Family Travel Tips

6 Family Travel Mistakes to Avoid

March 9, 2016 By thegomom Leave a Comment

“Not another picture!” My kids and husband groan as I ask them to pose for yet another picture against the statue of Mickey Mouse. I get a little bit irritated and go through my litany of “this is what you will look at when you go back home!” And the bickering goes on, ruining what would have been a relaxing, fun trip.

Let’s admit it. We all start out good (unless you left the passports!) and towards the middle of the trip, 5 people differently wired but one family would get into each other’s nerves.

Sharing with you my top 5 mistakes when traveling with the fam bam. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Family Travel and Eats, Family Travel Tips

Check in Time for Philippine Domestic Flights and Parking at NAIA 3

June 10, 2014 By thegomom Leave a Comment

Domestic flights are usually a breeze and for dawn flights I normally arrive an hour before my departure time. I figured the airport is not too busy at that hour anyway. Last Friday, I almost missed my flight to Tacloban by a hairline with that assumption.

Arriving calmly at 3:40am for my 4:50am flight, I was shocked to see the parking lot full!

OMG! Clammy hands, heart palpitating, I chanted "Lord, please find me parking," over and over. God heard me and I found one solitary open slot. With other cars already parked with engines running waiting for a slot to open, finding that slot was a "Thank God" moment!

Figuring a full airport as well, I took a hurried walk to the airport entrance which was at the other side of where my car was parked (entrance to the airport is across the parking entrance). Grover! Bukod sa parang hindi gumagana ang aircon, punong-puno nga sya! The airport was packed at 3:50am (I guess because flights are getting cheaper by the minute)! The queue to the check-in counters were full with maybe 10-15 persons waiting in line. With the average speed of 5-10 minutes per transaction, I was bound to miss my 4:50am flight.

According to PAL and Cebu Pacific website, check-in counters for domestic flights open 2 hours before scheduled time of flight and strictly closes 45 minutes before flight departure. I had 15 minutes before the check-in counter closes but with the long queue ahead of me (plus the broken aircon), pinagpawisan ulit ako ng butil-butil!

Good thing Cebu Pacific ground crew were swift and gave a last call-out for flights with check-in counters closing in a few minutes. Whew! By the time I got to the gate, maybe 3/4 of the passengers has already boarded and we took off at the exactly 4:50am. Next time, I'll allot 1 hour and 30 minutes already. Hindi na kaya 1 hour!

To know more about check-in times for Philippine Domestic Flights check Cebu Pacific Things to Remember and PAL's FAQ.

NAIA 3 Parking Info:

Rates:

Safety: The parking lot is well lit and is inside the NAIA Terminal 3 compound. To get to the airport from the parking lot, you just have to cross the street inside NAIA 3. Entrance of passengers to the airport is just across the entrance of the parking lot.

Capacity: 800 cars

Disclaimer: The above blog post is based on my personal experience. Note that parking rates, entrance gates, check-in time may change upon your date of departure.

Lucky to have made the Flight,

Visa-free and Visa-on-Arrival Countries for Filipinos

September 17, 2013 By thegomom 2 Comments

I am going on a 10 day trek in Nepal this October and I learned that visa for Nepal can be obtained upon arrival at Kathmandu. Sharing with you the list of countries with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access for Philippine passport holders. Please click on the link to provide you with visa-free or visa-on-arrival details of each country.

Visa requirements may change so please, please double check immigration rules of the country you are planning to visit. For countries where visa is issued upon arrival, please check the required documents plus fees prior to visit.

ASIA:
Brunei - Not Required for stay up to 14 days
Cambodia - Not Required for stay up to 21 days
Hong Kong - Not Required for stay up to 14 days
Indonesia - Visa issued upon arrival up to 30 days
Israel - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Macau - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Malaysia - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Maldives - Visa issued upon arrival up to 90 days
Nepal - Visa issued upon arrival for $30 to $90 up to 150 days
Palestine - Not Required for undefined number of days
Singapore - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Sri Lanka - Visa issued upon arrival up to 30 days
Thailand - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Vietnam - Not Required for stay up to 21 days

NORTH, SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA:
Brazil - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Bolivia - Not Required for stay up to 59 days
Colombia - Not Required for stay up to 180 days
Costa Rica - Not Required for stay up to 30 days

El Salvador - Visa issued if holding a valid Canadian, US or Schengen visa
Ecuador - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Grenada - Visa issued upon arrival
Haiti - Not Required for stay up to 90 days

Honduras - Visa issued if holding a valid Canadian, US or Schengen visa
Mexico - 180 days if holding a valid visa for the US or proof of permanent residence in Canada, Montserrat - Not Required for stay up to 90 days

Panama - Visa required, except for Holders of a valid visa for Australia, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, USA or a EU Member State
Peru - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Suriname - Not Required for stay up to 90 days

AFRICA:
Burundi - Visa issued upon arrival for US$90

Cape Verde - Visa can be issued upon arrival
Central African Republic - Not Required for stay up to 7 days
Comoros - Visa issued upon arrival
Djibouti - Visa issued upon arrival up to 1 month for DJF 10,0000
Eritrea - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Ethiopia - Visa issued upon arrival
Madagascar - Visa issued upon arrival up to 90 days
Mauritius - Visa issued upon arrival up to 90 days
Morocco - Not Required for stay up to 60 days
Seychelles - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Somalia - Not Required for stay up to 21 days
Togo - Visa issued upon arrival up to 10 days at Lome airport

PACIFIC ISLANDS:
Cook Islands - Not Required for stay up to 31 days
Fiji - Not Required for stay up to 120 days
Micronesia - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Nauru - Visa issued upon arrival
Nieu - Not Required for stay up to 30 days
Pitcairn Islands - Not Required for stay up to 14 days
Samoa - Not Required for stay up to 60 days
Tuvalu - Visa issued upon arrival up to 30 days
Vanuatu - Not Required for stay up to 30 days

EUROPE:
Andorra - Not Required but only accessible via Spain or France that require visa.
Azerbaijan - Visa issued upon arrival up to 30 days
Kosovo - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
Liechtenstein - Not Required for stay up to 90 days
San Marino - Not Required for stay up to 21 days

CARRIBBEAN:

Dominican Republic – 30 days visa/tourist card issued upon arrival for USD 10 if holding a valid visa for Canada, the US, or Schengen countries

Grenada – Visa issued upon arrival for USD 40 – provided holding an Authority for Travel issued by the Immigration Department

Haiti – Not Required for stay up to 90 days

Montserrat– Not Required for stay up to 90 days

Trinidad and Tobago – upon arrival, a “Waiver of the Visa” will be granted for TTD 400 provided holding a copy of prior approval from ImmigrationTurks and Caicos Islands – 30 days

Disclaimer: Visa requirements may change so please, please double check immigration rules of the country you are planning to visit. For countries where visa is issued upon arrival, please check the required documents plus fees prior to visit. TheGoMom shall not be held responsible for any untoward incidents to your travel.

Travel Happy!

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