New travel hack, unlocked! We just found a new travel companion that allows us to shop, dine, and experience a destination hassle-free! Here’s a travel chronicle that will empower you, too, to embark on a travel journey anew.  

Metro.Style People section editor Grace Libero-Cruz documents her recent Hong Kong trip in this travel chronicle. Here she was enjoying the view of the Victoria Harbour from Paper Moon restaurant.

I recently went on a quick escape in Hong Kong. I’ve been to Hong Kong before, but this trip was different because I traveled cash-free. Whenever I traveled, exchanging money was part of my pre-trip routine so I could be equipped with enough cash on hand as soon as I reached my destination. There were times when I’d be too busy to prepare ahead, though, so that was usually my agenda upon landing at the airport, where the rates are typically higher. 

Since I was in a hurry packing this time, it was a relief not to think about exchanging money and conversion rates before flying and upon arriving. In Hong Kong, specifically, my family and I would even allocate time to head to Tsim Sha Tsui where we found the best place for currency exchange. 

Whether you're with family or friends, Ocean Park is a must to check out in Hong Kong. For a more hassle-free trip, you'll be glad to know that you can pay with GCash enabled by Alipay+ when you shop, dine, or play in the theme park.

If Avenue of Stars is part of your itinerary, you might want to visit the nearby Harbour City Mall, where you can find Paper Moon, an Italian restaurant with a sea view and a terrace overlooking Victoria Harbour.

While we were at the Harbour City Mall, we also checked out Pop Mart for the trendy Labubu dolls and other covetable toys.

The cute Ralph's Coffee is located next to Ralph Lauren's store in Harbour City Mall.

With that aspect of the trip as one less thing to worry about, it was such a delight that I could explore the destination hassle-free right away. I only had to make sure my GCash e-wallet was loaded. It was so convenient because I used GCash as a mode of payment at merchants that accept Alipay+ and AlipayHK一from retail stores and food establishments to grocery and convenience stores (with zero service fees, at that).

I loved that I didn’t have to worry about the conversion of the Philippine peso to the Hong Kong dollar because I could view my wallet balance in the local currency of my current destination and get real-time, low forex rates.

Hong Kong is a popular destination for food trips. On your next HK trip, we recommend you check out French steakhouse La Vache in Tsim Sha Tsui. It's one of the best places to satisfy your steak-and-frites craving.

Traveling to Ngong Ping Village? Allocate some time to check out the nearby Citygate Outlets where world-renowned premium brands offer amazing discounts of up to 90 percent year-round! At Adidas, for instance, I scored two pairs of sneakers for only 699 HKD (approximately Php5,200), and I got pay with GCash enabled by Alipay+.

Tired from a full day of shopping and exploring? Pause for a coffee break at the award-winning Cupping Room, also in Citygate Outlets. Coffee enthusiasts will be thrilled to try high-quality coffee from this small-batch specialty coffee roastery.

Looking for pasalubong? On your last day in Hong Kong, stop by a nearby branch of Bakehouse for its famous egg tarts. In our case, we checked out its Tsim Sha Tsui branch at night, so the egg tarts were, as expected, sold out for the day. Thankfully, the next day, we were at Citygate Outlets and got to buy them, using GCash enabled by Alipay+, at the branch there.

Whether you’re the on-the-go or the take-it-slow kind of traveler, you’ll find that GCash seamlessly fits into your travel journey without the need to compromise. Even for someone like me who was new to using GCash abroad, I found it easy to use. There are two ways to pay: show your Global Pay QR or Scan to Pay the merchant’s QR. In Hong Kong, most merchants would have you show your Global Pay QR.

What’s more, you can even enjoy exclusive promos and discounts when you check A+ Rewards on the GCash app. GCash is accepted in over 80M+Alipay+ merchants worldwide, such as the following go-tos in Hong Kong: 7-Eleven, McDonald's, Wellcome, Circle K, Sports House, Sasa, GU, and Uniqlo, among many others.  

Sure, we also have McDonald's in Manila, but its branches abroad usually have different offerings. So, as part of my last-minute shopping agenda at the airport, I dropped by McCafé to take out the Japanese-style chicken katsu burger and Shake Shake Fries in a themed McShaker bag from the Dragon Ball Daima limited-time collab. And since Manila is just about two hours away from Hong Kong, I thought this was the best pasalubong for my manga-loving husband. 

Scroll through the gallery below to check out where else we used GCash in Hong Kong:

Watch our experience in Hong Kong below:

As I was about to wrap up this trip, it was nice that I didn't have to spend unnecessarily to use up my spare Hong Kong dollar notes and coins like I used to before heading to or at the airport. Whatever amount I didn't get to spend from my allocated budget for the trip stayed in my e-wallet. I didn't have to worry about exchanging them for Philippine pesos later on, too. This might seem trivial but it's details like this that make using GCash abroad all the more convenient.

As someone who used to be scared of doing online transactions especially abroad, I’m glad to have discovered a new travel companion that offers an easy and rewarding way to explore and experience a destination.