Tags: Travel Tales and Tips, Vacation
By Alexander Villafania
DAU, PAMPANGA – Summer is always the busiest time for vacations and most modes of transportation going to remote locations outside Metro Manila would most likely be fully booked. But while some consider taking the airplane to travel to a tourism spot or resort, there are some people who take the long but scenic route by bus.
There are few places in the Philippines now where there is no major highway. As such, buses companies have made regular routes through these highways that span across vast distances. With the availability of the roll-on-roll-off (RoRo) ferries in major islands, these routes have expanded nationwide.
Bus travel is also one of the cheapest ways to get to one’s desired location. Usually, it only costs around P1 per kilometer. Most provincial buses already have air conditioning, as well as on-board entertainment such as movies. Buses that ply longer routes also have on-board restrooms, which can be convenient if there are no nearby bus stops.
Bus travel is also appealing to certain types of tourists who are interested in seeing the countryside. Sometimes, they get to buy unique and exotic trinkets and food stuff in bus stops.
However, bus travel’s lower fare cost makes it also appealing for people who are in the low-income bracket. Thus, tourists riding buses would be traveling alongside others who are in the low-income bracket, who would most likely be traveling with a lot of other stuff such as agricultural products or boxes full of pasalubong.
There are dozens of provincial companies in the Philippines that take vacationers and residents to major points across the country. These include Dagupan Bus, Victory Liner, JAC Liner, Dangwa Tranco, Philippine Rabbit, Saulog Transit, among others.
A list of the major bus companies that ply the highway of Luzon and Visayas via highway or RoRo are also listed here.
Travelmart.net, which has a Philippines listing, also enumerated several cross-country bus companies and their contact details in its website.
Here are a few tips for travelers taking the bus for their tours or vacations. While some of these are taken from the Planet Green Website for cross-country travelers in the US, they still apply well to travelling in a bus:
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