Throwback Thursday: Philippines Holiday 2018

2019 started off so busy I never got to blog about our family vacation to the Philippines.

We were fortunate to travel with my parents. I really wanted our boys to experience the Philippines with their grandparents. Only they could give the special perspective of what being “home” in the Philippines really means.


Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the fun we had as a family highlighting some of our favorite locations and treasured memories. For now, I’ll share an overview of our vacation.

It was the first time my boys had been to the Philippines. Third time for me. Hubby was born there but came to the USA as an infant and has visited three times since as well.

Our last trip to the Philippines, it was just hubby and I so we did lots of leisurely activities - beaches and eating mostly. This time, I wanted to experience a bit more history and authentic Filipino life.

Here I am in El Nido, Palawan, in 2017. Behind me is our over ocean bungalow. It was paradise!

In El Nido, Palawan, 2017, before kids!

During our time in the Philippines for the holiday season of 2018, we visited three different areas.

The first was Batangas City, Batangas which was the birth place of my father. This was more of a “suburb” experience for my boys. We visited with family, relaxed at our hotel, got acquainted with life in the Philippines, and toured my dad’s childhood neighborhood.



The our second stop was Nagtablaan, Santa Lucia, Ilocos Norte, the birth place of my mother. Provincial life was our experience in Nagtablaan. The boys were able to see the vast tobacco fields, many of which their great-grandfather tended to most of his life.


Our last stop was big city Manila. This was “home” for the boys - we used ride-share everywhere which made getting around easy and the malls were huge with all the amenities of home.


Check out our next few posts where I’ll highlight our travels through Batangas, Ilocos Sur, and Manila, Philippines.