Living In Palawan Philippines As A Foreigner

Palawan is sometimes referred to as a hidden gem of the Philippines as there are often some beautiful sports stretched across the island. Palawan, however, is becoming more well-known with digital nomads and retirees. Thus, today we will explore some expat advice on living in Palawan Philippines to help you move and settle on the island.

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Expat Advice On Living In Palawan Philippines

To Save The Cash, Try Some Sea Food

One of the benefits of living in Palawan as an expat is that many different types of foods are available all across the island. One expat advice on living in Palawan, Philippines, is to eat more seafood if you want to save more pesos.

A large part of the population who live on the island obtain their income from the richness of the sea. Many different kinds of seafood are available across Palawan at a very cost-effective rate. If an expat living in Palawan Philippines can shop at the local markets or local food carts, they can often save a great deal of cash long term.

Network With The Locals & Other Expats

Palawan is not as diverse as other islands in the Philippines. Even though foreigners live in Palawan, many stay for a short term, which can range from a few days to a few months. The downside is that it can sometimes become relatively slow-paced and even lonely, so it’s always important to make friends in the Philippines, no matter how obvious that sounds.

The locals of Palawan are known to be extremely friendly and welcoming; thus, you will not have difficulty building a network while living in Palawan as an expat. Furthermore, having a close network of locals will also help you in the following expat advice on living in Palawan Philippines, which involves negotiation.

Negotiate With The Tour Operators

there are many different tours in Palawan, and as an expat living in Palawan, a tip I would always give is to negotiate in a friendly and positive way as you will often find much success with this practice. In addition, if you live on the island, it may be worth mentioning this to operators as some may see you as on your holiday and naturally overcharge you because of their perception.

Commonly, some tours can be found online, especially on Facebook groups, and this is often an excellent place to look if you are looking for some cheap tours in Palawan. Tour operators quote a price on social media; thus, it’s much harder for them to negotiate when a price has already been stated.

Consider Purchasing Or Renting A Vehicle

One beneficial piece of advice for living in Palawan as an expat is to consider purchasing some kind of vehicle. If you are on a budget, it may be wise to investigate rental options. If you are staying in Puerto Princesa, you will find several options for transportation; however, if you are an expat living in Palawan, you will likely want to travel outside of the city.

Travel outside of the city is not too expensive; however, the prices can soon add up if this is a frequent occurrence. Therefore, traveling around Palawan in your own vehicle is often much more enjoyable.

Take A Look At The Purchasing Cheap Flights Editorial

Recently we spoke about how to find international flights to the Philippines. In that article, we talked about some valuable tips and tricks and industry secrets to lower the price of flying to the Philippines. However, what does this mean for you as an expat living in Palawan?

If you plan to travel to different areas outside of Palawan, you will need to fly, and many of the tips and tricks we covered can also be applied to save money on domestic flights in the Philippines.

Obtain Injury / General Health Insurance

One reason many expats live in Palawan is due to the activities and experiences gained from this beautiful island. Many expats find themselves taking part in all kinds of adventures when living in Palawan; therefore, having some type of injury or general health insurance will often be extremely valuable in emergency cases.

Hospitals in Palawan can be at a distance from each other, and it is common for accidents to happen, particularly on the roads to and from different towns. Therefore, an additional tip for expats living in Palawan is to have the appropriate medical care gear for emergencies.

Speak To Internet Providers Before Moving In

The Internet in Palawan is often a prevalent question. For example, is the Internet good in Palawan? In the city of Puerto Princesa, the Internet is relatively standard for the Philippines; however, outside of Puerto Princesa, the performance and coverage can be slightly weaker.

One benefit of moving to Palawan as an expat is that you can contact the local Internet providers. They will often pinpoint where you plan to live and see if they serve that area and if the connection will be strong or not, which is usually a significant factor if dependent upon the Internet.

Grab Yourself A Bicycle

if you’re planning to live in Palawan, you may find some facilities (even in the smaller towns) are far apart from each other, and therefore travel by foot is often time-consuming and demanding on the body. A much better option is to purchase or rent a bicycle.

There are several bicycle shops in the city and a few smaller establishments throughout the island. Still, one option that may be better if you are looking for a more advanced bicycle is to look at Lazada. If you are unfamiliar with Lazada, it is the Asian version of Amazon and where there are often some great deals to be had on everyday items.

Build An Emergency Fund

One of the most significant expat advice on living in Palawan, Philippines, is building an emergency fund. One of the reasons this is a great expat tip for Palawan is that anything can happen in the modern world. Over the years, there have been many stories that have been well documented of foreigners who have sadly fallen on hard times living in the Philippines.

The Philippines, in general, is a relatively low-cost country if you budget wisely, but it’s certainly not the cheapest country in Southeast Asia. If you experience a few financially damaging situations, living in the Philippines becomes much more expensive. Still, the good news is that a simple emergency plan will often save you much unpleasantness.

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