I have so many things going on in my head that I had to actually jot them all down. First things first!

After more than a year, we finally had a quick family getaway. Two years ago, we went to Palawan. Last year, we weren’t able to do anything of some sort. Although we flew to Cagayan de Oro, the purpose of that trip was entirely different and I can’t consider it a “vacation”.

This year, we finally had some time to relax and be away from the city. And by that, I mean literally far from civilization. (You’ll understand why)

So where did we go?

We actually didn’t go far. Bohol is just a two-hour boat ride from Cebu (given that you’re riding a fast craft).

My mom’s relatives are from Bohol. So one of the major reasons why we actually had to go there was because she wanted to visit them and ‘do’ some paperwork for the family.

The vacation part kinda had to be the least priority. But I was able to have my share of fun and dose of vitamin sea, so it ended fair and square.

Here’s a quick summary… (Watch in HD!)

How to get there

🚢 By boat

From Cebu, you can ride a fast craft in Pier 1 or Pier 3. Pier 1 fast crafts, 2Go – SuperCat and OceanJet, dock in Tagbilaran City while Pier 3 fast crafts dock at the port of Tubigon.

Lite Ferry can also bring you to Bohol, if you’re not in a hurry and have plenty of time to spare. You’ll reach Bohol in five hours. Lite Ferry also has fast crafts traveling from Cebu to Tagbilaran and Tubigon, vis-a-vis.

We chose the fast craft going to Tubigon since we had to bring our vehicle to Bohol. If you are planning to bring your car or motorcycle with you, via Tubigon would be a cheaper option.

It was my first time to ride a fast craft which can load cars. I only knew slow and bigger ships can carry cars. I was actually impressed!

✈️ By plane

You can easily book a flight going to Tagbilaran, Bohol. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and Air Asia fly frequently to and from Tagbilaran. You can head to their websites to book your flights or you can leave a message and I can help you book your trip. (shameless plug: Follow @offthegridtravels on Facebook and Instagram)

Did you know? While any other place in any other region of the Philippines have their festivals spread out over the year, Bohol has almost all their festivals celebrated within one month. These festivals have always been part of the Boholano culture. They call the month of May the “Fiesta Month”. Visitors can enjoy the month-long revelry by hopping from one town to another. Need not to worry because Boholanos will make sure you won’t get hungry.

🚌 Getting Around

Bohol is a small island, you can circle the entire island in a day or two and you can do that easily if you have your own car. But if you don’t have your own car or you haven’t rented one, to go around the entire island you can ride a bus. Jeepneys, tricycles, and vans are present in some of the areas in Bohol but it doesn’t cover all the areas.

Since we brought our car with us, it was easier to transfer places. From Tubigon, our first stop was in Tagbilaran. Then we headed out to Duero in Jagna to visit our relatives and did a side-trip to Anda. We’ve visited Bohol several times so the need to go around the entire island was not on our list of to-dos. We stayed in Lutaw, a tiny barangay in Alijawan, Duero for several days.

Provincial Life

Our family house is situated just across the beach and behind a river. You have the option to swim anywhere you please and you need not have to bring clothes or prepare any outfit before heading out. You can just go to the beach and go home wet because it’s several meters away from your house.

What I also love about provincial living is the fact that you need not buy your ‘groceries’ every time you want to eat something. You can just go to your backyard and harvest a little for your dinner or breakfast the following day. It’s during these kinds of “trips” where I appreciate the provincial set-up because I get to enjoy my meals without having to think where and how to get the ingredients since it’s readily available.

What’s the catch?

So how did this trip became a family getaway when you were simply just ‘staying in’?

Being with family away from the ‘usual’ city-life is already something for me. You have no idea how hard it is to organize a quick getaway with the unique family set-up that I have. So having this little downtime with the family is already something. And besides, we went to the beach so I guess it counts?

That’s it for now. I’ll be writing about my next trip soon. Keep posted!

Feel free to leave comments or message via e-mail if you have any questions. If you like this article and want to see or know more about my trips and tips, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

xo,

PHOTO GALLERY