Getting cold feet

you will have no problem, honestly the people there are some of the nicest in the world,i should know i married one and have been there loads of times.
there is alot of scare mongering about the philippines thet i just cannot understand.
there is some places where tourist shoud not go {southern mindanao}.other than that you will have a great time.where abouts are you planning to go exactly?

A couple of Danish friends (girls in their 20s) just traveled around here last month and never had problems looking very Scandinavian. They went to Makati, Puerto Galera, Boracay, El Nido, and Puerto Princesa.

You might be surprised at how your white skin can even work much to your advantage over here.

I'd be happy to buy you and your husband a drink over a chat when you get here. :) Your only problem might be the weather, though.

Thanks so much for the advice guys, i feel really excited about our trip again now. We were thinking about going from Manila to Lake Taal and then do some diving in anilao. Then to Puerto Galera and off to North Pandan, again to dive. We then thought we would head down to Cebu and do a bit of island hopping (and diving again!).
I hope the weather wont stop us doing any of those things. What do you think?

Thanks again for the advice, we really appreciate it, and we would love to meet up with people while we are out there if you are nearby.

I have been to the phil many times including travelling with my daughter from when she was 4 years old up until now as a teenager. Agree with other postings....maybe stay away from southern Mindanao, but apart from that you should have no problems. People are incredibly friendly and its a great place to visit. Go and have a great time!

Hi,

All good advice, take heed. Personally I wish, being selfish, that all people would head off in other directions and leave the PI's alone. That way I could have those lovely Islands and their folks to myself. I went climbing alone in remote areas and travelled day and night during the 3 1/2 months I was there recently. Had very few problems at all. The diving that I did was a good as any that I have ever done. Met lots of friends and had numerous invites back. Going out there for 3 months in Jan, simply because I enjoyed it that much I am in withdrawal.

Whilst I was there I did have a mobile phone stolen, partly my own stupidity. And there was a lone female trekker robbed and killed in the rice terraces. The locals were devastated over the incident. I was there shortly after the foul deed, the only incident of it's kind in the area, and the amount of asistance being offered to all and sundry was phenomenal. Villagers just kept apologising and assuring me that the perpetrator was an outsider and not a local. Every time I went off in the terraces alone I felt safe and refused the very kind offers of company.

Go on with your plans and anjoy the islands.

Brax

As everyone has said, except for some parts of the South, it is completely safe. You're going to stick out the same way you would in the rest of SEA, but that's not a problem. As #6 said, the Philippines has gotten a bad rap and suffered the consequences, but the flip side of this is it's very easy to go for a week or more without seeing another foreigner.

Lake Taal, Puerto Galera in Mindoro Province and Cebu Province are top tourist destinations in the Philippines and are therefore quite safe (terrorism aspects). Though it does not mean that you can wave your money and not be concerned of petty crimes. Just use your common sense.

Buy a travel guide book (at least 2 for comparison) and read about safety concerns in the Philippines. I have read a couple of them and gave reasonable advise.

Most people avoid the entire Mindanao Island (which is the size of South Korea or US State of Indiana) because of its reputation as a troubled place. Only the western and portions of the southern half of the island are basically off limits due to the ongoing peace talks with the Islamic rebels. These are the islands of Sulu, Tawi Tawi, Basilan and the provinces of Zamboanga, Maguindanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan and Lanao.

The northern and eastern parts are quite safe. These are the islands of Camiguin, Siargao, Dinagat, Samal and the provinces of Misamis, Bukidnon, Agusan, Davao, Surigao and Compostela Valley. In fact international surfing competitions are being held in Siargao island (faces the Pacific Ocean) and a lot of expats are now living in Davao, Davao Province and Cagayan de Oro, Misamis Province.

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<hr>I hope the weather wont stop us doing any of those things. <hr></blockquote>
Weather could be an issue. We're getting into typhoon season, and your Puerto Galera/Pandan/Anilao leg would be affected if there's a storm in the area.

I'd suggest spending as much time as possible in the south, especially Central Visayas (Negros, Cebu, Bohol). They don't get so much rain off the SW monsoon, and typhoons very rarely pass that way. Your probability of good weather will be much higher.

Visit the volcanic island of Camiguin in Northern Mindanao. Take a plunge in their hot springs. This will warm up your feet. ;-) Enjoy!