Travel Time, The Magazine will feature the top destinations in the Philippines

THERE HAVE BEEN many travel shows on TV through the years but for us, the Mother of all travelogues remains to be Susan Calo-Medina’s “Travel Time”. Other shows came and went but, it’s still on the air for almost 25 years now, winning all sorts of awards imaginable. Now, it also has branched out into print with Travel Time, The Magazine. “People keep on asking me to write a book about my travels but that would mean I have to take at least a year off,” she says. “Hindi ko naman puede iwan ang TV show ko so I took the next option, publish a magazine. I write just one article in it per issue but nandun pa rin ang vision ng ‘Travel Time’. We feature real Filipinos, not the lifestyle of the rich and famous.”

We’ve seen the April-June issue of the quarterly, themed “So Near Yet So Far”, focusing on three destinations near Manila: “Hidden Subic” and “Baler If You Dare” both by Ricky Lopez, and “Resort Town San Pablo” by Floy Quintos. On the cover is the face of an Aeta in Subic. It’s full of beautiful fotos and other engaging articles like Gibbs Cadiz’ “Incredible India”, Lito Zulueta’s “Art in Manila”, Alya Honasan’s “The Conscientious Diver”, “24-Hour Feast” about the Mercato and Banchetto food markets, and Susan’s Travels with My Aunt featuring the gastronomic fare in London’s Borough Market. There’s also a foto feature on our colorful fiestas from various photographers, “An Insider’s Guide to Bikinis and Waxing”, a feature on ukay-ukay fashion, “Graduation Getaways”, tips on travelling in “Land Travel 101”, a weekend in Balay Indang in Cavite for less than P3,000, and many more . All these at only P125 per copy. “I made it cheap so that more people can afford it,” says Susan. “Para mas marami ring mag-advertise.”

We’ve known Susan for over 20 years and she’s now a proud lola of two Fil-Brit grandkids. Her three kids all studied in London where her eldest daughter married a British guy. They have a son and daughter whose fotos Susan proudly showed to us. “Whenever they’re in Manila, maraming nagtatanong kung gustong maging commercial models,” she says. A son is now finishing his doctoral studies on anthropology in Oxford while her youngest daughter just finished her masters in fine arts. What would be the top ten must see local destinations for her? “First is Donsol in Sorsogon because of the whales, then Mt. Pinatubo, Banaue Rice Terraces, Batanes, Bohol, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, Jolo and Sohotan Caves in Samar. I’ll feature them all in future issues of my magazine.”