Once a Traveler, Always a Traveler: Juan for Fun Winners Continue Adventures w/ Cebu Pacific

Once you discover the beauty of traveling, your feet soul will keep on wanting for more. You'd want to explore more, see more, travel more! This is what happened to Team Crimson, the winning team of Juan For Fun 2013 challenges hosted by Cebu Pacific.

Team Crimson @ Ama Village, Macau

Twenty-five-year-old Sesinando “Sesi” Quilao, Jr. is a certified Juanderer. The Dumaguete-born teacher cannot get enough of adventure, with his wanderlust kicking into overdrive when he joined the Cebu Pacific Juan for Fun Backpacking Challenge in 2013. Sesi formed Team Crimson with his friends and fellow Silliman University students Patrik Norouzi and So Myeong Lee, and explored the Philippines—from Manila to Kalibo, Dipolog, Palawan, Davao and Cebu.

By the end of the challenge, Team Crimson was crowned as champions and rewarded with 12 Cebu Pacific roundtrip tickets to any international or domestic destination, among other exciting prizes that included premium gadgets and travel gear.

“With our ticket prizes, we got more opportunities to travel together and have become the best of friends,” said Sesi.

Sesi added that they also made a lasting connection with the other university teams they competed against. “The relationship we started with them during Juan for Fun didn’t end with the event,” he shared.

A Big World Awaits

Armed with their free Cebu Pacific tickets, Sesi, Myeong and Patrik set out on a well-researched itinerary that maximized their time and resources while on the road. The lessons that they learned during the Cebu Pacific backpacking challenge definitely came in handy for the trio.

“We traveled like it was Juan for Fun all over again.  We came up with an itinerary that ensured that we could visit as many countries as possible,” Sesi said. “We got four tickets each, so we used three and shared the remaining one with a family member. With three tickets, we got to visit eight countries!”  

Team Crimson first visited Macau and then headed for Hong Kong. A month later, they flew to Singapore and traveled by land to Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Myeong and Sesi also traveled in Japan for five days, then headed straight to South Korea to visit the former’s native land and reunite with Patrik.

Sesi in Japan: Konnichiwa! Sesi was enamored by the culture, charms and cuties of Japan, and vowed that he will come back.

To cut down on costs, the three explorers tried Couchsurfing and stayed at hostels that were inexpensive and practical yet fun. “We made sure we had opportunities to make new friends,” Sesi shared.

Harnessing the skills that made them win Juan for Fun, Sesi, Myeong and Patrik remained smart travelers throughout their adventure. “We hit the streets for some meals, then treated ourselves to one fancy restaurant per destination,” said Sesi. They also packed light, choosing to bring only three sets of clothes per place that they visited, mixing and matching their clothes and doing the laundry at their hostels.

Pursuing Passion

For Sesi, backpacking has allowed him to explore and satisfy his thirst for adventure without breaking the bank, something that he advocates for other young students to try.

“Before Juan for Fun, I had this silly thought that traveling was only for the rich,” he said. “Nowadays, budget is not that big of a hindrance anymore with Cebu Pacific offering promo fares, as well as a variety of value-for-money accommodations and dining options.”

Cebu Pacific Juan For Fun Backpacker Challenge 2015

As for Sesi, he has set his sights on conquering more destinations. “I can’t wait to go to Australia this year,” the young explorer shared. “And I still have a lot of places I want to visit—India, Tibet, Turkey, Iceland and South Africa, just to name a few!”

College students interested in joining this year’s Cebu Pacific Juan for Fun Backpacker Challenge have until May 2, 2015 to send in their video entries. Log on to www.juanforfun.com or check out www.facebook.com/CebuPacificJFF now!