u/Relevant-Ad7042

Hi everyone,

We’re a gay couple (both 35) and we’re planning a 1-month trip to the Philippines this December/January. For context, we’ll have spent 2 months in Australia and New Zealand right before this trip (starting later this year), so by the time we get to the Philippines we’re really aiming to slow things down and just relax for a while.

We’re mainly looking for beaches, snorkeling, diving, and a generally chill vibe. Not too much moving around, no tight schedules, just enjoying each place properly.

This is our rough itinerary:

9 Dec – Arrive Manila
10–11 Dec – Manila
11–15 Dec – El Nido
16–19 Dec – Coron
20–25 Dec – Siquijor
26–29 Dec – Anda (Bohol)
30 Dec–3 Jan – Panglao (Alona Beach)
4–8 Jan – Manila
9 Jan – Fly home

We’re trying to keep each stop fairly relaxed, but would love feedback on whether this pacing makes sense or if we’re packing in too much / missing something obvious.

Also very open to any tips for:

• must-do snorkeling/diving spots
• beaches worth prioritizing
• places that are more “chill” vs touristy
• anything you’d skip from this route

Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone,

We’re a gay couple (both 35) and we’re planning a 1-month trip to the Philippines this December/January. For context, we’ll have spent 2 months in Australia and New Zealand right before this trip (starting later this year), so by the time we get to the Philippines we’re really aiming to slow things down and just relax for a while.

We’re mainly looking for beaches, snorkeling, diving, and a generally chill vibe. Not too much moving around, no tight schedules, just enjoying each place properly.

This is our rough itinerary:

9 Dec – Arrive Manila
10–11 Dec – Manila
11–15 Dec – El Nido
16–19 Dec – Coron
20–25 Dec – Siquijor
26–29 Dec – Anda (Bohol)
30 Dec–3 Jan – Panglao (Alona Beach for NYE)
4–8 Jan – Manila
9 Jan – Fly home

We’re trying to keep each stop fairly relaxed, but would love feedback on whether this pacing makes sense or if we’re packing in too much / missing something obvious.

Also very open to any tips for:

• must-do snorkeling/diving spots
• beaches worth prioritizing
• places that are more “chill” vs touristy
• anything you’d skip from this route

Thanks a lot!

Hi all,

My partner and I are planning our first trip to Australia later this year (mid-Oct to mid-Nov) as part of a longer trip, and we’d really appreciate a sanity check on this part of the itinerary. We’re trying to balance seeing a lot with also not feeling rushed all the time. We don’t mind moving around, but we also don’t want it to become a constant travel marathon.

Here’s what we have so far:

Date	Location / Route	Notes
Oct 15	Singapore → Melbourne	Flight
Oct 16–17	Melbourne	2 full days
Oct 18	Melbourne → Cairns	Flight
Oct 19	Cairns	GBR reef tour
Oct 20	Cairns	Daintree Rainforest
Oct 21	Cairns → Magnetic Island	Travel day
Oct 22–24	Magnetic Island	3 full days
Oct 25	Magnetic → Airlie Beach	Travel day
Oct 26	Airlie Beach	—
Oct 27–28	Whitsundays	Sailing (2D/1N)
Oct 29	Airlie → Brisbane	Flight
Oct 30	Brisbane	—
Oct 31	Brisbane → Rainbow Beach	Travel day
Nov 1–2	K’gari (Fraser Island)	4WD tour (2D/1N)
Nov 3	Brisbane → Byron Bay	Travel day
Nov 4–6	Byron Bay	3 full days
Nov 7	Byron → Sydney	Travel day
Nov 8–10	Sydney	3 full days
Nov 11	Sydney → Auckland	Flight

A few things we’re unsure about:

• Are we cramming too much in, or does this feel doable?
• Magnetic Island: worth 3 nights, or too long?
• Brisbane only 1 day: fine, or are we skipping something big?
• Anything obvious we’re missing along this route?

We like nature, beaches, good food, and a bit of activity, but also some chill time in between.
Would love to hear your thoughts! especially if you’ve done a similar route 🙏