After 9 months living in the Philippines these are my honest thoughts before I head home...

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[ChristopherAnthony-]

I'm 54 and my wife and I are VERY worried about our future, gas and food prices rising daily. We have had our savings dwindle with the cost of living into the stratosphere, and we are finding it impossible to replace them. We can get by, but can't seem to get ahead. My condolences to anyone retiring in this crisis, 30 years nonstop just for a crooked system to take all you worked for.

[dennispadilla]

The reason why women in the Philippines are wary of dating is because culturally it is a huge social step. Dating in the Philippines is different than it is in the west. The act of meeting a man in public for a potential romantic relationship is basically the woman announcing to the world that she is interested in you. That is a big deal for women in the cities, imagine how huge a deal that is in the provinces and smaller towns where everybody knows her. A woman trying to be discreet does not mean she is trying to scam you. She's trying to protect herself in case things down work out.

[AFavouredLife]

He is right about the real gem of a Filipina. They won’t approach you because we are supposed to be that way…… if they do, they are probably desperate! Take it slow, you will know if you stay there for a while. If you found one gem, you have a loyal partner FOR LIFE. I am a Filipina living in the US for 29 years.

[BartLanguido]

You are right. The more cautious girls are harder to get but they are the good ones

[joshuarizalforeman]

I have lived in the boonies with my Filipina wife and our family for the past 4 +years. We own property, have a business and a decent income. We came here from HK, where we lived well, but chose to live a life with less stress, here in the Philippines with our family. We have no budget because we don't need one, since our income exceeds our expenditure. The kids are in education and are doing ok. We take domestic and overseas trips and have a happy life with one another.

[nightengale]

Interesting. I am a US retired R.N. and worked with many Philippine doctors and nurses throughout my long nursing career, and not a one ever wanted to return to live in the Philippines because they were paid far more in the US that enhanced their lives and the lives of their family members they sent money to back in the Philippines. And I can tell you from 1st hand experience working with them, these Philippine colleagues had an incredible work ethic, and as a result are retiring very financially comfortable in the US compared to many born in and worked in the US workforce their entire working lives. And I say good for them as their hard work paid off.

[miglopez]

If you're respectful, Filipinos will love you. It's simple!

[kennethdufour]

I am here in the Philippines now. What he is saying is most definitely true. Yesterday my brother-in-law and I were at the doorway at the SM mall in Iloilo. We were waiting for our wives and the policeman offered us 2 chairs to wait for our wives. We have been here for over one month and in the middle of our stay we went to South Korea for 5 nights and 6 days! We had a blast!

[ma.estesinsungahid]

Thank you for feeling so happy in our country and just be happy on your stay

[letletcavezza]

Philippines is not a perfect country, but you are absolutely right we are welcoming people. I live in Vancouver and it’s so expensive here.

[paulcanfield]

I believe the focus before getting to the Ph is to learn at least 50 to 100 every day phrases that include verbs and some form of conjugation. Then learn 2-300 basic words to include items, animals, colors, and shapes as well. This will set you apart from the tourist vibe, it shows massive respect to the Filipino people and their culture and will excite them to share more with you than they already would. If you seek to blend into the culture first all the things travel bloggers realize, after months and years of hopping around, will come faster when your presence is normalized. You won't be the newest "ooh ahh" but a member of the community.

Realistically most men going there aren't socially skilled and the oddities most men would find with foreign women is more common with awkward men so that's why they're overwhelmed by the attention. If you've not traveled either you're most likely going to stick out as well. Don't go over the top and try and greet everyone with more energy than you're used to, it'll drain your social battery faster and likely cause you to be more reclusive in a foreign country. Do find a spot, bar, church, market, etc that has an environment you enjoy and there focus you time and energy. Make an effort to learn names, get close to one or two families and ask if they'll help you learn their culture. Use your skills and talents to help people, do not try to fix things with your wallet, whatever your budget is live under it and tell people that you're on a budget when asked for something. Ask if there are other ways to help instead of money. The one method I continually repeat on these types of Vlogs is to offer people work instead of a loan or what not. Tell them you don't have the budget to pay them but say I have laundry that you take to the cleaners or need help buying things from the market. You will find out if they're looking for a freebie or the need is real. Owning a scooter means you're doing well, owning a car means you're upper class. Eating in restaurants is also a status symbol, eating at local street vendors is what the better off locals do.

Learning about holidays and festivals and how they're celebrated is another great way to immerse into the culture. Learning what is unique and special to them that most tourists wouldn't will also go a long way to winning their respect and trust. Learning the sense of humor is probably one of the biggest ins to any culture. Find a couple Filipino comedians and learn what gets people to laugh. I just a few months you can easily find yourself in with the community as if you've always lived there. How you respond and relate to people is more important than anything. If you make them the focus and not your happiness I guarantee your own level of life satisfaction will soar.

[DarrenDobson]

I travel to Cebu from Canada 🇨🇦 and stay for 1 month at a time. I enjoy the food, people, and beaches ⛱️

[justinko]

Hey Chad, awesome to see your channel growing! Almost 50k subs ... I remember when it was 1k!

[mariareginalomarda]

Thank you for painting a very realistic picture of us, Filipinas. I do hope you find what it is you’re looking for. 😊

[jsully]

One outstanding memory of the Filipino people is one day we were taking a tricycle to a local taxi yard in Talisay, south of Cebu City. My Filipina wife said stay in the tricycle and there was one taxi driver in the yard near the entrance, he had his car running with the hood up and him and I guess a mechanic were looking or working on his car. My wife went up to them and asked if he was available and he basically ignored her and said no he wasn't available (he was more interested in working on his car). A few moments later the driver looks and sees me in the tricycle and tells my wife yes he can give us a ride. Obviously he was hoping for a tip and I gave him a tip because taxis are so cheap in the Philippines compared to here in Florida. Its nice to be looked up to by the locals and treated like a king...lol
Am surprised that a lot of vloggers will put their personal life in the vlogs and think if it was me, would not do so. Completely understand why, if you keep your personal life private.
Thanks for sharing, Chad...Jim

[agnesmadrid]

Thank you for visiting our country❤❤❤ May God bless you🌷

[michaelpalosaari]

I’m glad you have enjoyed yourself so much while you have been there and travel as safely back to Canada as possible. I’ll be in the Philippines for my first boots on the ground this August to mid September! So looking forward to it. You’ve helped me a bunch along the way learning from your experience and journey! Peace ☮️

[dannystravelvlog]

I came to the Philippines this past February and I absolutely loved it! What you said about the vibe that’s really it! The people are great. I like the food the overall lifestyle the public transportation I actually loved all of it. And I can’t wait to get back there, I’m just starting out with YouTube and I documented some of my trip. But I have a lot more to go. Thanks for all your videos. I really appreciate your style.

[LucyMoser-pzhj]

I believe people from the US have a slight edge with the PI. Our ancestors fought in the war with them plus the PI was a US colony. They really appreciate the liberation that happened and they are taught that in school. Beautiful country and beautiful people, among the friendliest people in the world!:)

[TB-xxgc]

Having traveled in the PI and Thailand, I came to realize that Filipinos are generally welcoming towards foreigners, whereas the Thais seem simply to tolerate foreigners.