tuesday tip – Page 2 – The Wknd Travel

Tuesday Tip: Do-It-Yourself CHINESE TOURIST VISA Application with Lesser Than Usual Show Money

Some of you know that before all these Covid-19 happenings around the world, my friend & I had a weekend winter trip to Shanghai, China. We booked our tickets last September 2019 for ₱2,335.63 & 3,050 GetGo points each. Pretty cheap, right? China was never on our list but we gave it a shot considering the affordable tickets & the schedule fell in one of the February EDSA longer weekend. My friend & I applied for & got our own tourist visas. I applied in the Chinese Embassy by myself while she opted for the tourist agency option.

Do you want to know my secret in booking those cheap tickets? I wrote about being a champ in booking low-fare tickets. It comes in 2 posts – this is the first post & here’s the second post. Enjoy!

Then Covid-19 pandemic happened. Our Shanghai trip got cancelled. I don’t know how the current situation will the visa application process. I don’t know how many of you will opt not to visit China in the future. I don’t know how this will change budget travel or travelling in general. To be honest, I was unsure if I should still share my do-it-yourself visa application experience because of what happened but here I am doing it anyway. I still want to show you how I did it before specially for those who still plan to do it in the future. It will take years for travelling to go back to the pre-pandemic demand but it will slowly go back to it anyway.

Let’s take a break from all the Going Solo in Europe posts, flight reports, P’s lists & hostel of the day features & go back to one of the OG sections of this website – Tuesday Tips. Allow me to share with you below how I got my Chinese Tourist Visa with lesser than the usual show money.

In case you missed it, I also wrote about how to get your tourist visas for Japan, The Netherlands (DIY Schengen Visa) & Australia. Check out those posts under the Visa Application category.

1 – Download Tourist Visa Application Form & Get Requirements List

The first step is to go to the website of the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines to download the visa application form & get the list of requirements needed for the visa application.

Here is how the tourist visa application form looks like. It can be downloaded from the website.

2 – Book Plane Tickets & Accommodations

The Embassy of China in the Philippines requires tourist visa applicants to submit confirmed ticket reservations & proof of accommodation. My friend & I booked our tickets before visa application so we didn’t have a problem with this. We also booked a hostel before we applied for the visa.

We paid ₱2,335.63 & 3,050 GetGo points each for return tickets to Shanghai with Cebu Pacific Air.

In case you don’t have a confirmed ticket, you may ‘rent’ a confirmed reservations with your name & details from various travel agencies & online platforms. You may also book accommodation on your own but choose those with free cancellations.

Here’s the accommodation I booked for the trip. It has free cancellation until days before the trip.

3 – Prepare Visa Documents & Requirements

The next step is to prepare all the required documents for the visa. Here are the needed documents for first time tourist visa applicants:

Accomplished Application Form – Applications forms should be filled completely in capital English letters & signed. Make sure to put N/A for those parts not applicable to the applicant.

Passport – Passport must be valid for more than 6 months & has at least 1 or 2 blank pages.

Photocopy of Passport’s Information Page / First Page

Photo – These colored photos should be taken within the last 6 months, has white background & are 48 mm x 33 mm in size.

BIR-stamped Income Tax Return

Bank Certificate & Bank Statement – Please provide 6 months history for the bank statement & include the bank receipt for payment of these documents.

Certificate of Employment (if employed) – It must detail the length of employment & salary.

Photocopy of Company ID / Student ID / Professional ID

Photocopy of Business Registration Certificate (if self-employed / business owner)

Confirmed Ticket Reservations – as detailed in item number 2

Proof of Accommodation – as detailed in item number 2

Detailed Day-to-Day Itinerary – This is not required but worth-adding to add strength to your application.

4 – Visa Application Day

The Embassy of China in the Republic of the Philippines does not need appointments for those who want to apply for tourist visas. In fact, they don’t even need the applicant’s personal appearance. If you are not available, you can ask your relative, colleague or friend apply the visa for you.

The embassy’s consular section office is at 2^nd & 3^rd floor, The World Center, 330 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave in Makati City. You can arrive any time before 8:00 am, get your entry pass from the guard & line up outside the Gil Puyat Ave entrance. The consular section starts to accept applicants as early as 8:00 am.

When you reach the doors of the consular section, the guards will check your bags. Food & drinks are not allowed inside the visa application center. The staff will then check your application form & documents & give you a number. You can head in, find a seat & wait until your number is called.

Inside the Embassy of the Republic of China in the Philippines Consular Section. Chaotic place, tbh.

The staff in the visa application documents section call batches by 5. Once your batch is called, proceed to the assigned section & submit your documents. Once verified complete, the staff will give you a claim stub with the date of release of your passport. You may go home after that.

Regular visa processing time is 4 working days. If you apply on a Wednesday, you will get back your passport on Monday.

5 – Claim Your Passport & Pay Visa Free

Go back to the embassy consular office on your passport’s scheduled release date. Just like when you applied for your visa, go to the guards & claim your building pass. Queue up outside & wait for turn in the consular office doors. This time, the staff will give you a number & wait for your number to be called. Once called, you will now go to the payment section & pay for the visa fee. Single entry visa fee costs ₱1,4000, double entry visa costs ₱2,100, 6-months multiple entry visa costs ₱2,800 while multiple entry visa over 6 months costs ₱4,200.

After paying for your visa, you can now proceed to the passport claim section where the staff will give your passport back with your tourist visa. Don’t forget to check your visa & make sure all details are correct.

