A Manila to Caticlan seat on Friday 30 October was going for PHP 3,704 when we checked fares on 18 October. The same route on Sunday 1 November? PHP 2,238. Same route, same island, 40 percent cheaper, just because most of the country will be at the sementeryo that day instead of at NAIA.
That gap is the whole game for last minute Undas trips this year.
If you didn’t lock in a trip back in September, you haven’t run out of options. You’ve just run out of the obvious ones: the Friday night bus to Baguio, the Saturday morning flight out. What’s left is still good, as long as you travel on the days everyone else avoids, pick routes where seats are still plentiful, and book the return before you get excited about the outbound. Below are the routes that still had real seats from Manila when we checked, what they cost in pesos, and the one trap that catches most late bookers.
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Last minute Undas trips 2026: the quick answer
Undas 2026 is a three-day weekend. Under Proclamation No. 1006, series of 2025, Sunday 1 November (All Saints’ Day) and Monday 2 November (All Souls’ Day) are special non-working days. Saturday 31 October is not a declared holiday.
Here is what was still bookable from Manila when we checked on 18 October. These are the lowest one-way fares we found, before checked bags:
| Route from Manila | Fly out | Fare | Fly back | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cebu | Sun 1 Nov, AirAsia | PHP 2,477 | Wed 4 Nov, AirAsia | PHP 2,331 |
| Caticlan (Boracay) | Sun 1 Nov, AirAsia | PHP 2,238 | Wed 4 Nov, AirAsia | PHP 2,164 |
| Kalibo (Boracay, Aklan) | Sun 1 Nov, AirAsia | PHP 1,975 | Tue 3 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 3,523 |
| Iloilo | Sat 31 Oct to Wed 4 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 4,426 round trip | ||
| Bohol (Tagbilaran) | Sun 1 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 3,395 | Wed 4 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 3,292 |
| Davao | Sat 31 Oct to Thu 5 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 6,211 round trip | ||
| Hong Kong | Sun 1 Nov, HK Express | PHP 4,214 | Wed 4 Nov, Cebu Pacific | PHP 6,974 |
The short version: Cebu, Boracay and Iloilo are the easiest last-minute wins, with round trips under PHP 5,000. Bohol and Davao still work at a slightly higher price.
Fares move every hour, so treat these as a snapshot. The pattern matters more than the exact peso.
Check today’s Undas fares on Trip.com
The counter-flow trick: fly on 1 November
Every Undas rush has the same shape. Everyone leaves Manila on Friday and Saturday, and heads back when the holiday ends on Monday. The Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) alone expects nearly 1.9 million passengers between 25 October and 4 November, with Friday 30 October the single busiest day at around 200,000, according to Bombo Radyo.
So flip it. Go to the cemetery early, on Saturday 31 October, or on Sunday morning if you pick an afternoon flight like Cebu at 12:20pm or Kalibo at 4:55pm. Then fly out on the holiday itself and come home after the crowd.
The fares back this up. Compare Friday 30 October with Sunday 1 November on the same routes:
- Caticlan: PHP 3,704 on Friday, PHP 2,238 on Sunday
- Bohol: PHP 4,857 on Friday, PHP 3,395 on Sunday
- Kalibo: PHP 2,876 on Friday, PHP 1,975 on Sunday
That is roughly 30 to 40 percent off just for shifting by two days.
The catch is leave. Fly out Sunday, back Wednesday 4 November, and you need Tuesday and Wednesday off. One day of leave if you come back Tuesday. For a lot of us that’s a fair trade, since you skip the Monday return rush entirely.
One honest warning: returns move fast this close to the holiday. On the morning of 18 October, the only Wednesday 4 November return from Iloilo we could see was PHP 6,451 on PAL. A few hours later, a Cebu Pacific round trip for 31 October to 4 November was showing at PHP 4,426. Hong Kong was still lopsided at PHP 4,214 out and PHP 6,974 back. Price your return first, every time, and check again before you pay.
By bus: what’s realistic at PITX and Cubao
Buses are where last minute Undas trips get hardest, because they don’t price up the way planes do. They just sell out.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has issued around 1,200 to 1,300 special permits for extra buses, minibuses and vans this Undas, valid until 5 or 6 November, as the Daily Tribune reported on 18 October. More units means more seats, but not necessarily at the times you want.
What actually works when you’re booking this close:
- Skip Friday 30 October. It is PITX’s projected peak. Saturday dawn and Sunday trips are your better bet.
- Buy from the operator’s own counter or website. Avoid Facebook “ticket resellers”. If a seat is gone on the official channel, a stranger with a screenshot is not a safer bet.
- Know the fare is fixed. Operators must follow the LTFRB-approved fare matrix. Overcharging carries fines of PHP 5,000 to PHP 15,000, the same report adds. If someone quotes you a “holiday price” above the posted fare, that’s a red flag, not a surcharge.
