Manila to Singapore Travel Requirements in 2022 for PH Passport Holders

Traveling during the time of the pandemic can be challenging. Not only do we have to avoid catching COVID-19 in the most unexpected places, we must also do the difficult thing of acting as if we don’t live in a pandemic era.

My last international trip was January of 2020, around the time when COVID-19 started spreading. This October 2022, I finally got to travel again! This was my first time traveling since the Philippines underwent a hard lockdown last March 2020.

Prior to my trip, I had to go through various websites to find what I was looking for with regards to the travel requirements. I want to share my first-hand experience to make it convenient for anyone of you who stumble upon my post.

A Day in Sydney

Since we went to Sydney for the purpose of boarding a cruise ship, we didn’t really had much time to explore. We stayed in a hotel in Town Hall and I’ve noticed that this was where most tourists stay. The location is very convenient since it is near Darling Harbour, Hyde Park, Royal Botanic Gardens, Barangaroo, Sydney Observatory, Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Even though Circular Quay Station is nearer to above mentioned tourist spots, Town Hall is a good place to stay if you want to be surrounded by a mix of shopping malls and tourist spots.

Explorer Dream: Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast

The final stop before we head home is at Mooloolaba in Sunshine Coast, Queensland. The night before, there was a strong storm and we were informed by the captain that there was a possibility of not being able to dock. The news really saddened me since I was very excited to visit their beaches. The next day, our captain announced that we won’t be able to dock but we will anchor near the shore. They will instead, deploy tender boats, to get us to the coastline.

Explorer Dream: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

For our Brisbane stop, we visited Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Brisbane is a pretty large city, but we chose to go to the sanctuary instead of exploring around the city.

Celebrating My Birthday Onboard Explorer Dream

It was particularly hot on the day we embarked at Gladstone. We had an option to join tours but we opted out since they were quite expensive. Instead, we went for a walk. There were stalls set up along the pathway just outside the cruise entrance. Some were selling lemonade and toys but most of them were selling souvenirs. We asked directions on how to get to the city but the locals told us it was pretty far and we might not have enough time to see the sights. After talking to the group, we decided to go back the ship.

Explorer Dream: Newcastle, New South Wales

First stop of our cruise trip with Explorer Dream is Newcastle in New South Wales. Australia government is very strict when it comes to food products. A lot of food such as dairy and fruits are not allowed. Once the ship docks, the cruise plays an announcement to remind passengers not to bring any food off board. During the off boarding process, they hand you a piece of paper with the emergency phone numbers, time of departure and the name of the port (in case anyone gets lost). For this trip, they have a shuttle that brought us to a church area. From there, we were free to roam around and go wherever we wanted. There are locals who volunteered to help passengers get around. They were all so kind and patient when answering all our questions.

7-Day Cruise with Explorer Dream

Last year, my family went on a cruise trip in Australia. My last cruise ride was when I was still a little girl so I was looking forward to this one. I was especially excited for this trip since it was in Australia, one of my favorite countries. To add to that, majority of the places in the itinerary were beach destinations, perfect for a beach enthusiast like me.

Bohol Countryside Tour

After the island hopping fiasco, we continued our day with the land tour. We spent approx PHP 2,500 for everything. It was a little after lunch when our driver, Ruel, picked us up from our hotel. He then drove us to Carmen for us to take our lunch on a raft while circling Loboc River.

Island Hopping Gone Wrong

I finally found time to catch up on my blogging. I have a lot of adventures to share but I think this is the first thing I need to write about. Right now, because of COVID-19, we are currently on enhanced community quarantine and Luzon is under lockdown. Before the announcement of the lockdown, I managed to take a short trip to Bohol. The original 5-day trip turned into a 3 days, 2 nights trip. We arrived in Panglao late afternoon on a Thursday. The same night, our president announced that Luzon will have a lockdown and all domestic flights will be suspended until further notice. Hearing this, we quickly rebooked our flights and planned out the rest of the trip. The lockdown begins after 72 hours. We could have booked the earliest flight back but we decided that since we were already there, we might as well make the most out of our trip. We turned our two day itinerary into a day. Let me tell you about our island hopping trip first.

A Race Against the Rapids

The reason why we went chose Cagayan De Oro as our travel destination becomes apparent in this post: we went for the white water rafting experience! We did the beginner’s course which consisted of 14 rapids.