PhilFAQS

Here’s a ‘blast from the past’.   I decided to repubish it becuase people still search all the time about the routes of flights to the Philippines, how far it is, etc.  Since our 16th place Americna schools spend much more tme teaching football and manipulating government entitlement programs than they ever do geography, peopl;e can make it all the way through high school and perhaps even college without learning that the shortest distance between two points on a gloge is a great circle … which from the US to the South Pacific regions takes planes far up across the sub-polar north.

Eevn if you knoe these things it’s an interesting graphic

One of the most fun things about blogging to me is the daily searches people make to find this blog.  yesterday I noted one that landed here at PhiFAQS … “Do airplanes going to the Philippines from Minneapolis fly East or West”?

An interesting question, really.  When you’ve flown back and forth across the Pacific as many times as I have the answer comes easily .. west, of course, it is about 8 or 9,000 miles farther from Minneapolis to Manila going around the world to the east as by taking Northwest’s usual route from Minneapolis to Manila, via japan.  But how is the average person going to know this off the top of their head?  Do schools even have globes anymore?  Probably not, since the globe has no relation to football, and in the rare schools that teach geography the teacher is going to be the football coach in the off season … at best.

One of the great people of the web, Karl L. Swartz, has long provided one of the web’s most useful tools … a great circle mapper and distance calculator.  Find it here: http://gc.kls2.com/

You just type in the places you want to go from and to .. in almost any combination and Karl’s tool will draw the map and calculate time and distance.  For the flight times in this demo map I used a pretty much standard ground speed for a Boeing 747 of 490 knots.

Minneapolis to Manila   6792 nm 13:52 Flight Time

London to Manila    5821 nm 11:53 Flight Time

Sydney to Manila   3371 nm  6:53 Flight Time

Hope to see you in the Philippines soon.

This is a "blast from the past".  I’ve decided that each and every Saturday I’ll republish one of my popular older post.  Even though the site has many ways to look up data published years back, people aren’t always in a position to hunt around, so this will be yet another way to find things people are always looking for.

One of the first things you need to be concerned about if thinking of traveling to the Philippines is where to stay.  There are dozens (perhaps more) services who will book hotels for you.  As I come across good ones or not so good ones, I’ll point them out.

Asia Travel

Based in Singapore with offices in the Philippines, Hong Kong and about 8 other locations is one of the oldest and best.  I’ve been using them since the year 2000 and they haven’t let me down yet.

Asia Travel’s website is well organized (they have improved it tremendously over the past few years) and their server response time is quick.  They have a good "stock" of rooms, unlike some other services that only list 3 or 4 hotels in a city the size of Manila or Cebu.

A weakness of their site is the inability to sort the results by price, and like every Asian booking concern I have come across, they are woefully weak on instant, on-line booking … although they do color code their results so you can quickly see the hotels that will give instant reservations.

They have a US toll free number and a direct UK number so you don’t have to fool around with international dialing … and I have found they answer emails quite quickly as well.  An Asian-based firm who answers emails promptly and intelligently is indeed a good find.

Plan your stays wisely and always compare several suppliers, but don’t fail to get a quote from these guys.  Recommended.

Here’s a really scary incident, hardly even reported in the US … 20 something hours later I can only read about it on UK, Filipino and Australian sites.

A Qantas flight from London to Melbourne by way of Hong Kong somehow developed a huge hole in it’s side and made an emergency landing at Manila yesterday.

It’s really too soon to tell but the size of the hole and the pictures I see (there are many better pictures on various Philippine news sites, Google is your friend) leave room for any cause factor right now, from some kind of structural fault right up to an explosive device.  If it was intentional it is really scary since London and Hong Kong are probably two of the most security conscious airports on earth.  Heaven protect those of us who travel through the ‘zoo" the City of Los Angeles and the TSA laughingly call an International Terminal at LAX)

I wonder how long it will be before one of the news agencies spins this to try to make it look like something that occurred in the Philippines or because of the Philippines … when, in fact, it was damn lucky for the people on board that the Philippines was there with an airport to give them safe haven.