And voilà – you already have your Chinese tourist visa. The embassy usually issues single entry visas for first time applicants. These visas are valid for 3 months from the date of issue & allow for a 14-day stay upon arrival in China.

Important Things To Know

Applying for a Chinese tourist visa is just like applying for other visas. The requirements are pretty the same. However, there are other important things to know when applying for a Chinese tourist visa.

Embassy Consular Section Business Hours – The office is officially open weekdays (excluding holidays) from 9:00 am to 11:00 am only for visa application & passport claims. People arriving after 11:00 am will not be accepted & will be asked to go back the next day. From my experience, they start accepting applications & releasing passports as early as 8:00 am.

Appointments & Personal Appearances Are Not Required – The Chinese embassy does not need appointments for visa applications. In fact, anyone can apply for your visa. You can ask your relative, friend or even an agency to apply for you.

Complete Your Application Documents – Make sure your documents & requirements are complete. The staff do not accept incomplete applications. Those with incomplete documents are advised to go back the following day & queue again. There’s no special lane or fast lane for those returning with now complete documents.

Itinerary That Makes Sense – Create day-to-day itineraries that make sense. The dates must be consistent with the ticket & accommodation reservations. If going to a different city, include domestic tickets in your application.

Show Money – The Chinese Embassy does not specify how much money should one have in his or her account at the time of application. Most, if not all, travel agencies require at least ₱100,000 average daily balance from the visa applicant. That is the safe amount. I applied for my visa with not even ¾ of that amount & I got approved. Just make sure to have enough money in your account that will be enough for your itinerary. I personally believe that one’s travel history is as important as one’s money. If you have a good travel history then you’ll be fine.

Be Early – The consular office opens at 8:00 am – 9:00 am but people queue outside as early as 6:00 am. If you are to submit your documents, you can arrive at least before 8:00 am and finish a little past 9:00 am. Claiming passports is a different story. If you are to claim your passports, be there as early as you can. I arrived before 7:00 am & finished at 9:45 am. Claiming takes longer than the applicant itself, at least during my time.

Limited Services for First Time Applicants – First time tourist visa applicants can only apply for a single-entry tourist visa. The embassy will not accept applications for double or multiple entry visa. Also, first time applicants cannot avail of the rush & express visa services.

*Here’s my granted single-entry tourist visa for China. I ended up not using it because of Covid-19.*

I was so happy when I got my single-entry tourist visa. I never thought I’ll get it. As mentioned above, China was never my list but the cheap ticket made me give it shot. I was also looking forward to meeting a Shanghai-based friend whom I met in Siem Reap, Cambodia years ago. It was all good until Covid-19 happened. We decided not to push through with our trip. Our visas have lapsed but all good. Health & safety first over anything.

Do you have any questions about the tourist visa application process above? Feel free to post them in the comments section below. You may also send them to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. If you have questions related to other types of visa, you may contact the embassy at +632-8848-23-95 or via e-mail to phchinaembassy@hotmail.com.

Thank you for joining me in today’s Tuesday Tip. Please don’t forget to follow me on my social media pages – Facebook & Instagram. Have a nice day & please stay safe.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

2019 Rewind: Crossing Borders & Making Dreams Come True

Another year of travels is coming to an end. Those of you following me since 2016 know that I always post a year-end blog detailing what happened to me & where I went in that specific year. 2016 was all about travelling solo, exploring places by myself; 2017 was exploring relatively known & unknown places & 2018 was all about reuniting & travelling with friends. 2019 is a mix of all 3 years of recaps. I went & explored places by myself, I flew & took trains to both & unknown places & I had a few trips with my friends. I can say 2019 is my best year yet for travelling – I’ve crossed many borders & made my long-time dreams come true.

Allow me to share with you details of my 2019 in terms of trips taken. I will also give insights of the interesting content developments here in my website.

trips recap ✈️

SORSOGON 🇵🇭

I started off the year with a day trip to the beaches of Matnog, Sorsogon. I didn’t post about this day trip in this website but I believe it’s worth sharing here. My cousins from Australia welcomed the new year in our hometown. Days after the new year, we took them to the islands of Subic, Matnog in Sorsogon. We first went fish feeding in a sanctuary then continued to Subic Beach. It was a fun day spent with cousins in the beach.

JAPAN 🇯🇵

Back in February, I flew to my favorite Japan for 9 days. My supposed-to-be trip to Nagano, Kanazawa & Toyama turned into a family trip around Tokyo & Kansai Region (Osaka, Nara & Kyoto). I flew with them to Tokyo then took a side trip to Nagano then met my sisters in Osaka afterwards. It was a delight seeing the snow monkeys in Nagano & spending some alone time in a very cold & snowy place in Japan. I then flew to Fukuoka to spend a day around the city before catching my flight back to Manila. I may not have been to Kanazawa & Toyama in this trip but I’ll make sure to go next time.

I didn’t post much about this but I went to Japan again a few months ago. My friend & I decided to surprise another friend in her flight to Fukuoka & to ruin her first ever solo trip. We spent 48 hours around Fukuoka, Japan, went to pretty interesting places, savored every Japanese meal & drowned ourselves with the Lipton milk tea drink.

