I got my first passport stamp

Marlin Statue in KK 

It was my first time to travel outside of my country and I was afraid and nervous because I heard so many first time traveler "horror" stories. To avoid bad experience, I made sure to carefully plan my sister and I's travel. To help my fellow traveler who will travel for the first time, here's my personal preparation and tips.

I. PLANNING

1. Choose destination - there are several neighboring countries that are friendly for first time travelers. Most of these countries do not require visa if you are a Filipino citizen so choose a country that does not require a visa if you are a first time traveler. I choose Malaysia and Brunei as our country destinations for our first outside of the country trip because it's budget friendly and the two leading airlines in the country has direct flights from Manila, Philippines to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia and Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. These airlines usually offer "Piso fare promo" twice a year or more and travel period is usually from 6 months - 1 year from booking period.

2. Book a ticket - I started checking airlines company website to compare fares. Airline promo tickets are on the rise nowadays to encourage Filipinos to travel more even on a budget. "Follow or like" the airline company social media accounts for the latest updates of promos and fares. Make sure to book round trip ticket to avoid getting denied by immigration officer.

3. Get a Passport - I got my first passport 4 1/2 years ago but I never had a chance to get it stamped. My passport will expire in 6 months so I decided to renew it even if it's still valid because as a first time traveler I don't want to take a risk of getting denied by the immigration. You may book a ticket even if you don't have a passport yet but make sure you have it on the date of your trip. To know more how to get a passport and requirements visit https://www.passport.gov.ph/

4. Research - we are lucky today that travel information is freely available in the internet. I researched a lot about tourist destinations, weather, and culture of Malaysia and Brunei prior to our trip.

5. Itinerary - since it's our first time to travel outside the country, preparing itinerary is a must. I draft my itinerary based on my interests including sightseeing, adventure and immersing in the county's culture. I wrote down my itinerary on small pocket-able notebook and it was very helpful during our trip. Preparing itinerary also saves time in figuring out where to go and what to do.

6. Budget and accommodation - you can only allocate budget once you've draft your itinerary. My budget includes transportation, activity fee, accommodation, and food. Booking accommodation is a must prior to your trip because sometimes immigration officer will ask you where are you going to stay and it's best if your hotel booking is under your name.

7. Inform your bank - two weeks before our trip I sent email to my bank informing them to activate my debit card international withdrawal feature and I also inform them that I might also use my credit card. I sent them my itinerary and few days later my bank called me and verified that it was me who sent the request. If you failed to contact your bank prior to your trip you might not used your debit and credit card outside of the country.

8. Clothes - this is one of the reasons why researching is important. I like to travel light so I packed my clothes according to my activities, weather and culture of Malaysia and Brunei and of course comfort is a priority.

At Mount Kinabalu Park
it was not raining but the clouds/fog were thick and I'm glad I brought
my water repellent parka to protect me from getting wet and cold

II. DEPARTURE

1. Get to the airport early - We don't know well the processes of checking in if flying outside of the country so we allotted enough time to observe how everybody is doing it. Here's the step-by-step process:

• Pay travel tax amounting to Php1620 (if not included in your ticket) to travel tax booth.
• Proceed to your airline counter, submit your passport and travel tax OR then get your boarding pass and check-in your baggage if you have.
• Proceed to immigration security check, fill-up the red departure card and queue to         immigration officer's booth for processing.
• Submit your passport, boarding pass, travel tax receipt, departure card and return ticket to       immigration officer. Be smart and directly answer the immigration officer's questions. 
• Your photo and finger print will be taken and then AJA! you're ready to board your plane.

Departure Card

2. Dress casual but smart  - as a first time traveler I don't want to get denied to board my plane by immigration officer, it's one of the reasons why many of us are afraid to travel for the first time outside of the country. I make sure to dress casual and look smart because I heard that immigration officers can be so judgmental.

3. Exchange Currency - Before boarding, I exchange few Philippine peso note to Malaysian Ringgit just in case I can't find currency exchange store upon arrival, the rest of my Philippine peso note were exchange in KK city. It was recently announced that you can now bring up to Php50,000 notes and coins outside the country even without Central Bank's certification. Before it's up to Php10,000 only and you need to get certification from Central Bank is excess to that.

Malaysian Ringit (RM) and Brunei Dollar ($B) currencies

4. Talk to your fellow travelers or seatmate on the plane - I am a typical quite person but when I'm travelling even locally I put an extra effort to reach out to my fellow traveler because you will never know that one or two is an experienced traveler and will help you to get around the place that you are going. Just like us, my sister and I've meet a fellow Pinay traveler going to Kota Kinabalu and she's been there many times and she is very kind to helped us familiarized in the city and she even helped us find another hotel.

III. ARRIVAL

1. Arrival - I was confident enough to face the immigration officer (IO) because I know I had the best intentions in visiting their country but of course it was a little frightening too than facing the IO in the Philippines. I only submitted my passport to IO, my photo and fingerprints were taken and no question asked from me and voila I got my first ever stamped in my passport. Hooorrrayyyy I love the sound of stamp, sounds like "tak-tak".

If you have other tips for first time traveler please share below comment section.