I read the news article with some amusement … the report breathless describing the jet "plunging" more than 20,000 feet in "an attempt to deal with the sudden depressurization".  Well it wasn’t an "attempt" to deal with the loss of cabin pressure, it was the standard procedure that every airline pilot practices at least twice a year .. one of the many emergencies pilot’s train on to keep passenger’s alive.  A controlled, by the book, rapid decent to get down to an altitude where the passengers can safely breath.  Off hand, since exactly zero injuries occurred I would judge Captain Bartels’s "attempt" was pretty successful, wouldn’t you?

With air travel such an important part of our daily lives, I wonder why it seems to be a requirement for every journalist (many of whom travel extensively and almost all of whom have graduated college, and thus ought to know better) to pass an exam to prove their ignorance of simple physics and aerodynamics before they are allowed to write for the public.

Aside from the possible foul play aspects, which gain, are not yet confirmed nor ruled out, the scary thing about this incident is something else safety-wise which the media is missing out on.

Had this incident happened somewhere out over the middle of the Pacific, rather than conveniently close to Manila, there would be a big problem.  Jet engines burn many times more fuel at low altitudes than at typical cruising altitudes.  passenger supplemental oxygen only lasts abut 15 or 20 minutes … the aircraft has to be now in ‘high fuel burn’ country and stay there until it can land, or people will die.  And airlines carry absolute minimum legal amounts of fuel these days to save costs. Low altitude, high rate of fuel consumption, no extra fuel on board to begin with …. get the picture?  How many life rafts does a 747 carry, anyway?

<< Note:  See updated contact information at the end of this article >>

On my last visit to Davao City I stayed at the We R Inn Hotel on JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City.  This is a moderate-priced hotel that is a pretty good bargain for the money.  I had a mid-priced air conditioned room, at PhP 1,000 per night which included a generous-sized room with two single beds, a decent-size bathroom with towel, soap and good shower and plenty hot water and an air con which cooled the room well and made little noise.  The TV was small but worked well and the cable package was adequate.

All the rooms are non-smoking as is, essentially, the entire city of Davao, the only place I saw on my entire visit there where smoking was obviously legal and encouraged was in a bar at the airport with special air-lock doors for entry/exit.  You don’t go out on the sidewalk or in the parking lot for a smoke in Davao…unless you want to visit the city jail which is also, you guessed it, non-smoking.

The room price included a quite decent “order from the menu” breakfast with a good choice of Filipino, European and American-style meals (sorry, Australian friends, I didn’t note any Vegemite) and, important to me, all the coffee I chose to drink.  As is so often the practice only instant was available, but they were happy to keep refilling my cup.

It’s hard to believe it, but the Philippines is a coffee producing country … there is excellent coffee grown near my home location (in Batangas) and I believe several good producing areas in the mountains of Mindanao, perhaps in sight of Davao City … yet getting a cup of coffee, unless you are staying in a large city where Starbucks and other over-priced ’boutique franchises abound can be a bit of a problem.

Anyway, that’s my report on the We R Inn Hotel on JP Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City.  Check them out if you are looking for a bargain place to stay or want plenty coffee with your breakfast.

———-

Telephone: (82) 227-9328 (from the US you would dial 011-63-82-227-9328 … tell them Philly sent you ;))
Email: we_r_inn@yahoo.com
Address:
Central Plaza I Compound
J.P. Laurel Avenue (Fronting Gaisano Mall)
Davao City, Philippines

I’ve been away for a couple days on a little journey up north to Pampanga, Bataan and Zambales provinces.  My son came for a visit from the USA and I was showing him around.

We stayed three nights at a nice hotel on the former Subic Bay US Navy base.  Very nice indeed.  Many people predicted disaster when the US bases closed, but it has actually worked out well.  Subic has many tourist businesses but more important to the economy is the commercial airport, the container port and two large shipyards that have recently been built.  It’s a going concern and a good example of how a community can take a former military base and make something useful from it.

Here’s the beach in front of our hotel. quite nice for the price.  More updates will follow, I’m still touring.

Yet another story of how to make your trip to the Philippines extremely short … and collect yourself an official record of being tossed out of a country as an undesirable. 

