6 travel hacks from Kach Umandap, the first Filipina to visit 193 countries

MANILA, Philippines – “Born to be a traveler, forced to be a weak passport holder.” Most Filipinos can relate to this viral social media saying. 

With the Philippines standing only at 73rd in the 2024 Global Passport Ranking, Filipinos can only access 67 countries visa-free. Between endless paperwork and draining your hard-earned savings, applying for visas can be enough to clip anyone’s wings for the dream of world travel.

But Kach Umandap, who brings Filipino pride for being the first-ever Filipina as of 2025 to have traveled 193 countries, says there’s a way to steer over the stressful visa application each time. 

Here are her six tried-and-tested international travel hacks for Filipinos who want to expand their horizons!

1. Book onward tickets

Kach’s top tip for overcoming the limitations of the weak Philippine passport is to keep moving forward, quite literally. 

Growing up in the generation of Susan Calo-Medina, host of travel documentary show Travel Time, Kach admits that she’s always wanted to travel for leisure but never knew how to start. 

When Kach was living in Kuwait as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), she was able to maximize the myriad of holidays in the Middle East, going on to visit nearby countries like Armenia, Georgia, and Sri Lanka. 

Many may find it strange to know that Kach doesn’t fly straight home after visiting another country, but it’s all a part of her travel strategy. 

Instead of booking roundtrip tickets to the Philippines, she plans onward journeys. This way, she saves time by skipping visa reapplications back home and saves money by avoiding multiple roundtrip fares. She’d only need to budget for one ticket home to the Philippines once she’s done exploring nearby countries.

“When I was in South America, I made Colombia my base. That’s where I even got my USA Visa. When I was there, I travelled to America and then when I moved to Europe, I went to Montenegro. If you have a Japanese visa, you can enter a few countries in Eastern Europe without a European visa, just a Japanese visa,” she explained during the launch of World Traveller’s Travel Tales talk series. 

All you need to do is prove that you’re traveling onward. 

“The secret in all visa applications is writing a very good cover letter and why you are moving to another country. You always talk about going there and what’s next, not about going home,” she added. 

2. Your network is your network 

What better way to catch up with friends than by visiting them in their hometown? It’s like hitting two birds with one stone as you enjoy their company while savoring local dishes and exploring popular tourist spots. If they are kind enough to host you, they can help you get around more easily and even protect you from potential scammers. 

So before you even go abroad, check one of your friends who are in those countries. This way, you’re “not really intimidated to know saan pupunta, baka puwedeng may mag-host sa ‘yo, or baka puwedeng makatulong sayo (where you’re going; there might be someone to host you or help you) in these places.” 

One of Kach’s smart habits is to reach out to an older local resident before arriving in a new country, ensuring she has someone who can look out for her during her stay. 

“In some planes, airports, or check-ins, I look for [what I call] ‘Momma.’ Most of the time, every day they would check on me and then I keep reporting…I would tell new people that I meet that I know someone here,” she shared. 

3. Be mindful of the exchange rate

While it’s common knowledge that bringing US dollars often gets you better exchange rates, where you exchange them into local currency also makes a big difference. 

Many travelers head straight to currency exchange counters at the airport, but Kach points out that depending on the country, you can usually find much better rates elsewhere.

Kach also reminds travelers to pay attention to each country’s payment systems. For example, in Uruguay, US dollars have little use. However, they accept international credit card payments with an automatic 22% discount. 

4. Know when to DIY

Starting her travel journey also meant looking for practical, low-cost alternatives. But Kach explains that DIY travel isn’t always the best choice. Sometimes, it depends on the country you plan to visit. 

In destinations that require a visa, group trips often provide more convenience, offering stronger documentation support and smoother passage through immigration. In Asia, however, DIY travel is often the more practical option. 

5. You don’t always have to be on a budget

When you travel as frequently as Kach does, saving as much as you can may seem like it’s always the way to go. But that shouldn’t always be the case, especially when it comes to your safety. 

It’s okay to spend a little extra on lodging or group tours if it means you don’t have to worry about potentially finding yourself in danger — especially if you’re a solo female traveler. 

In some more expensive destinations, there are still budget-friendly options that already offer good quality.

6.  Go digital 

Kach began her nomadic journey in Southeast Asia in what backpackers call the “banana pancake trail,” which goes from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In her six-month stay in Vietnam, she needed a reliable source of income, so she started teaching English online. To support her travels further, she launched her own travel blog in 2024 called the Two Monkeys Travel Group. 

Being a digital nomad is a completely different lifestyle. It’s not just freelancing, where you may control your time but don’t always have a steady income. It’s about working on the go, securing stable sources of earnings while traveling, and adjusting your finances, schedule, and living arrangements around your upcoming trips. 

In other words, it is a commitment. But of course, devoting herself fully to the spirit of travel, she realized that the financial shift into becoming a digital nomad begins with building digital skills and finding remote work.

Despite having a weak passport, Kach believes Filipinos are capable of becoming seasoned explorers. 

For her, the best way to give back to the Philippines is sharing her knowledge and experiences to her fellow Filipinos. 

Kach plans on doing that through her upcoming Taglish booklet, How to Become a Digital Nomad, published by Penguin.

Next year, she plans to embark on her next 12-year mission, “1642,” where she aims to travel across the Philippines by visiting the 1,642 cities and municipalities, and distribute the book to inspire the next generation. – Trixia Policarpio/Rappler.com

Trixia Policarpio is a Rappler intern studying BA Creative Writing at University of the Philippines Diliman.