The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog

Welcome to
The Poor Traveler’s
Guide to the World!

The “poor” in The Poor Traveler is not about the lack of money. At least, not just about that. Yes, we were struggling financially when we started the blog, but we meant poor as “unfortunate or unlucky”. As in poor soul or poor thing.

You see, when we started traveling in 2009, we made a lot of poor choices. We made a lot of mistakes. We had absolutely no clue how to plan a trip. We got lost all the time, got scammed all the time, and ended up spending way more than we should.

We created this blog to accomplish two things:

  • document our misadventures, and
  • provide FREE travel tips so others can avoid wasting hard-earned money when they travel

Our goal is to build FREE travel guides, where we can share our experiences and whatever lessons we pick up along the way. This blog is for the poor travelers out there — the newbies, the first-timers, the lost and confused, the shy and socially awkward, the navigationally-challenged, and those who can’t afford to make costly mistakes.

Check out our story!


poor
/po͝or,pôr/
adjective

  • having little or insufficient money or other means of support;
  • unlucky, unfortunate;
  • lacking in skill or ability;
The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog

What makes our blog click
is that we are

relatable.

Like most people, we’re casual travelers, not hardcore backpackers. We’re vacation-goers, not long-term nomads. We enjoy solo adventures, but we also love sightseeing with friends and family.

Our primary audience is composed mainly of 21-45 yo. full-time employees who wish to take a break from work. They are budget-conscious, yes, but they are willing to spend hard-earned money on experiences that are worth it.

We’re not in the business of promoting the cheapest ways to travel. But we are on a journey to find the many ways to travel smart.

Success
in numbers

Our 1-MILLION-strong base is one of the largest travel blog communities on Facebook, and it’s still growing fast. Our consistent search- and social-driven traffic has put us among the top travel blogs.

The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog
Ranks 2018

awards

#1 Budget Travel Blog

USA TODAY: 10 BEST

#1 Best Travel Blog in Asia

GO DESTI

#7 Top Travel Blog (Global)

THE EXPEDITIONER

No. 1 in USA Today’s list of 10 Best Budget Travel Blogs in the World.
No. 1 in GoDesti’s list of Best Travel Blogs in Asia.
No. 2 in Bob Around the World’s list of Top Budget Travel Blogs in the World based on content, social media, etc.
No. 4 in The Expeditioner’s list of Top Travel Blogs in the World according to unique visits.
No. 4 and No. 5 in Man On the Lam’s list of Top 100 Travel Blog Posts based on social media shares.
No. 6 in ASEAN Up’s list of Top 50 Blogs from the Philippines.
No. 10 in Saga Holidays’ list of Top 10 Travel Blogs for Senior Travelers.
One of TripAdvisor’s Top 20 Budget Travel Bloggers.

In addition, we have been cited by the following organizations and publications:

Our partner website PhilippineBeaches.org,
with 1.4 million likes on Facebook,
was Asia’s biggest travel/leisure page based on 2012 SocialBakers data.

Content
comes first

We strive to make each of our posts informative, entertaining, or both. We do our best to add value to our readers’ user experience and be as useful as we can. We believe our content is why our readers trust our blog and share our articles. We are protective of our content and have always held it sacred.

We have been featured on BBC World‘s The Travel Show, CNN‘s list of Top Travel Bloggers, and TIME, among others.

Featured On

List of Publication Logos

The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog

On plaques
and in print

Here are some of our awards and recognitions:

Winner – Best Travel Blog

E! BLOG AWARDS 2017
NUFFNANG AWARDS 2016
NUFFNANG AWARDS 2018
GODESTI 2015

Winner – Best Budget Travel Blog

USA TODAY

Winner

ON ASSIGNMENT: PARIS

Speaker

WORLD TOURISM FORUM ISTANBUL 2016
TBEX ASIA 2022 (THAILAND)
TBEX EUROPE 2023 (GREECE)

Special Award

GoNegosyo Inspiring Tourism Entrepreneurs Awards 2023

Awards 2018

Yosh Dimen Palanca Award

Co-founder Yosh Dimen has also won a Palanca Award, often regarded as the “Pulitzer Prize of the Philippines” and the most prestigious literary honor in the country, in the Screenplay category.