Blog List:
Japan Highlights 2019: TOKYO – 36 Hours In The Land Of The Rising Sun’s Most Famous Metropolis
Japan Highlights 2019: NAGANO – 48 Hours In The Inland Prefecture Of The Snow Monkeys
Japan Highlights 2019: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS JAPAN – A Theme Park That Brings You Back To Being A ‘Kid’ Just For A Day
Japan Highlights 2019: KYOTO – Japan’s Ancient Capital In One Day
Japan Highlights 2019: NARA – A Morning Visit To The Deer Park
Japan Highlights 2019: MATSUMOTO & FUKUOKA Stopovers

BACOLOD 🇵🇭

Office friends & I went on a spontaneous Bacolod weekend trip last February. We flew to the city & went to the famous Ruins then had chicken inasal for dinner in Manukan Country. We then went to the town of Don Salvador Benedicto to check out Negros’ Little Baguio. After a few hours around the mountains, we went back to the city & decided to just eat out until we flew back to Manila.

Blog: Spontaneous BACOLOD Weekend: 48 Hours In The City of Smiles

MELBOURNE 🇦🇺

I flew to Melbourne, Australia with Leng & Shane (from Sydney 2018 trip) during the Holy Week break last April. I spent 8 days around the city & the nearby suburbs. We also went to the Brighton Bathing Boxes, Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island & Yarra Valley Wine Country. My friend Lord, who I was with on It’s The Ship 2018, joined us on our first few days in Melbourne.

We didn’t make out Melbourne itinerary that busy compared to our Sydney one. We just enjoyed our time there, strolling around the beautiful city, trying out different cuisines & hoarding every single interesting item in the supermarkets.

Blog List:
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas
N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb
N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial
N9 In Straya Series: PHILLIP ISLAND – A Perfect Day Out With Nature & Australian Wildlife
N9 In Straya Series: PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY & YARRA VALLEY WINE TOUR – Victoria’s Heritage Steam Railway & Wine Region In A Day

TAIWAN 🇹🇼

It’s been years since our last family trip to Singapore. My parents decided to bring the family to Taiwan for the Fathers’ Day weekend. We went to the city of Taichung on our first day as per my sister’s request. She wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung plus take nice photos with the family. We then went around the city on Fathers’ Day – went to church, strolled around Daan Park, ate at Din Tai Fung, hiked the Elephant Hill & walked around Raohe Night Market.

On our third day, we took the Klook guided tour to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen Old Street & Shifen then finished the day around Ximending. We spent our fourth day in Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Liberty Square & in the airport for our flight back to Manila. I met with my good friend Richard, whom I knew in Komodo, Indonesia in 2018, for a few nights in Taipei. He was also in the city waiting for his flight back to Europe. It was fun catching up with this man over food & drinks!

Blog List:
TAIWAN All Over Again – Family Long Weekend In Taipei
TAICHUNG Photo Blog: Picturesque Places Outside Taipei
YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN Klook Tour – Perfect & Hassle-Free Taiwan Northeast Coast Day Tour

YOGYAKARTA 🇮🇩

One spontaneous trip I took this year was that to Yogyakarta. I saw a piso-fare ticket to Jakarta last June for an August trip & decided to buy that ticket. I contacted Yudi, a friend I met on Its the Ship 2018 who is now based somewhere in Indonesia. We then agreed to meet in Yogyakarta & volunteered to take me around.

Lord of LordAroundTheWorld, who joined me in Melbourne last April, decided to join me a week before the trip. We then met with Yudi & his friend Dallin in Yogyakarta & we went around the city. We went to different temples (Borobudur, Prambanan, Taman Sari) & also took the lava trail tour in Mount Merapi. We ate in different local restaurants & tried several local dishes. We spent most of our time in Yogyakarta in the road, in restaurants & in our hotel. It was a relaxing trip; not the usual busy one. It’s nice to step back for a while & just enjoy chilling.

Blog: The Wonderful Indonesia Series: YOGYAKARTA – A Relaxing Weekend In Indonesia’s Special Monarchy Region

BORACAY 🇵🇭

My buddy Rick & I flew to Boracay last September to surprise our high school friends having their holiday in the island. They didn’t know that we were coming so we decided to show up on the afternoon of their 2^nd day, right after arriving in the island. We ate in nice restaurants, walked along the shore, swam on the beach & spent some quality time with the group.

Rick & I stayed for 2 more days in the island & just spent most of the time relaxing, eating, walking & drinking. I didn’t expect this September trip to have its 2^nd part after the Bohol weekend in 2018 but I hope there will be a 3^rd installment in 2020, 4^th installment in 2021 until this becomes a regular trip with them. By the way, I didn’t join my family in Hong Kong to join these people plus I also don’t have my passport during this time.

E-U-R-O-P-E!!! 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇨🇿 🇩🇰

Finally, A TRIP TO EUROPE! This is the highlight of my 2019. It was a dream come true. I haven’t posted anything about this trip in the website but I’m happy to share that this long-time plan of going to Europe happened last October to November 2019.

One of my Europe trip highlights – a trip to Český Krumlov. This town is picturesque & peaceful. 🇨🇿

It all started with an affordable ticket I got from the Singapore Airlines & BPI promotion last January 2019. I got tickets flying from Manila to Amsterdam, Netherlands & leaving from Copenhagen, Denmark, both via Singapore. I saved up the whole year, planned my itinerary, booked my hostels & booked the inter-country flights ahead of time. I applied for a tourist visa on my own – no help from any agency & got it after a week.