My dear wife, www.unofficialcook.com sends me these little snippets, at least once a week now it seems … foreigners running afoul of the immigration officials at NAIA (Manila) airport and other travel venues … see here and here and here for just a few examples.  And this one in particular baffles me …

Cebu Daily News

First Posted 13:20:00 04/10/2008

CEBU CITY, Philippines - The Japanese tourist who allegedly hit the Cebu governor’s daughter will be deported and will be placed on the immigration blacklist.

Isao Tanaka, 65, was expected to be deported through summary proceedings and placed on the Philippines’ immigration blacklist for allegedly hitting lawyer Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia-Codilla, daughter of Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, past 11 a.m. Tuesday… fill article here.

I lived three years in Tokyo.  Crowds and lines (queues) are a way of life there … going through Narita airport in Tokyo makes what passes for "crowds" here in the Philippines look pretty sparse.  Japanese are among the most courteous and law-abiding folk you are ever going to meet … they make the average American look like a bull in a china shop, especially in crowds where there is nothing you can do but wait.  I’ve passed through the baggage claim at Narita a  minimum of 30 times … I made more than 20 trans-Pacific crossings in one year alone (oh my poor butt *smile*).  The thought of someone punching someone, especially from behind just baffles me … it would never happen in Japan in 100 trips or even a thousand.

I’ve seen Europeans, Chinese and fellow Americans "act out" here in the Philippines enough times to make me wonder what goes through people’s minds when they come here?  It’s a mystery to me.

Do people feel that the Philippines is somehow a lesser country than ‘back home’?  Or that Filipinos are somehow second or third class citizens that don’t merit common courtesy … even if they may break the rules, as we see them?  Something seems to happen at the airport that I really can’t understand.

(You might want to read what third-world really means, here, and also note the Philippines never has and is not now a "third-world"country.)

This fellow, Tanaka-san is actually damn lucky.  In the US, in Japan, and even here in the Philippines, assaulting another person in public is a crime.  H’s actually pretty fortunate he isn’t bound over for trial, especially considering he stuck (as reported by witnesses, this isn’t one of these "he said"/"she said" sort of things … the daughter of a provincial governor.  If you were flying into LAX and Governor Schwarzeneggerr’s daughter (doe he have one, i don’t know) moved her cart in a way you didn’t like, would your response be to assault her?  If so, I bet the charges would be more serious than an invitation to get back on the plane and leave.

As I said, this mystifies me.  All I can say is, I want you to come and visit and the Philippine government wants you to visit too, but for goodness sake, refrain from cursing, insulting officers and the country itself and especially refrain from assaulting people at the airport … this is not the wild, wild west here.

I just realized I owe more about my recent trip to Davao City.  My friend Bob sort of reminded me this am with an excellent post about things to do in Davao.

One of his recommendations deserves a little more air time I think, so I will try to fill the gap. 

"Resort" as used in the Philippines has a pretty inconsistent meaning in actual fact.  A "resort’ may be a luxurious western-style hotel complex with hot and cold running everything in the way of servants and conveniences or it may be a half-barren patch of grass under some decaying trees with a couple dirty picnic tables and a guy who shows up to extract P 100 per person and then tell you that you aren’t allowed to bring in your own food.

Malagos Garden is in the middle, a little toward the top.  It sits on beautiful grounds (part of the Davao City watershed reserves about an hour’s taxi ride from center city.  The trees and flowers, especially the orchids are just outstanding.  The buildings are well constructed and, as I believe Bob mentioned the food is excellent … and cheap even in Filipino terms.  My friend Vince and I dropped in for lunch and chose the lunch ’set’ a fixed-price meal that had three different choices, pork, chicken or beef.  The price P 200 per head (per pax as they say here) included the regular P 100 admission to the grounds, value Added tax and about three other fees I don’t quite remember … so in this terms out lunch cost about P 75 each … about $1.80 US and included delicious how made soup .. served hot, no less, a delightful fresh salad, a generous entree, Filipino style but very much aligned with foreign tastes and a delicious desert, all served promptly and correctly by an attractive waitress.  i mean it’s refreshing when people still take pride in their work and know to serve from the left and pick-up from the right … we in America have grown to used to, and sadly accept ’service’ that often includes someone calling your number over a loudspeaker … and a thumb in your soup if you happen to get the soup in a bowl instead of a plastic cup … especially for a meal that costs under $2.00

The venue (another word you need to get used to Filipino usage of), every place is a ‘venue’) was a lovely open-air restaurant surrounded by flowing pools, deep shade trees and fantastic floral displays … and this was the casual restaurant, there was another separate, more imposing building for dinners and parties.