Dimen has also received 3 Philippine Blog Awards out of nine nominations (for this blog and his personal blog Yoshke.com) and won On Assignment – Paris, the travel writing project by Digital Photographer Magazine and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

We have been featured on many magazines including TIME, Travel Now, Navigator, and Mabuhay Magazine. See our print portfolio here.

Trivia: The name of this blog was inspired by Charles Dickens’s The Seven Poor Travelers, a short piece that narrates the events at a charity house that provides shelter to broke travelers for a night. On that night, the seventh poor traveler relates a story from his journeys. It is this spirit of storytelling that we wish to capture and share on this blog.

In good
company

Our content and reach are why we have worked with some of the biggest corporations and industry leaders in Asia:

AirAsia, Traveloka, and Expedia among others.

We’ve Worked With

The Poor Traveler Itinerary Blog

Advertise with us!

We are open to ex-deals, social media promotions, and other forms of partnerships. For the rate card, please get in touch with
Yoshke Dimen
yoshke@thepoortraveler.net

Learn more about us here

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Irene Nardi

Hi,
I am sorry if I bother you with this question. I am an italian student and at the moment I am studying english at the university. I was wondering if you could explain to me the sentence: “I finally cried “Enough!” Good old cold turkey”. I really can not undestand the meaning, I have even searched on the net but I can not find “good old” before the idiom “cold turkey”. Could you please help me? I know it may sound as a stupid question, but I need it for my english exam of tomorrow. Hope you will answer.
Thank you a lot.

James Shedrack

Hi
I don’t have any travel experience before. Is it necessary to upload the travel history documents?

Thanks,
James

Ryan Reyel

“Cold Turkey” means to quit something immediately and not do it again.

“Good Old” is a phrase attached to cold turkey and it means “reliable,” and “been around for some time.”

Together they mean that quitting immediately is a reliable way and has been reliable for some time.

Ross Hansen

Hello Yoshke and Vins

I’m interested in advertising on your website and wanted to get in touch about your rates and if you do any other forms of advertisements?

Looking forward to your response

Gabrielle Llanto

Hi, good day. May I please your email address? We would like to send an invitation for our hotel’s grand launching. Thanks

Daniel Kim

Hi there, it’s nice to talk to you.
This is Daniel Kim, chief operating officer at HaB Korea (www.habkorea.net)
I’m interested in working with your team.

Please let me know your terms and conditions via email.
Thank you.

Regards
Daniel Kim

Shivani mahto

Hello yoshke and vins
I’am shivani mahto from india, i’m student of tourism, intrested in work with you . Wanted to get in touch about your work and travelling experience, and learn with you .
And looking forward to your response.
With regards.

Angelica

Hello! You Guys making me reach for more things in life so i can come and visit some of these Places. Thank you for helping us see how beautiful this world is. Just Keep Traveling!

allysa

Hi guys! my team and I were invited by our clients from Dubai for a 3-day conference.

I read your blog about Dubai tourist visa.

It’s our first time travelling to Dubai and I just want to confirm if our immigration requires, that we present the pink tourist visa (original) or is it okay if we only bring the printed evisa?

thank you in advance!

Antoneth Maliwat

Hi! I am based here in the UAE with my family. To answer your question, yes kailangan ung pink copy ng visa if you are travelling from manila. But otherwise e-visa na lang ung required. I hope it’ll help you!

allysa

Thank you sir for your response. Hopefully, makalusot kami..thanks po

Jprln

Hi! I read you blogs and i’m so inspired to travel more. :) We already booked a ticket to Hongkong and planning to take the exit in Macau as I’ve read in one of your blogs. I just want to ask if this is still valid? Will it be okay with the immigration people in both Hongkong and Macau?

