Kevin del Prado Featured In The Sunday Times Newspaper

This post was most recently updated on October 9th, 2017

On its special anniversary issue, The Sunday Times Magazine (The Manila Times) features travel stories. In an article titled How millennial travelers save up and enjoy the world, writer Arlo Custodio says,

Millennials—this generation’s 18 to 34 years of age—may not be as gung-ho as renowned traveler of the Old World Marco Polo, but they are definitely miles ahead compared to their parents and grandparents when it comes to traveling…

I am one of the four millennial travelers featured. In the feature I talk more about being a millennial traveler, on how to enjoy the world, what to bring, and how to save for the next trips. It also features my travel photos from Dingalan, Aurora as the article background and one from Real, Quezon with my friends.

 

Here’s the whole write-up for me.

 

Kevin del Prado, 24

Business Analyst at Infor. Formerly with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services as SAP technology consultant.

University of Santo Tomas (UST) engineering graduate Kevin del Prado is one millennial who uses traveling to combat the daily stresses of city living.

Kevin del Prado (second from right) relishing the outdoors of Real, Quezon with his gang

“It feels good waking up to a different scenery and environment, and getting to breathe in fresh air every once in a while. Going to new and nice places guarantees nice photos that we can share on different social media platforms too,” he told The Sunday Times Magazine.

A new blogger, Prado shares his travel experiences in “The Outcast Journey,” and has not had any sponsored travels yet, saying that he funds his trips from his own wallet.

“Every payout I make sure to save for my travel expenses. I opened a separate bank account solely for this to monitor my budget and expenses. I limit myself to only three to four flights either international or domestic a year,” he shared.

His choices are diverse, but most of the time it’s the countryside or the beach.

“My friends and I enjoy trekking and hiking. It’s true what they say—the harder climb really pays off when you see the view from the peak. We also like swimming, feeling the sand, sea and sun on our skin. The most important thing is it should be somewhere away from the city stress,” the young engineer-newbie blogger said.

Del Prado does not travel only for self-gratification. He also does it to give back to the communities he visits, like the most recent one in La Union.

“Traveling is more fun when the memories are communal and you share them with the local people, like when we launched the ‘Color Your Life’ project in La Union. It was to provide start-up kits for children, which can be helpful to continue their interest in the arts,” he said.

He considers Iceland as his dream destination to see the spectacular Aurora Borealis display but he insists again that he loves local, putting a premium on the country’s tourist spots.

“Our country has a lot of very beautiful spots to visit. Aside from those that are already popular, we also have a lot of virgin islands that a serious traveller should visit—though I hope they remain untouched as they are right now. The unique geographical feature of the Philippine Islands, which are divided by the sea, has a great impact on the Filipinos’ way of life,” he shared.

Even to his next destination, which is Singapore, his must-carry essentials are his cameras to capture sceneries, which he can then share with others, sunglasses, insect repellent as protection from disease-carrying mosquitoes and mites, and wipes or tissue paired with alcohol to freshen up from dirt and dust.

Custodio, A. (2017, August 26). How millennial travelers save up and enjoy the world [The Sunday Tmes Online Article]. Retrieved from http://www.manilatimes.net/millennial-travelers-save-enjoy-world/346873/

Millennial Traveler Questionnaire

Please state Name, Age, Home City, Occupation and Present Employer, Past Works and Education.

Hi, I’m Kevin del Prado 24 from Quezon City. I studied engineering at the University of Santo Tomas and proceeded to work in a fast-paced corporate company Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Services as a SAP Technology Consultant. I am currently working in Infor located in BGC, Taguig as a Business Analyst. During my free time, I am mostly seen outdoors and blog (www.theoutcastjourney.com) about my adventures.

Instagram & Twitter: @kevinodarpled

1. Why do millennials like you travel more than the previous generation? Is it because of the promos or the lure of advertisements on social media?

   I think our generation is very different with the previous one, more especially when it comes to our priorities.  Personally, I think millennials are very career-oriented compared to our parents’ generation who already had us when they were at our age. People in our generation get married at a much later age because we want to build on our career, and enjoy the freedom that comes with youthfulness as much as we could. Being the career-oriented people that we are who work most of the time, we find traveling as an outlet for our stress. For one, it takes us away from the everyday stressful life of the city. It feels good waking up to different scenery and environment, and having to breathe fresh air every once in a while.