Sadly I did not have the time to check out the lodgings but they have several categories of cabins and rooms so based on the experience with their grounds and food service I plan to return for a night or two when my wife and I visit Davao City, RSN (Real Soon Now).  Unfortunately the resort does not yet have a fully functional web site but they do have all their contact information here: http://www.malagos.com/ and as with all Filipino businesses it is better to call than try to deal with email anyway.  If you are visiting davao … and you should … I certainly recommend you program in some time for Malagos Gardens.

I finally got off my butt and did some internal traveling that wasn’t just a visit to a relative’s home …hey, what can I say, I’m a boring person.  My friend Vince was visiting from the US and we took a three-day trip down to Davao City.  One of the major reasons I picked Davao was to meet a long-time online friend Bob Martin, who has been here in the Philippines full time for more than 8 years now and who knows a lot about the ins and outs of living in the Philippines.  (thanks, Bob, for all your hospitality).

The first thing many Americans will be perhaps surprised to learn is that Davao is way down south, in the heart of the island of Mindanao where many people recommend foreigners not travel.  (this recommendation includes a lot of my Filipino friends who consider Mindanao as somehow dangerous or ’strange’ and not a place a foreigner will get along well.

Having made the trip I can state I’m happy, in a way, for all these warnings, because I consider Davao, in particular, to be a real jewel of the Philippines and I’m just as happy if foreigners in general don’t go there … makes it ever so much nicer for me. (I know the department of tourism won’t like that statement much, but they haven’t put me under contract (yet) so … too bad ).

Seriously, Davao is a lovely place to visit and I would rate the ‘dangers" to foreigners equal or even less than any place I have yet visited.  One reason for this is that Davao is perhaps the most organized and disciplined city I’ve yet seen.  It’s run by a mayor who takes his responsibilities very seriously and local laws are enforced … something that’s sadly lacking in a lot of places I have visited so far.

Getting There:  Davao is an easy less than two hour flight from anywhere else in the Philippines.  Round trip fares from say manila will often be under $100 US … a bargain compared with flying around the US.  The airport terminal is brand new and well organized, you won’t loose time in aimless lines.

Local Transport: Cabs are plentiful and cheap.  Since there is very little congestion you won’t spend most of your cab money sitting in traffic as the meter ticks, a frequent problem in larger cities.  I always recommend strangers find a cab driver they feel they can communicate with and consider hiring the guy by the day or half-day … it usually works out cheaper in the long run.  We had a cab for close to 5 hours for 700 pesos total and the driver was safe, courteous and spoke good English.  If you aren’t confident enough to try something like this on your own, a hotel can usually suggest someone reasonable.  remember, if you hire someone for a day or more you really should be responsible for his meals and/or lodging (if going out of town) over and above the daily fee … but don’t make him accompany you to restaurants, etc., he likely won’t be comfortable.  Hotels typically have "driver rooms" or can recommend cheap ‘diver lodgings" locally, just ask.

Hotels: Davao is not Paris, and it’s not even manila (thank goodness).  We stayed at a very economical hotel called We ‘R Inn in the downtown area.  Refr4esngly clean, excellent breakfast, friendly staff and well worth its P1000 per night rate.  This motel would rank down in the ‘less luxurious than Motel 6 rank’ for most fellow Americans, so depending on your desires you might want a more upscale choice.  Here’s some that are well recommended, although I haven’t stayed there personally.

