All Filipinos will agree that there’s nothing subtle about summer in the Philippines.
It arrives loud. The sun doesn’t gently rise. It attacks. By 9 AM, the pavement is auditioning to become a frying pan, electric fans are working overtime like unpaid interns, and everyone collectively agrees that iced coffee is no longer a luxury but survival equipment.
Jeepneys feel like mobile saunas. The air smells faintly of sunscreen, dried fish, and existential heat. Group chats suddenly fill with “Let’s go to the beach! Tara, Elyu?” messages that are 70% serious and 30% delusion because everyone knows scheduling is the real villain.
Somewhere between deadlines, traffic, and trying not to melt into the sidewalk, Gen Z shaped by the internet and raised on main-character energy found a way to romanticize all of it by calling everything a “side quest.”
Coffee in a new café? Side quest.
Trying pottery for no reason? Side quest.
Taking a different route home? Main character behavior, but technically, still a side quest.
But summer side quests aren’t supposed to be “extra.” They’re not filler episodes. They’re not optional mini-games you ignore while grinding through work and responsibilities. Sometimes, the so-called side quest is the point.
Welcome to your solo summer side quests.
Side Quest #1: Work-from-Everywhere Agenda
This summer side quest is about working while letting life unfold in new spaces.
Take a page from Maya Angelou, who rented different hotel rooms just to write. She understood something most of us forget that unfamiliar corners sharpen focus. A new window view can unlock a new paragraph. A different silence can reset your thoughts.
Now imagine that in the Philippines.
Opening your laptop in a quiet city library in Quezon City on Monday, where the smell of donated books lingers in the air. The fast rhythm of keyboards from students finishing their theses becomes oddly comforting, proof that some people are still writing their hearts out and not outsourcing their souls entirely to AI.
Spending a sunlit morning on a forest park bench in Manila on Tuesday, where productivity feels almost romantic. Just be ready for the occasional whisper of the Pasig River in the background.
Checking into a budget inn in Rizal on Wednesday, watching the afternoon drift outside your window before replying to emails.
Or working while people-watching in an amusement park food court in Laguna on Thursday. Chaotic, slightly unhinged, not exactly productivity-approved. But it’s just for a day. What could possibly go wrong? It’s not like you’ll lose your job because a kid is crying over a roller coaster he couldn’t ride due to motion sickness.
It doesn’t have to break the bank. Day-use hotels. Low-cost stays. Public libraries. Local cafés. Even a co-working space you’ve never tried.
Let tech carry you. Draft on Notion or Google Docs. Bring pocket Wi-Fi or an eSIM. Wear noise-canceling headphones like armor. Use map apps like a compass.
Side Quest #2: K-Drama by the Beach
You could binge at home.
Or you could bring the drama outside.
Download a few episodes, pack snacks, find a quiet stretch of sand or even a lakeside park. Watch heartbreak scenes with actual waves crashing behind you. Let the sunset act as your cinematic lighting. Laugh, cry, and tan at the same time.
Suddenly, you’re not just watching romance.
You’re starring on your own.
Side Quest #3: Pop-Up Event Explorer
Say yes to the small things.
An after-work acoustic gig.
A random poetry reading.
A pop-up market you saw on Instagram five minutes ago.
A government fair showcasing proudly Filipino-made products.
You don’t need a grand plan. Just pure, slightly unhinged curiosity.
The magic of pop-ups is their impermanence. They exist for a night, and then they’re gone. After all, our generation thrives on limited drops and fleeting moments.
Showing up becomes your quiet rebellion against routine.
Side Quest #4: Wander Without a Plan
Do not Google “Top 10 Must-Visit.” Just step out and let the day unfold.
Turn left when you usually turn right. Enter the thrift bookstore you’ve passed a hundred times. Sit somewhere new and people-watch.
Give yourself a time limit: “I’ll wander for three hours without following anything. I’ll let my feet lead me like they have a brain of their own.”
It’s not unproductive. It’s observational living. Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you stop trying to optimize everything. Right? Right.
Side Quest #5: ChatGPT Chooses My Destination
Surrender control.
Open your phone and let AI pick your next stop: A museum. A hole-in-the-wall café. A town two hours away. Maybe even a spontaneous day trip to Baguio.
The fun isn’t just in the place but in giving up the pressure to decide.
If AI can threaten our jobs, it can at least take over our itinerary stress. Curating every move is cute. Letting randomness lead? Oddly freeing.
Side Quest #6: Festival Hopper
Summer in the Philippines means barangay fiestas, food fairs, and weekend expos. Go not just for the crowd, but for the details. The smoke from street food grills, the game booths, the random live band covering early 2000s hits like it’s still 2007.
Document it. Taste everything. Stay until your feet hurt.
Filipinos are known for generosity, whether it’s food, free tastes, or random giveaways. This is your sign to really experience being Pinoy.
Side Quest #7: Summer Zine
Collect receipts. Photos. Notes. Random thoughts.
Compile them into a tiny digital or printed zine. It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to exist.
Even old bank transaction receipts can make you reflect. Remember that moment you let the money slide because the experience felt worth it? Photos are great, but context is better.
At the end of summer, you’ll have proof that you lived it.
Side Quest #8: Photo-a-Day
One theme per day:
Shadows.
Yellow things.
Strangers’ shoes.
Reflections in windows.
By the end of summer, you won’t just have photos. You’ll have perspective.
Because paying attention is its own kind of adventure.
This summer is the perfect time to experience organic encounters, not just romantic ones, but encounters with yourself. The kind that leaves a mark.
Don’t let your side quests stay “side.” Make them the main event. Because life, like the Philippines’ summer sun, is best experienced fully. A little messy, a little chaotic, and completely unforgettable.
Repeat after me: “Work hard… but side quest harder.”
Words by Aljhelyn Piador
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE Volume 26 Issue No. 7