About Gem Muzones

Gem is the co-founder and author of Travels with a Hobo. When she's not hopping on a bus or a plane, climbing mountains, or soaking up the sun in one of the 7,641 islands of the Philippines, she lays in bed all day watching crime documentaries and TV shows and rewatching Game of Thrones. Winter is here. View all posts by Gem Muzones →

15 Must-Haves for a Hassle-Free Budget Travel

1 April, 2017 by Gem Muzones

We won’t be able to go on budget travels in the first place if it wasn’t for Beep (the Hobo) who introduced me to this travel lifestyle. Before I started traveling with Beep back in 2012, an overnight trip with just a small bag was unthinkable for me. Beep, who has been climbing mountains in the Philippines for about 10 years then, is an expert in the outdoors and can survive with just a small backpack (or even a bindle!) – that’s why he’s called a Hobo, he looks like one too.

If there’s one thing that I learned from him after years of traveling together to mountains and islands, it’s how to pack light for a hassle-free travel on a shoestring budget. We bought some of ours here in the Philippines while the others are from Amazon that we bought and shipped via halpU.com Here are some of our must-haves that we’ve invested in so far that we think every budget traveler should save up for:

Sorsogon: Why It’s Every Traveler’s Dream Destination

5 March, 2017 by Gem Muzones

“Are you from Bicol?”, was what I remember someone asking me back in high school when I told him that my favorite food is laing, a Bicolano dish cooked with dried taro (gabi) leaves, coconut milk (gata), and chili peppers for a kick. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I hate eating vegetables, but this vegetable dish won over other more popular and meat-based Filipino and international dishes.

I am not from Bicol. I was born in Iloilo and grew up in Manila and only tasted laing when someone in our house cooked it – not even authentic Bicol laing. The truth is, I haven’t even been to Bicol yet, not until last week when I spent 6 days in the region with Beep and our friends.

More than the destinations, I was excited to finally eat laing in the place where it came from. “My Mom’s laing is better than this“, my friend Steff, who grew up in Bicol, assured me as we ate the dish in one of the most famous carienderias in Legazpi on our first few hours in the region – and what we were eating was already one of the best laing I’ve had.

How to Apply for a Korean Visa + Tips for Getting Approved [UPDATED]

18 October, 2016 by Gem Muzones

UPDATE [Feb 25, 2015]: The Korean Embassy announced new visa requirements for tourists effective Mar 1, 2015. See updated infographic below for the details. Those who will be traveling after March 1, 2015 will need to provide additional information from the required Certificate of Employment, Bank Certificate and copy of Income Tax Return, and submit their Bank Statements.

I’ve applied for a South Korean Visa thrice and have gotten approved in all instances, so I must be doing something right. We got back from our 7-day Spring in Seoul trip a couple of weeks ago and what better way to reminisce about one of our favorite countries to visit than help fellow Filipinos to plan their own trip – but first things first, let us help you in applying for your visa. Here is Travels with a Hobo’s Guide to Applying for a South Korean Tourist Visa for Filipinos Employees.

Escape to Nature: Aquascape Lake Caliraya

5 June, 2016 by Gem Muzones

What’s your idea of a perfect escape? If you ask me and Beep, it’s getting away from the noise of the city, just the two of us, alone and one with nature. It doesn’t even have to be in a high-end resort or beach – the more isolated we are, better. Like when we pitched a tent in one of the islands in El Nido, Palawan where we cooked our dinner by fire under the moonlight; the soft waves, the rustling of the trees, and the sounds of the animals living in the island lulled us to sleep. Spending time outdoors, and one with nature, has a lot of health benefits too! While there are islands that are a couple of hours away from the bustling city of Manila, it’s seldom that you’ll have the place to yourself since you’ll have to share the island with other campers or travelers. That’s why Beep and I are always on the lookout for private getaways that we can easily drive to. We’ve tried renting houses but none of them can compare to that night in our own island, until we found out that there’s a floating cottage somewhere in Laguna thanks to an invitation from the owner of Eco Saddle [now Aquascape]. Planning a trip to Manila and its nearby provinces like Laguna? Find cheap flights to Manila here. So last weekend, we drove to Eco Saddle in Caliraya Lake/Aquascape and spent the night in their motorized floating cottage. It was like having an island all to ourselves again, but this time we had a fully-furnished house that can cruise around the lake. Who needs a yacht when you have a real Hobo house?

Pradera Wake Park: Your New Weekend Playground in Pampanga

3 April, 2016 by Gem Muzones

As the pair behind Travels with a Hobo, you’d think that Beep and I are always traveling during weekends. The truth is, we’re both home buddies and often spend the weekend sleeping in and watching Netflix. We love traveling but we love our beds more! So when we do go out on weekends, it has to be something worth losing a good day of sleep and binge watching for.

