Young solo traveler completes tour of 81 Philippine provinces in two years

At 19, most college students are intent on finishing their courses. Trips to exotic locations may happen in between classes, but most yearn to travel more only in thought. But for one student, a solo trip in his third year convinced him to travel to all 81 provinces in the Philippines.

"I officially began fulfilling my goal to set foot on all 81 Philippine provinces at the age of 19 when I made a solo trip to El Nido," UP Diliman graduate Harly Marcuap, who now works as a junior geologist, said in an email interview with GMA News Online.

The self-financed traveler has been traveling all his life. Even at the age of 1, his family already strapped him along for trips.  At 11, he packed his bags to embark on his first solo trip.

"I rode a bus on my own from our town in Sariaya, Quezon to visit my relatives in Manila, and (did it again) for my relatives in Pampanga," he said.

Marcuap claimed on his travel blog that he already fulfilled his goal in the span of roughly two years. Carefully-planned trips, which started after his graduation in 2012, supposedly helped him traipse through all 81 provinces of the Philippines.

He also appears to be the first to travel all 81 provinces from tip to tip.

"How did I manage?" he said. "I just believed in myself. I took risks, to the point that I was willing to sacrifice everything just to be able to introduce these secluded islands to my readers."

"I've been doing this since 2012, the year I graduated and got a stable job. I get to travel at least 8 days every month, exploring an average of 3 to 4 provinces per trip," Marcuap explained.

He says his family is very supportive, despite the costs; although, he had to keep his visits to conflict-affected areas like Sulu and Basilan a secret. 

In addition to setting foot in each province, exploring each place thoroughly to show their beauty was also a major goal.

"This is to feature these provinces in my blog so I could somehow help in promoting the tourist attractions these provinces have to offer," said Marcuap.

After touring the Philippines, Marcuap is now setting his sights on other countries. His initial goal is to set foot on all countries that make up the ASEAN.

"In January 2014, at the age of 21, he finally accomplished his journey to visit all 81 provinces of the Philippines," he wrote on his blog's front page.

It continued, "Now he embarks on a mission to explore deeper into the islands, and slowly... uncover the more challenging world that awaits outside."

And how does he feel about having finally accomplished this incredible feat, especially for one so young?

"The day when I set foot on Balut Island in the country's newest province of Davao Occidental [his final province], I felt great of course! Emotional that I almost fell into tears. Who would have thought that at my young age I will be able to do it? I couldn't believe but it was there right in front of me." — JDS, GMA News