How Hard Is It to Be a Filipino Traveler?

Last night, I fell asleep crying.

I’ve just returned from a year of traveling and volunteering around the world. These days, I’ve started settling into some kind of routine—writing new blog posts, teaching yoga at a studio, catching up with friends I only see once a year whenever I come home.

I was talking to my mother about how life’s been, when my father walked in and asked to be brought to the doctor. He said he was feeling numbness in his feet.

My mom sighed and said it’s probably the diabetes again. She started talking about how he’s not taking his meds, not watching his sugar intake.

And something in me broke.

You see, I come from a low-income, one-parent working family here in the Philippines. Since I was 10, I sold snacks in school so I could have money for food during breaks.

In high school and college, I tutored five kids after class—on top of other side gigs—just to get by. I was also supporting my younger brother while maintaining a scholarship.

By the time I graduated from university, I was fully supporting my family. Eventually, my brother found a job and we began to share the responsibility.

This is why it’s hard to travel as a Filipino.

Yes—it’s hard because we have a weak passport.

Yes—it’s hard because our currency doesn’t go far.

Yes—every Filipino is seen as a potential illegal immigrant.

But the main reason why most Filipinos won’t (or can’t) travel?

It’s because travel—and so many other joys in life—is buried deep in a long list of priorities. Responsibilities that are not just ours, but our families’.

I still remember the first time I flew on a plane.

My university sponsored my trip for a student exchange. I fought hard to earn that slot. I told the panelist I wanted to learn, and I did.

But if I’m being honest? I just really wanted to fly.

Because I didn’t even know if I ever could. Or when I ever would.

I had responsibilities. And a plane ticket would always come last—after food, after medicine, after a roof repair, an LPG tank, a hospital bill. Always after the necessities.

Fast forward seven years later, and I’ve been to 35 countries.

My boyfriend is German. And I can’t help but feel jealous of how he can easily go to many countries without a visa. How he can randomly pick any country, book a ticket, and leave the next day.

How, by just showing his German passport—without saying a single word—he can pass through immigration.

While I would normally take 10 minutes, five if I was lucky. Explaining all the places I’ve been, proving that I can finance my backpacking trip for a month.

There were times when I even had to open my bank accounts online just to prove my funds were real.

And while doing all this, I was also trying to stay afloat.

Because, like I said—most of us (by most, I mean 71%) are breadwinners. We support our families.

So no, most Filipinos can’t just “book a one-way ticket and find ourselves.”

We have to first check if we can pay the bills—ours, our family’s, sometimes even extended family’s.

We have to wait for Piso Fares.

We have to plan three months in advance just to get a visa.

And to apply for a visa?

We need:

• A schedule from an embassy that’s usually only available in the next three months
• A certificate of employment
• Approved leave (usually no more than 5 days if we want it to be paid)
• Return flights
• A bank certificate
• A bank statement
• A cover letter
• An invitation letter
• An itinerary that we need to know by heart and make sure we can say the French, Dutch, or German cities correctly
• Around $200 costs for all these, and at least two full days of processing

All to prove ourselves “worthy” to visit your countries.

I was lucky I wasn’t rejected once. But I know many friends who were—despite having stable jobs and complete documents—for reasons they’ll never know.

Maybe it’s because they have a family abroad and were suspected of being a TNT (“tago ng tago”, always hiding) and overstaying.

Maybe it’s their first time flying, and they aimed “too high” with Japan, Europe, or the U.S.

Maybe they mispronounced the name of a city or a landmark.

I’m not saying no one tries to overstay. I understand why some countries are cautious—some Filipinos did bend the rules.

And we all suffered the consequences.

And when we finally get that visa, that’s just the beginning—then comes saving for accommodation, food, maybe a few tours…

That’s why you see Filipinos packing Skyflakes and instant noodles.

That’s why you see us at 7/11s.

We already spent a big chunk of our travel money on the visa, the flight, and the accommodations. So during our travels, we need to do some stretching with our budgets.

Because travel is a privilege—one many of us may never experience in our lifetimes.

So if you see a Filipino—or anyone from a third-world country—traveling, smile at them.

Don’t judge us for taking 50 photos of the same spot.

We are enjoying the moment.

Documenting that we made it.

Because we’re not always sure if we’ll get the chance again.

And if you’re a Filipino traveler reading this—I see you.

I know how unfair and frustrating it is. How foreigners can enjoy our islands so easily, while we spend months proving we’re “worthy” to visit theirs.

But we don’t get to choose the passport we’re born with. What we do get to choose is to carry it with pride.

Because even when the world makes it harder for us, we show up anyway. We keep dreaming. We keep going. And that, right there, is our superpower.