Food: A, now this is one of the things I really feel is a huge strength for Davao.  It’s not always easy to find food to foreigner tastes when traveling in the Philippines … especially if you are turned off by the ubiquitous US franchises 9with US prices) which pollute the country.  Davao has some excellent choices and compared with the metro Manila area, food is cheap.  I particularly enjoyed Al’s Diner and Picobello Ristorante Italiano.  Not at all what I expected from a small, "shopping center" type restaurant.  Bob has a great list here, I want to try them all.

There’s a lot more to say about Davao City, but this post is already long enough.  If you get the idea that I thoroughly enjoyed my trip then I’ve done my writing job well.  Is Davao now on my list for permanent places to live in the Philippines?  You better believe it!

New security rules for batteries on planes

Posted by Desiree Everts

If you don’t want to lose your spare lithium batteries for your camera, notebook or cell phone, you might want to pack carefully for your next flight.

New rules from the Transportation and Security Administration that take effect on January 1 ban travelers from carrying loose lithium batteries in checked baggage. Passengers are allowed to pack two spare batteries in their carry-on bag, as long as they’re in clear plastic baggies.

Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about the batteries that are already installed in the devices you’re bringing. The TSA has said it’s safe to check in items like a laptop or iPhone that already have the batteries in place.

The agency said that loose lithium batteries not installed in devices pose a fire risk to passenger planes. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board could not rule out the possibility that lithium batteries started a fire in a plane at the Philadelphia National Airport last year, according to the Associated Press. Full article here, thanks news.com

Not a lot I can say about this one, because unlike many of the TSA’s asinine rules there may be a basis of fact behind this prohibition … loose batteries may have cause a fire on an airliner last year.

So if you’re traveling to the Philippines and you plan to carry extra batteries for cell phone, PDA, Lap top, etc., better to read up on the rules before you get to the airport, all packed and ready to board your flight.

One of the most annoying and constitutionally indefensible aspaects of the regulation the TSA operates under is their absolute power to seize otherwise legal property of US citizens with no recourse.  To add insult to injury, they then sell off this property at action … yet make no provision to allow the citizen to, for example, send the property home, store the property for later pickup, etc.  Even if a citizen wished to pay for such services, it’s not allowed.  Sad commentary … but hey, nothing to do but learn the rules in advance … we no longer have protection from illegal search and seizure.

Here’s a subject that comes up time and time again.  What’s the deal with the airport or airports in Manila?  We can help here at the old PhilFAQS info center but first of all we have to define a couple things.

First of all, for our purposes here, we will define and “airport” as one contiguous plot of ground that has one or more runways where aircraft land and take off and one or more terminals where people board or deplane from aircraft.  Does this seem a little too simplistic to you?  Well, sorry if it doers but I have seen more problems with this definition and people arguing over what constitutes and airport than you can imagine over the past 8 years or so … so defining the foundations of the discussion can’t really hurt.

Based on our definition here there is only one airport within Metro Manila and that is Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).  The commercial airlines “bag tag” code is MNL and the ICAO “International Code” is RPLL.  In common parlance here this entire place is typically referred to as “na e ah”.

The confusion often crops up due to the fact that there are 4 completely separate and independent terminal buildings on NAIA and you’d be well advised to know which one does what before you hail a cab and say “airport, please”.

(more…)

An interesting article today at MSNBC.COM on Airline Mileage Awards.  Actually, as with many headlines, this one’s a bit of a teaser … these awards aren’t “secret”, it’s just that the airlines don’t spend a lot of money publicizing them, because they do offer real benefit to the customer and they do cost the airlines some actual cash to provide.

I got a bit of a chuckle reading it because the offer gave examples and couched everything in terms of flying New York to California as the longest possible trip.  I have news for him.  if you fly to and from the Philippines a couple times you are already a bigger “miler” than the customer who flies coast-to-coast five times … the typical level where awards begin.

Most of us look for the cheapest fares … and if you are making only a one-time trip that’s likely your best way to go … but if you travel to the Philippines even a few times a year it’s wise to do a personal analysis between the money you save on discount-only versus the tactic of flying only airlines and partners that will build your mileage award account.  For some of us the small additional cost of a ticket the “counts” may be well worth it.