- Arrive early, with cash. Walk-in seats depend on what’s left on the day.
If your heart is set on Baguio or La Union, our Undas long weekend guide has the operator-by-operator fares and routes. That guide expected the good departure times to go first, so be ready for a very early or very late bus.
Honestly? This year, flying is often the easier last-minute play. A PHP 2,238 Caticlan seat costs about twice a premium Baguio bus seat (PHP 850 to 1,055 in that guide), with no NLEX traffic.
Cebu: the easiest last-minute win
Cebu is the route that barely notices Undas. Manila to Cebu was going for PHP 2,440 to PHP 2,561 on every day from Thursday 29 October to Sunday 1 November, with returns from PHP 2,331 on Wednesday 4 November. In our check, the price barely moved across the whole long weekend.
That makes it the safest choice if you want certainty over a beach.
Three days in Cebu work well even without a plan. Walk the old city around Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica del Santo Niño in the morning, eat lechon for lunch, and take a day trip south or a ferry to Bohol if you want an island. Cebu also works as a base if Bohol flights from Manila are too pricey: fly to Cebu, then cross by fast ferry.
The room is the part to sort quickly. You can compare rooms in Cebu City across Booking.com, Agoda and others and filter for free cancellation, which matters when you’re booking this close.
Iloilo and Bacolod: two cities, one ferry
Iloilo is one of the cheapest places to fly into this Undas: PHP 2,087 on Sunday 1 November on AirAsia, and PHP 2,078 on Tuesday 3 November on Cebu Pacific. It’s also one of the most food-forward short trips in the country. Batchoy at the La Paz market, the Molo church, the river esplanade at sunrise.
As a round trip it held up too: Saturday 31 October to Wednesday 4 November on Cebu Pacific was PHP 4,426 when we last checked. Two ways to make more of it.
Stretch the trip. If you can work remotely or burn a few more leave days, flying back on Tuesday 10 November was showing PHP 2,326 one way on Cebu Pacific. Undas becomes a week in Western Visayas.
Add Bacolod. Fly into Iloilo, cross to Bacolod by fast craft, and fly home from there. OceanJet runs the crossing in about 1 hour 30 minutes for PHP 550 in tourist class, with departures from Iloilo at 7:20am, 11:00am, 2:30pm and 5:30pm on its February 2026 schedule, as listed by Suroy.ph. Budget another PHP 30 to 40 for the terminal fee. You can check Iloilo to Bacolod ferry times and seats on 12Go.
We couldn’t find a Bacolod to Manila fare for 2 to 5 November in the fare data on 18 October, so check that leg before you commit. If it’s sold out or pricey, do Bacolod as a day trip from Iloilo instead and keep the round trip.
For the Bacolod end, our DIY guide to Bacolod covers what to eat and see in the City of Smiles. In Iloilo, our list of budget hotels in Iloilo is a good starting point, or see what’s still available in Iloilo City for the Undas weekend.
Boracay: cheap flights, but sort the room first
Here’s the surprise of this year’s fare check. Boracay was one of the cheapest last-minute Undas trips from Manila: PHP 2,238 to Caticlan on Sunday 1 November, PHP 2,164 back on Wednesday 4 November. Kalibo was even lower on the way out at PHP 1,975, though its Tuesday return was PHP 3,523. Caticlan is the closer airport: it’s a 5 to 7 minute tricycle ride to Caticlan Jetty Port, according to Tripwis.
The flight is the easy part. The room is not.
Boracay only lets tourists cross with a confirmed booking at a Department of Tourism-accredited hotel. A March 2026 summary of the entry rules by Respicio & Co. puts it plainly: “Entry is strictly permitted only to those with a confirmed booking at a DOT-Accredited Establishment.” The same summary lists the fees for Filipino tourists at about PHP 150 environmental fee, PHP 150 terminal fee and PHP 50 for the boat, so roughly PHP 350 on top of your fare. Treat those as approximate and confirm at the Caticlan jetty port.
So the order is: room first, flight second. Never the reverse. Compare rooms in Boracay, then check the property against the DOT’s accredited list before you pay. A cheap room at a non-accredited place can leave you stuck at the jetty.
Bohol, Davao and Hong Kong if you want something different
Bohol still works at a slightly higher price: PHP 3,395 out on Sunday 1 November and PHP 3,292 back on Wednesday 4 November, both on Cebu Pacific. Around PHP 6,700 round trip for the Chocolate Hills and Panglao is reasonable for a holiday weekend.
Davao was showing a Saturday 31 October to Thursday 5 November round trip for PHP 6,211 on Cebu Pacific (the return leaves just after midnight, so effectively Wednesday night). A longer trip, but People’s Park, the durian stalls and a day at Eden Nature Park are all easy without much planning. Our guide to things to do in Davao City has more.
