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IMPULSE TRAVEL TEAM
We are a team of storytellers here to bring you the best Colombia has to offer. On our blog, we answer your most frequent questions and uncover our countries mysteries, culture, and highlights for you.
Safety is a concern for many travelers in Colombia—understandable given the country’s past reputation. But don’t worry; it’s not as bad as you might have heard. Impulse has traveled with over 20,000 international visitors, and only a handful have reported safety issues. Most travelers will be safe even if they don’t follow local advice. However, if you want to minimize the already remote chance of having a bad experience, read on.
To travel safely, consider the popular Colombian expression “no dar papaya.” Literally translating to “don’t give the papaya,” it means not putting yourself in an easy target situation—essentially, don’t act carelessly or make yourself an obvious target.
Here are eleven safety tips to “no dar papaya”:
1. Keep an eye on your belongings:
Make sure not to leave your suitcase, backpack or bags unattended in public spaces. It’s best to stay close to your luggage or rather carry everything with you at all times. It’s easy! Take all your belongings everywhere you go, don’t leave them anywhere and you won’t risk losing them.
2. Wear your backpack in front of you in crowded spaces like buses or waiting lines:
During your journey through Colombia, you will most likely visit touristy places with a lot of people and might also travel in packed buses. Be careful there! To avoid being targeted for pick-pocketing, you should wear your backpack in front of you. This way, you will be able to identify thievish intentions before you end up missing anything.
3. Be aware of your surroundings and suspicious people or vehicles:
The key is to listen to your gut! If a situation seems weird, an unknown person approaches you or gets too close to your personal space - trust your instincts and go back to areas where you feel safe (e.g. with more people). Should you find yourself in a situation where you get robbed, please hand over what is asked of you - your well-being is worth so much more than money or a phone.
4. Do not wear expensive jewelry or any other valuables visibly on the street:
Do not show off precious and expensive necklaces, watches or earrings, they could be snatched from you. Usually, you do not have to worry about wearing inexpensive jewelry or fashion jewelry. If you still want to wear one of your more valuable pieces, we recommend to conceal it in public spaces.
5. Evaluate your surroundings before taking out your camera or smartphone for a picture, text, or call.
In most areas this could be perfectly fine, in other places it might not be such a great idea e.g. in crowded areas far from main commerce areas. If you do get them out, constantly scan your surroundings and, if needed, guard them again.
6. Use a small backpack and remove airline tags from it:
This way you won’t be immediately considered a rich tourist who can afford to travel. Also, a smaller backpack gives the impression that you don’t carry a lot of things with you and thus are not a lucrative target for robbers.
7. Ask the locals for safe routes, and dangerous places to avoid:
As a traveler, you can trust the locals when they say an area is not for you or when they recommend a certain route - after all, they live here and have the street smarts. Even if a recommendation might take longer or cost more money do not go against it - better safe than sorry!
8. Get your cab via call, smartphone app (Tappsi, Easy taxi or Uber) or in authorized taxi booths (found inside shopping malls, airports, and bus terminals):
You do not want to get in the first vehicle that offers transport without checking if it is an authorized taxi - after all, you want to end up where you intend to go, right?
9. Do not carry all of your money and cards with you, store them in different groups and places:
Before going on a trip, estimate how much money in cash you will need and only take this amount with you. If you take a credit card with you, take one with a smaller balance. Leave the things you don’t need in the hotel safe. If you have to take all of your things with you e.g. on to a new location or your trip home - don’t put all your money and cards in one bag. If it gets stolen everything will be gone.
10. If you leave popular tourist destinations, avoid exploring by yourself:
It's intriguing and exciting to discover the destinations of a country that are off the typical tourist routes. To avoid negative experiences, hire a guide when you're leaving popular destinations. The locals usually have a pretty good idea of where you can or can't go. Especially if your Spanish knowledge is limited, this will make your trip easier and safer.
11. Use your common sense:
Generally, this is the essence of all the points mentioned above. These tips are not only for traveling through Colombia - they will help you on all your travels. All these tips are very straightforward and simple, so it will be easy to implement them during your journey - and you can enjoy your vacation in Colombia without worries!
Are you planning to come to Colombia? Let us give you a hand with a fun and quick vacation planning process, contact us over WhatsApp or complete our Vacation Planning Form and we will plan the best trip for you in just a few hours!
IMPULSE Travel wishes you happy travels in Colombia!
Foto Source Papaya Colombia: https://antropologika.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/foto-a2.jpg
