We have just taken the Blugibbon Medical Recruitment team to the Philippines.

From Monday 8 June to Monday 15 June 2026, the Blugibbon team headed to Manila, El Nido and Nacpan Beach for our 2026 incentive trip. There were flights, transfers, island hopping, rooftop drinks, private beaches, team dinners, canopy walks, glamping tents and a lot of moments that reminded me why team culture matters so much.

The purpose of the trip was simple.

To bring the whole Blugibbon team together properly for the first time in 13 years.

We have had an office in the Philippines for over 8 years now. We have 8 members of the team based there who do a huge amount of our post-placement care. Flights, logistics, credentialing, compliance, paperwork, the things that make a doctor’s locum experience actually work once the placement has been made.

They are a massive part of Blugibbon.

So when we hit our incentive targets for September, October, November and December, it meant one thing.

We were going…

Why the Philippines?

The Philippines has been part of the Blugibbon story for a long time.

Our team there are not “offshore support”. They are not in the background. They are part of the business, part of the culture and part of the reason our doctors and hospitals get looked after properly.

This trip was about bringing everyone together. Sydney team, Philippines team, leaders, recruiters, post-placement legends, all in one place.

• Not just on Google Meet.
• Not just in Google Chat.
• Actually together.

Eating together, travelling together, laughing together and seeing how everyone looks after each other when the Wi-Fi is ropey, the flights are delayed, and the plan needs to change.

That is when you really see your team.

Before We Went: A Few Handy Travel Reminders

The internal itinerary had a few practical reminders that are worth sharing for anyone planning a similar team trip to the Philippines.

Before travelling, we checked the latest Philippine Airlines travel requirements here:

https://flypal.com/travelreqs

Everyone also needed to register on the Philippines eTravel system within 72 hours of arrival:

https://etravel.gov.ph

A few other simple but important reminders:

• Pack sunscreen.
• Pack a universal adapter.
• Take a waterproof bag.
• Bring insect repellent.
• Sort international roaming before you leave.
• Exchange some Australian dollars into Philippine pesos before travelling.
• Nothing glamorous. Just the stuff that saves you pain once you are on the move.

First Stop: Manila

We flew direct from Sydney International Airport to Manila with Philippine Airlines.It was surprisingly easy.

We left Sydney in the morning and arrived in Manila in the afternoon, which meant we still had a good part of the day ahead of us. From there, we checked into I’M Hotel in Makati.

I’M Hotel was a good first stop because it gave everyone somewhere easy to land, reset and start saying hello properly.

That first night was really about the team meeting.

We had a drink at the rooftop first, which was banging, then headed out for food. We ended up at a fun American-style diner. There is a big American influence in the Philippines, especially with food, and this place had characters everywhere, Spider-Man, Batman, all sorts going on.

It was good fun. Nothing too formal. Just food, drinks and people starting to connect.

Manila to Cebu to El Nido

The next morning was an early one.

We checked out at 4:00 am and headed to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 for the flight from Manila to El Nido via Cebu.

This was the first proper reminder that internal travel in the Philippines can be a bit of an adventure. The luggage limits, the stopovers, the waiting around, the changing airports, the moving parts, you need to be organised and patient.

Eventually, we got to El Nido.

And El Nido airport is tiny.

It reminded me of something out of a kids’ movie. Small runway, little shack-style airport, gorgeous little roof, and suddenly you are there in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

We transferred to The Funny Lion in El Nido, which was superb.

The Funny Lion became our base for the next few days. It had the rooms, the function space, the breakfast buffet, the team dinner setup and, most importantly, enough room for everyone to get together properly.

El Nido itself is stunning. Beach bars, restaurants on the sand, a beautiful bay, incredible water and a place that is clearly set up for tourism, but still feels rustic and unspoilt.

1. That is one of the things I loved most about it.
2. It is not too polished. Not too built up. Not too perfect.
3. And because of that, sometimes the logistics do not quite go to plan.
4. But that is also part of the charm.

Things Do Not Always Go to Plan, and That Is Fine

One of the team was on a different internal flight and got delayed, so our first proper all-hands meeting had to be moved.

That happened a few times during the trip.

Flights were delayed. Transfers took longer than expected. Airports were hectic. Wi-Fi was not always great. Co-working spaces were noisy. Plans shifted.

And that was probably one of the biggest lessons of the trip.

You have to go with the flow.

In Sydney, we get used to strong Wi-Fi, two screens, quiet rooms, structured days and things generally running to time. When you are travelling through islands in the Philippines, that is not always how it works.

But what you get in return is something better.

Private beaches. Island hopping. Rustic beauty. Incredible people. And a team that starts to bond because they are not just sitting in a meeting room, they are actually experiencing something together.

The All-Hands Meeting

Once everyone had arrived, we had our all-hands meeting in the function room at The Funny Lion.

I gave a presentation reflecting on where the business has been, what we have done over the last year, what is coming in 2026 and 2027, and where Blugibbon is heading next.

The best part was seeing the leaders in the business stand up and speak.

Everyone went around the room and shared where their focus is going to be, what they are working on and how they are helping guide the company in the right direction.

That was probably one of my proudest moments of the trip.

Because Blugibbon is not just one person.

It is a team of leaders.

People who care, people who take ownership and people who genuinely want to build something better in medical recruitment.

We also had training sessions during the working days, including Josh’s training and on-call training. It was a proper mix of business, learning, team connection and trying to keep things moving while surrounded by one of the nicest places on earth.

Not the worst office view.