Boracay Travel Stories: Travelling Alone, Island Star Express and Island Hostel

Travelling to Boracay Alone as a Strong Independent Woman (who doesn’t need a man in her life)

It was a last minute decision to join my friend, Vian and her family’s trip to Boracay last March 30 – April 2, 2019. I haven’t traveled for what seemed like eternity and as much as I wanted to, nobody would come with me. 🙁

Being so caught up with trying to fulfill all of my life goals for the year, I didn’t notice the great pressure I was already under. You can really just feel overwhelmed all of a sudden because you’re demanding so much of yourself, juggling everything and leaving no second in a day to spare. That was just beyond exhausting so I came up with the decision to come along because an escape gave me something to look forward to. I craved a much needed break.

My body screamed rest and my mind needed to slow down and appreciate life more than what to do next.

Organizing a “Sabit” trip for One

Vian and her family’s plane tickets and hotel were already booked a month before I officially made the decision to come along. I had to secure my flight and find some place to stay to catch up with them, while it wasn’t too late. Since I didn’t want to impede on their family bonding and also wanted a few moments alone, I decided to book separate flights and my own room. The plan was we’ll just be meeting there in Boracay already.

But how do you even organize a tour for only yourself, especially one involving flights? I wasn’t familiar with the complexities of all that. When I saw that Travelsure Travel and Tours also had a Boracay package, I contacted them right away and let them organize this trip since my last experience with them during our Sagada trip was stellar.

Oh boy, it was hefty to travel alone because you have no one to split the bills with. My 4-day and 3-night Boracay Tour Package costs Php 12,000 included plane tickets, hotel, travel accommodations from airport to hotel and back and one island tour activity. It did not even include the money actually spent for food, drinks and other activities on the island itself. Since I am a very impulsive buyer and wanted to do everything being in Boracay already, I spent twice the amount I expected for that trip alone. It was all worth it and I’m still saying this, facing such a huge debt now back here in Manila. (wish me luck :'( )

Travelling Alone and Feeling Stupid

It was my first time travelling alone and barely knew what to do when I got to the airport. It was too late and it was the boarding gate when I suddenly noticed that I was the only one in the flight bringing such a huge travel luggage. Everybody else only carried backpacks or duffel bags, maybe because of one of Boracay’s new policies? I was inwardly panicking that they wouldn’t let me through. What do you do? Throw away your mother’s cute purple flowery luggage? It’s really advised to just bring a reasonably-sized hand-carry bag, especially since they’re super strict in Caticlan Airport.

Luckily, they let me through without any question even when my luggage barely passed the size and weight limit. What a relief! On board in the plane, I got to enjoy a window seat, basking in the wonder of the clouds that looked more like dry coral reefs down below.

I was clearly the only one travelling alone when we landed at Caticlan airport. They told me to find Island Star Express, and I didn’t have any trouble anymore, even having no knowledge of where to actually go. I just followed the crew along without even needing to ask any questions. They took care of my transport from the airport, to the ferry port to Boracay Island, and even carrying my luggage when we arrived at my hostel.

Island Hostel: Cute!

Travelling alone and already going over budget, I didn’t see the need to book a fancy hotel room. I stuck with Island Hostel, the dorm-style hotel room Travelsure recommended to me since we won’t spend a lot of time inside anyway. I didn’t really expect much, but was very much impressed of the place after when we got there. It looked really new, modern and most importantly clean.

They stuck with the basic necessities of a human being nowadays: a bed and an outlet for charging.

The space might be small, but they had all of the things you need in a trip without all of the unnecessary add-ons that costs extra. You also get to have a pillow and a blanket, 2 sets of lockable closets and your own light. Then, they built privacy around your little pod using curtains. They also maximized the small space by having 8-15 of these pods in one air-conditioned room.

Most of the people in the shared room were foreigners or backpackers and they said “Hi” when you see them out of their beds. Aside from that, everybody was mostly outside.

Coffee Shops by the Beach? Yes Please!

Coffee shops are a writer’s home and even when I said wouldn’t be working during a vacation, that didn’t include writing because it was the same as breathing for me. My friend was going to land later in the afternoon so there was much time to spare.

I found my way to the Starbucks by the beach front and discovered my own work-station paradise! I whipped out my Bluetooth keyboard and just wrote a blaze.

Who wouldn’t be inspired with the magnificent view of the Boracay coast line with boats sailing by on a bright early morning, made better with plenty of “afams” sunbathing or walking by the shore?

Come on, wouldn’t we all be more motivated to work or even go over time if that was what we to saw every time we come into the office? Another great coffee shop that I visited was Real Coffee that gave a more authentic feel to the experience and their coffee’s also very rich in taste.

After long hours of being a loner, my friend finally landed to Boracay that afternoon and then, we quickly set off to have the full Boracay Experience!

Read on to learn more of what happens next at Kai-Kai All Over Boracay.

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