The Philippines Expat Survival Guide[ ](#)
by Tom Henry
[Home](#) [Reviews](http://www.expat-survival-guide.info/book-review.html) [Sample Pages](http://www.expat-survival-guide.info/philippines-guide-samples.html) [Links](http://www.expat-survival-guide.info/philippines-guide-links.html) [Contact](http://www.expat-survival-guide.info/philippines-guide-contact.html)
Why expats live in the Philippines...
A warm tropical climate, laid back lifestyle, low cost of living, friendly locals, beautiful island ladies, English spoken everywhere… and the ability to live the lifestyle you want, on your own terms. The list of reasons why people dream of living in the Philippines is almost endless. But why just dream? If you want an affordable exotic expat lifestyle, learn how you can turn your dream into a reality by living in the Philippines.
Living in the Philippines is not a pipe dream. Many expats enjoy the low-cost, high-standard of local living in this tropical paradise - and so can you!
Make Your Expat Dream an Affordable Reality
To enjoy living in the Philippines, when planning, moving, and settling in to your new expat life, you need to know a little something about the place: Things like the country itself, local customs - and how they affect you; the people - and how best to act and deal with different situations. The local housing market - you really don’t want to make a mistake there! How much money do you need – the cost of living for the expat lifestyle you want to lead, where you can save money and, of course, you really must know about the many pitfalls to avoid. in short, you need real, true facts – not just the ‘pretty’ tourist details and hype.
Look around and you will find any number of books that provide Philippine tourist information. Go online and many websites and message boards provide a host of info on Philippine nightlife and fun exploits to be had with local ladies of, shall we say, ‘financially negotiable affection.’ Unfortunately, none of these provide all the information and facts you really need to make living in the Philippines a reality..
Ask any expat who lives in the Philippines and they will tell you that moving to and living in the Philippines is not all sunshine and roses - learning to live in the Philippines can have its problems. Your plans can (and will) go wrong and, if unprepared or unaware of certain local knowledge, you will find yourself suffering many unexpected and needless bumps in the road before you can really enjoy your expat life in the Philippines.
Learn All the Facts - Good and Bad
Far too many expats suffer needless hassle, frustration and costs because they arrive in the Philippines unprepared and unwary. Local knowledge is critical because if you don't know the facts - and the common pitfalls and how to avoid them - living in the Philippines can easily become frustrating and costly.
Step in The Philippine Expat Survival Guide - now in it's 2nd Edition with 143 pages covering 30 chapters packed full of real facts and expat-to-expat tips and practical advice about setting up home and living in the Philippines.
Professionally written in plain English, humorous with an easy to read style, and priced at only $17.75, The Philippine Expat Survival Guide not only gives you the basic facts and information you need, it also answers so many of the questions new Philippine expats have – but often can’t find the answers to until it’s too late.
The Philippines Expat Survival Guide is available in 3 different software formats, so you can use it on PC, Kindles, PDAs and all other reader platforms.
[ ](#downloadnow)
Why You Need The Expat Guide
As the author discovered first-hand, even for an experienced expat, moving to and living in the Philippines can be a problem filled time. So, after finding many of his problems and frustrations were common to all new expats in the Philippine, he decided to do something to make moving to the Philippines less stressful and hassle-filled for other expats. So he researched and wrote The Philippines Expat Survival Guide.
Through four info and tip packed parts covering 30 chapters, the guide gives you all the relevant information you need for planning your move to the Philippines, what to do before you arrive, during your settling in period and how to get things done to avoid problems while you adapt to your expat life in the Philippines.
What the Expat Guide Covers
Packed full of relevant information, guidelines, resources, links and expat-to-expat tips, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to enjoy living in the Philippines. Here are some of the topics covered through the guide's four parts and 30 chapters...
· The Philippines - Country Profile
Philippine facts and figures, details on the country and its people. Condensed Philippine history, what made the island's unique culture. Filipino People, the complex Filipino character. What is an Expat? How you are perceived and treated by the locals. Regional differences, the different regions and diverse languages of the Philippines. Government and Politics, national and local politics and how they affect you as an expat.
· Unraveling the Bureaucratic Maze
Basic entry requirements, what you need to enter the country. Who can and who can’t get Philippine visas. Visa Types and how you can get them Resident visas, (employment, ACR-1, SSRV cards, etc.) advantages and disadvantages of different residency types and what you need to get them. Bringing your pets, what you need to bring your pets to the Philippines. Requirements for working in the Philippines, what you should check if coming to a job, or if you decide to work after you have settled into expat life here. Starting a Small Business in the Philippines, what's company's can you own as a foreigner, legal needs, how you can set up a company, what paperwork you need and how you acquire registration and local documentation, agency registration for your employees, as well as tips and advice on buying a small business in the Philippines. Requirements for Marriage in the Philippines, what you need to have the ceremony legally performed.
