Colombia: The Unplanned Holiday Trip I Will Remember for a Lifetime (Dec 2022 — Jan 2023)
👉One evening in October of 2022, while studying one of the various cybersecurity courses I took during the last term of graduate school as part of my marathon series of full-time graduate school and full-time work, I decided I was going to climb Machu Picchu. I began planning my trip nearly three months out. I didn’t predict that Peru would be in complete disarray in three months and civil unrest would erupt less than a week before my well-planned trip would start.
I tried to resist canceling by pretending it wasn’t as bad as the news said. It wasn’t until I began receiving the State Department alerts of emergency evacuations and the train being broken to Machu Picchu that I realized the situation would not be cleared up “quickly.” I also did not have on my bucket list to get stranded in Machu Picchu and be evacuated by helicopter. I knew I had to cancel and rebook everything within less than a week.
👉 So why did I pick Colombia?
If you know me, then you know that having too many options is a certain level of hell for me. Please give me one, maybe two possibilities, and I will be happy. So, one evening, sitting in my one-bedroom flat, I was thinking of where I wanted to go. I immediately got onto the United app and started looking at “anywhere” searches to try and find a location that would be less than 12 hours of travel.
Below are my broad criteria for my new trip, which at this point, I only had six days to plan:
👉Less than 12 hours of travel
👉The new flight was not more expensive than my current ticket
👉Must have physical activities available, either hiking or some other type of sport
I realize now that there should have been more than these three filters to make finding my future travel location easier. My first thought was Canada because I love the snow, and Canada “aye.” Then I proceeded to contemplate Iceland, Scotland, Portugal, Ecuador, Antarctica, Chili, and finally Colombia. Not in that precise order, but pretty close. Two more days of indecision passed, and I knew I had to decide quickly on my new travel location.
So a lot of people asked me, “why Colombia?” Unfortunately, I don’t have a profound answer with an enlightening moment. It was initially based on a flight that was the same price as my Peru ticket and a “short” flight. Also, I decided to go somewhere warm, and a bonus was finding the 4-day hiking trip to the lost city, which was a once and a lifetime experience.
🧡 So here I am, living it up in Colombia, and Whoa! I am happy my plans changed. I booked the hiking trip only two days before arriving in Colombia and planned my trip up to the day I returned from the hiking excursion. When I returned to Santa Marta, I had no plans and went with the flow. It so happened that my dear friend and colleague was literally down the street from me, holidaying with his family. I debated meeting up and “crashing” the family holiday vacation, but I am so glad I crashed the party.
I can tell you that being here and among Colombians, as a solo adventurer, I have never felt so safe and welcomed by the locals. Everyone was very kind, and their generosity was overflowing. I was able to explore Colombia by foot and boat and experience it from the eyes of locals, which is the best way. The food was terrific, and this trip is one I will never forget for the rest of my life.
👉Many people think I am crazy for traveling alone. I think it’s crazy to sit around waiting to travel out of fear of traveling alone. I have traveled as a solo adventurer for years. Whenever I go outside America (not including Canada or Mexico), I feel more enriched and recharged as a human. Being a solo traveler gives me a richer perspective of everything. I am more engaged with the locals and my experiences versus having someone to lean on and being more in my comfort zone. Everyone should travel alone at least once because you gain a certain level of confidence and independence you cannot achieve with a companion. However, this is the second vacation I have connected with a friend, and it is a fantastic blessing to enjoy the experience with others.
Colombia provides the best of both worlds, the mountains, and the ocean. The culture is thriving. I love Colombia so much that I will come back and invest in property. I highly recommend visiting.
👉Here is a fun vlog I put together of my adventures: https://youtu.be/8lyRjeXy2_A
I am thankful for this experience and excited to kick off 2023 in a powerful way. Outpost Gray has a lot to roll out, and we will be revealing it in the first quarter of 2023.
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🧡Thanks to everyone for your support; let’s make 2023 the best!
🧡 Until my next adventure! 🧡
