# Advice appreciated my fellow wanderers



## Gilbert_in_Houston (Jul 30, 2014)

Hello all, finally retiring from my government job and making that big jump, thinking about moving to Cebu/Manila/Angeles (only visited those areas a few times over the years). Any advise would be much appreciated on the following subjects.
1. Sell my car or put it in storage somewhere.
2. What should I send myself in BB boxes.
3. Should I purchase a round trip ticket vs one way.
4. Get a visa vs extensions.
5. Best way to send money to myself (until getting a local bank acct).
6. Housing ideas ( I only stayed in nice hotel my previous trips).
7. Great cities where I can 'live like a king', it must have a mall and good night life since I'm still single and haven't found my better half yet.
8. Any and all ideas/ suggestions are much appreciated.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Sounds like your serious about making that big move, I would check with your local Philippine Consulate on a strategedy for your Visa before you leave and get that Visa and I-card completed in the states, you don't want to mess with the Bureacracy or trying to get documents needed from the states.

Here's a Philippine Consulate finder map.

Embassy of the Philippines - Consulate Finder Map


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

Gil, that's a lot of information to answer all those questions, and they are Really Good questions. Search around the site here, even just for the threads for 2014 and you will find the answers to each one of 'em for sure. As for that "better half"...you'll find her for sure if you Want to. This crew of expats on here that are already living there and a few that are prepping to move are a wealth of information that have helped me better plan our "escape" Back to paradise in 2016. For sure when you do get there, you'll find "we're not in Kansas anymore", or in your case, Texas. Enjoy and welcome to the forum!...I'll be interested to read of your adventures, but planning, planning and more planning seems to be the key and then explore when you get there the first year before making any commitment. The best laid plans to stay forever seem to evaporate for more than a few within the first few months of reality setting in, but just be patient and give your self Two years to adjust to the culture shock and just a different life all way around.


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## Nickleback99 (Aug 6, 2011)

Oh...and I don't think anyone on here will recommend living in Manila. You might want to check out Subic area as well as some real decent living conditions there and plenty of expats, including being able to live On the old Subic Bay Naval Base facility, or Freeport as it is now. Even Jet Lag highly recommends that, and Jon1 and DonandAbby on here are wealth of info on that location. Other places relatively close enough to Manila to maybe consider, depending on $$$, are Tagaytay, Laguna and Cavite. Just my two cents, but have been around all and they were pretty good it seemed. Your pension will serve you very well over there.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Philippine Bureau of Customs*



Gilbert_in_Houston said:


> Hello all, finally retiring from my government job and making that big jump, thinking about moving to Cebu/Manila/Angeles (only visited those areas a few times over the years). Any advise would be much appreciated on the following subjects.
> 1. Sell my car or put it in storage somewhere.
> 2. What should I send myself in BB boxes.
> 3. Should I purchase a round trip ticket vs one way.
> ...


I wouldn't bring anything through the Philippine Bureau of Customs especially a vehicle the BB boxes are your best bet for those must have items, I've heard that they come in larger sizes to accommodate other items.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

mcalleyboy said:


> I wouldn't bring anything through the Philippine Bureau of Customs especially a vehicle the BB boxes are your best bet for those must have items, I've heard that they come in larger sizes to accommodate other items.


They all come in a container so the BB people will build a crate for anything small enough to get in a container.


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## esv1226 (Mar 13, 2014)

I like your "adventuresome" spirit...planning is very important...but not all things will go as planned... be prepared for a few surprises...on your listed items, i would;
1 sell - unless it's the vintage model 
2 only personal stuff that cannot be replaced, e.g. the golf club with which you had a- hole-in-one or your first knife given by your grandpa
3 what does your visa allow you
4 get a visa - extensions? decision can be made later
5 carry cash for spending - manager's check to open account and quick access to
your money
6 what do you like? ..how much would you like to spend ... come and see. maybe a 
hotel as you look aroun
7 live like a king ... those who are happily living here ...live like kings ... $$$$ help but they do not dictate lifestyle
8 enjoy and be sensible


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## Gilbert_in_Houston (Jul 30, 2014)

Thank you all for your great advice, only traveled to those three cities so my perspective of the Philippines is limited. Love to hear from you folks who traveled throughout the country (Money issues should be covered so looking for safe, modern city with things to do since I'm still moderately young :usa2. On a side note, I haven't ruled out Thailand, any and all opinions/suggestions much appreciated. Great site and thanks again.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

As far as point 7 (finding your better half) goes, I’d avoid looking for love in the clubs and bars that foreigners frequent. The girls there will be the pro’s and scammers. The only love you are likely to find there will have an hourly price tag.

If you look in bars make friends with some locals and go to their bars or better yet go to the malls, to the beaches and to the places where the locals go for fun and relaxation. There you will meet real girls from good families. 

There are also many dating sites around, some better than others but always be careful of scammers.

For a foreigner to find a girl in the Philippines (or any other less developed country in SE Asia for that matter) is not difficult at all, the trick is to avoid getting scammed and taken for a pile of cash.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

Manitoba said:


> As far as point 7 (finding your better half) goes, I’d avoid looking for love in the clubs and bars that foreigners frequent. The girls there will be the pro’s and scammers. The only love you are likely to find there will have an hourly price tag.
> 
> If you look in bars make friends with some locals and go to their bars or better yet go to the malls, to the beaches and to the places where the locals go for fun and relaxation. There you will meet real girls from good families.
> 
> ...


Amen to that Bro. And I'll add one additional thought for the original poster. Never,,,,, No matter what you do-- NEVER allow yourself to be worth more dead than alive here or you can find yourself in exactly that condition-----Dead...