Nyhavn – my favorite place in Copenhagen… It’s where the Danish Christmas market is found! 🇩🇰

And the trip happened. Due to busy work schedule, I didn’t have time to do more research & make my final itinerary. I arrived in Amsterdam with no plans, not even a single idea how to go to my hostel. I got scared at first but I ended up having the best days of my life around Europe. I went to 4 countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic & Denmark), explored cities & small towns, reunited with friends I met from previous trips, met cool new friends along the way, took walking tours in every city / town, drank more beers than waters in a day, walked thousands of steps & tens of kilometers a day & ate all local food I can in every place. I did all of these alone! Yes, I FLEW TO EUROPE ALONE & I SURVIVED. It was probably the bravest thing I did this year.

Obligatory photo with the canals of Amsterdam in The Netherlands.. Can’t wait to go back here! 🇳🇱

I have so much to share about this trip but I am reserving that for the individual posts. I hope you’ll watch out for those write-ups.

Blogs: TO FOLLOW.

blog highlights ✨

Aside from the usual blog contents I post, there were 2 significant developments in this blog. First is the continued posts for the Tuesday Tips & Hostel of the Day features. I had 3 Tuesday Tip posts & 7 hostel of the day features published in my website solely for 2019. I still have a long list of Tuesday tips to share & hostels (especially the ones from Europe) to publish so watch out for those. My main goal of posting these Tuesday tips & hostel features is to show the world that there are nice things out there that don’t need hefty amounts of money. You can have the same fun & memorable experiences by paying small amounts.

Blog List:
Hostel of the Day: DOT HOSTEL NAGANO – Wooden House Turned High-Rated Affordable Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: KHAOSAN WORLD ASAKUSA RYOKAN & HOSTEL – Clean & Affordable Traditional Japanese Accommodation In The Heart Of Tokyo
Hostel Of The Day: NEW WORLD INN OSAKA – Simple, Affordable & Modern Property Near Tennoji
Hostel Of The Day: FUKUOKA HANA HOSTEL – Fukuoka’s In-Demand & Best Valued Tourist Accommodation
Hostel Of The Day: FLINDERS BACKPACKERS MELBOURNE – Budget-Friendly & Extremely Popular Hostel In The Heart Of The City
Hostel Of The Day: UINN TRAVEL HOSTEL – Modern, Space-Themed & Excellent Taipei Hostel
Hostel Of The Day: MAD MONKEY HOSTEL BORACAY – Paradise Island’s Hidden Party Hostel Gem
Tuesday Tip: 4 TRUSTED HOSTEL GROUPS To Check When Looking For AFFORDABLE ACCOMMODATION in JAPAN
Tuesday Tip: 6 WAYS To SAVE MONEY In MELBOURNE
Tuesday Tip: Do-It-Yourself SCHENGEN TOURIST VISA Application With VFS NETHERLANDS

This year, I introduced a section in my website called Flight Reports. You guys know I love flying & my interest in aviation is something else. I thought of sharing my flight experiences with different airlines – how the service is from check in to boarding to in-flight services & cabin crew service. Since I started the section in June, I already published 8 flight reports about 5 local & international airlines. I didn’t expect this section to get hits but I’m happy that I get regular website visits for these specific posts. I still have about 5 or 6 flight reports to share with you, most of them from my European trip. I hope you’re excited for these flight reports as I am!

Blog List:
Flight Report: EVA AIR BR 277 – Taipei to Manila – Taiwan’s 5-Star Airline For An Affordable Fare
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 328 – Legazpi to Manila – ₱600 ($11.50) Flight Back To Manila
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 759 – Manila to Jakarta – ₱1,236 ($24) International Flight To Indonesia
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7550 – Jakarta to Yogyakarta – Low-Cost Domestic Flight To Indonesia’s Royal City
Flight Report: INDONESIA AIR ASIA QZ 7551 – Yogyakarta to Jakarta – Redemption Flight Back To Indonesia’s Capital
Flight Report: CEBU PACIFIC AIR 5J 905 – Manila to Caticlan (Boracay) – Short & Relatively Empty Flight To Paradise Island
Flight Report: CEBGO DG 6244 – Caticlan (Boracay) to Manila – Quick Turboprop Flight Back To The Metro
Flight Report: SINGAPORE AIRLINES SQ 915 – Manila to Singapore – 5-Star Economy Class Experience In A New Generation Boeing Dreamliner

By the way, this just came in. This website has finally hit 90,000 site views! This is another milestone hit before the end of the 2019. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the endless support – from sharing my articles & posts, to commenting & liking the posts that appear on your timelines to your comments & questions. I appreciate all of these.

Thank you for giving me the reason to continue sharing more content in this website. I can tell you this is not the end, it is just the start of more tips, flight reports, itineraries & blog posts. I have a long list of topics to share & upcoming trips & flights to take. You’ll definitely see more in this website next year.

Here’s to an adventure-filled 2020. Happy New Year, dear readers!

PS. Some photos were taken using my HTC U11. Shout out to my friends Junelle, Mark & Richard for allowing me to use your photos in this post.

Tuesday Tip: 6 WAYS To SAVE MONEY In MELBOURNE

I’ve been to Australia twice (August 2018 to Sydney & Brisbane & April 2019 to Melbourne) in the last 2 years & I can tell you it’s not a cheap country to visit. Everything, including drinking water, has a price tag – not just an affordable price, but an expensive tag on it. A cheapo meal will cost you AU$10 (₱350-ish in our currency) & this meal will probably be a bland or a simple one. A normal meal in a restaurant will cost you about AU$15 – AU$25, drinks not included. A private room in a 2 or 3 star hotel can cost you about AU$100 per night while a room in a branded hotel can cost you double or even triple that price just for a night.

Australia has a high cost of living, this is also supplemented by the high wages & better government services. Filipino tourists like us, with the current cost of living here in the Philippines, will have a hard time coping with the daily expenses when travelling around this country.

