UPDATE (March 4, 2010): The DFA has stopped issuing machine readable passports. All passport renewals are now for e-passports or the biometric passport. Please refer to Earl’s guide to Phillippine E-passport renewal for details.

I just got back from the Department of Foreign Affairs office an hour ago. I have been out of the house since 6:30am, an ungodly hour for anyone working nights, just so I can be there in time for my 8:00am appointment. The entire process was quick, and I was out of the building by 8:30am.

So how was I able do this?
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Popularity: 27% [?]

Traveling is sadly, an expensive hobby. Unless you’re filthy rich, if you want to pursue this, you need to save up a lot of money to sustain this lifestyle. Though airfare has gone down dramatically over the years, and more budget-friendly transport and accommodation has sprung up, traveling can still take a chunk of your savings. Weekend trips can be as low as Php 2,000, but do it every weekend for a month, that adds up to Php 8,000 per month! The figure goes up dramatically if you plan on traveling overseas, and even more so if you plan to travel for a long time.

But as I, along with thousands of Filipinos who’s been bitten by the travel bug, it is possible, even on a third-world salary. Here’s some tips that I personally practiced to keep me traveling:
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I am not a visa officer, nor am I migration agent. I am in no way affiliated with the Australian Embassy Manila nor with the Australian government. This post comes from my experience with preparing and submitting visa applications for family members and for myself. This is also written mainly for Filipinos applying for an Australian visa within the Philippines.

I’ve been getting quite a lot of inquiries about how to apply for an Australian visa so after a year of this post being in the draft, I’m finally writing it (with hopes of finishing it within 2 hours).

1. Download and read the necessary forms and documents for your visa class.

Everything you need to know about Australian visas are in the official Australian Immigration website at www.immi.gov.au. If you’re just going to visit Australia as a tourist, you fall under Tourist Visa (Subclass 676). The corresponding documents for this visa subclass are:

• Infosheet 20
• Form 48R
• Application document checklist

All files are in PDF format and would require Adobe Reader to open.

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship of Australia regularly review and update their visa-related documents and requirements. It’s important that you have the latest edition for your reference, as well as the forms you will fill in.

2. Collect the documents needed and make copies of each.

The documents needed for every tourist visa application are listed in the forms. Once you have completed the documents, start filling in the forms. When filling out the form, carefully read the instructions and questions.

The Australian visa application requires you to pay a visa application fee of AU$100. There is an online conversion tool in the immigration website that shows the rate in your currency. The fee must be paid with a manager’s or cashier’s check issued by your bank for the Australian Embassy. Once you have completed your documents, filled in the form and acquired the manager’s check, make copies of everything. Seperate the originals and the copies.

3. Call the Australian Embassy hotline.

The hotline numbers to call for visa application pick up in the Philippines are as follows:

For PLDT/Smart/Touchcard Subscribers 1 (909) 362 – 2779
For Globe/Innove/Touchmobile Subscribers 1 (900) 362 – 2779
For Bayantel Subscribers 1 (903) 362 – 2779

Source: Visitor Information and Application Australia

This is considered a long-distance call, so brace yourself for the ginormous phone bill (Php 32 per minute). The hotline is available Mondays to Fridays, 6am – 8pm, and Saturdays, 8am to 6pm. If you are just calling to inquire about the visa application process, you can call the free hotline at (02) 845-9200.

Schedule for a visa pick up. The agent will ask you questions about your application, so better have your documents with you for reference. After the question and answer portion, the agent will then give you instructions regarding the pick-up and return of your documents. You are encouraged to be there when the FedEx guy picks up the documents. By the way, the courier fee is not included in the Australian visa application fee, so be ready to fork out around Php 300 for Mr. FedEx. This fee covers both the pick up and return delivery.

4. Start the agonizing wait for denial or approval.

Visa processing can take from three days to one month. The shortest visa processing we had was three days, I think, and the longest was one month. That one month was due to the high influx of visa applications, as my sister applied on the last week of November. Apparently, a lot of Filipinos are applying for visas during this time (probably hoping to spend Christmas in Australia with their families).

So there you have it! I hope this is helpful in someways. If you have any questions, just post them in the comments area, and I’ll try to answer as best as I can

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The long weekend is upon us, and like most Filipinos, I am headed out of Manila. As much as I prefer to avoid traveling on a peak weekend, this is my last chance to hit the beach as summer ends.

Inside Viktor: clothes, battery charger, SD card reader, sunblock, googles, toiletries, underwater case, medicine kit, hat, Envirosax bags.

I’ve been looking forward to this trip for weeks. The weather’s looking great, and I’m excited to try out my new underwater camera case.

In my messenger bag: book, kikay kit, wallet, Pinkies and bobble head (new travel gnome!), MP3 player, MRT cards.

Where am I going? All I’m saying it’s one of the places in my poll How about you, where are YOU going this weekend?

