Bakasyonistas: Cheers to 16 Months

"A group of people, each one having a distinct personality, but drawn to each other by a common love for travel. Despite the differences, they share and celebrate life, laughter, and love. Sounds cliché, but it's true." This is how Anne described the Bakasyonistas.

May  15, 2010. That was the date when a group of 20 individuals met at the island of Cagbalete. We were all complete strangers then but as the hours passed, we've formed a great bond that was brought by one common passion - traveling.

Since then, we've been traveling on and off, checking out seat sales and for more than a year now, the group has been to more than 40 destinations here and abroad. As of this writing I still continue to travel with most of these people. In fact, I just came from a recent trip to Palaui Island with a fellow Bakasyonista which I will blog about soon. And it's not just about traveling. Most of us even go out for food trips, videoke, theatre plays, movies, dance classes, nightouts and even birthdays.

What I've learned from these guys is that I shouldn't live that life of "should haves" and "would haves". Ever since I was a kid I always have this dream of seeing those places that I've seen only textbooks and magazines. Now those dreams are slowly turning into reality one destination at a time and I'm glad that I was able to see these places with these group of travelers. Words cannot describe how much I am thankful for meeting these people who have inspired me to travel more and get out of my comfort zone. Having a travel buddy gives you the chance to share stories and learn more about life and I am grateful to have shared these stories with them.

To end this blog entry, here's a special video that I created as a tribute to these amazing people that I've shared my journey with.


So here's to 16 months of being a Bakasyonista and beyond. Cheers!