And just like that, I’ve been living in Davao City for three years.
Three years.
It feels strange to write that down because a part of me still feels like I’m just passing through. Maybe that’s because I’ve spent so much of my adult life moving around, booking flights, packing bags, and wondering where I’ll end up next.
I used to think traveling was the thing that made me feel most alive.
Since 2018, I’ve been out there almost non-stop, exploring the Philippines one island, one city, and one random trip at a time. I loved the feeling of arriving somewhere new without knowing exactly what the next few days would look like. I loved meeting people I would probably never have met otherwise, seeing how other people lived, and being reminded that my little corner of the world is just one tiny part of something much bigger.
Traveling has always grounded me in that way. It reminds me how small I am in this world, but somehow also reminds me that my existence matters just as much as everyone else’s out there trying to live theirs.
But somewhere along the way, I realized I wanted something that constant movement couldn’t quite give me. I wanted a home base. Not necessarily the city I grew up in, and not the town I was born in, but I wanted a place I could choose for myself, on my own terms.
In 2023, I found it in Davao City. And I didn’t really expect that.
I Never Thought I’d Choose a City
The first time I set foot in Davao City, I remember asking myself, “Should I live here?” But I didn’t seriously entertain the idea back then. My heart was still set on island life.
For years, I had romanticized the idea of living somewhere like Siquijor or Panglao, Bohol. As someone who loves the sea, nature, diving, hiking, and generally being outside, island life seemed like the obvious dream. And I eventually got to experience it.
I spent real time in both Panglao and Siquijor Island. I knew what it felt like to wake up somewhere surrounded by the kind of scenery that makes you want to cancel all your plans and go to the beach instead. And I loved it.
But maybe that’s exactly why Davao surprised me.
Because when I finally spent more time here, I realized that I didn’t actually want to choose between the things I loved. I wanted both. I love spending the day at the beach or camping somewhere quiet, but I also love sitting in a restaurant and ordering something I didn’t cook myself.
I love freediving and hiking, but I also genuinely enjoy grocery shopping.
I love walking around a neighborhood and seeing how people live, but I also love getting in a car and driving somewhere completely different for the weekend.
I love slow island life, but I also enjoy the convenience and energy of a city.
And somehow, Davao became the place where all these different parts of my life could exist at the same time. It became the centre of everything I love.
From here, some of my favorite destinations are just a flight away. Nature is never too far when I need to disappear for a few days. There are enough coffee shops and restaurants to keep me entertained when I don’t feel like leaving the city. There’s nightlife when I want it, and quiet when I don’t.
Even the 1 AM liquor ban somehow feels like a rule made specifically for me. 😂 Like, I can go out, play good music, have a drink, and still be home at a reasonable hour before things get completely out of hand.
Honestly, I like it.
The Little Things That Make Davao Feel Like Home
As a digital nomad, I never really imagined myself becoming someone who would stay in one place for this long.
But three years later, I’ve started noticing all these little things about my everyday life that I wouldn’t have thought twice about before. None of them are particularly extraordinary. That’s probably why they matter.
I've started staying home more than I expected to.
I chose to live in the north, in Cabantian, partly because I’m constantly flying in and out of Davao and being close to the airport just makes sense for the way I live.
But what I didn’t expect was how much I’d eventually love staying in. My neighborhood is quiet. There’s a certain calm to coming home after being away for weeks and not feeling like I need to immediately go somewhere else.
There is a version of me now who genuinely enjoys staying home. I didn’t know that person existed. I thought I was the girl who always needed another destination, another beach, another mountain, another flight.
Apparently, I just needed a place I actually liked coming home to.
I still go coffee hunting.
I’ve been coffee hunting since the day I moved here, and after three years, I still haven’t tried everything. Well, I don’t think I ever will. 😂
I’ve found my favorites by now, along with a few places I’m probably never going back to. But honestly, the search itself has become part of the fun. Sometimes I don’t even need coffee that badly. I just want to see somewhere new.
Davao has given me plenty of reasons to keep wandering around the city looking for my next favorite cup. And because I’m incapable of making a short list, I eventually turned that habit into a whole Davao coffee guide on the blog.
Sometimes my office is a coffee shop.
One of the things I love about being a digital nomad is that I don’t need much to work. Give me my laptop, a decent internet connection, a comfortable chair, and preferably coffee, and I’m good.
Some days I work from home. Other days I find myself in a café, a coworking space, or even a hotel lobby. There’s something about changing the room around me that changes what’s happening in my head, too. Sometimes I just need to see a different wall because being somewhere outside my usual environment wakes up a creative part of me that staying home can’t always reach.
A few of my favorite places to post up and work have become little extensions of my routine here. They’re not destinations anymore. They’re just places I go. And I think that’s another quiet sign that I’ve built a life here.
Even grocery shopping feels grounding now.
My usual stop is Landers. I buy frozen meat, stock up on things for the house, and somehow find myself very satisfied by a full grocery cart and an even fuller fridge. When I want something different, I’ll go to a mall somewhere.
It’s such an ordinary thing, but after years of living out of a suitcase and constantly thinking about where my next meal was going to come from, there’s something comforting about knowing what’s in my own refrigerator.