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Let’s have another round of What’s in My Bag, shall we?

 
I’m not taking Viktor today, but instead I’m breaking in the Columbia backpack I picked out last Wednesday. I’m looking forward to testing out the other Columbia items as well, like the hiking boots, the Omni-Dry shirt, the Titanium pants. Well, here’s to hoping I actually make it up the mountain

Related posts:

• Mt Daguldol: Bakla in Columbia Sportswear
• Bakla Conquers Mt Daguldol (Part 1)
• Bakla Conquers Mt Daguldol (Part 2)
• Climbing Mount Daguldol with Columbia Sportswear
• Conquering Mount Daguldul
• Charm hikes up with Columbia Sportswear

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G’day! I’ve been a bit busy settling this past few days in Melbourne. I know, I know, I’ve been here before so I should know how things work. But I actually haven’t really gone out yet, except for that trip to the market and to the Collingwood Children’s Farm (Wooly sheep! Cows with spots!). My accountant brother-in-law has until October 26 to file their family’s GST and both my sister and I are helping him organize 3 years worth of files.

Anywhoo, until my next post (the Gorillapod review), I’ll share with you a couple of messages I got in my inbox today.
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Popularity: 29% [?]

I am not a visa officer, nor am I migration agent. I am in no way affiliated with the Australian Embassy Manila nor with the Australian government. This post comes from my experience with preparing and submitting visa applications for family members and for myself.

One of the questions people ask me when I tell them I’ve been to Australia is if it’s easy to get a tourist visa. Almost everybody in Manila have heard of stories of how hard it is to obtain a US tourist visa: compiling documents like birth certificate, bank statements, even land titles O_O, paying a high application fee, waiting in line for hours for an interview. Is it as hard to get a tourist visa for Australia as it is for the US?

Actually, it’s not whether it’s harder on not, but it really boils down to how complete your documents are. I believe all embassies would be very meticulous about all the applications they receive, and it is really important to send them all the required documents.
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Popularity: 71% [?]

When I was a kid, I would get so excited about going out of town that I would pack my bag weeks in advance. As I grow up, weeks dwindled into days, with more thought being put into what I should and shouldn’t bring.

Of course, that never really stopped me from overpacking. All the what-if question runs through my head, prompting me to bring one more extra shirt, and extra pair of jeans and maybe a couple more underwear. My toiletry bag takes up as much space as my pair of trainers. And don’t get me started on my Pinky containers.

It amuses me when they show people on TV just throwing their closet into their luggage and sitting on it, in a vain attempt to zip it close. Though I find it silly and impractical to just throw your clothes into your luggage, deep down I realize it hits a nerve. They’re overpacking, and so do I. What makes it worse that in overpacking, I sometimes don’t have enough room for the things I should be taking along, and end up with things I never get to use.

And so I share with you some tips that I found useful when packing for a trip:

• Roll, not fold. This advice is pretty much a staple in every article about packing. It really is effective in decreasing creases in your clothes. Also, it leaves you with more space for all your clothes (a double-edge sword, actually, since more space tempts you to fill in said space).
• Don’t pack new things. Whether it’s a year-long trip or a weekend getaway (or an overnight field trip), there’s always an urge to buy new things that we believe would make this trip better. Like a new pair of hiking shoes for when you go trekking, a pair of goggles for swimming, or that top of the line travel pants the every travel article said you absolutely must have. There’s nothing wrong with buying those things, but if you plan on taking those with you, make sure to break them in before putting it inside your luggage. There’s nothing worse than wearing uncomfortable clothes and shoes while traveling.
• Make a packing list. Whenever you go shopping, it’s essential to make a shopping list so you’d know what to buy, and not end up buying the same things that are already in your pantry and neglecting to buy what you really need. It’s the same with packing. You need to come up with a list of the things you need to bring. Once you’ve drawn up your packing list, check each item if you really need to bring it along. Last year, before I went on my Thailand trip, I came up with my own packing list. I used this to check and double check the contents of my backpack before I left. When I got back, I reviewed each item, and made a note on how often I used it, if I used it at all. It’s enligthening to see how much stuff I could’ve done without. The great thing about making your own packing list is that it is tailored to your needs and preferences. In evaluating each item after a trip, you get ideas on how to make your list better (which reminds me, I have to update my packing list!).



• Put your “must haves” in your carry-on. Except if it’s liquid and more than 100ml. We’ve all heard of horror stories of missing luggages. I’ve never had the misfortune to experience that *knocks on wood* but I always try to prepare myself from the worst. I make sure my travel insurance covers lost luggage. Also, I make sure I only put the stuff I woulnd’t mind losing in my check-in luggage. Of course I don’t want to lose anything, but taking a proactive step in avoiding a major loss is necessary. And that is why my Pinkies and mangas all go into my carry-on luggage.

Got any packing tips to share?

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