‘Ultimate biyahero’ Drew Arellano reveals dream destinations, next big adventures
Even if he has been here, there and everywhere, the traveler in Drew Arellano knows there’s still a host of emerging destinations and unfolding stories to feature, as one may put it. This might come from places he is visiting for the first time or has set foot on before.
His weekly GTV show, Biyahe ni Drew, carries on to present and document amazing travels, peppered with insightful and informative monologues.
“Actually, marami akong nakalimutang biyahe na gusto kong maalaala sa totoo lang (I have forgotten a lot of trips that I want to remember),” said Drew as a quick prologue to the question on his unforgettable trips in a recent virtual press conference. “We’ve been to many places, which are really beautiful. Because of the numerous places we’ve visited, your memory bank is already full, pero may pumapasok, may lumalabas din. I guess, yung naiisip ko ngayon, would be, (off the) top of my head, our initial feature of a part of Cebu, which is Kawasan Falls. We did canyoneering.”
The “nature gem” is located in Alegria, Cebu that allows visitors to do different activities as they explore a canyon. Drew and his team were among the first few that featured the go-to place.
According to Drew, they had to do a three-to-four-hour canyoneering before reaching “the multi-tiered, super clear, blue falls” Kawasan, “a great tourist destination,” as he described it.
As a travel show host, Drew would like to do a feature on Tawi-Tawi, a place in the Southernmost part of the Philippines. “I’ve never been there,” said he. “A good friend of mine went there already and I saw the videos, and it’s spectacular. We’ve never been there before.”
On a future trip with wife Iya Villania as a travel companion, Drew wants to visit the mountainous regions of Europe. “Kasi mahilig rin si misis sa adventure, eh. (For she is also into adventure). We love to do hikes,” said he, who tapes Biyahe ni Drew episodes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. The remaining days of the week are spent with his wife and kids for quality time.
This coming Sunday, June 9, Biyahe ni Drew will air the second part of its 10th-anniversary special, with Iya as a guest co-host. The couple’s South Korean adventure, which premiered last week, will continue on. After that, one of Drew’s next adventures will happen in Bali, Indonesia.
“Besides the international locations, we’re also, this is a surprise, because we’re gonna have surprise guests as well, which we’ve never done (for Biyahe ni Drew),” said he of what’s in the pipeline. “We did it (in the past for) Balikbayan (in its) first five years. But right now, we’re injecting special guests na rin along the way.”
The past decade has also seen Biyahe ni Drew, still a guide for travelers, as a platform for such advocacies as respecting local culture, responsible traveling, sustainable tourism and appreciating the people behind the tourism industry.
“We always try to feature a lot of segments, people, places that highlight and practice sustainability and with those, I think we are trying to be the medium, so that when we feature them, we’re supporting their cause,” said he. “When we support their cause, when we air them on TV, hopefully, a lot of viewers will learn from it. And they just don’t do travel, but they can actually do, you know, sustainable tourism.”
On his being the ultimate biyahero, Drew said it is a blessing and an honor, “to host a travel show, any travel show and to host for this long. You know to do this show for this long and to experience so many beautiful places, eat so many good food, and meet, you know, interesting people along the way,” added he, who acknowledges the hard work of his team. “If I can do this for another 10 years, and that would be awesome.”
Watch Biyahe ni Drew Sunday nights at 8:15 on GTV. Also access its social media platforms to help plan your vacation and keep yourself abreast of tips and pointers to ponder upon before traveling.
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