Interested to know how I got my Australian tourist visa in 8 working days? Check out this post to know more.

Having been to different expensive countries in the past, I still believe that there are ways on how one can survive & save some money while travelling around these costly places. Today’s Tuesday Tip will be all about ways on how to save some money in Melbourne, Australia. Last April, my friends & I went & explored the city for 8 days & 7 nights. It was not a cheap trip but we managed to save some cash by doing the following:

stay & cook in hostels

Staying in hostels in one way of saving some cash while in Melbourne. Nightly rates range from AU$25 – AU$50, depending on the dormitory room configuration of choice. The more people in one dormitory room, the cheaper it gets. These hostels also provide kitchen & food storage facilities. Guests are allowed to store & cook their own food at any given time the kitchen is open. It is another way of saving money instead of eating outside.

My dormitory bed in Flinders Backpackers Melbourne.. Very basic but I have everything I need! 🙂

Unsure if staying in a hostel is something for you? Check out this article & know the ups & downs of staying in hostels. It might just help you decide.

Staying in hostels is also a perfect time to meet other people travelling around. If you are up for free accommodation & have the courage to stay in a stranger’s place, check out CouchSurfing. It is an application where travelers can find people to host them in their own pads in their city of destination.

Flinders Backpackers provides cook-your-own pancake breakfast, bread & cereals to all its guests!

Now back to staying in hostels.. Last April, we stayed in Flinders Backpackers Melbourne. It is an affordable hostel with a large kitchen suitable for preparing meals & cooking. The hostel also provided free cook-your-own pancake breakfast, including cereals & bread. I actually made a separate post about our stay in this hostel. Check out the Hostel of the Day feature here.

Go For A Supermarket Haul

Supermarkets such as Coles, Woolworths & Aldi have wide variety of food & drinks one can enjoy. My friends & I always drop by these supermarkets before going back to our hostel to buy something that we’ll bring in our tour the following day. It helped us save some money, instead of buying expensive snacks in tour stopovers.

You can also get sandwiches, cookies & even cooked meals in these supermarkets for a very low price. You can never go wrong with these supermarkets. Just a tip, I believe Aldi & Coles are cheaper than Woolworths in most items.

Join Free Walking Tours

The best way to explore & know more about Melbourne is by joining free walking tours. The walking tours are conducted by freelance guides who know about the history of Melbourne & Australia in general. The guides will bring you to different interesting locations & spots that have connection to the history of the city.

Currently, there are 3 companies running these walking tours in Melbourne – I’m Free Walking Tours, Walks 101 & Strawberry Tours. These walking tours operate on a tip-based program, where the guests are not required to pay for the tour, but rather give tips on what they think the worth of the tour is at the end of it. From experience, the usual tip is about AU$10 per person.

We took a walking tour with I’m Free Tours in August 2018 & only gave a tip at the end of the tour.

We joined the I’m Free Walking Tour in Sydney back in August 2018 & decided to skip the Melbourne one. We found out that most (not all) of the tour information / details are the same as that of Sydney’s – basically about Australia’s history & how everything started in the country. I recommend that you take these walking tours. You will know a lot about Australia.

Hop On & Hop Off The Free city Trams

Tram rides within the Melbourne Free Tram Zone do not incur any charge. These includes the city circle trams & all trams that operated within the Spring St, Flinders St, La Trobe St, Victoria St, William St, Elizabeth St & part of Docklands. Anyone can just hop on & hop off in these trams at any time of the day for free as long as you don’t go beyond the free tram zone.

My friends & I used these city trams a lot. We got tired of walking around at some point during the day & decided to just take the trams around the central business district. They’re free of charge anyway.

Explore Places For Free

Melbourne has a long list of places where you can go & explore for free. You can go & walk around Federation Square & continue to the famous mural street of Hosier Lane. You can also walk towards the State Library of Victoria & view the main hall from the topmost floor. You can also go to Queen Victoria Market, Shrine Gallery of Remembrance, Royal Botanic Gardens, Yarra River & Chinatown all for free.

These places found around Melbourne can be visited for free. Yes, no fees & absolutely for free!! 🙂

We walked to & through these places several times without even spending a dollar. They were all for free & these buildings, streets / lane ways pretty much make up most of the major places to visit in the city. I recommend going back to these places after the free walking tour to take your time in exploring.

Take Advantage of Lunch Sets & Happy Hours

Restaurants & bars around Melbourne have regular promotions on lunch sets & happy hours (for alcoholic drinks). They offer the meals & drinks for cheaper prices at specific times of the day. Make sure to always ask the waiter or bartender before ordering your food / drink.

Bonus Tip – Share Meals With Friends

Most of the meal size servings in Melbourne are big enough to stuff 2 people. These sizes come with the price – they’re expensive that’s why they’re served big. We, Filipinos, were used to regularly sized meals & we were shocked by the amount of food served to us in some restaurants.

*We ordered these dishes in 3 different restaurants. Too much for one person; they’re all for sharing!*

I ordered a chicken parmigiana meal worth AU$ 14 that was as bigger than by hand. It came with some chips (we call these fries) & salad. I was not able to finish the whole meal. It looks like a normal meal for the locals but I see it as something I can share with my friends.

If you’re travelling with friends, it pays to share these kinds of meals with them. You save some cash, you can even try more dishes in the menu!