· Expat Survival - Learning the Ropes
Where to live, housing types and availability in the Philippines. Philippine Regions and the Expat Enclaves and lifestyles around the Philippines. How foreigners can purchase and own Philippine property. Security, personal and home security concerns and actions in the Philippines. Health Matters for expats, before and after arrival General health conditions, precautions and remedies in the tropics. Health care in the Philippines, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and insurance (Philippine and Foreign). Health planning for expats: things to remember and actions to take before and upon arrival in country. Philippine local health, common ailments and actions. Common health hazards and avoidance in the Philippines. Food and Drinks, locally available foodstuffs and dining out. Basic Philippine food terms for cooking styles and food dishes. Helpful business information, Philippine banking, office hours, use of credit cards, electricity supplies, etc. Driving in the Philippines, tips and hints, obtaining a driving license, vehicle registration, etc.
· Fitting in as an expat living in the Philippines
Dress and Appearance, expat dress standards and needs. The barong tagalog and baro’t saya, why an expat needs to understand when to use them. Philippine social etiquette, understanding hiya, Philippine time, and social relationships. Romantic relationships, sex in the Philippines, short-time, long-time, long-distance, and marriage. Bar Girls and Chat room Girls Family Matters, understanding the Filipino family, and tips on how expat can deal with the family. Understanding Filipino attitude, Bahala Na. Budget needs and cost of living for various expat lifestyles while living in the Philippines. How much needed to live in the Philippines. Domestic Employees, needs for, hiring, setting rules, labor law, and safe termination. Expat-to-expat tips, understanding the locals, avoiding problems, hassle avoidance, money saving tips, dealing with romantic entanglements, and more.
· Appendix – Useful Links
Philippine government department details and links Philippine Banks and Financial Institution links Philippine city official websites. Philippine provincial government websites Health Insurance Companies and Institution addresses and links English language news Media in the Philippines, links Philippine Local and Regional media links International schools in the Philippines, links Location and links to Bureau of Information offices nationwide. Foreign Embassies and Consulates in the Philippines
[ ](#downloadnow)
Get the Info You Really Need!
The guide starts by giving you relevant details about the country, its people, history, regional differences and culture - all factors that help you understand why things run as they do here in this fascinating, but often confusing country. Knowing these facts helps you avoid common 'newbie' expat blunders while preparing you to fit-in to life in the Philippines a little quicker and easier. Think of part 1 as a quick ‘Philippine Culture 101’ lesson – the first part of your Philippine Expat Survival course.
In Part 2 you ‘Unravel the Bureaucratic Maze.’ Here reams of immigration and bureaucratic 'legalese,' has been boiled down to the important facts - and then rewritten in easy to understand English. This means you can easily identify what you needed to enter the country, the different visa types available, each visa’s advantages and disadvantages - and what you need to do to get the visa that’s best for your specific needs.
When you become an expatriate anywhere, there are many facts and snippets of local knowledge that are useful, often even essential to know. What you really need to know and understand about living in the Philippines is covered in depth in part 3 of the guide.
In 'Learning the Ropes,' you go step-by-step through a host of important topics and tips for newly arrived expats. For example, which region/area of the Philippines would best suit your needs - find out. What are the facts about property ownership and rentals for expats - find out. Health matters, personal and home security, shopping, dining and foods, find out about all of these and more. Knowing this information and following the tips given means that you can save yourself from lots of frustration and needless mishaps.
In part 4 of the guide you are taken deeper into the life and lifestyle of an expatriate in the Philippines. Lots of local knowledge and experience you will find extremely helpful while you fit into the local expat lifestyle. Learn to how to get along without too many bumps in the road by finding through light humor how you should dress and treat local people in different situations, you also learn some plain talking words of wisdom on matters of the heart (or more truthfully, a somewhat smaller organ lower on the body). Finance, the cost of living and how much you need to budget for monthly outgoings - all covered - along with some practical and effective ideas on how you can reduce your overall monthly cash needs without downgrading your expat lifestyle. More truths continue to be reveled with some down-to-earth local knowledge on hiring and dealing with Filipino domestic staff - after all, expatriate life wouldn’t be the same if domestic help were not around to make life easier (at least sometimes) as an expat's perk!
Worthwhile and Practical Expat-To-Expat Advice and Tips
The Philippines Expat Survival Guide rounds off with pages and pages of pertinent reminders and a host of extra expat-to-expat tips drawn from many experienced in-country expats. These tips can make your expat life much easier as if you follow the expat-to-expat tips you will reduce the common hassles you face (and keep more of your cash in your pocket). All in all, expat-to-expat tip are a great aid in ensuring that you know what to avoid and so can better enjoy – and profit from - living in the Philippines as an expat.
