Great video and thank you for referring me to it. I hesitated to come to Santa Marta after seeing Alina’s video. I am a female solo traveller and I’ve travelled all my life. I usually don’t interact much with people and keep to myself. I have been extremely cautious in the last years because I know people have gotten desperate. I always carefully research my areas and never end up wandering in places that I’m not 100% sure of. That doesn’t make me much of an adventurer but at least I’m safe. Thanks again for this wonderful video. I had no idea you were also Canadian 😊
Yes I'm from Nova Scotia although I worked for years in Toronto before leaving to start my website Bacon in Magic. I bought a one way ticket to Mexico without knowing any Spanish and traveled overland to Argentina. I think Latin America can be easy solo, especially as a woman, once you know the "rules." I watch Alina and love her videos. In SM I saw the area she went to and the issue was definitely that she was in a place where she was isolated and easy to target. I think she talked about people trying to stop her, likely they were warning her but she doesn't speak Spanish. None of this is her fault at all. And I think it was great for her to post a video so people are aware that it can be dangerous. But I also wanted to provide some perspective that yes you need to watch out but that doesn't mean you can't visit or you need to be afraid. I think many places are similar to Barcelona, Paris, Rome where you can also get into trouble in the wrong areas. I actually think Latin America is safer for women because people look out for them, and then also because foreign men get themselves into bad situations because they are looking for women without knowing the culture. As they say "no dar papaya..."
@@ayngelina great reply! I agree! Thank you, I am from Ottawa, but I work in Whitehorse Yukon, as well as Saskatchewan. I travel full-time for work and for leisure I’ve travelled in many places across the world, including India, Europe, US,the Caribbean’s , the Middle East, south, America and Mexico,… Always as a solo woman. I’ve never had any trouble in South America I lived in Mexico for a year. The worse that happened to me is I got my bike stolen. Alina had bad luck. She’s a smart traveller . . it happens. Continue the great work. It is much appreciated.☺️👍
Now I research a Colombia issue same of Francis candiyey his a Filipino vlogger he went to Colombia last week he suffered all that experience he got drunk with some guy thier then suddenly he feel unconscious when he wokeup his already in hospital the body have aparatos ,then his things gone all loptop,money,phones so sad .... Colombia to bad
In Colombia people need to be more aware, getting drunk with people you don't know is dangerous. What was the name of the vlogger? I'll check out his channel.
Fantastic advice ❤ i don’t drink, I mean alcohol, prefer water 💦 bottle water, I know someone who lives in Bogotá, so I be with her & extra be careful I known her for 2-3 years
Then you’ll be fine, it’s the naive foreign men who come and think a beautiful Colombian woman will be at a bar alone and strike up a conversation with them with no bad intentions.
Your last tip is great and respect should be given to people trying to make a few dollars. Where I live in Ecuador you kind of get to know what they are selling before they ask and I politely tell No, gracias, or No, por favor but they are also usually selling something I do not eat or will not buy from people on the streets like fish. Hope you are recovering well from your 36 hour flight.
I think some people become so guarded about people trying to rip them off that they forget these people have lives and families beyond a short interaction. And thank you, I am taking things slow here but so far so good.
Just found your channel and we loooooove it! Thanks for sharing your insight. Just subscribed. 👍 How about overnight busses? Recommend or not? If so, any tips for staying safe?
I would like to add some advice for male Travelers. Prostitution is a very big industry in Colombia. Most of the women are simply trying to put food on the table for their family. But use a bit of common sense when taking a girl back to your hotel. First and foremost is advise your hotel of your intention of returning with a guest. Ask the staff to insist, that she registers with a copy of her Cédula. Inform the hotel, that you will escort her out. And if she try’s to leave without being escorted. That should be interpreted as a serious situation. Finally, never accept any food or drink from her or leave your food or drink unattended. Even a sealed can of Beer or Soda could have liquid drugs placed on the mouth area of the can. Evaporated and just waiting to get washed down when the can is opened! Have fun, but stay safe!
I really like Intrepid, I have taken tours with them in Cuba and Galapagos and they have good guides and are people who travel quite a bit and all ages. They have a good price point too. They are connected with Urban adventures, which do day trips and I did a few in Cuba and also thought the guides were excellent - and I'm picky as I was based there for two years.
También deberías hacer referencia a la cantidad de estadounidenses (hombres) que vienen a algunas ciudades de Colombia a ejercer el turismo sexual aprovechandose de menores de edad en ciudades como Cartagena y Medellín
I don’t have a lot of knowledge in that area but traveling the world I see this horrific behavior everywhere. I wish there was a way to deal with it internationally.
Great tips. Tourist tours are one of the most hated product in tourism. Most of the time the service does not coincide with the description. My advice is avoid as much as possible.
Going to smaller towns is definitely more difficult and there will be fewer people speaking English. I’m not sure how much of an expat situation there is there. Are you willing to learn Spanish? That would go a long way.
@@ayngelina I don't like big city I am from Dallas tx. So your advice is I can't survive in small city like North America. 🤔 maybe they think I am crazy Loco 🤣🤣 any way I like your videos 📹lot thanks
I am hoping to go back to Colombia later in the year and the coffee region is on my list to head back to. I was there in 2010 and 2011 but did not shoot video. I will pay attention to how much English is there :)
A truly safe country is a country where you CAN be a bit reckless and most likely get away it. I recently lived in Seoul, and the locals there would constantly ‘dar papaya’, like never looking up from their phones on the street, walking alone at night, being blind drunk on the street, not checking their surroundings before taking out their wallet, leaving their laptop on the table in a cafe whilst going to the bathroom when alone etc etc…because it’s so unlikely anything will happen to them. That’s the difference between a safe country and a less safe country like Colombia where you do need to take more precautions.
