TJ
Ever wonder what to expect on your trip to Colombia? I received an email from a reader who wanted me to share my experiences living in Colombia since I spent several months there.
Based on my personal experiences, I found Colombia to be one of the biggest hidden gem travel destinations in the world. I was completely shocked at how beautiful, cheap and fun Colombia can be. Here’s a few things to expect on your trip.
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Cheap Low Cost of Living
The low cost of living was one of the biggest shocks to me. I found Colombia up to 80% cheaper than life in the United States. Things like food, transportation, hotels, drinks, and nightlife are so much cheaper that you will be surprised at all the money you will save.
2. Friendly Locals
Colombians are very friendly people and many of them speak decent English even though it’s a spanish speaking country. I made friends with people at restaurants, clubs, hotels, malls and soccer matches. They wanted to meet me and ask me why I was traveling to Colombia. Some locals even thought I was a Colombian since there are many native black Colombians.
3. Cheap, Delicious Food
Colombian food is extremely cheap yet full of high quality ingredients. What shocked me the most was how juicy and fresh the fruits and vegetables were. There isn’t a bunch of GMO processed food so you may even lose weight while visiting there. There are plenty of grocery stores, fast food joints and nice restaurants that give you wide selection of things to eat.
4. Beautiful Passionate Women
Colombian women are very affectionate and passionate about men. I found myself locking eyes with different Colombianas on a daily basis. It’s also OK to approach them wherever you go. I met women at grocery stores, malls, on the street, nightclubs and even at a local hostel.
They are very curvy and come in many different shapes in sizes. You can choose from rubias (blondes), morenas (brown skinned girls), mestizas (mixed girls) or negras (black girls).
It’s common to see everything from blonde white girls with huge asses to skinny black girls with flawless skin during your trip.
They are very sexual without giving off a slutty vibe like American women do.
5. Salsa Obsessed Nightlife
Much of Colombia’s nightlife revolves around salsa and Colombianas really love to dance on the weekends. One of the most common dates is taking a girl to a salsa club and enjoying the night with here.
If you are into nightclubs, then you can party at clubs where the female to male ratio is almost 3 to 1. Even stripclubs are much more fun since you watch the strippers dance for free. You only have to pay to take a lady upstairs for some private time.
You are more 2x as likely to hook up with a hottie in Colombia than most western countries. The nightlife is geared towards men, not boosting the nightclub’s revenue.
6. Different Cities, Different Weather
Depending on where you visit in Colombia, you will be shocked at how much the weather changes based on your location.
Cities like Cartagena and Barranquilla are located along the Caribbean sea so the weather is extremely hot and sunny. However, Bogota is at such a high altitude that it was very cold at night. Cities like Medellin and Cali are located in the valley so the weather is more moderate and cool.
It’s best to decide which type of weather you enjoy most before you choose a destinaton in Colombia.
7. Where are the black people in Bogota?
After spending a few months in Cali where they are many black Colombians, I spent 1 week in Bogota while waiting for my visa to Brazil.
I saw 5 black people in an entire week and that’s after going around the city everyday while also checking out a soccer match for the U-20 World cup.
Bogota is one of the most segregated capital cities I have ever seen. However, I understand that Bogota is colder and located over 8,000 feet above sea level.
I walked around and thought to myself: Am I still in Colombia? If you travel to Bogota, then expect to see way more white Colombians and much fewer black people.
8. Soccer Fanatics
Colombians love soccer and expect the entire city to shutdown whenever the Colombia national football team plays. I was in Cali during a national team match and literally every store had the game on the television. Colombians love soccer like Americans love the NFL.
9. Good Apartment Rates
I rented a nice luxury condo in Cali Colombia from a local real estate agent for around $400 in a safe neighborhood. The apartment was fully furnished and included a nice king size bed, cable tv, bathroom and lounge area.
You can check Airbnb for some amazingly cheap apartment that would cost 3x to 4x as much in America.
10. South American Charm at a Super Low Price
Colombia provides a lot of the benefits of Brazil at a much lower cost. Ever since the World Cup and Olympics, Brazil has experienced a surge in tourism and prices have skyrocketed. Many people can still get great food, beautiful women and sunny weather in Colombia without all the hassles. Learn a little Spanish and you are set to go.
