December 16th, 2008 
Lyndsay Cabildo
Where are Pinoy Backpackers? I wanted to ask, there are thousands or millions of backpackers travelling all over the world, but Pinoy backpackers, where art thou?…lol…
I think Filipinos aren’t ready for it, most of the time they travel only for a few days, mostly three weeks to spend all their savings to one place and save again for another travel to one place again to this one country. It’s always one at a time for Pinoys (slang for Filipino).
Although I must say, there are advantages of travelling that way…it is more convenient way of travelling, but everything has its downfall, by that it is not knowing much more about the place and culture. Unlike backpackers, they have to get to know better the places, country, people, just by hopping from a place to another(and most likely stay longer). They are on a budget, taking the cheapest guesthouses, eating in the cheapest food places(but good ones), taking the cheapest transport they can get, just to know and explore more about the place.
Why you should you prefer Backpacking, than going on Tour Packages?
Pinoy travellers are quite fuzzy, like a coňo way as they say…it’s always an indicator of status for Pinoys but it shouldn’t be that way…it’s always not that way in the real world. I hope I encourage Pinoys to do backpacking, than arranged tour packages. Why? Simply because most tour packages offered aren’t the best you can get for the price you are paying. By doing it yourself as backpackers, you’ll get the better deals arranging your own.
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i backpacked for 6 months and i didnt meet even a single filipino backpacker, although i met a couple of filipina prostitutes in nepal, some dh in hong kong, teachers in china, singers and dancers in japan and phuket and so on… most filipinos overseas are not travelling, they’re working. there’s a lot of reasons why there are less filipino backpackers compare to other nationalities.
1. economic: it’s hard to travel with the peso since the value is lower than other neighboring currencies. people prioritizes more necessities than travel (which is the fact of life for most filipinos)
2. mindset: the virtual fear that we set to ourselves which i’m not sure if it’s correlated with the colonialism that we’ve been thru affects our decision in just hitting the road. i’m proud to say though that alot of our fellow filipinos are starting to recognize the joys of backpacking…
this is a nice article, i hope you wouldn’t mind me discussing about the same question in my blog. thanks and keep on travelling!!!
Thanks for sharing flipnomad! I am planning to open up a travel agency in the Philippines and I would make sure it would be very affordable for Filipinos. I want to encourage Filipinos to travel the world for the real value and experience other cultures from other countries.
The problem back home (Philippines) is that everything is profit based, consumer rights are not implemented and so most entrepreneurs charge ridiculously overpriced commodities, products, and services. In the end, Filipinos always think they can’t travel because it is beyond their means while the cost of their latest mobile phones can bring them to travel 1 month around Southeast Asia.
Travel market is an over priced stereotype, which leads the future first time travelers to postpone their travels fearing the unknown. I would like to be the tool to help Filipinos experience the world in the price they thought is not possible. I am in the process of canvasing stuff that will make sure that Filipinos will consider.
Thank you again, and I don’t mind you discussing the same thing on your blog but please give my post a credit by linking it in your post! Ciao!
yeah i attached the link to your site
“Travel market is an over priced stereotype, which leads the future first time travelers to postpone their travels fearing the unknown.” yeah… i definitely agree
goodluck on your business venture lindsay
btw, if ever you need a backpacker manager or staff im just here hahaha
enjoy the rest of your day
No worries! I’ll let you know when it is up and going, at the moment, I am on the run for research and gathering business partners to push this cheap travels for Filipino travelers soon be possible!
backpacking isn’t popular in the philippines. i hope one day more and more filipinos will get to see the real world through budget trips. Its hard and sometimes very traumatic, but the essence of backpacking is actually being able to survive a foreign environment with very limited money but with maximum experience. in my past trips around south east asia, i haven’t seen a single filipino backpacking except my friends who sometimes tag along with me.
hi! Nice article. By the way, I’m a Filipino backpacker. I just arrived from a backpacking experience in Cambodia and Vietnam. It also saddens me that there are no backpacker’s place in our country and no backpacker trail. I think we Filipinos are still ignorant about backpacking coz there are no backpackers in our country and mostly there are up market tourists. That’s why when we travel, we think of tours, agencies, hotels, planes. So i’m glad i’m into backpacking now coz i was exposed to backpackrs when i was traveling in europe and here in thailand. I also want to have a travel blog. How can i make one? Do you get paid through blogging?
The pinoy solo back packer are just around, traveling, quietly
like me, I met some of them.
Its true that pinoy solo travelers maybe few because of the nature of our work in the Philippines, unlike others countries they are entitled to 30 days or more vacation from there work.
One time when i was in Taipe, I met an Irish traveler, he ask me how many days is my travel, i said its 4 days, he ask me again, why its so short??? We have to accept that we are just after for a long holiday, if there no long holidays we cannot visit places or even our relatives in the province, because of the travel time eat so much of your time.
Backpacker means a traveler that travels without itinerary for a long period of time on a budget to make the traveling longer. And I don’t think what you have shared will explain why there are only few Pinoy backpackers roaming around, too much limitations created by the society and conditioning. Thanks for sharing Albert!
hi! Nice article. By the way, I’m a Filipino backpacker. I just arrived from a backpacking experience in Cambodia and Vietnam. It also saddens me that there are no backpacker’s place in our country and no backpacker trail. I think we Filipinos are still ignorant about backpacking coz there are no backpackers in our country and mostly there are up market tourists. That’s why when we travel, we think of tours, agencies, hotels, planes. So i’m glad i’m into backpacking now coz i was exposed to backpackrs when i was traveling in europe and here in thailand.
That’s true…so sad to think about it, but since there are more Filipino backpackers coming out, I think we can make some changes one at a time yeah? I’m positive with that.