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## JimnNila143 (Jul 23, 2013)

*Traveling to the Philippines*



Gilbert_in_Houston said:


> Hello all, finally retiring from my government job and making that big jump, thinking about moving to Cebu/Manila/Angeles (only visited those areas a few times over the years). Any advise would be much appreciated on the following subjects.
> 1. Sell my car or put it in storage somewhere.
> 2. What should I send myself in BB boxes.
> 3. Should I purchase a round trip ticket vs one way.
> ...


1. Sell your vehicle, the cost to import would be the same as what it cost you new.
2. The BB boxes come in different sizes, you can send yourself just about anything except perishable foods, weapons of any kind [including knives], clothing, etc., if you go to the U.S.P.S. website and look up shipping to the Philippines, there is a list of items that are forbidden to be shipped to the Philippines, this would include things that would fit into a BB box. You cannot import precious metals, coins, jewelry.
3. It is best to buy a round trip ticket, one that you can sell the return phase of it, however there is a penalty fee to do this. If your ticket is set for you to leave in 6 months, or a little less, you should be OK. 
4. Until you are able to find a Filipina, and it is absolutely true that you must be extremely careful, you can get extensions every 59 days. 
5. There are several ways that you can send yourself money. One way is to buy a prepaid VISA/MASTERCARD ATM Debit Card. I forget which one it is but there is one, or used to be one, when I used it 6 years ago, where you can feed the account daily with a maximum feed of $995US for less than $4US and use Western Union to do this with. Otherwise if you have an established bank account, you could use that, except for most ATM withdrawals have a limit on the amount that can be withdrawn. 
6. You could buy a Condo or you could rent a house, depending on where you plan to stay and do very well. It depends on what you want to do an how much you want t spend to do it.
7. You can live like a king if you have the funds to do so but you also have to consider how much money you have with you at any given time during a 12 months period. If you exceed more than $10,000US that you have at any time during that period you have to pay a penalty fee for it and it has to be reported. The smart thing to do would to have no more than $9,000US sent to you and you could live off of that quite well and periodically replenish it. It really depends on where you want to stay. Remember, too, that there are many Filipinas who want to hook up with an American because many of them see $$$$ when they seen one. The smartest thing you can tell any Filipina is that you are not filthy rich, even though you might be just that, you don't have deep pockets filled with $1000US bills, and you will not support her entire family while they sit on their rear ends and do nothing. There are many websites where SE Asians are looking for foreigners, just be extremely careful and do not trust everyone of them. If you can get lucky, you will find one that isn't greedy, selfish and materialistic. If you can fine one that would love you for you and not for what you have, you will have struck gold.


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## Gilbert_in_Houston (Jul 30, 2014)

Terrific post, thanks for your time and info


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Never any follow up on expat murders*



Jet Lag said:


> Amen to that Bro. And I'll add one additional thought for the original poster. Never,,,,, No matter what you do-- NEVER allow yourself to be worth more dead than alive here or you can find yourself in exactly that condition-----Dead...


Not much of a follow up on the guy that had no legs and the spouse had him save his cash for months to buy a new vehicle...the story goes the family left a man with no legs at home while they enjoyed a day at the pool only to return and find the expat by his pool, head was bashed in, also I think an insurance policy was taken out on him.

The Commander who's wife is a US Diplomat, stabbed by 4 men at his compound gate, he was trying to make the guys in the brand new SUV show their ID's, armed guard was there.


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## Asian Spirit (Mar 1, 2010)

mcalleyboy said:


> I never did here much of a follow up on the guy that had no legs and the spouse had him save his cash for months to buy a new vehicle...the story goes the family left a man with no legs at home while they enjoyed a day at the pool only to return and find the expat by his pool, head was bashed in, also I think an insurance policy was taken out on him.
> 
> The Commander who's wife is a US Diplomat, stabbed by 4 men at his compound gate, he was trying to make the guys in the brand new SUV show their ID's, armed guard was there.


Yep, this stuff happens. and the scary part is that we hear or read about only a very small percentage of the expat/vacationers deaths. Happens all the time. The hotels in Angeles City have deaths/murders all the time. The hotels pay a lot to "officials" to simply get rid of the bodies and keep these stories outa the news. Dangerous place the Philippines is and especially if one is living a questionable lifestyle.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Manitoba said:


> As far as point 7 (finding your better half) goes, I’d avoid looking for love in the clubs and bars that foreigners frequent. The girls there will be the pro’s and scammers.


That's one opinion I've never agreed with, many are good province girls in a bad situation; and would be more worried of a girl being a pro scammer if they approach me in a mall. I'm not exactly Brad Pitt haha


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

There are scammers who are out to take you for whatever you have, may even have more than one guy on the string at a time or just a plan to take you for a pile and vanish. They are pure gold diggers not concerned with putting anything back into the relationship except what they need to in order to part you from your cash as fast as possible.

Then there are women who due to poor circumstances are just looking for a rich foreigner (and we are all rich in their eyes) to take care of them for the rest of their lives. They will in return be loyal wives to the guy. I do not consider these women scammers. 

As for not being Brad Pitt, looks, age body style is not that important to in the PI as in the west. They are looking for someone to take care of them and treat them well, so a mall approach is as valid a way of meeting a woman as any other.


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## Gilbert_in_Houston (Jul 30, 2014)

Thanks for the warning gentlemen, I think I'll stay single til I'm sure of her intentions. I've been to those cities mentioned above a few time for vacation (21 days each time and had a ball), never dated but went out with a lot of sweet Filipinas. I heard dating a nice lady is a process, I think I'm to old for that, I enjoy dating and physical compatibility before marriage (maybe Thailand is a better fit for me). The philipino people as a whole have such a good attitude about life, I wouldn't want to have my guard up all the time.


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