There you go! I hope these tips will help you save some money in your upcoming Melbourne trip. Melbourne or Australia in general may be expensive to explore, but there are ways on how you can get away with these high costs. In case you are wondering about the details of my previous trips o Sydney, Brisbane & Melbourne, I have compiled all posts into a list below:

SYDNEY

N9 In Straya Series: Exploring SYDNEY By Foot Part 1 – Heritage Sites Within The City
N9 In Straya Series: Exploring SYDNEY By Foot Part 2 – City Icons, Alleys & Harbours
N9 In Straya Series – BONDI BEACH & COOGEE BEACH – A Short Trip To Two of Sydney’s Suburban Beaches + BOUNCE SYDNEY HOSTEL Tribute
N9 in Straya Series: HUNTER VALLEY Day Tour – Australian Wine Tasting At Its Finest
N9 in Straya Series: SCENIC WORLD BLUE MOUNTAINS – Nature & Adventure In One Place
Hostel Of The Day: THE POD SYDNEY – Minimalist & Contemporary Hostel In The Middle Of A Busy City

BRISBANE

N9 In Straya Series: BRISBANE Weekend – Quality Family Time In QLD

MELBOURNE

N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 1 – Parks, Gardens & Heritage Sites
N9 In Straya Series: Walking Around MELBOURNE Part 2 – Hipster Laneways, Communal Spaces & Modern Areas
N9 In Straya Series: BRIGHTON BATHING BOXES – Iconic & Photogenic Bathing Boxes Found In A Coastal Melbourne Suburb
N9 in Straya Series: GREAT OCEAN ROAD – A Day Trip To The World’s Largest War Memorial
N9 In Straya Series: PHILLIP ISLAND – A Perfect Day Out With Nature & Australian Wildlife
N9 In Straya Series: PUFFING BILLY RAILWAY & YARRA VALLEY WINE TOUR – Victoria’s Heritage Steam Railway & Wine Region In A Day
Hostel Of The Day: FLINDERS BACKPACKERS MELBOURNE – Budget-Friendly & Extremely Popular Hostel In The Heart Of The City

Can you think of other money-saving tips in Melbourne? Feel free to share your suggestions & experiences in the comments section below. You can also send them via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com & I’ll surely have a look at ’em. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Thank you very much for joining me in today’s set of Tuesday Tips! Until the next one.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

Tuesday Tip: 7 SAPPORO Eats You Shouldn’t Miss

It’s December & it’s winter time. It only means one thing – it’s one of the best times to visit Sapporo, Japan. Random snowfalls, extremely cold temperature, longer nights & powdery snow sums up winter in this area of Japan. The Hokkaido snow season is one of the most visited season of the region. The Sapporo Snow Festival, which happens to be the biggest festival in the city, also happens every winter – normally in the 1st or 2nd week of February.

Early this year, my friend & I flew to Sapporo for 6 days to experience what it’s like in Hokkaido during winter. We went to different places & tried a lot of activities. We first walked around Sapporo for our 1st few days, then we went to the nearby port city of Otaru. We also went to Sapporo Teine Ski Resort to try skiing & Hoheikyo Onsen to try a Japanese onsen during winter. It was a trip of many firsts; it was a trip for the books. Believe it or not, Shane & I only spent less than ₱45,000 all in – including return flights from Manila & hostel accommodations. We definitely had a winter trip of a lifetime!

Aside from experiencing winter in Sapporo, we also went there for the food. Our goal was to try as many unique eats as we can. Shane, who is a certified foodie, & I kind of splurged on food during our trip. Let me share with you these 7 eats we had which you should not miss when in Sapporo.

Soup Curry

Dinner at Rojiura Curry Samurai – our first meal in Sapporo!

Soup curry is a famous dish in Sapporo. A soup curry is a curry with more soup. Quite weird, eh? Yeah. The dish is basically a curry flavored soup with little meat & different kinds of vegetables. There are a number of soup curry chains in Sapporo. The hostel staff recommended that we try Rojiura Curry Samurai. Shane & I went there for our 1st dinner in Sapporo.

I ordered vegetable soup curry & a cup of rice. The soup was tasty, thick & slightly sweet. The vegetables were fresh. It was the perfect meal for a very cold night. An order of soup curry with a bowl of rice costs a little over ¥1,000.

Jingisukan

Jingisukan is Hokkaido’s famous grilled mutton dish. This dish is basically lamb meat grilled on Mongolian helmet-shaped skillet. The lamb fat is placed in the center of the skillet pan, then slides to all the sides where the vegetables are being cooked. The meat will then be grilled / cooked once the pan is hot.

Lamb meat being grilled in a helmet-shaped skillet. Yum!

Meal comes with unlimited draft Sapporo beer only served in this restaurant.

Shane & I went to the famous Sapporo Beer Garden to have unlimited lamb barbecue & drinks. Drink selection includes a draft Sapporo Beer only served in this restaurant. Buffet cost us ¥4,212 each including taxes. For more information about the buffet & restaurant, head over to Sapporo Beer Garden’s website. It was a bit more expensive than a normal lunch meal, but it was worth the try! Everyone should try this when visiting Sapporo.

King Crab & Fresh Seafood

Look at the variety of fresh seafood available at Nijo Market.

Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost major island, is famous for its king crab & fresh seafood. Shane & I went to Nijo Market in Sapporo to have brunch. We came across a stall where the man offered us a free taste of the fresh king crab. We then bought 800 grams of Hokkaido king crab (for sharing) for ¥10,000 & had it cooked in the nearby restaurant. Yes, it was that expensive. A kilogram of Hokkaido king crab costs ¥13,000.. We also ordered chirashi sushi bowls & a bottle of soft drink to complete the meal.

