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Making Friends in the Philippines

We would like to introduce you to Hilda, one of the leaders of our brand new tailor-made tour to the Philippines - Chocolate Hills & Tarsiers - which we highlighted in our recent blog post.

How long have you been leading tours?

My experience in leading tours goes way back to my university days, as a tour guide for educational field trips. That was the most rewarding part-time job I found as a student, where I could earn extra bucks to finance my studies and at the same time gain extensive knowledge about our history and culture and hone my communication skills. But professionally I've been doing this exciting job for over a year since returning back to the Philippines. I'm enjoying every bit of it and really I should have been doing this job a long time ago.

What do you find rewarding about leading family trips?

The biggest merit of leading family trips is that it makes this profession more enriching. Because I am leading a group with different ages, personalities, likes and dislikes the experience created is more profound and challenging because they come from one family. This helps me to become a better person, better mum to my eleven-year-old daughter and better wife myself. And of course, when I travel with guests, I treat them as if they are friends so leading a family is like spending a holiday with my own family. It's a lot of fun!

What is one of the best features of the Chocolate Hills & Tarsiers trip?

The spectacular rice terraces of the world renowned Cordillera region is definitely my favourite of the destinations I bring my family groups to. It has everything from scenery to activities and gastronomy and cultural enrichment that can please every member of the family from the youngest through to grandparents.

Who would you like to be if you were a children's film or book character?

I think I would like to be Mathilda by Roald Dahl. Although, there are so many heroines out there, I am always drawn to her character because she is witty, outspoken, loving and brave despite her size, age and circumstances in life. Being a bookworm helped her become an autodidact. Her character is teaching people of all ages the importance of being inquisitive and the power of knowledge. And of course, she has telekinetic powers and who doesn't want to have that?!

When not guiding what are your other interests?

In my spare time, I organised cooking classes for children as an after school activity. It is a very worthwhile activity for our children because it teaches them the basic necessity of survival; preparing and cooking their own food. It also teaches them the importance of a balanced diet and enhances their creativity.

Contact us to plan your perfect tailor made adventure to the Philippines.