Thank you in advance!

Jprln

Thank you so much!

Ferlin Buenviaje

Hello .. May we ask as to where do we send your invite to the presscon of Jaime Dempsey – host of The History Channel Asia’s hit Series “Ride N’ Seek” this coming May 8. Venue and time to be confirmed. We hope to hear from you. Thank you.

Zel

Hi! I just wanted to ask you a question since you are a constant traveller. My boyfriend will be meeting me in Singapore and we will fly to Indonesia the next day. I am a Filipino who is working here in Singapore and will be sponsoring all the expenses as he is unemployed. We well be back in SG a day before his flight back to Phil. Will there be a chance that he will get offloaded to his flight?

Jmee Musngi

Hello! We’re going to the US this coming December 2018. And our passport will expire June 2019, Do we have to renew it already? Do they have a 6 month validity rule? Thanks! :)

George Vlachos

Hello Yoshke,

We are interested to work with you guys! We are a travel accessories e-shop for adventurous travel nomads (www.tripatricks.com). Please let us know your terms and conditions.

Keep up the good work :)

Erlinda

Hi Yoshke and Vins,

My sister and I plan to do a stopover for 3 days in Seoul before we fly to New York. Could you advise us where we could book ourselves (safe and clean) and what places to see. Also do people speak English there? Thanks

Nicole

Hi! Just want to ask if the trains in the 4-Day JR-West Kansai Rail Pass operate 24/7? Or do they close at a certain time? Thanks so much.

Hilmar

Hello i have been going through your profile and am interested to work with you.
We are a travel agency company based in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and is it possible to market our travel company on your blog ?

Greg Cuellar

Hi Yoshke and Vins, I’m a marketing and promotions company in Miami. I would like to invite you to some of my events in South Beach. We host some of the most popular parties with big name djs and celebrity guests. You two being travel bloggers encouraged me to try a more broader way of attracting international clients. Many visitors are not aware of the great deals people in the nightlife are capable of receiving. Therefore, I would like to invite both of you so you can experience it in the hopes that you will write about it. Plus we do give commission to any guests you send us. We provide premium bottles at lounges such as HYDE BEACH IN THE SLS HOTEL, NIKKI BEACH and BASEMENT IN THE EDITION HOTEL then limo escort to the top nightclubs in Miami for prices as low as $40 to a max of $120 per person. If interested in working with me please reply back. Thank you for your time.

Kathy

Hi! My name Is Kathy, this past spring I did a student exchange in Germany and I loved it so much. Unfornatuley I will be a college student, and I will be on a tight spending budget. I fell in love with Europe, and although it was very spent, what are some tips that could help me save in college so I can go to Germany soon? Thanks!

Teresita Overby

Hello, po my name is Teresita Overby, meron lang po akong tanong , last 12/2016 po nag balik bayan po kaming mag kakapatid for family reunion , meron kaming napuntahan na Cathedral na meron pong nag titinda ng mga medalyon sa tabi po ng Church ito po ba iyon ?maraming salamat po !!

Your Curious Architect

Hi, Can I just ask how you manage to submit ITR for your VISA requirement ? or do you have other businesses that supports your documents?Please let me know your response :) thank you :)

Pete

Millenial here, contemplating on leaving a corporate job for a contractual, better paying one. if i leave, i will be self-employed by PH law but will be under an SG contract, working remotely from Manila. any foreseeable hardships from applying visas anywhere? been to Schengen area 4 times and traveled around Asia for the past 8 years.

Lucy Stephanie

Oh wow, this site is good. Congratulations on your achievements. I’m sure it’s not easy but you became successful in the travel field. :) Got here because of the Star Cruises blog and video. Been on my first cruise before I saw your blog though but it’s still good to read and watch it.

