2020 turned us into home buddies and if you’re like me who has been staying safe at home throughout the year, you deserve a break.
I must admit that traveling is not a necessity but it is a good form of a breather. Just like what I wrote in one of my Instagram posts: if you have the means to responsibly travel, do it, as it is good for your mental health and you get to help locals as well.
A local whom I’ve spoken with shared that pre-Covid, Boracay had 5,000 guest arrivals daily. Now, they only get 500 guest arrivals hitting 1,000 guests only last December 31. If there’s the perfect time to travel to Boracay, it would be right now — you’ll practically have the whole island to yourself and you get to help the tourism that has obviously been tainted due to the pandemic.
If you decide it is time to travel, here are a few things to take note of before you enjoy your getaway to Boracay:
Flights
There are daily flights going to Boracay. Book via Cebu Pacific, AirAsia, or Philippine Airlines.
Based on my experience, Cebu Pacific highly encourages its customers to check-in online to avoid queuing at the airport counters. I checked-in online but still had to line up to check-in a piece of luggage. Upon baggage drop, they asked for my health declaration card with the QR code, and was good to go.
Passengers are required to download and register an account on Traze before going to any terminal airport in the Philippines.
Note: Wearing of face masks and face shield is required at all times.
Accommodation
I booked my stay at Henann Prime Beach Resort via Agoda since I know the website offers free cancelations in case I encounter any problem. I also booked my roundtrip airport transfers from the hotel (P1,450) for a seamless travel experience.
Here are other hotels or resorts that I was considering on booking:
RT-PCR Test
I booked my RT-PCR Test through Red Cross Mandaluyong since my hotel booking partnered with them and it was the closest to me. I paid P3,800 and got my results in 8 hours.
Here are other laboratories that I was considering on booking:
- Safeguard DNA Diagnostics (P3,000; must present a valid ID, plane ticket, and confirmed hotel booking, results are released within 48hrs guaranteed)
- zennya Health (P3,800; the test is done at home and results are released within 36-48hrs)
Here is a list of laboratories from the DOH.
Travel Requirements
- Visit https://www.touristboracay.com. Choose Boracay and fill out the health declaration card.
- E-mail touristboracay@gmail.com with the subject OHDC-FamilyName, FirstName (e.g. OHDC – Macandog, Nadine) and attach the following documents: valid ID with proof of residency, confirmed flight details, confirmed hotel details, and RT-PCR Negative Result with the date of extraction within 72 hours to date of travel.
- Wait for the Health Declaration Card with your Tourist QR Code. This shouldn’t take too long. I received mine less than an hour after I’ve submitted the documents. If you don’t receive it within two hours, you can send a follow-up message.
The Tourist QR Code expires 12 hours after the accommodation check-out time. If you wish to extend, you may send an e-mail with a new booking slip to touristboracay@gmail.com before your original check-out time.
Island Rules
- Wear your face masks at all times, except for swimming.
- The wearing of face shields is only required when riding public transport.
- Practice social distancing.
Did I feel safe throughout my trip? Yes. If anything, I felt safer compared to going to the mall or getting groceries. Everyone had a negative RT-PCR Test result, was orderly and wearing face masks and face shields, and had a bottle of disinfectant with them. The island itself is pretty big as well and with the number of people flying in, there were enough spaces to social distance.
Homestream image from Henann Prime Beach Resort
