The Philippines is easy to love and easy to underestimate. It is one of the friendliest countries in Asia, almost everyone speaks English, and yet ferries get cancelled, ATMs run dry and islands run on their own clock. This guide covers the practical side so your trip runs smoothly.
Visas and entry
Citizens of Poland, the EU and most Western countries get 30 days visa-free on arrival. Two conditions: a passport valid at least 6 months beyond arrival and a return or onward ticket - airlines do check before boarding. Staying longer is easy: extensions are handled at Bureau of Immigration (BI) offices in every major city, first to 59 days, then in further increments up to many months. Fill in the eTravel registration online before your flight.
Seasons and typhoons
Expect 28-34 degrees Celsius all year. The dry season (amihan) runs roughly November to May and is the best time for island hopping. The wet season (habagat), June to November, brings afternoon downpours and typhoons. A typhoon does not have to hit you to ruin plans - coastguards suspend ferries over a wide area whenever one passes. During those months, follow PAGASA, the national weather agency, and build a buffer day before any international flight.
Money: cash is king
The currency is the Philippine peso (PHP); as a rough anchor, 100 PHP is about 1.7-1.8 USD. Cards work in malls and city hotels, but on the islands cash rules - homestays, boat tours, tricycles and beach shacks are cash-only. ATMs dispense a maximum of 10,000-20,000 PHP per withdrawal and most charge foreign cards around 250 PHP per transaction, so withdraw the maximum each time and always have a reserve before heading to a smaller island, where machines can be empty or absent.
Getting around
- Grab - the ride-hailing app that works in Manila and Cebu. Fixed prices, no haggling; use it from the airport.
- Jeepney - the iconic ex-military jeep turned minibus. Fares from about 13-15 PHP; say 'para po' to stop, pass coins forward through other passengers.
- Tricycle - a motorbike with a sidecar, the taxi of small towns. Agree the price before you get in; short hops cost 20-150 PHP depending on the island.
- Habal-habal - a motorbike taxi for rough roads and mountain villages. Cheap, fast, helmet optional in practice - insist on one.
SIM cards, power and health
Buy a Globe or Smart tourist SIM or eSIM at the airport - packages with generous data are cheap, though speeds on remote islands can crawl. Power is 220 V with type A sockets (flat American pins), so most Europeans need a simple adapter. Drink bottled or filtered water only, use mosquito repellent morning and evening (dengue exists in cities too), respect the sun, and carry travel insurance that covers medical evacuation - on a remote island the nearest real hospital may be a flight away.
Culture and safety
Two words open every door: 'salamat po' - thank you with the polite particle 'po'. Add a smile and you will get one back everywhere. Be ready for 'Filipino time': boats leave when full, offices move slowly, frustration achieves nothing. Karaoke is sacred - if handed the microphone, sing, badly is fine. Safety-wise the tourist Philippines is friendly and welcoming; use normal big-city common sense in Manila, watch your phone in crowds, and avoid western Mindanao, which most foreign ministries advise against. The rest of the archipelago will mostly try to feed you and ask for a selfie.