Siquijor: Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Travel to This Mystic Island

24 November, 2015 by Gem Muzones

“Don’t look straight into their eyes”

“If someone insists on giving you a gift, politely decline it”

These are just some of the warnings that people told me when they found out that I was going to Siquijor for a week-long Central Visayas trip with the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines. While there were other destinations in the Philippines to choose from for TPB’s first-ever domestic Product Familiarization Tour which I was invited to take part in, I immediately chose the Siquijor-Dumaguete-Bohol tour just because I’ve always dreamed of going to Siquijor.

Shrouded in magic and dark tales, the mere mention of the word Siquijor sends chills down the spine of many Filipinos. Believed to be inhabited by mystical and dark creatures like aswang, ghosts, witches, and sorcerers; this reputation might have gotten people to repulse the third smallest island in the Philippines , but it’s for the same reason that tourists (myself included) are attracted to the island once called Isla de Fuego (Island of Fire). It was dubbed so because of the eerie glow of the island according to the Spanish conquistadors who discovered it in 1565. The truth? It was just swarms of fireflies that flitted around the island’s Molave trees seen from a distance.

#PhilippinesFirst Friday: This 7-minute Video Will Make You Want to Go Backpacking in the Philippines Now!

30 October, 2015 by Gem Muzones

Last week, we launched the first part of our #PhilippinesFirst Weekly Blog Series, where we round up articles/content published in the recent week to prove just how beautiful the Philippines is. The series is our own little way of helping our fellow Filipinos realize how lucky we are to live in this country, feel proud of our roots, and bring inspiration to travel the Philippines first before the rest of the world.

What inspired us to travel more of the Philippines this week despite the disgraceful laglag-bala extortion racket in NAIA headlining the news recently?

#PhilippinesFirst Friday: Palawan is the Best Island in the World (Yet Again!)

23 October, 2015 by Gem Muzones

As part of our #PhilippinesFirst advocacy, we’re launching a weekly blog series called #PhilippinesFirst Friday where we round up articles published in the recent week that prove just how beautiful the Philippines is. This is our own little way of helping our fellow Filipinos realize how lucky we are to live in this country, feel proud of our roots, and bring inspiration to travel the Philippines first before the rest of the world.

1. Palawan is the Best Island in the World (Yet Again!)

Probably the best Philippines travel news for this week is that Palawan is once again hailed as the best island in the world in the Readers’ Choice Awards 2015 of award-winning US travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler (CNT). This is the second straight year that Palawan has gotten this recognition. You go, Palawan!

Book a plane ticket to Palawan now! Find the best airfare deals to the best island in the world here.

An Open Letter to Filipinos: Travel the Philippines First

22 October, 2015 by Gem Muzones

To my dear fellow Filipinos,

“If you were given an all-expense-paid trip to any place in the world, where would you go?”

That was the exact question that started my talk on budget travel last October 15 when I was invited as a resource speaker for Take the Risk, an Alternative Classroom Learning Experience (ACLE) held at the University of the Philippines Diliman organized by the , which aims to teach students about budget travel, backpacking, and hiking with travel bloggers as teachers for a day. While I gave tips on how to make budget travel possible, the heart and soul of my talk was my ‪#‎PhilippinesFirst‬ advocacy- to inspire Filipinos to explore more of the Philippines.

Why I Keep Coming Back to El Nido, Palawan (and Why Every Filipino Should, Too)

20 October, 2015 by Gem Muzones

Why I Love El Nido Palawan

Two days before my birthday back in the year 2011, I had one of my fainting episodes at home. I don’t suffer from any serious illness but once in a while I faint whenever I have dysmenorrhea (I’m telling you, it was brutal). While my Mom would usually brush it off like my previous episodes, she brought me to a clinic to have me checked up by a doctor, just in case I need medications. The doctor had a better idea though, he had me confined in a hospital to run some tests on me because he thought that I might be epileptic. I ended up spending my birthday in the hospital with negative results for the tests, proving that I’m not epileptic and that I needed a better doctor.

6 Budget-Friendly Eats in Cebu City for the Hungry Cheapskate

12 September, 2015 by Gem Muzones

We’re cheapskates even when it comes to food – Beep especially. Most boyfriends take their girlfriends to fast food joints when they’re on a budget date, Beep, meanwhile takes me to the UV Express terminal in Park Square, Makati to eat at the stalls (we’re frequent customers of Paotsin!) before heading home.

We set a PHP7,000 budget for our recent Cebu-Bohol trip, so we had to choose the more affordable dining options. While we usually eat in carinderias like the locals in our budget trips, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try the highly-recommended eats in the Queen City of the South.

Budget Trip in Coron? Stay at Patrik & Tezz Guesthouse

8 June, 2015 by Gem Muzones

When you’re traveling backpacker style (with a very limited budget), a luxurious hotel is definitely out of the question. Why stay in rooms with 21-inch flat screen TVs when you’re just going out the entire day anyway? You’re traveling to enjoy a place you’ve never been to before (or some place you like going back to again and again), not to watch TV just like your usual lazy weekends in your own home.

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