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Büm D. Tenorio Jr. - The Philippine Star
December 23, 2025 | 12:00am
Christine Dayrit’s book features 60 stories from her adventures across six continents.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — “My love for travel began long before I knew it was a calling.”
Thus said Christine Dayrit, resident travel writer of The Philippine STAR for 25 years now, at the recent launch of her book “60 Dream Holidays Around the World” in Makati.
The 60 stories featured in the 464-page book are reprinted from her column articles in The STAR. She has written more than a thousand travel articles since 2000.
“For 25 years, I’ve chased the world across six continents. Six continents that have shaped my heart, my craft and my courage – each one a chapter, each one a lesson. The only land I have yet to set foot on is Antarctica, that quiet seventh continent at the edge of the world. I almost reached it once, standing on the shores of Patagonia, watching a small boat that would have taken me across. I hesitated then,” Christine said to an SRO crowd at Chef Jessie’s restaurant.
She added, “But life gives us second chances. And this coming February, I will finally go – and complete the circle of all seven continents. A promise 25 years in the making.”
Christine said she owes her path to many – “to STAR president and CEO Miguel Belmonte and his wife and my childhood best friend Milette, who opened the doors that allowed my voice to find its place in The Philippine STAR. To my editor, Millet Mananquil, who grounded my passion with discipline and purpose. And to my family and friends – your faith has been my quiet anchor.”
“It’s the most impressive coffee table book I’ve ever seen in my life. With ‘60 Dream Holidays Around the World,’ Christine, no doubt, will be the envy of all the travel writers in the country,” said Belmonte.
“It has truly been a pleasure for me to have Christine as The Philippine STAR’s premier travel columnist during my presidency of our beloved paper,” Belmonte added.
In her foreword for “60 Dream Holidays Around the World,” Mananquil, STAR Lifestyle editor, wrote: “Christine is the girl who gathered wonder… After reading this book, you will discover the true essence of her persona: she is a citizen of the world… Christine has been footloose, thanks to her parents who urged their children to run after a platypus in Melbourne, listen to Maori legends in New Zealand and chase sunsets in Serengeti.”
Christine’s family owns Miladay, the 59-year-old fine jewelry store founded by her late parents Vicente and Milagros Dayrit. She serves as the company’s director for marketing.
“My mother, Milagros, adored jewelry; my father adored the world. When we were kids and we entered jewelry stores or attended jewelry fairs around the world, my siblings would rush toward the diamonds and precious stones. I, however, would stand before the maps on the wall – studying where each gem came from, imagining the mountains, the miners, the long journeys behind those tiny sparks of light,” she said.
That innate wonder in her became Christine’s compass to discover the world – including those featured in the “60 Dream Holidays Around the World.”
