plenty of time so it was a go, go, go for me.

Cebu Pacific. One of the cheapest carriers in the Philippines.

I can vouch that this was my very first attempt to travel the Philippines on my own. Kinda risky but the experience was just thrilling and I learned so many life lessons along the way. I hope that my observations help people (like me) to get the most out of traveling.


AIRPORT LESSON 1: ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT 3 HOURS EARLIER
(And this is not an exaggeration)

Traffic jam in the Philippines is horrible and that's one fact of life that we Filipinos have to contend with. Sometimes it really puzzles me why up to now, the problem with roads have not yet been given proper attention and action.

Case in point, the government could or should I say SHOULD connect the airports to the main city through the subway just like what I saw from Korea and China. That way, tourists and travelers won't have to suffer the terrible traffic and rude taxi drivers once they enter Philippine grounds. So simple and yet the government can't do it!

So even if you leave your house 3 hours before the flight and you get yourself lucky to get caught up in a bottleneck then I'm sure you'll arrive at your destination LATE! So better five (5) hours before the departure.

But here's the bomb- I arrived at the airport one hour before my boarding and boy, were there so many passengers! What I don't understand is why the counter people are so slow checking in the luggage of the passengers. It's either they are just too slow or the system in the computer was designed to make people want to bring stool or even bed.


AIRPORT LESSON 2. When buying tickets at Cebu Pacific, make sure that you get the "with baggage" if you have something which you can deposit rather than hand carry them.

Certain liquid products can be confiscated at the security check. My VASELINE LOTION (SPF 30) was taken from my hand carry when I could have placed that in my deposit luggage. So if you don't want to spend extra on brand new lotions or perfumes, it's better to DEPOSIT.


AIRPORT LESSON 3. NO to EXCESS baggage.

If you're really keen on saving and budget traveling, then make sure that you abide by the air carrier's luggage weight rules. Otherwise, it's gonna be so painful in your wallet.

The Philippine air terminals have this crazy excess baggage fees that would surely blow your head up if you find yourself going above the weight limit.


AIRPORT LESSON 4. NEVER accept or try to help anybody asking for assistance in an airport (ESPECIALLY in the Philippines).

Fifteen (15) minutes before my departure and I was still in line. A staff started yelling "LAST CALL FOR TAGBILARAN" and I started to panic. I immediately followed the staff and prioritized us bound for Tagbilaran. A lady in front of me talked me into checking in together our luggage so she won't have to pay extra.

Good thing the counter girl didn't allow the baggage to come together. In the end, it was only my 7 kilo baggage that was checked in. 

Note: In the Philippines, drug mules are abundant and they'll do anything to get their illegal things go across the country. So never ever trust anybody from the airport.