Shane & I bought 800 grams of king crab legs & had it cooked in a nearby restaurant! YUUUUUM~

Shane’s meal with the king crab legs. Fresh seafood at its best in Nijo Market!

It was another ‘worth-it’ but expensive meal. The price of king crab in Sapporo is way cheaper than the price in local Japanese restaurants. This meal was one of the highlights of the trip. The crab meat was very fresh & tasty.

Miso Ramen

A visit to Japan is never complete without having ramen for at least one meal. Each area / region usually have its own ramen flavor. If Fukuoka & Kyushu are famous for their tonkotsu (pork bone broth) ramen, Hokkaido (especially Northern Hokkaido) is famous for miso ramen. The broth is based on miso paste / seasoning & then served with either pork, chicken, seafood & other add-ons.

Entry to Sapporo Ramen Republic. You’ll definitely have a hard time choosing where to eat.

There are a number of miso ramen shops around Sapporo & Hokkaido. Shane & I went to Sapporo Ramen Republic on the 10th floor of ESTA Complex. Sapporo Ramen Republic has 8 of the top ramen restaurants in Hokkaido. We chose to dine at Misono & tried their miso ramen with pork & grated ginger. The miso broth was different from the other ones I’ve tried, but still very rich in taste. That bowl of ramen cost us ¥700 – ¥800 per bowl. A local advised us there’s another ramen alley somewhere in Susukino – I’ll check that out in my next visit.

Indian Curry & Naan

One of the recommended to-do’s in Hoheikyo Onsen, aside from relaxing in the natural hot spring, is to have a meal in the on-site Indian restaurant. This restaurant is famous for their genuine Indian curry & homemade naan. Shane & I had our late lunch here & ordered their famous curry (forgot if it was pork, lamb or chicken) & naan paired with cold tea & a strawberry yogurt drink. The food was authentic, good & one-of-a-kind. Glad we stopped by the restaurant before leaving the onsen. I am very sorry I forgot how much paid for the meal.

Check out the on-site restaurant’s page for more information.

Soft-Serve Ice Cream

Soft-serve lavender ice cream on a cold winter day? No problem!

Another must-try in Sapporo is the soft-serve ice cream. Shane & I tried the ice cream even if it was below 0 & snowing. Flavors & prices vary from one shop to the other. We saw 2 unique flavors only offered in Hokkaido – Lavender & Yubari Melon. Shane went for the mixed chocolate & lavender flavor while I got the lavender only variant. Each cone cost ¥320. I’ll try the Yubari melon flavored ice cream next time!

Check out the available ice cream flavors in this random Otaru shop. Which one will you choose?

Cheese Tarts

Hokkaido is also known for its distinct, rich & tasty dairy products. These dairy products gave birth to the raved baked cheese tarts. The snack first became famous in Sapporo & then became known around Japan & now all over the world. Famous cheese tart shops include Kinotoya, BAKE, Hokkaido, & Pablo. These shops have branched out of Japan & are now present in countries like the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia & many more.

Shane & I bought cheese tarts from the Sapporo-born shop called Kinotoya in JR Sapporo Station. The tart shell was buttery & tasty while the cheese mousse (filling) was sweet & salty at the same time. A piece of cheese tart costs around ¥200. What I loved about this shop is there was no queue / line to buy the tart unlike other cheese tart shops in Tokyo & Sapporo. Make sure to drop by any cheese tart shop when in Sapporo. It’s the perfect snack to pair with your hot coffee or green tea.

BONUS – Royce’ Chocolates

Do you know that Sapporo-born Royce’ chocolates can be bought everywhere in the city? Yes. Royce’ chocolates are found in local stores & tourist shops around Sapporo. This phenomenon is not present in other Japan cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Nagoya, etc.) where Royce’ chocolates are only sold in major airports. Prices are almost the same, if not cheaper, in Sapporo. Don’t forget to hoard Royce’ chocolates before leaving Sapporo. There’s also a big chance you’ll find limited edition flavors like the Sakuraberry variant I got last time.

This long list pretty much sums up the major eats we had in Sapporo last February. Have you tried some of them? Planning to fly to Sapporo in the future? Don’t forget to put these 7 treats in your list. You’ll surely enjoy them! Do you still have other Sapporo treats in mind? Feel free to share them in the comments below. You can also send your thoughts & comments via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. You can also connect me via the following social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Like & share my Facebook page too!

Thanks for joining me in today’s Tuesday Tip! See you in the next one.

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.

Tuesday Tip: SINGAPORE Tipid Hits – 9 Ways to Explore On A Budget

It’s not a secret that Singapore is a very expensive country to visit. I visited the country two weeks ago & I can clearly say that most of the things in this country (food, accommodation, transportation) are expensive. However, no matter how expensive this place is, there are still ways on how you can explore this country on a shoestring budget.

Don’t miss Haji Lane! It’s free to go around & take photos of area.

It’s been a while since I posted a Tuesday Tip article; I’m very happy to revive this section of the blog. Today, I’ll share with you 9 ways on how you can explore Singapore the cheapest way possible. These tips are based on my previous visits to Singapore so some points may not be applicable to everyone.

Book Tickets Early

There are more than 15 daily flights from the Philippines to Singapore – 12 of them from Manila. The technique is to take advantage of various airline promotional fares & offers. Return tickets to Singapore used to cost a little over ₱2,000. With the recent inclusion of fuel surcharges to airfares, a cheap return ticket should cost you around ₱4,000. Airport fees in Singapore are very expensive (but you get what you pay for – Changi Airport is the world’s best airport) that’s why fares are these high.

