5 Things You Should Avoid in the Philippines!

Living in the Philippines going on six years now I have picked up a few things along the way.  Some of the pitfalls and mistakes I made I want to share with you so maybe you can avoid some of these same mistakes as well.  Now some of the things I will talk about doesn’t mean that you will make the same mistake but I think for the majority of people these are good general tips that can apply to most everyone. 

#1 The Scoop and Swoop

The Scoop and swoop refers to when your Filipina girlfriend or just somebody that you have been chatting with online picks you up from the airport.  The reasons why I say to avoid this are several reasons. One you likely have traveled many hours and are tired, disheveled from the trip, hungry and just want to get checked into your hotel.  The other is you don’t really know if you have in person chemistry until you have met.  A thousand online chats doesn’t equal one person to person meeting in my opinion.  I have heard stories of being greeted at the airport and being kept awake for the next 12 hours with family dinners that they don’t really want to be at.  Other stories have had guys meeting 27 family members at the airport and being ushered away to a dinner at his expense for the entire family.  I have heard so many horror stories from doing this.  Now of course there are guys who have met their girl at the airport and everything was great.   But I am just talking about waiting maybe a few hours or the next day to meet your girl.  Meet at a coffee shop or at the mall and go from there.  Make sure you say it’s ok to bring one or two family members only, not 27.  

#2 Long Term Leases 

When I first arrived in the Philippines I stayed in a hotel for 3 nights and immediately took a six month lease out on a condo that was recommended to me.  Well, after a month I decided this was not the area I wanted to be in and it was not the exact condo unit I wanted.  So after that six month lease I found the area of Cebu and the condo I wanted.  There I stayed for the next two years.  So what would I have done differently?  Well, first I would stay in a hotel for about 3 days and then find an AirBnb to rent for 1 month. I would contact the AirBnb and arrange to look at it before I took the unit.  Then once you have an AirBnb for a month, you can take your time exploring the city of your choice and find the place where you want to live.  

#3 Putting Two Months Deposit Down

When renting many landlords will try to get you to put a two month deposit down and then of course the first month’s rent.  I caution you not to do this if at all possible because in the Philippines the majority of the time you will never see your deposit again.  Rent is negotiable, so are furnishings and deposits.  I think 75% of the time that I have rented in the Philippines the landlords have wanted a two month deposit but I have always been successful in negotiating for one month.  The good thing about the last month’s deposit is you can have that used for your last utility bills.  

#4 Choosing a Location to Live Too Quickly

Choosing the right location has a lot to do with #2 but this one is geared more towards guys who choose a Filipina and then move to her city.  Now I totally understand that you might meet the best woman in the world and move to her city and you end up liking it but I always thought it was better doing it a bit differently.  I think the best thing in my opinion is to find the island, city, and neighborhood that you really like and then find a nice girl.  Then you get the best of both worlds.  There is no shortage of good girls here or beautiful girls.  I often say that you can blindfold yourself, throw a dart at a map of the Philippines and you can find a beautiful and sweet girl there.  I know many guys who met a great girl online and then moved to her little province and later regretted it.  The Philippines is not a large country.  It is not hard to have your girlfriend jump on a quick ferry ride or flight to go visit family.  In the long run you will be happier not being right next to your girl’s family, no need to worry about frequent dinner guests.   

#5 Online Dating Too Early

So many guys get online and sign up for dating apps and begin their search for a Filipina way too early. Again this is my opinion and doesn’t make it right but without having a date in mind it can be a waste of time for both parties.  I think it is better to have travel dates planned and then get online and start chatting on a dating app to find your right partner.   I also think it will result in more serious Filipinas because you can simply show her your plane ticket and she will know you are serious.  So many guys chat endlessly with them and promise them the sun and moon or enter into online relationships with them without ever having the intention of meeting.  Others will string Filipinas along for years without ever making it out here.  I think to be fair for both parties it is much better to be within just months of coming here.  When ready I recommend Christian Filipina for best results Christian Filipina Membership

Final Thoughts

There might have to be a part two to this blog as there are many more then just five but for now we will just start with my top five.   Again I feel the need to mention that these are my views and do not mean these are mandatory things to follow. This is just based on my personal experience and also chatting with numerous foreigners and hearing their stories throughout the years.  If you are looking for some boots on the ground real information and want to pick my brain I am available for consultations which you can book here on my website Book a Consultation or you can join my Patreon account Join Gio in the Philippines Patreon and have access to more than 70 videos only found on Patreon.  Also certain memberships include free monthly consultations and free Gio in the Philippines apparel.  Please feel free to post comments on this blog and I promise I will respond to all comments here.