The Philippines – home to beautiful beaches, chilled island vibes, an interesting history and some of the most wonderfully kind people. It’s one of the very best places I’ve been to. In fact, I love the Philippines so much that I can’t wait for a return visit. However, having been to the Philippines twice now, I thought I’d share all of the useful information and vital tips I’ve gathered on my trips in this Philippines travel guide.

As you fix up your travel plans around the islands of the Philippines, don’t assume there’ll be an ATM where you’re staying.

Either research ahead of time or ask your hostel/hotel. Places like Manila, Cebu and Boracay have plentiful ATMs but many of the smaller Philippines islands do not have ATMs.

El Nido in 2014 didn’t have an ATM, but by January 2017 there was one ATM. However, it often ran out of cash. To be on the safe side, always try and keep a reasonable amount of the local currency (Philippine Pesos – PHP) on you. You really don’t want to be stuck anywhere without cash – many hostels etc will not take card payments either.

On the same note, not all ATMs in the Philippines take international cards so always think ahead about your money needs. You may need to stock up on Philippine Pesos a little way ahead.

To be honest, this may well be the most useful of my Philippines travel tips as you can’t get that far without some money!

Just don’t. El Nido is particularly known for poor sanitation and water quality. On my first trip there, both my friend and I got really sick from the water.

I would even go as far as say to clean your teeth with bottled water. On some occasions, I have even sanitised my cutlery as this is likely to have been washed in tap water.

Bottles of water around the Philippines are mostly cheap and plentiful – in fact, many hotels will offer complimentary bottles each day.

And use it regularly. Whilst malaria is now uncommon on most islands in the Philippines, Zika is still prevalent in some places. Many hostels will offer mosquito nets and when they do – use them. Direct the fan over yourself to keep yourself as cool as possible.

The Philippines consists of more than 7,000 islands, so it’s likely you’ll be island hopping. Too many bags will just irritate you. There can be a lot of journey segments too – perhaps a tricycle, a bus, a boat, a tricycle – and that might be just to get you to the airport.

Leaping in and out of these, it’s easiest with as few luggage pieces as possible and then there’s less chance of forgetting items too!