Here’s where your high airport fees to go – to the world-class Changi Airport!

Book your tickets at least 6-9 months before your planned trip, I’m sure you’ll get a good fare deal. I’ve posted two blogs with tips on how to score cheap flights – check the articles here & here.

Stay In Hostels

Hotel accommodations in Singapore are expensive. If you want to have your own privacy, there are budget hotels & guesthouses but take note that spaces are very limited & amenities are very basic. If you don’t mind sharing a room with another person, book your stay in a hostel. Singapore has a lot of nice & high-rated hostels which offer better amenities than some hotels. Check out reviews online before booking your stay.

My dormitory bed two weeks ago in Five Stones Hostel

I previously wrote an article about the ups & downs of staying in hostels. Check the article to see if staying in this kind of accommodation is something for you or not. Also, I wrote a set of tips on how to get the best accommodation deals – make sure to also check that!

Book Attraction Tickets Online

Singapore is a country with a lot of attractions to visit. This equates to spending more money on attraction passes & entrance fees. The best way to save some cash is to book your attraction tickets online. There are online platforms such as Klook & KKDay which offer discounted tickets to almost all attractions in Singapore. Check out your attraction of choice & book them before flying to the country. Booking these tickets / passes in advance also help you skip the long queue at the venue.

Going outside the Philippines for the first time? Check out these 5 steps in order to easily pass through PH immigration!

Eat In Hawker Centres

This is how a hawker centre looks like – this one is in Little India

Food in Singapore isn’t really cheap. A normal meal with a drink in a restaurant or in a shopping mall food court can cost from SGD 7 up to SGD 20. Not practical at all. Singapore has what you call ‘hawker centres,’ these are open air food courts where you get affordable local food. These hawker centres can be found everywhere in Singapore. A hearty meal will only cost you around SGD 3. You still have some extra cash for dessert or for a drink. See the difference?

Get An EZ-Link Card

EZ-Link is Singapore’s reloadable transportation card. Instead of paying for each bus ride or topping up for every train ride, you can use this tap card to pay for your fare. You don’t need to queue in every train station, thus saves you a lot of time. Also, you only pay for the distance traveled & not the usual flat fare when you pay in cash.

How an EZ-Link card looks like. Thanks to Junelle for letting me use the photo.

EZ-Link Cards are sold at most train stations for SGD 12 with SGD 7 top up value (card value at SGD 5). Also, don’t buy the Singapore Tourist Pass if you won’t ride the train very often. You need at least five to six rides a day to break even the daily pass cost.

Walk, Walk & Walk

Singapore is a very tourist-friendly country. All the signs are in English, so you won’t get lost. The best way to explore the country is by foot. Remember that the country has a very hot climate so make sure to bring your bottled water & umbrella with you, plus wear comfortable footwear. Places to visit in this country are grouped into locations.

6 attractions in a photo – you can visit all these places in a day by walking around the area!

For example, you can walk from Boat Quay, to Raffles Place, then to the Merlion Park, to Helix Bridge, Singapore Arts & Science Museum, Marina Bay Sands & last to Gardens By The Bay all in one day. You can also easily spend an afternoon walking around Little India, then to Bugis, then to Haji Lane & Arab Street at night. The secret is to plan where to spend the day so you don’t need to transfer from one area to the other.

Take Advantage of Free Attractions / Places

Singapore may be an expensive country but hey, it also has a number of free attractions or places. These clean & well-maintained places don’t need an entrance fee for you to enjoy or take a photo. These places include Merlion Park, Gardens By The Bay (entrance fees required only for the Flower Dome, Cloud Forest & OCBC Skyway), Singapore Botanic Gardens, Helix Bridge, Shoppes At Marina Bay Sands, Mustafa Centre, Singapore National Library & a whole lot more. See? You don’t have to spend even a dollar to explore & enjoy these places.

Gardens By The Bay’s Supertree Grove is a beautiful free attraction in Singapore!

Bring Water Container

Water in Singapore establishments like cafes & restaurants are not free. It usually costs 50-cents per glass (₱18-ish like really? Yeah!) so the best way to save some cash is to bring your own water container. Singapore tap water is safe to drink so you can refill it anywhere. The country also has drinking water stations found in touristy areas.

Note that smaller water bottles (SGD2-ish) cost more than bigger bottles (SGD1). If I were you, always go for the big bottle.

Look For The Best Place To Shop

Singapore has a lot of shopping centers & malls – more than you can imagine. Almost each neighborhood has a shopping center or a leisure mall. The best places to buy souvenirs are Bugis Street Market, Little India’s Mustafa Center & Chinatown. Some shops allow you to haggle or to ask for a discount; but make sure to ask for a reasonable discount.

If you’re looking for normal day goodies like snacks, drinks & toiletries, buy them from bigger supermarkets located in the basement of every shopping mall. Don’t buy them elsewhere.

In case you missed it, I posted an article about my 24-hour quick stopover in Singapore about 2 weeks ago. That part of the trip inspired me to share my tipid tips in Singapore. This short list saved me a lot of Singapore dollars during my visit in Singapore.

Do you have other tips to add? Feel free to post them in the comment sections below. If you want to share some experiences, tips & suggestions but you want to remain anonymous, send them to me via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Connect with me via my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Don’t forget to like & share my Facebook page!

Thanks for your time. Until next time! 🙂

PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11 & HTC Re.