- Flawless Cell Infusion Booster Mask now in Cebu!Posted 7 days ago
- Milk Tea Lovers, Serenitea opens in Cebu!Posted 19 days ago
- Cebu City Marriott Hotel’s new weekend buffet offeringPosted 21 days ago
- Libotero’s Top 15 Pinoy Travel BlogsPosted 28 days ago
- Jollibee’s Amazing Aloha is Back!Posted 37 days ago
- Ayala Center Cebu’s New Wing Tops OffPosted 44 days ago
- Burnham Park, Baguio CityPosted 46 days ago
- Baguio City Overview (in photos)Posted 47 days ago
- Day Tour in Baguio CityPosted 47 days ago
- Libotero hops to Kuala LumpurPosted 47 days ago
Hong Kong in 25 hours!
Just before the month of July ended, yours truly was able to step on Hong Kong for a jam-packed twenty-five hours! And this was made possible thanks to Airphil Express!
This is my second time in Hong Kong after just three months. The first time I was there was last summer, with my family and it was our first out-of-country trip together. Anyway, how did this second trip come to fruition?
The Hong Kong Skyline
A month ago
It was just an ordinary afternoon and I was doing my usual rounds in Facebook, Twitter and composing some blog entries when suddenly, Yoshke Dimen, social media strategist of Airphil Express sent a chat message on Facebook asking me if I’ve already been to Hong Kong. I simply answered yes. Next thing I read was if I wanted to go back on an all-expense paid trip. OMG! My eyes literally expanded and I almost couldn’t believe what I read. I quickly replied, yes ofcourse! This is an opportunity of a lifetime that cannot be missed! Turning down an irresistible offer would be rude but aside from that, I really wanted to return to HK to shop for some scents and this opportunity came just at the right time. Weeee! Yoshke then briefed me of what’s going to happen and what’s expected of us.
July 22, 2011
Ms. Erline Llenasas, Airphil Express Marketing Officer for E-Commerce, sent us our e-tickets to Hong Kong! Oh my, I was in disbelief! I’m really going back to Hong Kong, for free, and with three great travel bloggers, Edcel Suyo, Estan Cabigas and Maria Irene Aserios, at that!
July 25, 2011
Ms. Line sent us our trip itinerary and hotel room assignments. Yes, this is it! It’s gonna happen!
July 28, 2011
The big day! And this deserves a separate post…
(…to be continued)
Preparations before the flight. Here are some of the things I usually do before a flight:
- Place your valid identification card (I use my student ID), travel documents (passport for international flights) and air ticket in your hand-carry bag on the night before your flight so you won’t leave them behind.
- For carry-on baggage, liquids, aerosols and gels exceeding 100mL is a no-no so I bought small “made for air travel” containers so that I could include toiletries and other hygiene essentials in my carry-on baggage.
- Don’t forget your vitamins and first-aid needs, although you can opt to buy them when you arrive at your destination.
- Tripods and umbrellas cannot be carried on board so they need to be checked-in.
- For a comfortable travel experience, don’t bring a lot of stuff, especially if they’re totally unnecessary!
- The night before a flight, I fully charge my camera and flash batteries, cellphones and laptop so that I could ready the chargers in my bag and not leave them behind.
- For clothes, just bring enough and not too much. If your travel itinerary doesn’t involve a lot of “physical and sweaty” activities, clothes could be recycled so as to reduce your baggage. Remember, carry-on luggage should not exceed 8 kilos!
- And yes, I did mention the word itinerary. Long before a scheduled trip, you should prepare your itinerary so that no time is wasted and your trip is maximized.
– If you’re travelling with a buddy, plan together.
– If you’re travelling alone, research, research, research and do not hesitate to seek help from friends who travel a lot and friends who live in the place you’re about to visit.
- Finalize your hotel bookings months or weeks before your trip.
- Buy maps (or grab free ones at tourist desks) so it is easier for you to familiarize and navigate within a new place. Maps are really a big help as you could already visualize and cluster your target destinations even before your trip, it is another essential if you want to maximize your trip.
- Another thing you must not forget is CASH! Prepare some cash that would just be enough in case of a worst case scenario of having no ATMs available or ATMs bogging down at your destination. You may place your cash in an envelope in your bag. I don’t recommend placing big amounts of cash just in your wallet. My advice is to spread chunks of your cash, some in your wallet, some in your bag, some in some other places but do take note where you actually placed them as you might be scrambling around looking for your cash, that would be worse.
- And finally, the biggest preparation comes from WITHIN. Get enough sleep before your flight! That never happens to me as I always get too excited everytime I travel. The best thing I could get is two hours of sleep before a trip!
I can’t wait to share with you all the adventures I’ve experienced in my 25 hours in Hong Kong, one-by-one in the next few days so stay tuned!
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This trip was made possible through Airphil Express
Airphil Express has daily flights from Cebu to Hong Kong effective July 28, 2011. Check out their flight schedules.
For the latest updates on Airphil Express news and promos, constantly check out the Airphil Express Facebook page and the Airphil Express Twitter account.
Mindanaoan
August 14, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Woohoo! Can’t wait to read the other entries