(more…)

I am pretty much a dyed in the wool Boeing kind of guy.  I worked on Boeing aircraft for years and as a student of aviation history I find the Boeing story fascinating.  But there is no denying that AirBus also builds some great airplanes … and there is also (sadly) no denying the fact that Boeing really missed the boat on long-haul, high volume aircraft over the past 10 years.  Boeing will quote you the party line that they are going to make all sorts of profit from the “Dreamliner” and their “new” features on the 747 lineup, but the term “whistling in the dark” leaps to mind.

The 787 Dreamliner is widely touted because of its speed … it will be faster than any other airliner.  But Boeing’s current market leader, the 777 is the slowest of modern jets .. primarily because it attains its purchase cost and economy of operation lead by being under-powered.  The 787 is pretty much a 777 with more plastic, fancier interior trim (which will never see airline service because it is pretty but not cheap) that has been given the power and hence  the performance that the ‘econo-box” 777 lacks.  And the hyped up 747-8?  Folks, let’s face it … I love the 747 and it has been a fantastically good airplane, but the first one rolled out of the factory 30th September 1968. 1968 … what were you doing in 1968?  Were you even a gleam in your daddy’s eye?  This September 30th the 747 will be 39 years old!  You can stuff in a new engine and reupholster the seats of a 1968 Ford Mustang too, but I doubt anyone world consider it competition for this. 

 Likewise, the A380 is going to revolutionize trans-ocean travel the way that the 747 did a lifetime ago.  Fares will be cheaper … or at least hold the line against rising fuel prices, cabin comfort will be increased … more space and better appointments … and travel to the Philippines will benefit.

The first commercial flight of the A380 will be from Singapore to Sydney, Australia on October 25/26th.  If you want to get on it, you can join the auction for first flight seats on www.ebay.ph  .  I’m eagerly awaiting the first Philippine A380 destination flights.

Found this interesting study this morning and have learned a lot. 

Computational Complexity of Air Travel Planning

As you know I always recommend using a professional travel agent when looking for fares to the Philippines, because the various on line booking services don’t usually have many of the special fares available to travel agents … and they don’t know the Philippines at all.

But I know that many of you are addicted to that on line search “game” … after all, you might win big if you can just search the exact right engine at the exact right time … science should eventually win out. Well … maybe.  here’s a few facts about solving the “Find The Cheapest Fare” game … not from a travel agent but from a software developer/mathematician.

Makes some interesting reading and points out why no computer algorithm, especially something that returns its results to a web-based interface, can effectively calculate all the possible combinations of air fare in time to get you to the airport before your flight departs and you have to start the process all over again.

There are not many of us who have been around the Philippine Living scene for any length of time and not heard of a balik bayan box. For those who haven’t, it’s a heavy cardboard carton filled with “goodies” usually used for shipping to the Philippines … literally “back to the country”. If you’ve seen a balik bayan box there’s a better than even chance it was from Manila Forwarder LLC., one of the big names in that business.

Manny Paez is the founder of Manila Forwarder and several other businesses, including today’s feature on TravelPH. Here’s my chat with Manny.

————–

1. Name, contact information and web site address.

TravelPH.Com
Email: info@travelph.com
Philippines +63 02 356-8061 / 294-4891

USA 1.800.210.1019

2. Number of years in the business and a rough idea of how many clients you send to the Philippines yearly.

4 years

3. Your thoughts on why a prospect should use an agent, and specifically whey they should chose you.

-24/7 customer support

- USA and Manila Offices

-We personally inspect the resorts, hotels, airlines, etc

-instant airline booking confirmation on e-ticketing

- searches all available airline and the lowest rate instantly

-discounts on shipping

4. Number One mistake you have seen Philippine travelers make over the years

Staying with relatives and not using hotels and resorts in their visit during the whole duration of their visit thinking that they would save. Eventually, they end up spending more, culture shock to foreign-born offsprings, etc.

5. Philippine travel tips.

I highly recommend using tourist facilities like hotels, resorts, and other amenities to first-time and return visitors. Invite the relatives to join you in the hotel or resort. Less headache and it will be a pleasing experience to both parties.

