35 Budget-Friendly Activities Every Barkada Must Try

35 Budget-Friendly Activities Every Barkada Must Try

It’ll be nice to randomly book a ticket to Palawan with your friends, if only the budget is never an issue. As struggling young professionals, going on trips all the time may mean a weekend of happiness, but it can also mean depleted savings. So as much as you’d like to spend every weekend somewhere that’s an airplane-ride away, it’s not very easy on the wallet.

Good thing Manila offers just as exciting activities as a trip far down south. Weekends with friends don’t just have to be a lunch date at the usual restaurant. If you only search hard enough, some of the most exciting things you can do with friends are within the metro or only an hour or two away from Manila. Besides, with the tons of promos cropping up daily, it all comes down on how much time you have to try them all.

1. Maginhawa food trip (PHP500)

2. Volunteer for a day or a week (Free)

3. Do a DIY tour of Intramuros (Free)

4. Ice skate at SM Mall of Asia or Megamall (PHP390 All-Day Pass)

5. Binge eat at Banchetto (PHP300)

6. Bike around Quezon City Memorial Circle (Free)

7. Dare to try the zipline at Sky Ranch Tagaytay (PHP1000 per person)

8. Play Lazer Tag at Market! Market! (PHP170/190)

9. Ride-all-you-can at Star City (Promo: PHP280)

10. Enroll in a KPOP dance class at the Korean Cultural Center (PHP2000 per semester)

11. Run a marathon for a cause (PHP550+)

12. Go on a photo walk along the Art Walk in and around Bonifacio Global City (Free)

13. Attend free film showings at Alliance Française de Manille and at the Japan Foundation (Free)

14. Frequent thrift shops in Anonas (PHP300+)

15. Spend Saturday night at Midnight Mercato at BGC (PHP300)

16. Appreciate vintage at the Escolta Saturday market (PHP300+)

17. Overnight at a hot spring resort in Laguna (PHP400+)

18. Take the plunge at Splash Island (Promo: PHP299)

19. Binondo food trip (PHP400)

20. Play paint ball all day at Global Gutz (Promo: PHP249)

21. Head to the nearest beach for a day trip (PHP800)

22. Try authentic Japanese cuisine at Little Tokyo (PHP500)

23. Try the sauna at Lasema Spa (Promo: PHP495)

24. Brave the food challenges around the metro (PHP300+)

25. Eat balut and adobong itik at Pateros (PHP100)

26. Fly a kite and have a picnic at UP Diliman Sunken Garden (Free)

27. Stroll and watch the sunset at Roxas Boulevard (Free)

28. Go on a day-long food trip to BF Homes Paranaque (PHP500)

29. Haggle like crazy in Divisoria (PHP500+)

30. Visit the butterfly sanctuary and bungee jump at La Mesa Ecopark

31. Go museum hopping around Manila (PHP200+)

32. Drop by and be inspired by the Reading Club 200 (Free)

33. Beat the heat by going on a day swim at Loreland or Bosay in Antipolo, Rizal (PHP200)

34. Indulge in seafood concoctions at Dampa, Pasay City (PHP200+)

35. See the Dancing Fountain at Luneta (Free)

* The estimated budget per activity is computed per person and depends on the numbers of activities and purchases you’re willing to try.

You don’t need to break the bank to have a good time. While saving for an expensive trip a few months from now, you can still go out and have fun by only spending a little. Besides, as long as you’re with good friends it doesn’t matter where you go because it’s almost a given that you’ll have a pretty grand time.