EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Peters Talks To Us About Spending Seven Months Of Quarantine In Cam Sur

Rachel spent the seven months of quarantine in Cam Sur! The certified beach babe said that she wouldn't have had it any other way, however, given that it was pretty much her little pocket of peace and tranquility that kept her tucked away from Metro Manila's COVID-caused chaos (not to mention that that meant seven months of uninterrupted time with her fiancé, Cam Sur governor Migz Villafuerte, and her cousins and brother). She's finally back in the city though, and it's likely the longest she's been away from home.

To make the most of their time under quarantine, Rachel and her family spearheaded a fundraiser for England-based nurses, other than just having fun together and lounging around in the beach day after day. As for herself, Rachel discovered an entirely new hobby that she didn't think she'd ever get into: golf! She unearthed a set of clubs during her stay in Cam Sur, and now she's obsessed, she jokes. She plays two to three times a week now and she's especially into it because of how much time she spends in the sun every time she goes out onto the range. It's been a great alternative to her first love of surfing that's been really difficult to do these days given all the provincial travel limitations all over the country.

In the earlier weeks of quarantine, Rachel would be with Migz and join in on the COVID-19 relief efforts initiated by Cam Sur's local government. She was a part of donation distributions as well as the times when teams would check up on residents of barangays most affected by the lockdown, until she realized that she could be using her time to do more and draw from her own strengths. And so, embracing her background in tourism, she picked up the camera and launched Tour Da Philippines, a vlog that promotes provincial businesses and destinations—all to remind Filipinos what to discover and where to go once all of 2020's troubles have come and gone.

The thing in Rachel's life that suffered the most this time is her wedding. She got engaged in November last year, and just four months later, COVID-19 happened! Unfortunately, she and Migz had everything finalized before the entire world had to hit the breaks. Her ceremony, which was going to be held in Indonesia, her guest list (who had booked their plane ticket and hotel rooms), her caterers, and everything wedding-related had been finalized and even more painfully, was paid for. She was on already on her dress' final fitting, too! And as sad as it was to have had to postpone, Rachel is definitely glad to have taken the safer route and not put her life, or any other life, in danger. She hasn't figured out when she'll want to reschedule just yet.

Other than her wedding, Rachel's Siargao-based businesses have also taken pretty big blows in the last month. She has an AirBnB and a coffee shop on the popular island destination, but given Siargao's strict border closures, it hasn't seen tourists in months which means zero to no income for many of its businesses. She worries about how her ventures will make it through till next year should the crisis persist into 2021 and, god forbid, beyond.

She definitely misses being on the set of "Beached," a Metro Channel show that she she co-hosts with Marc Nelson, featuring the most beautiful beaches in the Philippines. She had the most fun filming in Sorsogon and Masbate, and she hopes those experiences won't be the last! Traveling, really, has been one of the things she can't wait to go back to when things have calmed down and become safe again. Thinking of her co-host, Rachel has only good things to say about Marc, praising him for how he's been incredibly supportive of her and willing to share all his hosting know-how.

She's got a thousand and one memories of her time with "Beached," but if she had to pick just a few that have defined her hosting experiences, they'd definitely include that time she went skydiving (and freaked out when she realized what she had gotten herself into as she was getting gear strapped onto her), she visited Romblon (which was never on her bucket list), and when she toured all, as in all, the islands of Palawan. It's a dream job for a beach babe like her, and in her own words, she "struck gold." She couldn't have been more grateful for a position that was perfectly in line with what she loves to do in her down time and her personal advocacies.

Workout-wise, she's not as strict with her fitness routine as you think! All she'll strongly recommend is to practice intermittent fasting and be extra conscious of all the unhealthy things (hello, processed food) to cut from your diet. But if and when you find yourself in a situation where you need to look extra fit, pair fasting with a diet of boiled eggs and plantain bananas (a.k.a. saba)! If you were wondering about cheat days, Rachel laughs and says if you can have five "good days" out of seven days in a week, you'll be alright. Other than figuring out a diet that works for her, she's recently explored breathing exercises as they're not only good for the body, but for the mind, too.

Believe it or not, Rachel only really got serious about figuring out a skin routine in the last few months. She's a stranger to serums, face oils, essences, and most other things many women have on their vanity areas, but her time in quarantine introduced her to a L'Oréal product she swears by now—she's a big fan of the brand's Crystal Micro-essence! More than that, she's crowdsourcing for the perfect sunscreen to wear every day because she actually hasn't found the perfect one for her; suggestions are welcome!

Thinking of 2021, Rachel just wants things to be better—for everyone. Businesses, families, the travel sector, herself, she just wants to see things improve. That, and to not forget about the things that only a time like this could have taught her: patience, flexibility, and appreciation of the small things (which are, actually, the big things!).