What NOT to bring to Colombia.

Bringing cash or the latest iPhone is an invitation to disaster.

Don't bring CASH!

“Have a debit card for use at an ATM and a Credit Card for emergencies. Nobody in Colombia will accept Dollars, Euros or Pounds except the ripoff money changers.”

As soon as you land at the airport you will have some ATM machines available. Some banks have a trick. They offer you a lousy exchange rate, and if you accept it they win! If you decline the bad rate, they will then offer you a rate closer to the market rate.

This video will explain how it works: https://youtu.be/rdYhm__yMQY

I suggest you let me help you with the ATM the first time.

You also need to know which ATM's to use. One gal I was dating at the time used an ATM that was in a privacy booth, but on a street lined with businesses. When she came out of the booth, there were no other pedestrians around and two thieves on a motorcycle knew that anybody coming out of that booth was going to have cash on them. They stopped and robbed her and then went on their merry way. I was astonished. This girl was born and raised in Medellin. She should have known better, but I will make sure you don't repeat her mistake.

Leave your jewelry at home.

There is nobody you need to impress with gold chains, a Rolex or a diamond ring. All you will do is attract robbers. So will the latest iPhone. The best phone to carry is a cheap Android. If you don't have one, you can rent one.

A late model iPhone costs about 3 months' wages for the average Colombian, so you may literally have it snatched from your careless hands if you are carrying it and using it on the streets.

Have you arranged a call?

Use the Contact page to send me a message and suggest the best time for me to call you.

I will call you from Colombia so that I can learn a little bit about you and find out your objectives. At that time I will also help you set up a WhatsApp account and teach you a little about how to use it most effectively. Then you will also be able to call me in Colombia over WiFi absolutely free.