It's time to justGO!

MANILA, Philippines - There are places in the Philippines which are, by default, the vacation destinations during the Holy Week. Wouldn’t it be nice to go somewhere different this year? Some place you wouldn’t have thought of before or didn’t know existed? Or more importantly, a place you’ve always wanted to go to but didn’t know how to get to?

Last week, members of the press were invited to the demo simulation of justGO! Drive Philippines, a web-based trip planner aimed at motorists who’d like to visit different sightseeing and travel destinations across the country. The justGO! Drive Philippines initiative is a joint venture between the Automobile Association of the Philippines and Lakbay Media (AAPLakbay).

The idea is, instead of asking strangers for directions or relying on outdated maps, justGO! will tell you exactly where to go, which junctions to turn and the landmarks to look out for to help you reach your destination. More than that, it provides tourists valuable information about where the nearest fuel stops are, restaurants, etc. to help you plan your trips.

As the perfect companion for urban-based car owners who enjoy weekend getaways with friends or families, justGO! is continually updated with the latest news, site photos and changes on the varying routes in real-time so you’ll never get lost.

The media participants were treated to an Amazing Race-style competition wherein they were tasked to locate 10 tourist sites in the province of Bataan using the justGO! website. There are four ways to use justGO!: 1) make a printout from the corresponding “How To Get There!” page instructions, 2) download the webpage to a laptop and bring that with you, 3) download the digital route to a GPS phone or, 4) download the digital route to a Garmin GPS device. Best of all, everything you need from the justGO! website is absolutely free to download, print and use.

The participants used hard copy printouts to navigate the province of Bataan. From restaurants to hiking trails, historical shrines and wildlife preserves, the step-by-step instructions (with photos) provided by justGO! were enough to guide newcomers to the province the needed information to finish the route – and without having to roll down the windows to ask any of the locals.

The justGO! Drive Philippines initiative is a take from “Drive Tourism” in Australia, which is recognized as a distinct tourism product that has captured the niche market of travelers/tourists using land transportation to visit the countryside. In the Philippines, it is justGO! which introduces the concept of “Drive Philippines” as a major tourism product.

Set to launch as a fully-functional web service just before the start of the Holy Week, you can take a peek at what the media participants used and the places they went to at www.justgo.ph.

What you’ll see is just a beta site so don’t forget to check regularly for their newest updates on the latest destinations. – DANDI GALVEZ