Scott Murray
Travel Writer & Logistics Expert
San Diego, CA
The Foreigner Who Keeps Coming Back
Travel has always been my escape from the rat race — and honestly, I enjoy the planning almost as much as being there. Researching destinations, mapping routes, finding that perfect beach town. It all started at a travel agency in LA where we'd get cheap tickets to fly LAX to Clark. One of my best friends had a web design business with a partner in the Philippines and told me I needed to get a passport and come see it for myself.
I'd never left the country. In February 2003, I landed in Boracay — White Beach before the world discovered it — and the Philippines addiction began.
I went back in 2004 and met Jenice. We started as Yahoo Messenger chatmates. That friendship turned into a relationship, and that relationship turned into a life built around exploring her home country together. Since then I've made 20+ trips across nearly every province outside of Mindanao — Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Palawan, Dumaguete, and dozens more.
I'm not a travel blogger. I work in healthcare IT. But the Philippines keeps pulling me back, and I finally decided to put everything I've learned into something useful — a site with real local knowledge, honest prices, video content from the places we've actually been, and an AI trip planner that builds itineraries from our 50 combined years of experience.
It's the resource my friend and I talked about building 20 years ago. It just took this long to figure out how.
Why You Can Trust Scott's Advice
- 23+ years visiting the Philippines (first trip February 2003)
- 20+ trips across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao
- 40+ countries traveled — but the Philippines is always the first love
- Married to Jenice — a Filipina born in Bulacan, raised in Pampanga
- Watched Clark Airport go from a terminal with no AC to a modern international hub
- Taken the NLEX to Manila more times than he can count
- Watched Grab replace taxis that never once ran their meters
- Healthcare IT professional by day — Philippines travel obsessive by every other waking moment
What Scott Covers
Airport codes, ferry routes, bus connections, NLEX timing, and the transport details that turn a trip from stressful to seamless.
Real prices in PHP and USD from trips we actually took. Daily budgets, hotel costs, food prices, transport fares.
Destination videos from the places we've been — waterfalls, coastal roads, street food markets, and ferry crossings.
ATM availability, SIM cards, scooter rental, visa tips, and the nuts-and-bolts details guidebooks skip.