Last February 2, Friday, I went to the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City to participate in the Travel Tour Expo 2024. If you enjoy travelling like I do, you'll love this expo. This expo allows us to discover different travel destinations. This is my first time attending this expo and I plan to make the most of the discounted airfares, accommodations, and even a tour package for my travels this year.
The expo had an entrance fee of Php 85 or 1.50 USD. As far as I know, Unionbank and Citi credit card holders have a separate line and were provided with free entrance.
The booths inside were overwhelming. I'm pretty sure there are more than 500 booths. There are booths for different travel and tour agencies. They provide a variety of travel options, including local and international flights, hotels, cruises, and much more.
Since it was already 3 pm when we arrived, we decided not to waste time and quickly looked for affordable airfare and accommodations in Singapore. We planned to buy tickets for the Eras Tour. We should've booked earlier last year but circumstances led us to book this month.
Fortunately, there were many travel agencies providing flights to Singapore, but their prices exceeded our budget. The roundtrip ticket to Singapore that we were expecting was priced at PHP 30,000 or 533 USD but the quotations, excluding accommodation, ranged from PHP 40,000 or 710 USD to PHP 50,000 or 888 USD.
We searched for more affordable prices by comparing various airlines such as Philippine Airlines, AirAsia, Cebu Pacific, Scoot, and more.
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We also made attempts to interact with the agencies, but the cheapest airfare we could find was around PHP 40,000 or 710 USD. I was contemplating whether or not to proceed with the concert at that moment. My concert companions had to back out because their schedules didn't align. I'm unsure if it's still worth it, as I already visited Singapore last October and the idea of going there for a day or two for the concert makes me hesitate.
Now, I'm undecided. To distract myself from sadness, we explored more travel options for this year.
During our stroll, we unexpectedly came across the Taiwan Tourism booth. They designed it like a milk tea cup! I couldn't help but crave milk tea after seeing their booth!
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The Taiwan Floral Lantern DIY making activity at the expo is one of the highlights, and it's open for all attendees! They also have this adorable photobooth that looks like an Instagram post.
Then, we discovered the Thailand booth, complete with a tuk-tuk photobooth and Thai massage!
My favorite is the Japan tourism booth! I'm also looking forward to going to Japan in the future, I'm not sure when though. But in their booth, it feels like I have a glimpse of Japan.
Beside the entrance is where you get to try the Kimonos for free. There's even a cherry blossom tree beside it that will make you really feel like you're in Japan.
You'll find Korea's booth right next to Japan. Some of the Korean Airlines that provide affordable flights include Asiana and Jeju Air. We were given a quote of PHP 18,000 - 20,000 or 320 to 356 USD for a roundtrip flight to Korea. It's already a great deal if you're traveling to Korea this month, but it's always cheaper to book months in advance.
I also loved Hong Kong's booth. They have this huge backdrop with Hello Hong Kong on it. There's also an Ocean Park and Water World backdrop for photo-ops. I specifically love the HongKong backdrop with colorful lights!
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Besides organizing our Singapore trip, we're also in the process of planning a trip to Vietnam, so we went to Vietnam Airlines and the booths nearby. We received a quote of PHP 13,000 for a roundtrip airfare from Manila to Ho Chi Minh.
We haven't finalized our itinerary yet but visiting the booths helped us determine the places we want to go and we also collected the contact info of travel and tour agencies. Although we have not yet tried joining a travel and tour agency, we are considering it to make our trip more hassle-free.
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We also chanced upon the Guam booth where they showcased a replica of the Heart Lock Wall in Tumon Bay. I'm just not sure if you have to find a partner before going there 😂
We also made sure to scout cheap airfares and tours for our local trips this year. We're so glad to have found half of the booths are offering discounted domestic tour packages.
If you're bored of flying, you can experiment with various modes of travel.
In our upcoming trips, we're considering the option of taking 2Go from Manila to other domestic locations. It's a budget-friendly option that allows you to enjoy its amenities while travelling. Plus, it’s a whole lot of experience!
If you're interested in going on a cruise, you can check out the Royal Caribbean booth as well.
Seeing all the local booths makes me crave more travel! Manifesting for more travels this year.
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If you're planning to travel soon, going to Travel Tour Expos like this can be beneficial in many ways.
You can find some really good deals on airfare, accommodations, and tours. and if you're applying for visas to multiple countries, attending an expo like this is essential. You can save time (and money) by applying for visas rather than going to the embassy. Just don't forget to bring the essential documents needed for visas, like passports, IDs, passport pictures, proof of financial capacity, and so on (depending on the visa you’re applying for).
I'm glad I was able to attend this expo because even without making a purchase, you can learn more about the country/city you plan to visit. I was so drawn to the cultural booths that I couldn't resist wanting to purchase a flight ticket on the spot. But my wallet said no, not today 😂
That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading 🫶🏼
Until my next Travel Tour Expo experience!
All images are mine unless otherwise stated.
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