John Peter Salazar
John Peter Salazar is Suroy.ph’s editor for smarter Philippine travel planning. The desk focuses on airfare and ferry comparisons, booking windows, loyalty programs, baggage rules, route combinations, and realistic trip budgets. His guides turn complicated booking systems and fine print into clear choices that help travelers use their time and money wisely.
Undas 2026: Holiday Dates and the Trip Home
All Saints' Day falls on Sunday, 1 November, and All Souls' Day on Monday, 2 November. Plan both journeys, allow time for transfers, and check your cemetery's rules.
Direct flights from Cebu: every route out of Mactan, and who flies it
Checked 30 September 2026: 12 nonstop international cities, Dubai via Clark, and 28 domestic ones, with Ho Chi Minh City, Nagoya and Guam returning before the year ends.
Where to sit on a Philippine ferry, bus or van if you get seasick, and when the Bonamine goes in
Open Air at the back of the fast craft, the seat beside the V-hire driver, the front third of the Ceres, and the Bonamine an hour before the pier, not at it. A seat picker for every ride in the Visayas.
Renting a Car or Motorbike in Cebu: Licenses, Deposits and the Passport Clause
Your home driving license is valid in the Philippines for 90 days from the date you arrive. That is the single fact that decides whether renting in Cebu is simple or complicated, and it comes from the Philippine government rather…
The Two Block Day: Planning a Philippine Trip Around Afternoon Rain
Rainy season rain is rarely all day. Split the day at one in the afternoon, give each half one job, and the weather stops costing you whole days. Checked September 2026.
Visayan Food Lexicon: Pochero, Kansi, Ngohiong and More
Decode Cebuano and Visayan menu words, from pochero, kansi and bulalo to ngohiong, lansiao, pusô, kinilaw and inun-unan.
The Cash Ladder: How Much Money to Actually Carry on a Philippine Island Trip
Carry cash in four separate amounts, not one pile. A working system for island ATMs that run dry, bills nobody can break, and the fare home you must not spend. Checked September 2026.
Stop Paying Everyone One by One: The Barkada Trip Ledger That Keeps Friendships Intact
Stop turning every van, ferry ticket and lunch into a fresh payment request. This simple barkada ledger tracks who paid, who joined and the few transfers that actually settle the trip.
Tipping in the Philippines: that 10 percent on the bill is the tip, and by law it goes to the staff
The service charge line is the tip, and since 2019 the law has sent every peso of it to the staff. A situation picker for everything else, from the Grab to the boat crew.
Bringing a Vehicle on a Cebu RoRo: Papers, Rates and the Clearance Nobody Asks For
Bringing your own car or motorbike onto a Cebu RoRo is mostly paperwork you already carry. The registration papers, a license, and a ticket. What catches people out is not the documents. It is arriving at the wrong hour, backing…
Philippine immigration asks a departing tourist for three things. The rest never became law.
A self-funded Filipino tourist needs three documents. The bank statements and proof of employment everyone talks about come from a 2023 rule that was suspended before it started.
Why Flying into Dumaguete Beats Landing in Cebu for South Cebu
If south Cebu is the trip, Cebu is the wrong airport. Land at Mactan and Oslob is three to four hours away down a road that does not forgive a bad morning. Land at Dumaguete and the same beach is…
Shore-Entry Snorkeling and Freediving in Cebu and Bohol, No Boat Needed
Three of the best reef walls in the Visayas start at a set of steps, not a boat ramp. Moalboal’s sardine run is a thirty meter swim from a beach you can walk to. Napaling in Panglao drops off five…
The Rain Swap: How to Reorder a Philippine Trip Instead of Losing the Day
Rain does not cancel a Philippine trip, it reorders it. Sort every activity into three buckets before you go, and a wet morning costs an hour of rearranging instead of a day.
The Brownout Plan: What Actually Stops Working in a Philippine Power Outage
A brownout is not one failure. It is four, on four different clocks, and the one that ends most trips early is the water. What stops when, and what to set up before you travel.
The Port Buffer: How Early to Actually Arrive for a Philippine Ferry
Ninety minutes for a fastcraft, two and a half hours for a RORO, and why the terminal fee window is the step that actually makes people miss boats. Checked September 2026.
Ferry Baggage in the Philippines: There Is No 15 Kilo Rule
There is no 15 kilo rule. OceanJet publishes 10, 2GO publishes 50, and the gap between those numbers is the difference between walking on with a dive bag and paying for it.
Stop Digging Through Screenshots: The Offline Travel Folder for Philippine Island Trips
Build one five-file offline folder for your Philippine island trip, so tickets, routes, hotel details, payment proof and recovery contacts stay useful when the signal disappears.
Tricycle and Habal-Habal Fares: There Is No Official Rate
There is no official tricycle fare in Panglao, Santa Fe, General Luna or San Juan. Not a higher one for tourists and a lower one for locals. No published matrix at all. Every rate on this page is what the…
Your Hotel Room Is Not Ready Yet: The Four-Hour Arrival Plan for Philippine Islands
Turn the awkward gap before hotel check-in into a calm first afternoon with the LAND Plan: leave bags, anchor nearby, notice the area and downshift.
Too Early for Check-In, Too Late for Checkout? Here Is the Better Travel Plan
Arriving before check-in or leaving hours after checkout? Plan luggage, a day bag and one flexible activity so the awkward hours stay comfortable.
Stop Unpacking Your Whole Bag: The Two-Bag System for Philippine Island Trips
A practical two-bag system for ferry, bus, van and hotel transfer days. Keep documents, medicine, power, weather protection and one dry change within reach without unpacking the main bag.
When the Travel Plan Falls Apart: A 15-Minute Plan B That Saves the Day
Rain, a canceled tour or a closed attraction does not have to waste the day. Use this 15-minute reset to choose a useful, low-cost Plan B.
Travel Insurance for the Philippines: What to Check Before You Buy
A practical checklist for matching travel insurance to Philippine flights, ferries, remote islands, weather, motorbikes, activities and valuable gear.