Daily Archives: July 6, 2018

travel lesson

Travel Hack: How to Maximize Your Holiday Luggage

06Jul

Travel Hack: How to Maximize Your Holiday Luggage

One of the hardest parts of going on a vacation is packing your luggage. You have to stuff everything you need in a suitcase, and hope that your clothes won’t come out wrinkled. You also need to leave space for souvenirs you might want to take home from your trip. Even people who travel regularly dread having to pack their suitcases before going on a trip. Luckily, there are ways to make our luggage more travel-friendly, and make life a little easier for all of us.

Here are just some tips:

• Shoes as storage spaces

storage shoes

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Shoes take up a lot of space in one’s luggage, but you can use them to pack your socks and products in small plastic bottles or containers like shampoo, hair gel, and the like. Just don’t forget to tape the lids of these containers so they don’t accidentally open and spill their contents inside your shoes.

• Use travel friendly toiletries

travel kits

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If you’re not going to be gone for too long, there’s no use for full tubes of toothpaste or entire bottles of shampoo. There are travel kits available that have miniature bottles for you to put your personal care products in. If you can’t leave home without your blow drier, make sure you buy a compact version for traveling.

• Pack irregularly shaped items first

pack regular

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You’ve placed all your clothes in your suitcase, now where do you put your shoes? Your blow drier? Your snorkel and goggles? It’s best to put them in first and then use the remaining space for your clothes. The spaces left in between them are perfect for small items like underwear, bathing suits, and socks.

• Roll instead of folding

roll packing

image source: i.ytimg.com

When it comes to packing clothes, the best way to maximize space and keep them from getting wrinkled is to sort them (shirts on one pile, tank tops on another, etc…) stack them on top of each other, roll them in one bundle, and then put them into your suitcase.

• Bulky clothes go on your body

bulky clothes

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If you need to bring jeans, a jacket or anything that would take up a lot of space in your suitcase, you can just wear them to and from your destination. This saves you luggage space without having to leave your favorite pair of jeans or your warmest jacket at home.

• Consider your carry-on

carry on bag

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If you have a carry-on bag, think of what you can place in there to make room in your luggage. Just make sure that the items you put in your carry-on bag would not attract the attention of airport security.

• Lastly, don’t wait until the last minute

image source: skyscanner.net

Rush packing can result to over-packed luggage and important things being left at home. If you have time to consider what to bring and what not to take along, you will be able to pack your bags properly.

Traveling light doesn’t mean you have to leave home without all the things you need. You just need to learn these simple tricks so that you won’t feel harassed before your holiday trip.

lechon

Philippines: The Unique Philippine Cuisine Tour

06Jul

Philippines: The Unique Philippine Cuisine Tour

Filipino culture would not be complete without food. Every household has a specialty and every province has something they call their own. In fact, a recent CNN Poll has shown that the Philippines is in the Top 5 of places with the best food in the world.

Interested to know where you can try the best Filipino food in the country? Read on and find out!

1. Uvud Balls of Batanes

uvod balls of batanes

image source: outoftownblog.com

A different kind of “meatballs”, uvud balls are made from banana heart, flying fish, and meat—definitely something new worth trying out! The interesting mix of ingredients just melts in your mouth, and leaves a tangy but sumptuous flavor that would surely make you crave for more!

Have some at Pension Ivatan Restaurant.

2. Aeta Forest Food of Tarlac

Served on banana leaves, this is a hefty mix of mountain yams, cassava, ube, corn, and wild bananas freshly made by Aetas. Other than being a flavorful treat, this is said to cure trembling hands, too!

Visit the Aeta Forest Food Festival happening every April in Tarlac, and have your taste of this delicacy.

3. Sisig of Pampanga

sisig

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Culinary expert Anthony Bourdain loves sisig—and you most certainly will, too! Invented by Lucia Cunanan, more popularly known as Aling Lucing, in the 70s, sisig is made from pig’s head, ears, and liver marinated in calamansi and chili peppers, and often eaten with sunny side up egg. You’ll find it hard to stop once you start digging into this Kapampangan favorite.

Savor the best sisig at Aling Lucing Sisig Restaurant in Angeles City, Pampanga.

