Philippines holidays: Fun and adventure await

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As Insider's travel reporter in Singapore, I've backpacked in four countries across Asia and have stayed in a dozen hostels.

There’s something so beautiful, so meaningful, about distilling an adventure down to everything that you need and nothing that you don’t, keeping the focus on manageable ways to get outside and get outside often. If it’s easy, if you have the trappings at your fingertips, you’re more likely to take advantage of the real prize: spending quality time in nature.

It’s a pink summer.

”Hong Kong is a photographer’s dream,” says Geraint Rowland. “It’s got impressive architecture and the busy streets teem with life, day and night.” The Wanderlust Travel Photo of the Year winner was blown away by the territory. As part of their dual-destination photo commission, the four winners of the UK’s biggest travel photography competition were first guided around Hong Kong and its many islands. They soon discovered there were plenty of opportunities to point their lenses, whether the neon skyscrapers, the old neighbourhoods from which the city evolved or one of the 260 outlying islands, whose slower pace of life, unusual wildlife and natural landscapes offer a contrast to that famous urban bustle.

As a family sat vigil over a coffin containing the body of an elderly relative, the wooded hills around their apartment building in Palermo burned from wildfires. Winds blew the blazes closer, torching cars, dumpsters, sheds and electricity poles. Then the flames licked the apartment building, forcing its inhabitants to flee.

When you travel, where you stay is only one piece of the puzzle. Equally as important are the experiences you have abroad: the things you see, the food you eat, the people you meet. And as of late, there is more interest than ever in travel experiences: cooking classes, snorkeling, ghost tours, wine tastings, trolley rides, all of it.

Paris Hilton hasn’t been much in the limelight lately, and now we know why. The 35-year-old socialite and media magnet has been busy developing a new line of luxury hotels to open in Dubai, New York, and Las Vegas.

One of the most popular vacation spots in the Philippines, the island of Boracay, is undergoing a “total closure” to tourists beginning April 26 and lasting for six months, according to Philippines Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque. The idyllic island regularly appears on round-ups of the world’s best beaches, which likely contributed to the massive numbers of visitors.

Few lodging situations can beat the coolness of a houseboat. There’s just something about falling asleep on the gentle undulation of water that makes for a more relaxing experience than even the most luxurious hotels. That’s why the Paolyn Houseboat on Coron Island, Philippines, is a must.

The most iconic structure in the United States is not the Empire State Building, but like the emblematic skyscraper, it’s located in New York. The Statue of Liberty, known throughout the world as a symbol of the United States’ most important values: freedom and democracy, remains mysterious to many. From its color to its origins and its weight, there is plenty people want to know about Lady Liberty (a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984) before they pay it a visit.