Philippines anyone? (July 2017) Cancel Se requiere un título

I called CI today to let them know of my intent on visiting my two girls in Legaspi. I'm perfectly fine going alone, but would love some company and a chance to take part in another sponsor's meet and greet if anyone is interested??. My dates are: leaving the US 6/30/17 arriving in Legaspi Sunday morning the 2nd of July. Returning for home on Saturday, July 8th. 
I'm super excited to go meet Nizelle and Samantha. I'm gonna geek out for sure! :D  I will happily take any recommendations or tips from those who have done it. 

I would love to visit my two boys also in Legaspi, so how do I start? how much the expense? Please let me know, thanks!

I visited all 8 of my kids in the Philippines a year ago, and the trip was wonderful.  CI can send you a list of places to stay.  I flew on Philippine Airlines from Manila and stayed at the Hotel St. Ellis in Legaspi.  CI arranged activities for each day, picked me up at the hotel, and drove me to the CI center, where I met the kids and their parent.  I'd hoped to have a separate day with each of my kids, but CI could only schedule 3 kids on one day, and 2 kids the next day.  It was harder to get to know them, but still totally worth it.  I brought gifts from home for each child, small things like a mini photo album of all their CI pictures, hair accessories, hard candy, pens, etc.  Not sure if any of my posts from that trip are still on MSC.   Your kids will be in school in June and July, but can take the day off.  Be prepared for heat and humidity.   And to have your heart swell with joy when you first see your kids.  

Josie, if you're interested in visiting your kids you can contact CI and they can help guide you. I'm flying from Los Angeles to Manilla to Legaspi for about $1200 roundtrip. I'm staying at Hotel St. Ellis and its cost was under $250. Which I found very cheap! I budgeted $2500 for this trip so so far I'm doing well! :)

n23foster thank you so much for your post, I love to hear others had such positive experiences. I too am flying Philippine Air and staying at Hotel St Ellis. I've got my list from CI and I'm doing some research. Am I allowed to ask my kids what they'd want to do in a letter? I want to make sure they had fun so if they picked something then I'm golden! :) I know July is not an ideal time to go, but maybe that will prompt an indoor air conditioned activity for everyone. Get out of the heat. Hmm. Lots to think about. Appreciate the insight! 

I will be visiting my teen girl in 2 weeks and will be posting about the trip, so I'm happy to share afterwards.  I've visited kids in other countries though and it's an unforgettable experience - so much so that this is my fourth child visit in total!

I also found the in-country prices to be quite affordable with the exchange rate!  My hotel was also a great price, as are the other things that I've looked into.

I booked all my hotels through agoda.com, and got super deals.   

I think that CI decides on the activities, based on distance between the kids houses, the CI center, and the activity.   Rest assured, the kids have probably never done any of the activities that are possible, and they'll be thrilled.   Also they'll be excited to eat at a fast food chain (maybe Jollibees) that has their favorite fried chicken, spaghetti and tomato sauce, and hamburgers.  I was glad I took comb and tissue paper kazoos for the van ride.  The kids giggled a lot trying to make them work.  

I'm thinking next year maybe, unfortunately, this is not a right time for me. Salamat sa response, hope you enjoy your visiting there. Ingat ;) 

I really wish I could go this year! Alas, it's not in the cards (we just bought a house, and I burned through a lot of my vacation time for the move). I'm dreaming of next year, but in reality it'll probably be 2019.

I can't wait to hear all about your trip!

Just returned from my 4th trip to the Philippines and everything mentioned here is what I have experienced each time. You will not forget your first visit because you will find it is a constant reminder why you should take another. I am hoping to go back next year and celebrate some more graduations :)