Hong Kong is the one international option worth considering this close, because Philippine passport holders can visit visa-free for up to 14 days. HK Express had a Sunday 1 November flight for PHP 4,214, though it leaves at 2:20am, so really the night of the 31st. The return is the expensive bit again: PHP 6,974 on Wednesday 4 November with Cebu Pacific. Add the PHP 1,620 economy travel tax and you’re at roughly PHP 12,800 before a bed. Rather than paying roaming rates, get a Hong Kong eSIM from Airalo before you board.
Last-minute budget: three to four days in PHP
Hotels for a single holiday weekend swing too much to quote honestly, so this table shows transport only, per person, from the fares above. Add your room on top.
| Trip | Flights | Extra transport | Transport total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cebu, 1 to 4 Nov | PHP 4,808 | PHP 4,808 | |
| Boracay via Caticlan, 1 to 4 Nov | PHP 4,402 | about PHP 350 port fees | about PHP 4,752 |
| Bohol, 1 to 4 Nov | PHP 6,687 | PHP 6,687 | |
| Davao, 31 Oct to 5 Nov | PHP 6,211 | PHP 6,211 | |
| Iloilo, 31 Oct to 4 Nov | PHP 4,426 | PHP 4,426 | |
| Hong Kong, 1 to 4 Nov | PHP 11,188 | PHP 1,620 travel tax | PHP 12,808 |
Fares checked 18 October 2026, lowest found, before checked bags. Low-cost fares rarely include them, and the add-ons are where a cheap ticket stops being cheap. Our breakdown of what a piso fare really costs shows how fast it adds up.
Practical tips for booking Undas this late
Watch for rental scams. Last Undas, the PNP warned about fake Airbnb listings and “rent-tangay” car rental schemes. PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño’s advice was simple: if an offer is too cheap, it’s likely a scam (Philstar, 30 October 2025). Late bookers are the easiest targets, because panic makes a “last room available, GCash only” message look like luck. Book through a platform that holds your payment, never by direct transfer to a stranger’s account.
Book refundable where you can. Weather is still a factor in late October and early November. Pick free-cancellation rooms, check PAGASA before you fly, and know your airline’s rebooking rules.
Leave extra time for the airport. If you’re flying on 1 November, roads near the big cemeteries get busy from early morning. Give yourself more time than usual to reach NAIA.
Going abroad? The PHP 1,620 economy travel tax is still collected as far as we can tell: the bill to abolish it was still pending in the Senate in late August, as Suroy.ph reported. Check TIEZA’s travel tax page before you fly, and consider cover for the trip. SafetyWing travel medical insurance works for short trips too.
FAQ: last-minute Undas 2026
Is 31 October 2026 a holiday? No. Only Sunday 1 November and Monday 2 November are special non-working days under Proclamation No. 1006. Saturday 31 October is an ordinary Saturday.
What is the cheapest day to fly during Undas 2026? In the fares we checked on 18 October, Sunday 1 November was the cheapest outbound day on most routes, around 30 to 40 percent below Friday 30 October to Caticlan, Bohol and Kalibo.
Can I still find a bus to Baguio or the provinces? Possibly, but avoid Friday 30 October, the projected PITX peak. Buy only from the operator’s counter or website, and expect early-morning or late-night departures.
Is Boracay possible on short notice? Yes, if you secure a room at a DOT-accredited hotel first. Flights were from PHP 2,238 one way on 1 November.
Do Filipinos need a visa for Hong Kong? No. Philippine passport holders can visit Hong Kong visa-free for up to 14 days.
The bottom line
Last minute Undas trips are still very possible this year. You just have to travel against the crowd. Visit your loved ones early, fly out on 1 November, take a day or two of leave, and price the return before you book anything. Cebu, Boracay and Iloilo are the safest bets under PHP 5,000 in flights, and if you’re still deciding, our full Undas long weekend guide has the bus routes and the trips abroad.
Booking even earlier would have been better, sure. But a quiet Sunday flight to the beach while everyone else sits on NLEX? That’s not a bad consolation prize.
About the Author
Bianca Rei is a Filipino traveler, entrepreneur, and problem-solver who has called Serbia home for many years. She has been following Two Monkeys Travel Group since 2014, back when she was simply a reader dreaming, traveling, and collecting stories of her own, so being able to contribute to the blog now feels a little like coming full circle.
Bianca runs Rodi Solutions, where she helps people and businesses navigate life and business in Serbia, alongside website design, development, and management. When she is not working, she is usually traveling, boxing, chasing another adventure, or spending time with her family.
Find her work at rodi.consulting, or get to know her beyond work at biancarei.net.
