Whenever we have to travel by air, we always hire a van to drive us to the airport (and vice versa, picking us up after we arrived) because it would not be practical to commute since we have three kids in tow plus all of our baggage. It was an expensive option though. Until we discovered Park 'N Fly Manila.

Thank God for a recent discovery about Park 'N Fly. A friend recommended this place to us when we were about to leave for Coron so we decided to give it a try. The process was very easy. Firstly, drive to their office at least 1 hour before your flight check-in. I repeat, at least an hour before your actual check-in. So, for example, our flight to Coron was scheduled around 1:00 PM, we arrived at Park N Fly at around 10:00 AM. This is to give time allowance to the traffic going to the airport and for filling up forms at their office. Secondly, after arrival at their office, you need to fill up a form required for you and your car's identity. Thirdly, you can leave your car and keys to them and they will be in charge of taking care of parking your car. You will also need to submit your driver's license and a copy of your car's OR/CR. After that, a van awaits as your free transportation going to the airport. Cool, right?

Photo grabbed from primer.com.ph

If you are thinking of availing their services, you also need to consider some cons, which for me are just minimal compared to the good services they offer. But you still have to consider the following:

1. The Park N Fly's rate is not that cheap. From their website:

For me, having experienced their services twice, I can say that the pros outweigh the cons. That is why I decided to post a review about this company because I would like to recommend them to everyone. Here are some of the benefits when you get their services:

1. Vehicles are safe and secured. The company operates 24/7 and their multi-level park is always well-lit and monitored by CCTV. Somehow, a facility like this makes you feel more secure leaving your car at their place rather than just leaving your car in your garage where nobody is watching.

2. They operate 24/7. That means no worries whatever is your flight time because their office is always open.

3. A free shuttle service to and from the airport. As I've mentioned, after leaving your car to them, a van awaits you to drive you to the airport. When registering your car, you also need to indicate your arrival time so they can pick you up from the airport. The shuttle service is for free but you can always give some tip to the driver if you liked his service.

4. They offer auto care services too. We decided to avail of their cleaning service so when we get back, the car would not be too dusty and we were satisfied with their service.Other services include maintenance repair, refueling, and detailing.

5. Lounge for customers. If you arrived too early for your flight, you can stay at their lounge/office while waiting for your flight schedule. Their office has a complimentary internet and TV where you can watch while waiting. They also have a 24hour convenience store, a barber shop (a haircut before your flight, because why not?) and an ATM.

6. You can park your car on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. No need to call for reservations because they accept walk-in customers.

I'm sure there are still more benefits than these I've listed but the main reason why we decided to park our car in this parking facility is because of the convenience of using your own car when getting to the airport and upon arrival from your flight. Let's face it, commuting in Manila is getting worse, and if you came from a vacation, wouldn't you want a relaxed travel going home? I do! By the way, we are from Bulacan, so you can just imagine how difficult it would be for us if we commute from the airport to our home.

If you need to know about Park N Fly rates, services, etc., you may visit their website:

http://parknfly.com.ph/

Mia Road Corner Domestic Road
Airport, Pasay City, Philippines 1301

Park N Fly contact number: 

854-9302 to 04 and 852 1946 to 48/0918-991-0000

How to go to Dinosaurs Island from Manila/Bulacan

Dinosaurs Island is located at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga, and since we are from Bulacan, it's only an hour and a half drive from our place. And because it's our first time to drive to this side of the north, we got lost haha! But its ok because we were still able to find the place. We have reached the end of NLEX at Sta. Ines tollgate at Pampanga. From there, we entered Mabalacat arch and drove straight ahead until we saw the sign Clark Land. The place is not difficult to find. And I think that is the easiest way on how to get to Dinosaurs Island.

There are two animatronic theme park inside Clark Land. One is the Dinosaurs Island and the other one is Insectlandia. When we arrived at the place, the rain drizzle have just stopped so the whole ground was wet. And because the place is located on a forest trail, we experienced some drops of water falling from the trees. The staff immediately handed us two big umbrellas but we opted not to use it since there was really no rain anymore. 

Dinosaurs Island Entrance Fee

ADULT: Php 350.00CHILD (17 years old below): Php 300.00

But as soon as he entered the gate, he got super scared! He did not expect the dinosaurs to be life-sized! And of course, the sounds of the dinosaurs also scared him. I know its not funny but I can't help laughing at him because he was so scared and he kept on saying "I don't like this place anymore." I shouldn't be making fun of him but I really thought it was hilarious. Don't judge me please, I love my son so much, its just that he was still so cute despite the fear. Anyway, here are some of our pictures inside the park.

By the way, a tour guide will be with you as you make your tour inside the park and he will also give a brief description for each of the dinosaurs which were very interesting especially for the kids. And since Swoosh was really into dinosaurs, when the tour guide asked him the names of each dinosaur, he was able to answer all of it! 

As we go along, the little boy is getting the hang of it...

Animatronic means...

At first, I admit, I didn't like it. Because the workout is almost pure cardio, I really had a hard time cycling for 1 minute continuously. I was very slow and I was really out of breath. At one point, I thought I was going to vomit. So I rested for about half a minute before spinning again. My very first spinning class did not go well but I was dripping with sweat after the 1 hour class so I decided to continue. 