4. Alagao Rolls of Antipolo

Known as a versatile leaf, Alagao is now used as a vegetable spring roll wrap in Antipolo. The leaf is filled with some nuts, ginger, minced basil leaves, alamang, minced onions, garlic, and chili (if preferred.) Eat it with a special dark sauce and you’ll understand what the rave is all about!

Go and have some Alagao rolls at Crescent Moon Café in Antipolo.

5. Pakaskas of Batangas

pakaskas

image source: 4.bp.blogspot.com

Pakaskas is a deliciously sweet snack made from buri palm sugar molds, native to the province of Batangas. It has a unique sweet kick that’s unlike any other. Think of suman (glutinous rice cake), but with a lot more texture!

Buy some at Brgy. San Agapito, Batangas.

6. Bibingka of Marinduque

bibingka

image source: spot.ph

Bibingka or rice and coconut milk cake is one of the signs that the Christmas season in the Philippines is about to start. This cake is cooked both on top and at the bottom. Salted eggs give it a special salty yet palatable taste. It is best enjoyed with puto bumbong (sticky glutinous rice) and salabat.

The richest and biggest bibingka can be found in Boac, Marinduque.

7. Lechon Cebu of Cebu

Lechon, or roast pig, is made even more special in Cebu, the Lechon Capital of the World. The pig is not just spit-roasted whole, it is filled up with herbs and spices as well. The most coveted part, the skin, is deliciously crunchy,and the perfect blend of herbs and spices explodes in your mouth! It tastes great, with or without a special dipping sauce.

Try Zubuchon Lechon—you definitely won’t be disappointed.

8. Binungay of Pangasinan

binungay

image source: 1.bp.blogspot.com

Another rice cake delicacy, this one is made by placing sticky rice and coconut milk in bamboo, covering it with banana leaf, and cooking it in the oven. It’s best eaten with sugar, coffee, or a sumptuous serving of hot chocolate.

The streets of Bolinao have a lot of Binungay stalls. Go check them out.

9. Poqui-Poqui of Vigan

vigan poqui poqui

image source: farm7.static.flickr.com

Poqui-poqui is also known as ensaladang talong or eggplant salad made with egg, tomatoes, garlic, and vinegar. The appetizing and healthy delicacy is famous in the Ilocos Region, and other provinces in the north such as Cagayan and Pangasinan.

Try Kusina Felicitas’ poqui-poqui. It is the best.

10. Kinilaw na Tuna of Davao

image source: gutomna.com

Kinilaw na Tuna is cubed sashimi, but what’s special about this is the unique kick that you get out of every mouthful. Tuna meat is soaked in vinegar, onions, and some tomatoes that give the dish a strong, but not overpowering flavor.

The best kinilaw can be found at Luz Kinilaw Place—go try some.

11. Kinalas of Naga

kinalas naga

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Kinalas is another variation of kansi or batchoy (noodle soup with pork organs and pork cracklings.) A warm soup dish best enjoyed during the rainy season, it is popular in Camarines Sur. Drizzle some calamansi and it gets even more perfect.

Try it at Enting’s Kinalas—it’s so good.

12. Sili Shake of Bicol

Bicolanos sure love spicy food, and apparently, even drinks! Sili shake is of course, made from chili—and is best taken in slow slurps to better savor the zesty flavor.

Try some at Bicol Blends Café.

13. Binakol of Aklan

binakol aklan

image source: akcdn2.azsg.opensnap.com

Aklan is not just home to Boracay, but also to Binakol, or chicken cooked in bamboo! It’s similar to tinola, but a taste of it will make you realize it is definitely something else.

The best binakol can be found at Saylo Cuisine in Kalibo, Aklan.

14. Harug of Surigao Del Norte

harug

image source: islandvacations.me

Harug is a special version of ginataan, which is made by boiling and mashing mongo, and mixing it with glutinous rice, squash, salt, and cassava. Comfort food at its finest!

A lot of stalls in Bucas Grande Island, Surigao, sell this—don’t be scared to ask.

15. Adobo of Manila

filipino adobo

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And finally, a trip to the Philippines is not complete without eating adobo. Each province has a different version the Filipino favorite, so it’s hard to qualify where you should eat—but if you want to try specialty adobos such as spicy, coco, cheesy, and even your good old regular adobo, go to Adobo ‘To Restaurant in Ortigas—they have some of the best.

What are you waiting for? Satisfy your gastronomic cravings and try these culinary masterpieces now!