I never thought I’d find this kind of satisfaction in grocery shopping, but I do. Maybe that’s what home does to you.
I like having places where I can do absolutely nothing.
Azuela Cove is one of my favorite places in the city. Robata is one of my go-to spots to eat, and sometimes I just want to sit around, have dinner, and watch the evening happen.
When I want a change of scenery, there’s Samal Island. Sometimes I end up at Crocodile Park for a picnic with my furbaby. Sometimes I go to People’s Park when I want to slow all the way down.
I don’t always need an itinerary anymore. Sometimes I just need somewhere to be. That’s a funny thing I’ve noticed about myself after living here for a while. When you’re constantly traveling, you can feel like every place has to be experienced. You have to see this, eat there, go here, take the photo, or catch the sunset.
Living somewhere teaches you that a place can simply exist around you, and you don’t always have to be doing something.
Every now and then, I still want to dress up.
For all the slow-living talk, I still like putting on a nice outfit. Every so often, I want to order a cocktail, eat good food, listen to good music, and stay out a little later than usual.
Davao has enough of that side of life for me, too.
Huckleberry, Muni, Astrola, Fullbar and the city’s growing restaurant and bar scene have become part of my occasional nightlife. And, of course, DJing is a whole other part of that. I really don’t go out all the time, but I like knowing that when I feel like dressing up and having a night out, I don’t have to leave the city to find it.
I've found a rhythm with the gym, too.
Right now, I train at Elevation Fitness Gym near Davao Airport. I recently transferred from Ultradynamic, mostly because commuting there made less sense for me (if I don’t bring a car), and I’ve realized that convenience matters when you’re trying to build routines that actually stick.
Depending on where you live in Davao, there are plenty of gyms around the city. And I like that, not because I’ve suddenly become the person who loves routines—I definitely haven’t—but because I’ve started appreciating having little anchors in my week.
You know…gym, coffee, work, grocery run, taking my dog out for a walk. Nothing exciting, really. But somehow, it’s everything.
I love seeing the Coastal Road without cars.
Car-Free Sundays on the Coastal Road are one of those small things that make me appreciate living here. The city feels like it’s breathing a little slower. People are walking, cycling, exercising, hanging out.
I don’t even need to stay for long. Sometimes I just like being there for a morning and reminding myself that slowing down doesn’t necessarily mean leaving the city. Sometimes the city itself slows down with you.
And when I really do need to escape, I don't have to go far.
This might be one of my favorite things about having Davao as a home base. I can still leave whenever and wherever I want.
Mati is there when I want a road trip. Samal Island is close enough for an easy escape. The BuDa stretch opens up a completely different kind of landscape when I want mountains, cooler weather, or a hike.
I can go freediving.
I can go hiking.
I can camp.
I can drive.
I can book a flight.
I can disappear for a few days and come back.
I really don’t think that I became less nomadic when I moved to Davao City. I guess I just stopped being homeless in between my adventures.
It’s not perfect. Of course, living somewhere for three years also means you get to know the less romantic parts. There are things that annoy me. There are days when traffic is frustrating. There are days when the weather doesn’t cooperate. There are the little inconveniences that come with living in any city.
And then there are earthquakes. That one took some getting used to. They traumatized me at first, I won’t lie. But after three years, I’ve learned to live alongside that fear instead of letting it run my life. It’s still there, but it’s quieter now. More like something I’ve made peace with than something I’ve completely forgotten.
As for everything else I don’t love about living in Davao City…hmm, honestly, I’m still trying to think of something. So, ask me again in a few years.
Why I Chose to Live Here in Davao City
Because Davao life is here? 😂 Naaah, kidding aside, I think the reason Davao works for me is actually pretty simple. It lets me be many versions of myself without asking me to choose one.
Some days I move slowly. Other days I’m running around the city, working, going to the gym, meeting someone for coffee, planning a trip, or getting ready for a DJ gig.
Some days I want nature.
Some days I want a nice restaurant.
Some days I want to go somewhere completely new.
And some days I don’t want to leave the house at all.
Davao City gives me room for all of it. Maybe that’s what I was really looking for when I started thinking about having a home base. I didn’t want a place that would make me stop traveling. I wanted a place that would make traveling feel even better because I had somewhere to return to. I wanted to know what it felt like to leave somewhere because I wanted to explore, rather than because I was trying to escape.
And three years later, I finally understand the difference. I still love leaving. I still get excited about booking a flight, packing my bags, finding somewhere I’ve never been, and disappearing for a while. That part of me hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever will.
I used to think coming home meant coming back down to reality after a vacation. Now, after a long trip, I find myself looking forward to coming back to my own bed, to my neighborhood, to a coffee shop I’ve been meaning to try, to a grocery run, to the familiar roads, to the ordinary little routines I never thought I’d care about, and to a life that doesn’t need to feel like an adventure every day to feel good.
This is my reality now, and I love every moment of it.
I chose this city.
I chose this pace.
I chose this little life I’ve built for myself here.
I stopped seeing home as the place I leave behind, and Davao City has become the place I love to come back home to.