6. Where do you see the business headed in 2007 and beyond.

More technology available for the travel agent and clients.

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Thank you Manny, very much appreciate the time and effort you put into making travel happen for folks. If any of you enjoyed reading this, please let me know. If you have other comments, questions or concerns let me know too. We’ll be publishing more interviews like this from folks who actually know about Philippine travel. You can leave a comment, or email me direct at davestarr (at) gmail.com or text me at: 63-0919-231-5625

Recently I conducted an email interview with Jeff Jenks of Travel is Fun.  I’ve known Jeff from many of the on-line Philippines Groups and have used his services personally, so I can vouch for his competency.  I’m trying to get similar interviews with other agents well established in the Philippine air travel segment of the business.  I’ve seen a lot of folks go wrong in the past 6 or 7 years that I have been involved with Philippine living and this year I’m going to be bringing many experts on board to help save folks from having to learn the same hard lesson over and over.

Here’s a page about Jeff that’s pretty darn interesting if you, like most folks I know, would like to know with whom you are dealing.And

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1. Name, contact information and web site address.

Jeff Jenks - Owner, TRAVEL IS FUN, 800 736-6814 or 248 546-3361, Email: travelisfun@comcast.net

 website: http://home.comcast.net/~travelisfun

2. Number of years in the business and a rough idea of how many clients you send to the Philippines yearly.

Began selling travel, primarily from and to Asia, in 1978. Lived and worked in the Philippines from 1962 - 1964 as a Peace Corps Volunteer teacher and have been going back and forth for over 42 years. Married to a Filipina for 35 years. I send about 200 people annually between the U.S. and the Philippines and bring a lot of Filipinas here on their first trip to the U.S.

3. Your thoughts on why a prospect should use an agent, and specifically whey they should chose you.

Use an agent that sells the Philippines, because they get wholesale prices and usually aren’t too greedy with commissions. Pricing is usually lower then Expedia, Orbitz, etc — because those Internet providers sell you the lowest PUBLISHED fare AND POCKET HUGE COMMISSIONS.

Wholesale/bulk/consolidator rates are lower. And that’s what agents that sell the Philippines specialize in. YOU NORMALLY GET A LOWER PRICE and better SERVICE

An agent can get a combination of price and convenience that meets YOUR needs. They can help you avoid being stranded in connecting cities, and can tell you the differences in prices and carriers. When something goes wrong they often can help you out - something someone in a call center in Bombay won’t be able to do.

Why me - I’ve been doing this since 1978, am familiar with most cities in the Philippines and have flown most of the routes and carriers. I’m also not greedy on commission and will give you lots of FREE advice. I sell to clients located all over the U.S.

4. Number One mistake you have seen Philippine travelers make over the years

Picking the wrong Asian carrier and paying too much for the lowest fare - by booking directly with the airline or using someone like Expedia. You may end up with about another half day of lost time in travel using an Asian carrier - with a wait of 8 - 10 hours on the West Coast on the return. If you’re retired the time lag is no problem, but if you’re working it shortens your vacation time either now or in the future.

5. Philippine travel tips

If you can avoid traveling in December or June, July or August and if you can avoid going over the Pacific on Friday, Saturday or Sunday you can save money. Work with an agent that specializes in the Philippines.

6. Where do you see the business headed in 2007 and beyond.

Philippine travel will continue to increase - but it will mainly be Filipinos going, home, Internet pals going to meet Filipinas, and returning Fil-Am couples. Real American tourism doesn’t exist and won’t until airlines, hotels and transfer services are less expensive and more easy to handle.

After you get married normally within 12 months your spouse will need to return home, because of loneliness - hopefully you will go too; after a baby is born your wife and you will need to go back to show off the beautiful baby; and finally some time you will want to go back to see more of the country.

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Thank you Jeff, very much appreciate the time and effort you put into making travel happen for folks. If any of you enjoyed reading this, please let me know. If you have other comments, questions or concerns let me know too. We’ll be publishing more interviews like this from folks who actually know about Philippine travel. You can leave a comment, or email me direct at davestarr (at) gmail.com or text me at: 63-0919-231-5625