   Also, as the technology progresses, everything comes in handy. This means we are very into social media. Going to new and nice places guarantees nice photos that we can share on different social media platforms. These posts also give the illusion that we are having the times of our lives even when in reality, we are mostly confined within the walls of our offices.

2. Do you fund your own travels? How do you save and how do you schedule it? What’s your consideration in choosing a place to visit?

   Most of the trip comes from my own wallet. Every pay out I assure that I save for my travel expenses. I even opened a separate bank account that is solely for this. In this way, I can monitor my budget and expenses. I limit myself to only 3 to 4 flights either international or domestic a year. Then I’d rather go to diverse rural places, hence, I call my blog “The Outcast Journey”. My friends and I enjoy trekking and hiking. It’s true what they say; the hard climb really pays off when you see the view from the peak. We also like swimming – the sand, sea, and sun in our skin. My considerations are really diverse. But one important thing is that it should be somewhere away from the city stress.

3. Is travelling alone better than with a group or companion?

   I honestly haven’t tried traveling alone, but if I have the chance to, I will consider that. It’s not that bad to travel with a group as long as you know each other well. I have also tried traveling with a group of strangers. The experience wasn’t bad. I got to meet new people who, like myself, like to travel. The whole travel experience is more memorable, I think, when you meet and make new friends.

4. What’s your most memorable travel so far and why?

   I have been to several places, but I consider my recent trip to La Union as my most memorable yet. This is the travel wherein we launched our Color Your Life Project. It’s a way of giving back to the community I visit. Moreover, I think travelling is more fun when the memories are communal and you share them with the local people. You may check our website to know more about the project that provides start-up art kits for the children which can possibly be helpful to continue their interest towards the arts.

5. Have you had sponsored travels, too? How did one come about?

   As a new travel blogger on the scene, I haven’t had any sponsors yet. Hopefully soon. I am open to, and would be very grateful if in the future I am given the opportunity of a sponsored travel. That would mean I have reached a lot of people through my adventure blogs. Or at least enough people for someone to actually consider sponsoring me.

6. Is visiting the major places in the country first a consideration before traveling abroad?

   Of course. Love local. Our country has a lot of very beautiful spots to visit. Aside from those that are already popular, we also have a lot of virgin islands that I would like to visit. Though of course I hope they remain as untouched as they are right now. Nothing beats the beauty of nature. But the most important lesson of travelling is getting a chance to interact and learn from your fellow Filipinos who are diverse in culture. The unique geographical feature of the Philippine islands, which are divided by bodies of water, has a great impact on the difference of Filipinos’ way of life.

7. What to you is an ideal travel? Which for you is the dream destination?

   An ideal travel for me is when I get to travel with my whole family.  It doesn’t matter if the budget is tight, or if we just travel locally. In the first place, the main purpose of it is to enjoy and have fun with the people I love. My dream destination is Iceland. Iceland seems to be a peaceful place and oh I’ve heard it has so many natural wonders. Been dreaming to see the spectacular display Aurora Borealis in person.

8. When and where is your next travel?

   I have upcoming travel in Singapore this August 27 with my college friends. We already planned and prepared an itinerary for this trip. We are really excited with what this so-called Lion City has to offer. Visiting theme parks, art galleries & museums, and even trying the best local food stops are included in our to-do list.

9. What essentials do you always carry in your travels?

   I’ve come up with a list that I always rely on to prevent me from forgetting things. This will also allow me to save time when packing, and I will not be needing to rethink the items that go inside my bag. Basically, I’m always with my cameras to capture every angle of the sceneries which I can share to others, sunglasses to protect my eyes from direct sunlight, insect repellent to protect myself from disease-carrying insects, and wipes or tissue paired with alcohol to freshen up from dirt and dust.

10. Have you ever gone or considered going to a place where life is as basic without electricity and devoid of technology? What’s the chance of survival and how long can you live being “disconnected” from the rest of the world?

    Yes.  I take it as an acceptable reason for me to set aside my social media activities and enjoy my trip with my family or friends. In this way, I get to escape from distractions. It gives me more time for reading, meditating, relaxing, and just plain conversing with people. I think I can survive 5 days without electronic gadgets, but not without lights for 5 straight nights. Haha!

Thank you The Sunday Times for having me to share my thoughts on millennial way of travelling! Honored to be featured alongside with other 3 great millennial travelers. Read the whole article here.