Will this be a good or bad experience for me?

Question

I want to go to the Phillipines for about a month but I'm only 18 and want to go by myself.. what are the people like in general? what are the girls like? what is the food like? I'm a white male from UK.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Be prepared for the culture shock. European culture is very different from Philippine culture. Whether or not your stay in the Philippines will be a good/bad experience depends on a lot of things like: how open-minded you are, how adaptable you are to a foreign country/situation/culture, the way you perceive and are perceived by the people you meet, which places you choose to visit and how you choose to get there, the resources at your disposal (money, language skills, maps, street smarts, etc.) and outside factors (accidents, calamities, etc.)

Filipinos are known for being very hospitable, but of course that generalization doesn`t apply to everyone. There are many genuinely helpful people, and there are also some slick con artists. My advice would be to trust your gut and stay aware of your surroundings, as you would in any unfamiliar setting.

The girls are usually very shy, conservative, family-oriented and Catholic. Be approachable and don`t be afraid to make the first move, because chances are, they won`t. Again, there are Filipino girls who do not fit that description at all, but that is the general statement.

The food is "exotic" and whether or not that is a good thing depends on your personal taste. Being vegan in the Philippines will be difficult, I think, as a lot of Philippine dishes contain meat of some kind. Rice is big in the Philippines. Whether or not you like it, you`ll see it everywhere.

I think it would be useful to have a friend who can show you around the place and just give you some general insight about the area (hot spots, bargain buys, places to avoid, etc.), but going by yourself is exciting too. Bon voyage!

Source(s):

Born and raised in the Philippines

Answer 2

Haven't been myself but you must try some local food, like Balut!

Answer 3

NEITHER OF BOTH. It solely depends on your own initiative or move whether it is going to be good or bad experience for you. If you want to go to the Philippines make a feedback from friends or acquaintances that went over there in the Philippines what kind of experience they had or had been with Filipinos or a certain situation. So that you can some how equip yourself with the same explanation once you go over there in the Philippines. I am a Filipino. So I know the Philippines like the back of my hands. I grow up in a suburbs near Manila. If I tell you my own experience with my own countrymen you will think otherwise or probably cancel your visitation. But do not let this discourage you on wanting to visit the Philippines. The Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia that is recommended not because I am a Filipino but because it is quite nice really in terms of beaches and night life. Beyond that I cannot recommend to you any more suggestion. It is really up to you to find out for yourself.

AND BEING JUST MERELY 18 years of age, be careful of girls you pick or just met on bars and other night spot if you happen to visit them. You should accompany yourself with another guy or guys for that matter just for security purposes. Don't travel Manila alone. This is not a game called ALONE IN THE DARK. The people are like the same wherever you go like Thailand or Singapore or Malaysia etc....but the Philippines is a category of its own if you know my grip. If in Thailand you can be robbed while walking, in the Philippines they first woo you and put some potion on your drinks and steal from you. So they still have style to begin with. Girls are quite the same on any Asian countries. Good looking and sociable. But be careful on miggling too much or making yourself 'fresh' for some, you might end up in the gutter with a broken ribs. Be good and you won't be disappointed, but be bad then you are in a world of pain.

Answer 4

people in philippines are hospitable and there are lots of gorgeous gurls there..and the food is unique..!

go to google to find out about the food :)
n im fr0m uk aswel but i came from philippines and i wana go there badly..

Answer 5

it's a third world county so don't be surprised if you see a lot of poverty and I advise you not to go alone. people the mind their own business, most of them speak english and the food... it's not as bad as it looks

Answer 6

Hard to say if it will be good or bad, certainly it will be educational, enlightening, and maturing for you. If I were you, I would. (now being much older, considering the idea in retrospect, wishing I had thought of it at your age)

Do not go if you are not able to handle yourself and have some street smarts, ie: if you can't hang out or survive in the rough areas in the UK, don't think about going to the Philippines.

Due to your age, you need to realize that you will be a target for thieves and scammers, including girls who may want to play an extortion or false rape accusation against you, it is common, so be very careful, and always check the ID and age of any girl who you intend to be alone with. It is a crime to be in the same hotel room alone with an underage girl, if there is a presumption that some sort of illicit sex could occur, and this law is often used against nieve foriegners.

Many folks in the philippines are poor, and most earn less than 1 UK pound per day.. you can easily find drinking buddies if you are the one buying the beers.. The girls can be great, but beware that there is a great cultural difference from the UK, many girls are marriage minded, and want to date, but won't want to have sex, and will regard any dating or courting as signals of your intentions to marry.. viginity is still prized, and protected by the family, so you could get into huge trouble on what you may regard a casual date, they may regard as an irrevocable commitment. The upside to the dating ritual is that it is sort of OK for a guy to fool around and date 'party girls' while courting his 'true love' (a ritual that could take a long time). So it is different from the UK where kids basically screw around, at some point pair off as bf/gf, then maybe marry.. in Philippines, traditionally, guys generally don't think about marriage to same sort of girls they fool around with... they are sort of a seperate group.. if that makes any sense?.. so don't confuse dating with courting, and don't confuse your date either.

To play it safe, if you are decided on going alone, stay at a nice hotel or resort, where they will screen guests and provide security.. and for casual dating upscale go go bars are a safe bet because of the low chance of being the victem of a scammer. At 18, the go go girls will just love you, and you will be pleasantly surprised how sweet, charming, polite, modest and dianty they are (compared to typical UK chicks into the dating/club/player scene) . If your intentions are honorable, you can just mingle and let your aquaintences know you are looking for a gf, and you will likely be introduced to available cousins, nieghbors, etc.. The malls are a magnet for good looking girls, a great place to find them, IMHO.

Answer 7

there are alot of good advice in the previous answers and A LOT OF TRUTH i wouldnt advice you going yourself either ,you really need to be with someone who knows whats up! its a nice place to visit but you can become prey in a drop of a hat!