To end the guide, there is an appendix section of Useful Information, with information and lots of Local Website links (all re validated for the 2nd Edition in July 2011).
Live the lifestyle you want, on your own terms. Don’t let lack of knowledge spoil your dream to live in the Philippines. Get your copy of the The Philippine Expat Survival Guide now!
------
About the Author
Brit expat Tom Henry is a professional writer with more than two decades of first-hand experience of living in the Philippines. As well as being the creator and author of the 'Expat Survival Guide' series of books, he is a full-time professional writer, and editor-in-chief of the Philippine expat electronic e-zine, The Angeles Xtra. A popular on-line magazine for expats and tourists in and around Angeles City, Pampanga, and Subic Bay and Barrio Barretto in Zambales.
Background
Following his military service, Tom began his expat life as a military advisor in Saudi Arabia, where he quickly learned expats must be prepared for anything - as Kuwait was invaded just hours after his arrival.
Following service through Desert Shield and Desert Storm (Gulf War 1), Tom took a short trip back to university in the UK before regaining his expat status as a coordinator at Jeddah International Airport. After 3 years and a number of commendations, he was headhunted to be a Training & Development consultant working for international oil giant, Saudi Aramco, where he spent almost 8 years writing manuals and training programs.
Married to a Filipina early in his time in Saudi Arabia, by the mid 1990s they set up their home base in his wife's home province of Pampanga in the Philippines.
After leaving Saudi, Tom lived and worked full-time in the Philippines, and for the next 4-years he traveled all over the archipelago ghost writing guide books for a major Philippine publisher - and of course researching topics for his planned Philippine Expat Survival Guide.
Still a working expat, in late 2007 Tom took a rotational post in PNG as HRD Manager for a drilling company. During this time he wrote more guides, manuals, and training material, gaining acclaim through national awards and international accreditation.
Married with thee children - and now six grandchildren - Tom now lives full time in Pampanga province, Philippines, with his wife and two lovable, but playfully destructive bullmastiffs.
To learn more about Author Tom Henry, please visit his [website](http://www.tom-henry.info).
------
Available for all PC and hardware readers.
The Expat Survival Guide available in a three electronic formats to suit your specific needs...
------
Full graphic PDF
PDF format for all hardware with Adobe Reader (e.g. PCs, Kindle 2 & DX, Sony Reader, and PDAs).
------
Non-graphic AZW
AZW format for Kindle 1 (and can be used on Kindle 2 & Kindle DX).
------
Non-graphic EPUB
EPUB format for PDA and Pocketbook users.
------
Make your dream of Living in the Philippines a reality with The Philippines Expat Survival Guide (ISBN 978-971-94601-3-8)
Available here for immediate download at a special publishers price of just US$ 17.75.
[ ](#downloadnow)
Only $17.75
[] Testimonials
Here are a sample selection of what people are saying about Author Tom Henry's work, and his new Philippines Expat Survival Guide...
“Tom's expertise far exceeded basics... His solid and dogged determination not only gets the job done, but gets the job done right."
Leigh Tracy, Canadian Expat
“Write ups were very very good… very informative and well balanced… great job!”
Philip Gooding, British Expat
“Very helpful, significant in achieving my objectives… Just plain spot on... Excellent work Tom.”
Charlie Martin, American Expat
"Tom has been living in The Philippines for many years. Having done the hard yards and discovered how things work (and sometimes don't), he determined to make things easier and more worry free for expats who follow him... It really is a “Philippines 101” course that I wish I'd read before I embarked on my life here."
Michael Scott, Australian Expat
"I see where this book would have saved me thousands and thousands of pesos ($$ too!) when I moved to Isabela Province several years ago and how it will save me like amounts in the future. Plus the general knowledge shortens my learning curve"
Curt Tuck, American Expat
------
60-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!
If receiving your copy you feel it does not meet your needs, we offer a no questions asked 60-day money back guarantee.
------
......
[]Click on the 'BUY NOW' Buttons below for your format of choice
ONLY $17.75
[](http://1.expatguide.pay.clickbank.net/) [ ](http://2.expatguide.pay.clickbank.net/) [ ](http://3.expatguide.pay.clickbank.net/)
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE MONEY AS AN AFFILIATE? IF SO, CHECK OUT OUR [ AFFILIATES](http://www.expat-survival-guide.info/affiliates.html) PAGE.
Copyright (c) 2011 THM. All rights reserved.
Design by [Free CSS Templates](http://www.freecsstemplates.org/).
[](http://statcounter.com/tumblr/)
