My 6 Helpful Apps for Travel

Since I began researching for travel, I wanted to have access to things I really need that can help me with my trip. These are the 6 apps I found helpful when it comes to my travels.

1. Grab -There are places in my country that Uber is not yet available that is why there is the alternative which is Grab. It can't only not allow you to book a taxi but it will give you the option to grab a car or motorcycle as well as other services.
   
2. Here - This is a very helpful map application as it is developed to work very well offline. It can allow you to download maps offline whether it be a city or the entire country which is detailed and it supports voice navigation while in offline mode.
   

3. Airbnb - When it comes to a place to stay, nothing beats feeling homey and having the place to yourself. As soon as I found out about Airbnb, I don't stay at hotels anymore. This is a perfect app for introverts as we aren’t super interested in all of that socialization — so staying in a private Airbnb is a great solution.
   

4. Spotify - Of course, what is life without music? Spotify allows you to browse music from all types of genres and you can create a playlist. The premium version is best as it allows you to store music offline for a limited number of days. This will be perfect for relaxation and of course tuning out the world if you need to.
   

5. Google Translate - This is a free multilingual statistical machine translation service provided by Google to translate text, speech, images, sites, or real-time video from one language into another. This is very helpful  especially when traveling to places where English is less spoken by the natives.
   
6. Trip Advisor - This is a travel website providing reviews of hotels, attractions and restaurants in places of interests around the world which are provided by travelers around the world. I use this to check cheap accommodations, for things to do and visit based on travelers' review. 
   

So far, these are the apps I go with. There could be more that could cater to your needs. I may encounter more and I will be updating as soon as I have found additional helpful travel apps. Please feel free to recommend me some apps too.

A Look Back at My First Plane Trip: Baguio City

I didn't have the privilege of riding on an airplane until I got work. I still remember my first trip and the excitement I felt to finally be able to ride one. I wasn't alone that time. I  was with my two workmates and my mother for that trip. We went to Baguio City during that time. Yes, the summer capital of the Philippines because of the cold weather and it is a city at the top of the mountains. As a first timer, I actually didn't plan or research on the place because  I didn't know I have to or even the idea of doing so. I was with a workmate that has been there before so I was just relying on her with our itineraries. I can't remember much as to how much we spent but I'll try to remember it as much as I can.

 'Kakainin' sold in the streets

These are sold at the market

How I got there:

It was a promo fare from Cebu Pacific  that we were able to bag seats for a cheap price. I think it was PHP200 for the round trip ticket. There is no direct flight to Baguio City. There was once but they had to stop as the visibility to land air crafts was a problem. From Cebu City, we have to fly to Manila and get to Baguio City from there. I remember we took a bus from Cubao at the Victory Liner terminal. The travel time from Baguio to Manila is 6-8 hours. There are different bus types you can choose from for your comfort and convenience. I have checked with Victory Liner website and found this:

Departure	Fare	Bus Type
05:00 AM	₱445.00	Regular Aircon

12:20 PM	₱750.00	First Class
09:00 PM	₱445.00	Regular Aircon
04:00 AM	₱445.00	Regular Aircon

I am not sure if their website is updated but you can check it out it here.

You can book tickets online too on their website.

Some of the pasalubongs you can buy

Where I stayed:

This is the one thing I can't forget about the trip and that is the place where we stayed - La Brea Inn. The inn is situated in Session Road where you could find places to eat and shop and is just a walking distance from some of the tourist spots in the city. It was a very accessible place and it was convenient for our group. It was also affordable to us I really like the place. I can't remember how much we paid exactly but the room we had was good for a group of 3-4 or more as there were 3 queen size beds. Our room was not air-conditioned but it has hot/cold showers. I don't even think getting an air-conditioned room is necessary as the atmosphere in Baguio is cold.

Horses and ponies at the Wright Park

The things I did and the places I went to:

Baguio City was famous for being a set location of most romantic movies shown in the Philippines. I was able to see it for myself and that would be the Burnham Lake located within Burnham Park. We road on those row boats that had different designs on them, some are shaped like a swan and some have dolphins. We also rented some bicycles and did some biking around the park. We wanted to go to the Botanical Gardens but we didn't make it as it was already closed by the time we finished our biking. And what is Baguio without the strawberries?  The Strawberry Farm is one of the must go to place when you are in Baguio as that is the only place in the Philippines that I know that grows strawberries. You can pick your own strawberries for a certain fee and you will be given a basket to put the fruits in. That time though was not strawberry season so we just purchased then from vendors that were already picked by farmers.

Strawberries pre-picked by farmers

The strawberry farm

 We also went to the Mine's View Park that can show you how beautiful the mountains are surrounding the city and get to mingle with Saint Bernard's! I so wanted to hold one as that is my favorite dog in the world. It was so awesome and they are huge!hen we stopped over at the Wright Park ride or take pictures with the horses. then we took a quick stop at The Mansion which again we were not able to enter as we lacked the time. We also went to Lady of Lourdes Grotto where we have to climb a flight of stairs to pay homage to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is also where we find native Ifugaos display their craft which is available for sale.

The Awwww-dorable Saint Bernard

Vendors for souvenir purchases

Those are places that I remembered going. To get some more ideas, this link will give you more information as to what other places you can go to while in Baguio City.

Lady of Lourdes Grotto

Ifugaos and their products

What I want you to know:

1. Because of the long ride to get to Baguio City, you may want to take sleeper buses that allows you to lay down and get a good rest during travel. It could be pricey but if you are in a shoe string budget, I suggest that you bring a comfy neck pillow with you.
2. It could get pretty cold at night in Baguio so don't forget to bring those jackets or whatever it is that can warm you up.

That's mostly what I remember with my trip. There were still places I wasn't able to visit so it will help for you to research those and that the links helps. Hit me up if you have any questions!