Travel Tips

It has been one month since we left the USA! To commemorate this marker of time I thought I’d share some general travel tips that we’ve learned along the way, some COVID tips, and some things to know about Colombia specifically.

General Travel Tips

• You’re on vacation, chill out! You’ll get there when you get there. A bad day of traveling is still an adventure.
• Don’t be such a gringo: Learn Spanish and don’t assume people will know English. You’re a guest and making impressions. Give natives priority and let them go first when possible. Don’t cut lines or expect any special treatment.
• You can’t sign into Venmo outside of the U.S. For cyber security purposes, I signed out of all of my accounts before leaving the US and use One Password app to sign in every time. Well, found out quickly that you can’t sign into Venmo at all outside the US so I guess Carl will have to wait a few months before I pay him back for many things Venmo, if you’re listening, this doesn’t make sense at all because if someone’s phone was stolen, they’d have to wait until they got back into the states to change their password.
• If you plan to go somewhere sunny and buggy, I recommend bringing a lightweight, light colored (white), long sleeve shirt. We brought some light long sleeves designed for chilly nights but we regret not bringing something for hiking in the Amazon and Colombian mountains.
• We brought the best boots and backpacks. My boots are Merrell, Carl’s are Timberlands and they both are designed for hiking trails but look fashionable enough to wear in city streets. Everyone and their mom asked us how we could wear our boots and seemed surprised when we said they were made for hiking and comfy, even on the last day of La Ciudad Perdida. We did not sustain any blisters yet, although I did put moleskin on my toe on the last day. Carl’s fared better than mine after La Ciudad Perdida but I think mine just need a good scrub to all be one shade of brown again. There are a ton of shoe shiners in the parks in Lima, maybe I’ll contribute to the local economy that way.

• Backpack cheat code. Our backpacks are both front loading style, Osprey brand. Mine is the Fairview 40L and Carl’s is the Porter 30L. I’ve had issues with closing mine when there is ANYTHING in the front compartment, but otherwise have been able to fit everything I need. Also because we have backpacks we haven’t had to check bags or pay extra fees on budget airlines (even though my backpack is probably bigger and weighs more than most of the tiny carry on suitcases!). Our bags also have good hip straps so we were able to use them as backpacking backpacks and to distribute weight better when walking from place to place. Even with my back problems I’m glad I went with a backpack rather than a rolling suitcase because few streets have been paved well enough to roll anything.

• Before we left I switched over to Carl’s T-mobile phone plan and am happy I did so. I think the standard T-mobile plan allows international free texting, 2G data (better some places than others!) and .25 cent/min calls. We’ve only had to make two very short calls (once when we couldn’t find rental call shuttle and once when the hostel in Bogotá seemed totally shut at 3am when we arrived). The data is really slow but we have been able to find some kind of WiFi in most places, even if it’s slow or intermittent. What’s app seems to work no matter what is going on, and has been a great way of communicating with international numbers.
• Don’t forget your earplugs and bring an extra pair for your friend that does forget.

COVID Traveling Tips

• Avoid layovers in the U.S. When we went from Sint Maarten to Bogotá we had a layover in Miami and we had to show proof of negative covid test for US requirements. We had purchased at home PCR tests but they didn’t accept these so we had to pay ~$60 each to get rapid tests done a few hours before the flight- unnecessary stress!
• So far Sint Maarten, Colombia, and Peru have required electronic affidavits when entering and leaving the country. Sint Maarten required us to check in and record our temperature every day for the first 5 days. Only two places in Colombia required proof of vaccination: the bar by the wall, Cafe Del Mar, and to board the Catamaran, Bona Vida. In Peru so far we had to show our vaccine card to get into an outdoor mall and they required us to wear two masks. In many places in Peru (airports) they require two masks.

Colombia Tips

• SPANISH. At the airport and in touristy areas like big cities and Cartagena we found some people knew English well. But, for the most part, many people we interacted with had very little English. I loved this because it forced us to use our Spanish skills instead of in Puerto Rico where people would automatically switch to English with me. I’d recommend learning a few Spanish phrases and food items before visiting to avoid frustration and show good manners to the hosts.

• NICE. Every Colombian we met was SO nice. I think the most frustrating time we had was checking into the hotel in Tyrona where the woman talked so fast and seemed to have an attitude. Everyone else has been happy to repeat things slower when we ask and it seemed like people were willing to help us in other ways besides language too. As an example, in Medellín when we got metro tickets the cashier man was very patient, explained one line was closed but helped us get tickets for another, and even smiled!

• COFFEE and TEA. In (I think) every other Spanish speaking place, the word ‘tinto’ means red wine. In Colombia, it also means black coffee. This was a surprise to us when for breakfast one morning we were offered tinto! Also aromáticas means tea, in case that’s what you’re into.

• FRUIT. Not so much a tip but perhaps a reason to visit. Every hotel breakfast we had started with fresh fruit and juice. Fruit is usually papaya, pineapple, and sometimes mango or cantaloupe. Every street had vendors selling fruit including Mango Biche which is green mango with salt and lime. Every restaurant has (seemingly) fresh fruit juice, our favorites being: Maracuya (passion fruit), Sandía (watermelon) and Lemonade (limeade!).

• TOILET PAPER. Most bathrooms have a toilet paper dispenser right when you walk into the room and do not have individual dispensers in each of the stalls. This means you need to check with yourself first and think about how much you might need. Some bathrooms had no toilet paper at all so we stole a role from a hotel and carried it around with us. Also most bathrooms have signs asking you to throw dirty TP into the trash, not the toilet.

• HEADPHONES. No one has them. Airplanes are LOUD with the sounds of music videos, candy crushing, and everything else. I don’t know if people have them and don’t use them but people seem confused when I glare at them and I haven’t had the confidence to tell anyone to turn the volume down, especially because 4 other people are listening to something just as loud. The cake topper was a guy behind me whose notification sound was a rooster cockle-doodle-dooing AT FULL VOLUME. I guess he didn’t turn on airplane mode either because it went off about five times and gave me such a fright each time.

• FLYING. Don’t try to book flights from one small place to another. Even from Medellín to Cusco it was impossible to get a direct flight and most went through Bogotá AND Lima. Also the budget airlines are cheap for a reason. Be warned.

• CHÉVERE. Colombians use the word, Chévere, to describe something cool. Like, “how was the hike?” “Chévere!”