Long story short - bought passport & tickets for Jan 2012 to Pasto through Bogota with intention of traveling with boyfriend who was born and raised in Cali. He dumped me. Can't refund tickets. Really want to go still.
I've never traveled out of US. I speak a little Spanish. Would be traveling alone. Not horribly into the club scene or hardcore sports stuff. I am very much a keep-to-myself kind of gal. I'm sure I could fill 3 weeks with activities. The question is should I?
As I had planned to stay with his family (who would have paid for most things) -- how much should I budget for 3 weeks not including flight to/from US??
What are best sources for coming up with itinerary, reliable resources?
Honestly, any input would be greatly appreciated!
Amy
Need input - first international travel to Colombia in Jan 2012
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Hi Amy,
Me and my mom will be staying in Bogota for 4 days in late January 2012 (22 to 25th). We don´t know anyone there and will be staying at Excelsior hotel. We are looking foward to walk near by and shop little gifts. We are flying Copa Airlines comming from Brazil and connection in Panama. I speak same spanish and understand it reasonably. If you wish our company... get in touch.
Take Care,
Daniel
Hey Amy congrats on your trip I love Colombia
Cali is ugly as are its men but its women are BEAUTIFUL
and constantly in search of men who do not suck.
paisatours.com many wonderful places towns based on what you
like... Many great Hostels if budget lots to do 2 of my favs
platypusbogota.com
casaviena.com
with stops in between might be a great start for you.
Lots of great guys and gals in Colombia tonnes of fun.
Dan Hotels are great everywhere if budget is good
but the younger social scene is best around the hostels.
$50/da works for me for budget travel there.
Boliviariano.com.co or aires.aero for xport
travel.state.gov for a heads up and insuremytrip.com
Do not share cabs befriend strangers buy your own drinks
and avoid the cocaine tourists like the plague and
odds are great you will have a wonderful time...
There are many on line scammers pay with CC never wire money
Good luck!
www.journeywoman.com great solo female site for you.
Go by all means easy to find like minded travel buds
and have a wonderful time... hostelbookers.com good gen site
for solo female hostal private rooms of quality...
We're a couple of older retired folks and seasoned travelers going to Colombia for all of Jan and Feb. We've been doing a lot of research and Colombia sounds wonderful. Have you been looking at the lonelyplanet.com thorntree forum as well as this site?. Many, many younger people going to Colombia now and posting about their experiences on that site Agree with others that you should definitely GO! You'll have a great time. Once you do this international travel - you'll be hooked.
We wish we'd started a long time ago! So many wonderful places to experience in the world.
Ajanene2002, go for it! I'm similar to Glover, in that my husband and I are both older seasoned travellers, but I definitely remember my first travel experiences. I went to Greece with a girlfriend back in the mid 70's and loved every minute of the trip. That set me up for a lifetime of travel.
Unfortunately I still work (only my husband is retired), so we're only going for 17 days. There seems to be a lot to see, so I'm already wishing we had more time there.
Comment has been removed by Fodor's moderators
I currently live in Medellin and was raised in Florida. You are going to love the country but I definitely reccomend studying up on your Spanish as few people speak English. If you are planning on traveling around the country by bus I would say $1000 should be fine, by plane maybe $1400. Food and hostels are really cheap here so your main expenses would be transportation and excursions. If you are traveliing on your own and have never been out of the country it may be better to join an organized tour. My friends came to visit a while back and went on an organized tour with www.viventura.com They really loved it and said the prices were very reasonable. If you decide to do it on your own, don't miss Cartagena, Tayrona, Medellin, Rosario Islands and the mud volcano haha Good luck and stay safe!
Hi Amy-
My wife was born and lived in Colombia for 25 years. We were just there for the holidays with my Dad and my brother in law. Colombia is awesome. The security is nothing like what we have here n the states, but follow a few rules and you should be fine:
-Be careful of taxis. Most problems for tourists come from getting in the wrong cab. Make sure the cab you take is marked, and if you get a weird vibe from the driver, take another one
-Careful of who you ask for direction or help from. Colombia is a poor country and so there are a lot of scam artists.
-Keep small amounts of cash readily available in your pocket so you don't have to pull out your whole $1000 in cash. (You would be marked immediately)
-Traveling from city to city should not be done at night. My wife says that the infamous gorillas we here about, there are a lot of them in the mountains near Cali.
I am really not trying to scare you at all. My last trip to Colombia was the best trip I've ever taken, I just want you to be aware and alert of your surroundings. The people in Colombia are very friendly and outgoing. Trust your instincts and you will have a great trip.
Hey Amy, finally you went to Pasto? i went there as well the past january and i just can say it was the best!. I was traveling alone, definitely easier than with partners and very safe. From my city [london] i flew to bogota and stayed on zona rosa, the "chic" area within the city, there is a nice hostel -the only one- called chapinorte hostel www.chapinortehostelbogota.com -wich is more a guesthouse than a hostel- The trip from bogota to the border was an adventure. The carnival and the people were amazing and very king; the owner of the hotel where i stayed -francisco- didn't speak english wich is a little bit difficult but is very kind and knows a lot of his region, his number [if you need it someday again] is 314 839 9516, i expend just 1 week there but i could expend 1 month -lol- The next carnival i'll be there again, if you want to join me, you're welcome. Just drop me a line.