I joined the spinning class at Elorde Fight Camp Bulacan last December. At the beginning, I would join the class for only once a week, sometimes its even once in two weeks. Come January of 2017, I got motivated to exercise more because I ate a lot during holidays (come on guys, you did too!) and gained a lot too. My weight went up again to 145 lbs and my sugar reached 190 again (I am diabetic). So I consistently joined the spinning class for twice a week. Gradually, I got in sync with my other spinning mates and my cadence improved. I am proud to say I can really pedal faster now and my lung capacity has improved! Another achievement for me in the field of health! Here's my short spinning class video clip:

There are a lot of spinning benefits, but the best benefit I got from this spinning exercise is the improvement of my cardiovascular system. I can now walk and go upstairs without having to catch my breath. Also, an hour spinning class can burn up to 500 calories so weight loss is another benefit for me. From my 145 lbs last December 2016, I am now 133 lbs. I know some people will say, that the weight loss is too slow. But hey, are we in a race here for weight loss? Obviously, I am not. A little improvement means so much more than none.

As for additional benefit, this workout made me lose weight but gain new friends who keep me motivated. Now that's a great workout deal. 

Stay positive! And pass it on! 

Spinning Class at Elorde Fight Camp-Bulacan at the following schedule:

Monday and Wednesday  6:30 PM: Coach Amie

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 6:30 PM: Coach Jeric

Friday 6:30 PM: Free Trial

Please contact the following if you want to join:

https://www.facebook.com/elordefightcampbulacan/

Landline: (044) 482-0085


Not into spinning class? How about boxing?
https://www.jocelynpryde.com/2016/01/2016-balik-alindog-program.html

1. Don't forget the medicines. Never forget medicines especially if your child has a special medicine that needs to be taken daily. My son takes only one vitamin everyday so I always pack that. Additional medicine would be for some sickness that one may acquire during the travel like medicines for fever, cough, colds. Also, some alcohol and bandages if there are some small wounds. 

2. Brig Extra Clothes. If we are traveling for four days, I pack clothes for a six day travel. A few additional pieces would be helpful for untoward incidents like emergency wherein you cannot go home because the flight was cancelled, or if the traveling abroad and you did not expect the weather to be too cold.

3. Food or Snacks. Whenever we travel, be it by land or air, I always, always bring some snacks for my little one. Because sometimes the kids don't like the food available to the place we are traveling to. If they are really hungry I must have at least some light snacks to give them. Also, for practical reasons that I don't need to buy too much food which would add up to our travel budget. My rule is we can eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner but for snacks, I always try to bring biscuits, breads (I even brought spreads!) etc. so we won't need to buy from the stores.

4. Comfortable Clothes and Shoes. I choose sandals over heels every time we go to the beach. I could even get by with just slippers. I know it doesn't look good in pictures but I just wouldn't trade comfort over fashion. If traveling in a place where there's a need for a lo of walking, I would wear sneakers for the rest of the trip. Most hotels provide slippers so you can use that or bring a pair if you want to use you own slippers when staying inside the hotel. I don't like to bring another pair of shoes just to satisfy my OOTD.  Save yourself from tantrums by letting your kids wear their most comfortable clothes and shoes. After all, the kids just want to have fun and the last thing they could care about is how stylish their outfit is.

5. Important Documents. Whenever we travel, I put all the passports and ticket planes in one pouch. If traveling locally, I still bring the passports for identification purposes and so as to make it a habit to bring these documents every travel. If we are traveling by land, I make sure I still bring IDs for each family member and also a map I downloaded from Google maps, which is very useful for travels that require long drives. Important documents should be ready at least one week before your travel date.

6. Check on the Weather. Thank God for new technologies, we now have apps for determining weather in different places. Its not 100% accurate but it gives you somehow an idea what kind of weather you will be bumping into when you travel abroad. Weather forecast can help us what clothes we need to bring and if its appropriate to go out. With kids in tow, you may just want to skip a rainy season destination.

7. Research About Your Destination. For travel vacations, I refuse to rely on spontaneity. When we went to HK, I swear I've read and research about a hundred blogs and articles on how to commute in HK, what are the forms of transportation, where are the kid-friendly destinations, what weather are we going to face, etc. Researching and reading beforehand can maximize the things you can do during traveling because you already know what to do or how to get to a certain place instead of wasting time researching online during your travel.

8. Brief the Kids. I always do this weeks before our travel date. I always tell the kids once in  a while where are we going and what they can expect during the travel. Always helps because the kids get really excited and help them prepare their minds.It also makes the mood brighter during the travel because everybody is happy instead of the kids being grumpy because they are clueless about the vacation plan. They can also prepare what they want to bring during the trip if they are aware beforehand where you will be bringing them.

9. Take Your Vitamins! Last but not the least, we, parents should take care of ourselves too. We cannot take care of our young if we are too weak or too tired or exhausted with the preparations we forgot that our body needs to rest too.


There's so much more we can add up to this list but these are the basic I can give right now. Of course, the main tip I can give to you is: enjoy the travel. Its an adventure with the kids and you must enjoy every moment you have with them. Someday, everything will just be a memory, make sure you enjoy those times you can no longer pull back. Your kids will surely thank you for all the fun times they can recall when they grow up.

Stay positive and pass it on!