Heart Evangelista gives tips: The best summer ever in Japan!
MANILA, Philippines — Summer’s definitely here, and you can feel the heat, as temperatures soar high and the heat index hits the 40s and 50s.
Time to hit the road and travel to your favorite places in the world to relax, unwind and recharge. Or usher in a season of new discoveries and experiences by visiting new places you have added to your bucket list. Or—better even—bring along a tag team of family and friends to a dream itinerary you’ve drawn up as your ultimate dream summer vacation, and experience old charms and new surprises together. And, of course, you could use some helpful and practical tips on how to achieve that from international fashion and lifestyle icon and seasoned traveler Heart Evangelista.
Heart, who was just launched as the face of the summer campaign of GCash, shares stories and snippets on how she plans to live out her dream summer. From the perfect day in one of her favorite cities in the world to her tried and tested travel hacks to her newest discovery on the best way to pay when traveling, Heart spills it all.
“Summers are always so special to me. Ever since I was a kid, it’s the season I looked forward to the most because summer basically meant traveling and making new memories,” she shared.
The actress, who recently dominated the Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks, revealed that her dream summer destination this year is not that far from home: “Japan!” she said, “I love it this season. It’s also a special place that I love visiting with my husband and our kids. My sisters and I also have a lot of great memories there.”
Heart fondly recalls all the trips she’s had in Tokyo. With those memories, she now creates the perfect itinerary in the city that she wants everyone to experience: “I’ll start with sushi in Omotesando, then coffee in a quaint café in the area, followed by hours of vintage designer shopping. I’ve found so many treasures at great prices over the years—from bags and shoes to jackets and jewelry. I’ll end the day getting lost in Don Quijote buying anik-anik, then have snacks at a convenience store before calling it a day. I’m getting excited just thinking about it!”
As someone who travels so often, jet-setting between Manila and wherever the world calls her, Heart already has her pre-travel preps down pat. And, of course, she does. Weeks prior to a trip, she has the important things — we’re talking outfits and shopping — planned out in her head.
Depending on her mood for the season, she’ll put together looks ahead of time and spend at least a day packing and planning, shopping budget included, of course.
“I’m better at budgeting now! I’ll set a budget for the trip, transfer it to my GCash account, and use my GCash Card for the trip. That way, I have better control of my spending. It’s so convenient,” she said.
In the recently launched GCash film starring the actress, Heart dreams up a summer trip that feels like a montage of her travels in real life. One minute, she’s shopping for a bag in Japan, and the next thing she knew, she was ordering a mango shake in sunny Boracay.
Heart recalls a time when GCash proved its convenience even more during one of her trips: “I was shopping in an airport abroad when I found a lipstick that I knew a dear friend had been looking for. It was so late already in Manila but I called her and she got so excited and asked me to buy all the stocks they had, nag-GCash na lang siya on the spot, and that was it! I tapped my GCash Card na, and the exchange rate was also really good.” She also added that she and her team rely heavily on their GCash Cards when abroad to be stress-free: “Cabs, booking cars, snacks, shopping, everything!”
For a fuss-free trip, Heart encourages GCash users to maximize the features and services on the app they could be missing out on. While most users are only familiar with the convenience of sending money and paying basic bills on the app, GCash actually has a wealth of services that can save precious time and money, especially when traveling. For one, there is no need to worry about finding money changers abroad, as your GCash Card can be used to withdraw money from ATMs at competitive exchange rates and can function as a debit card for ease of transactions. “The GCash Card is, for me, the best way to pay when you are abroad. Low forex and service fees plus no hidden charges—life-changing, really,” Heart said.
TheGlobalPay feature of GCash also provides another perk, allowing users to easily pay via QR in selected merchants and unlocking rewards and discounts abroad.
Tip: You can score 10% off in Japan when you use Scan To Pay in select stores until April 30, 2025.
One other feature Heart strongly recommends is GInsure: “Travel insurance is truly important—you never know what’s going to happen. A lot of people forget about this, but this is a tip I always give for a stress-free trip. Once you have insurance, you can have the best summer,” she said.
With GInsure, users can seamlessly purchase travel insurance for international trips on the spot, and it covers trip cancellations, lost baggage, flight delays, and medical emergencies, among others, for as low as P350 and with coverage of up to P2.5 million.
When asked how she thinks summer trips can be both memorable and rewarding, Heart says not to forget to live in the moment. “Enjoy the moment when you’re finally on the trip you planned and saved up for. Remember, it’s a summer trip to make memories and milestones—take lots of photos and, yes, reward yourself with good food and indulge in a bit of shopping with GCash. I’m serious!”
The world is truly Heart’s runway, and she’s ready to make her dream summer a reality this season. “Elevated basics, understated elegance is my mood board for this summer trip. I’ll pair my neutral outfits with an interesting bag in tow—with my GCash Card inside, of course,” she quipped.
