There’s nothing more depressing than a group of backpackers showing up in El Nido without any plans, well, because “We’re just like that!” they say.

Sure, traveling with zero plans is one of the biggest thrills of stepping outside your comfort zone.

The problem comes in when you step so far out that it becomes unbearably uncomfortable. Where will you sleep, my dear? At the bus station?

Without any plans before coming to El Nido, any of these things can happen:

• Accommodations are fully booked. If not fully booked, the price has skyrocketed, like, just now, the moment you walked in the reception.
• Slots for tours are fully booked. If not, you won’t see the stars of the event, the Big Lagoon or Small Lagoon, because these hot shots now require reservations at least one day ahead.
• Flights are either fully booked or double the price.
• Motorcycles for rent are often fully booked. An alternative is taking the tricycle all the time, which is a lot pricier.
• You arrive in the middle of a crazy windy (or rainy) weather.
• You’re wearing the wrong clothes.
• Or you’ve finally acquired a painful, flaking “beautiful” tan (okay, sunburn) by the end of your trip.

Just this January 2019, one of the hundreds of beaches in El Nido ranked #1 in another travel listing, out of 50 beautiful beaches around the world. There goes another reason why people should come.

Travelers keep flooding this place that accommodations even sprout on iffy, cliff-hanging locations.

So yeah, just be prepared.