Generally, no. You are allowed to stay for up to thirty (30) days in the Philippines. Here is a list of countries that are allowed to enter the Philippines without a visa for 30 days. If your nationality is not listed, you will have to obtain a visa.

This depends on your medical history. You will have to check with your GP. Let them know that you’re going to Manila and Coron, Palawan so they can check what necessary vaccinations or medical precautions you need to get. Usually, a Hepatitis A and Tetanus shot are required, as well as malaria tablets.

We recommend that you do get travel insurance, especially for those flying from a different country. There are various travel insurance providers you can choose from.

There are three (3) associated plug types in the Philippines: A, B and C.

Plug type A which has two flat parallel pins, is the most common type you’ll find across the Philippines.

Australia and the Philippines operate on the same 220V supply voltage and 60Hz.

More information about this here.

We recommend you bring a power plug travel adaptor. The plugs of your electric devices wouldn’t fit otherwise.

When you arrive at the airport in Manila, you will be required to fill up a digital eTravel form. All disembarking passengers—local or foreign need to have this.

There will be QR codes that you can scan on the way to Immigration so you can complete the form when you arrive.

However, as the internet connection in the airport is not that reliable, we strongly suggest that you fill up your eTravel form up to 72 hours prior to your arrival in the Philippines.

A QR code will be given to you at the end of the step as confirmation of the completed form. You will be asked to present this at Immigration.

More information regarding this can be found here.

Complete the eTravel form here. You will need to create an account.

You can, if you don’t want to rack up a hefty phone bill when you get back to Australia!

When you arrive at the Manila airport, there are small kiosks where you can purchase a sim card for cheap. They can load it up with prepaid credit as well. These are also available in all shopping malls.

You will need to download an app and register the sim card. You can load it up via the app as well.

The main mobile phone providers are Globe and Smart.

Fact: Jen once racked up a $700 phone bill after a Philippines trip because she turned on her roaming, said she “just needs to upload this photo and internet was so slow”, and forgot to turn it off.

Moral lesson: Do not be like Jen.

Current conversion rate as of 20 January 2025 is $1 (Australian Dollar) = Php36.33 (Philippine peso)

We'd recommend you download the Conversion App on your phone so it’s easy to work out rates rather than having to make computations all the time. For those who have iPhones, we use this app.

The common mode of transport in Manila for travellers is via taxi or Grab car. Download the Grab app so you can book them when you need it.

Be wary of taxi drivers. Make sure they put on the metre rather than negotiate a fixed rate for your destination.

Yes and no. As a general basis, sure. But it cannot be trusted. Suffice it to say that it’s never accurate because of traffic. It may seem close to you in distance but because of unpredictable traffic jams, what should take 15 minutes can, most of the time, take 30-45 minutes, or more. So be prepared.

You’re going on a holiday in a tropical (humid) country. So pack light clothes, swimmers, and maybe just one light jacket.

Unlike Australia, prices in menus aren’t exactly everything you’re paying for. There is a 12% VAT tax that is added on to the total amount of your bill so always account for that.

Also note that most places don’t do split bills.

Filipinos love food and sharing so dishes are almost always good for 2-3 people (or more) so don’t forget to ask if what you’re ordering is good for 1 person only as you might get a massive platter, good for the whole clan!

Unfortunately the Philippines is a bit behind in terms of being inclusive about dietary restrictions. There are only very few restaurants that you can go to that identifies gluten free, nut free, dairy free, etc. meals in their menu, so you will need to manually ask them. This does not, however, guarantee that they will know what you’re talking about or they will be as accurate as you’d like them to be, as there might still be an issue of cross contamination.

For gluten-free dietary restrictions, here are some blogs we found that may help acquaint you with Filipino food, as well as suggestions on what you can do:

• Gluten free food in the Philippines

• 50 of the most gluten-free places in the Philippines

The Wholesome Table in Bonifacio Global City is one of the restaurants we’ve encountered that cater to all dietary restrictions.

In Siquijor, reviews say that the Italian restaurant Dolce Amore also has gluten-free options.