How I wish I can go on a cruise every week. Ah I would be living the dream when it happens. :)

Rita Uy

Hi ;

I am opening a hostel in Siquijor Island and im considering to advertise would you let me know
how does it work.

im looking forward to your quick respond.

you can get in touch with me

Thank you so much.

Abraham Arayata

Good day,

I am Abraham Arayata owner of Bambú Cafe Bar and Events located in Tanauan, Batangas and we are currently seeking for influencers that could help us spread our brand. Please let us know how can we collaborate with you.

I’m looking forward to your quick response.

Thank you so much.

Ajay Shrestha

Hello,
I was going through your site, and I have to say this is amazing work. I was thinking if we can advertise on your site about our brand. Please let me know how we can collaborate.
Thank you.

jinal

Very Informative, learnt lot of new information from the post. Great analysis. Tons of thanks for coming up with such awesome article.
Have a great day!

GEOFFREY LEWIS

I recently moved from Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia and needed to change my visa involving a border run. I was recommended to go to Osmach. Very quiet, unlike Poipet. Officials on both borders very polite and helpful. Try to use Osmach instead of Poipet. I don’t know about a bus that would use this crossing, however

Edith esplana

Good day! Thank you for your blog dahil dito madami ako natutunan. I applied Trv for canada last 2 weeks lahat ng details at procedure ang blog nyo po sinusundn ko but unfortunately I was refused today June 15 for 3 reasons. I eagerly want to attend for my niece wedding this coming August 10, 2019 in Alberta Canada. I took care of her during the time na Nandito sila sa Philippines ako naging guardian Nila ng youngest sister nya while their parents working abroad. That’s why I eagerly want to attend her wedding. Pede po b ako gumawa ng appeal to change their decision or you can help what will i do am can you help me po or any advise? Pls help Im very desperate right now. Thank you so much for giving my message a time to read.

Dennis Z Pascual

I saw your blog about “Corregidor Night Tours”. I am interested in going on this tour when I’ll visit the Philippines sometime in January or February next year (2020). Do you have the contact info for this tour package? Thank you very much !

Garrie Trinidad

We have a small hostel kn greenhills nad a hotel in quezon that needs to be advertise. We were wondering if you could help us. Name of the hotel is GREENHILLS GUEST HOUSE. Just in fromt of Greenhills shopping mall.

FACEBOOK:
facebook.com/107458794067433/posts/121649389315040/

jennifer

hi i am thinking of applying for a tourist visa to canada. but i dont have any travel history except for a hongkong trip way back dec2008. plus i work at my dads hardware store since 2002 but he gave me a cert of employment that iv been working since 2008. i dont have any properties (house or car) under my name. so the question is IS IT ALRIGHT TO PUT IN THE APPLICATION THAT I WORK AT MY DADS STORE? bec it might come out as i can say anything bec its a family business. this was what i put in my US tourist visa application and was denied. hope u can get back to me regarding this. some advice or tips. thanks in advance

jennifer

i will wait for your reply. i spelled my email address wrong on my first message here.

EBUKA MALACHI

Please sir, how do i apply for invitations letter to japan.

Paulyn Perez

Hi. We just launched our villa on FB- Facebook: Villa Escarceo -Haven On A Cliff @VillaEscarceo. I read your blog about ‘how to get to Puerto Galera and found it very helpful to PG travelers. May I post this site on our FB page? It would surely be a big help to our clients. Thank you and have a blessed New Year!

nhseven

All the information is very well described and user friendly. Thanks a lot.

Manish Gupta

very informative thread.

Bryson Fico

Thank you, your website and economical travel trip is helping us to travel more often and farther from home then we ever imagined.

trackback

[…] over ten years ago, The Poor Traveler earned a reputation for being one of the sought-after blogs for budget travelers in the Philippines and […]

Jason

I didn’t see any webform to contact you on for advertising. Please feel free to contact me. We are a rental car company in Davao City and would be interested in talking to you about advertising or even our affiliate program. Thanks

David

Nicely Explained!
I love your way of explanation. Interestingly waiting for your new post.