The latest podcast from Bob Martin and I on getting around within the Philippines.  You can listen or download it here.

I write quite a bit about domestic air travel.  Airlines don’t go everywhere, though, and a lot of people come here with the idea that they should rent a car and drive themselves around, much the same as they would when visiting a city at home.

Think this through.  It may not be the best solution.  I go into this on the podcast in some detail … but the short answer is it’s more expensive that you think, it’s hard to get around, and if you don’t have experience driving here, you may have quite a bit of difficulty … or wind up in places you don’t want to be.

here’s some sample prices for renting a car at NAIA,the main Manila airport:

CAR     CAR MAKE/MODEL   EQUIPMENY   DAILY/WEEKLY RATES PESOS/US DOLLARS AS OF 3 Mar 2008

Toyota Corolla XL  Gas, Manual, Aircon      P1600/$40   P43,000/$1067  

Mitsubishi Adventure Diesel, Manual, A/C P2800/$69   P75,000/$1845

Dodge Grand Caravan, Gas, Auto, A/C        P5000/$123 P135,000/$3322

There are bigger and more expensive vans to be found also.  I have nothing against Dodges, but frankly $3300 a week, plus gas, tolls, insurance and who knows what other charges that get lumped on (ever rented a car in any country that only cost what you thought the rate was going to be?  No, me neither.) is a lot of money for a Dodge mini-van.

Note that the Dodge is the cheapest model I could find that has an automatic transmission, too.  Some folks can’t even drive manual transmissions in today’s world, and for sure the traffic in the Philippines is much easier to deal with using and automatic … but they are difficult and expensive to find. 

One point that’s important well, before I let you go … I don’t believe I mentioned it on the podcast either … do not plan on driving after dark, except perhaps in large cities.  Philippine highways are virtually totally unlighted, huge holes in the road with no warning, abandoned unlighted trucks in the middle of the highway, stray animals, etc.  And night is the time of the mag na naka … for those who don’t know the word, another reason not to be on the roads after dark.

Don’t mean to paint too gloomy a picture … I like traveling and I even like driving myself, some of the time, but it is not like flying into Orlando and stopping by the Hertz counter.

Related posts:

1. Getting Around In The Northland
2. New Car Deals
3. Mitsubishi GLS Sport AUV Review
4. The Three-Lined Street
5. Car Rentals

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