Our First Trip to Manila as a Family of Four

Hi again! Back with another post here on DadBuhay, and this time — kwento naman about our recent trip to the Philippines. ✈️🇵🇭

It was our first time traveling as a family of four, and wow, what an experience. May halong saya, stress, excitement, and a lot of diapers. 😂

As soon as we got the passport of our bunso, hindi na kami nagpatumpik-tumpik. Book agad! We’ve been wanting to go home for a while, and now that we’re finally complete as a family, we knew it was the right time. We make sure as much as possible makauwi kami ng Pinas because our parents are getting older.

Booking the Trip

We flew with Singapore Airlines, and we booked the tickets in advance to save on costs. We got it for around £2,400+ total for the four of us, which is actually cheaper than most airlines we checked. Not bad for a long-haul flight with a top airline! Of course we used those apps such Booking.com, sky scanner and etc., to get that deal.

Luggage, Toys, and the Trunki Adventure

If you’re a parent, you already know — isang linggong packing, one day lang gamit. 😅

We traveled with:

• 3 large suitcases
• 2 backpacks with all the parenting essentials (wipes, snacks, tablets, extra clothes, etc.)
• A Trunki for our eldest, filled with her toys and snacks — lifesaver during layovers! Yung brand nya is JetKids. It is a ride-on luggage that kids can sit on while parents pull them around the airport. It has enough space for their stuff and can be turned into a leg rest or mini bed on the plane for a more comfortable flight. Super useful for making travel easier and more fun for the whole family.
• Our trusty Joie double pram, which was great if both kids were seated… problem is, the baby didn’t like it. Ayun, bitbit si baby, habang nakarelax si ate sa pram! Since ayaw sumakay ni baby, other things we put it in the pram since malaki sya.

Flight + Layover Details

This was already our eldest daughter’s third time flying to Manila, so sanay na siya — medyo excited pa nga. She loves airports, planes, and especially airplane toys (so another reason to keep her busy!). 😄

The flight details:

• London to Singapore: ~13 hours
• 2-hour layover at Singapore Changi Airport
• Singapore to Manila: ~3.5 hours

The layover at Changi Airport was short but helpful — nakalakad-lakad kami, nakapagpalit ng diaper, and we grabbed coffee to stay sane. 😂

The Baby Wants Nanay (All the Time)

Now let me be honest: the trip wasn’t easy. Especially for my wife.

Our 10-month-old baby only wanted her nanay — as in, ayaw sa stroller, ayaw kay Tatay, ayaw umupo sa seat. She wanted to be carried by mommy almost the entire time. So kahit naka-seatbelt ako and trying to help, halos lahat ng bigat ng biyahe — literally and emotionally — went to my wife.

She was exhausted, and I could see it. Pero she powered through, kahit pawis, puyat, at may hawak na baby habang tulog si ate. Saludo ako sayo, mahal ko. ❤️

Was It Worth It?

YES. A hundred times yes.

Stepping off the plane and hearing “Mabuhay!” again hit differently. Our eldest smiled and said, “We’re in the Philippines again!” — and seeing her excitement made every hard part worth it. For our bunso, it was her first time in the Philippines. For our eldest, it was her third — but this time, as an ate. When she saw her “Pupo” (grandma) takbo agad and gave her a hug.

Final Thoughts

Traveling with small kids isn’t a vacation — it’s a mission. But it’s the kind of mission that reminds you why you’re doing everything in the first place. To reconnect. To introduce them to their roots. To see your family again. To hear Tagalog everywhere and eat Jollibee sa mismong Pinas.

Next post, I’ll share more about what we did in the Philippines — family visits, food trips, and more cultural moments with the kids.

Thanks for being here, and if you’re planning your own balikbayan trip soon — kaya mo ‘yan, Tatay. (And don’t forget to pack snacks. Lots of them.)

— DadBuhay