Not many countries you can do that in. Even in Canada it’s possible nothing with happen but it’s still very risky. But you are right, comparing Asia with Latin America in terms of safety is like night and day.
@@ayngelina you’d be surprised at how many places you can risk taking very few precautions in. Japan, S Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Slovenia…I can see someone else made a very similar comment to mine saying precautions weren’t necessary in Latvia, New Zealand, Croatia, Czechia too. Whilst good to exercise basic common sense, the point is that the same level of precautions do not apply to every single country. Safer countries require fewer precautions. Dangerous countries require more. Colombia needs more precautions than any of the aforementioned countries, but probably far less than Venezuela or South Africa.
@@ayngelina maybe not black out drunk, but that was one example of many I gave. I think in the countries I mentioned you could safely walk around the street with your phone out. Or safely walk alone at night. Or leave your laptop unattended whilst going to the bathroom in a cafe
Every country has areas you should not visit and streets you can't walk down. Even my home country Canada. If you're smart about it and know in advance you'll be fine. I've traveled all over Latin America solo without worry.
I agree, I came upon this because I was considering going in March . After reading dept of state travel advisory I wanted to see someone who actually been there . I do this before I go anywhere outside of the country. Yep I’ll pass on Columbia
Thank you. I have travelled in Asia and Europe as a Marine then Solider. Different when I was in the military. My concern is my elderly wife. Best to you. DRS / RVN Vet.@@ayngelina
@@ayngelinahi, your video was actually good with helpful tips and you covered some real issues there. I've seen many people claim before that oh its just like any other country, you need to watch out and you'll be safe. Like it's no different when clearly it is. I lived for half a year in colombia in both cartagena and Santa marta and soon will be going back and while those are nice cities it definitely was not like anywhere else and had some serious issues. Basically if there are precautions to be taken in means its not safe. Precautions are there to be safe. In my country latvia and many others that I have lived in such new zealand, Norway, Croatia, Czechia and so on none of your mentioned issues where issues of any consideration there. Never took any precautions there and nothing ever happened. No problem walking with your phone out alone at 12 pm and checking the map or something. But in colombia I prepared for my trip and took a lot of precautions and that's why didn't get robbed or anything bad happening. Although probably got close on a few occasions and felt uncomfortable. The crime for sure is a real issue there and I hope that something can and will be done about it soon so that people can relax and really enjoy those beautiful places more like in other parts of the world. Honestly it often can get a bit (or a lot) troubling when you constantly have to be alert and watch out when out and about, creates some kind of constant anxiety in the body. This is what happened to me. We lived in santa marta and yes there were times when it felt really dangerous, one night we asked the police to take us back to the hotel. In that hotel met people that were robbed right there and then. So many precautions need to be taken but hopefully there will come a day when there will be no need for them that much in colombia
I don't think it will change. If anything I think it really has gotten better to what it once was ad Colombians are just accustomed to knowing what you can and can't do. I travel Latin America a lot and thankfully can blend in a bit more as my goal is always to not look like a tourist. You don't want to be the most obvious one to rob.
I see you the first time and i already love you!)
I hope you enjoy the Colombia series
Great travel tips, Ayngelina. There are definitely pitfalls for ALL of us to stay aware of.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it 😊
Good to know. Stay safe!
Thank you Nellie
Great video and thank you for referring me to it. I hesitated to come to Santa Marta after seeing Alina’s video. I am a female solo traveller and I’ve travelled all my life. I usually don’t interact much with people and keep to myself. I have been extremely cautious in the last years because I know people have gotten desperate. I always carefully research my areas and never end up wandering in places that I’m not 100% sure of. That doesn’t make me much of an adventurer but at least I’m safe. Thanks again for this wonderful video. I had no idea you were also Canadian 😊
Yes I'm from Nova Scotia although I worked for years in Toronto before leaving to start my website Bacon in Magic. I bought a one way ticket to Mexico without knowing any Spanish and traveled overland to Argentina.
I think Latin America can be easy solo, especially as a woman, once you know the "rules." I watch Alina and love her videos. In SM I saw the area she went to and the issue was definitely that she was in a place where she was isolated and easy to target. I think she talked about people trying to stop her, likely they were warning her but she doesn't speak Spanish.
None of this is her fault at all. And I think it was great for her to post a video so people are aware that it can be dangerous.
But I also wanted to provide some perspective that yes you need to watch out but that doesn't mean you can't visit or you need to be afraid. I think many places are similar to Barcelona, Paris, Rome where you can also get into trouble in the wrong areas.
I actually think Latin America is safer for women because people look out for them, and then also because foreign men get themselves into bad situations because they are looking for women without knowing the culture. As they say "no dar papaya..."
@@ayngelina great reply! I agree! Thank you, I am from Ottawa, but I work in Whitehorse Yukon, as well as Saskatchewan. I travel full-time for work and for leisure I’ve travelled in many places across the world, including India, Europe, US,the Caribbean’s , the Middle East, south, America and Mexico,… Always as a solo woman. I’ve never had any trouble in South America I lived in Mexico for a year. The worse that happened to me is I got my bike stolen. Alina had bad luck. She’s a smart traveller . . it happens. Continue the great work. It is much appreciated.☺️👍
Just discovered your channel thanks for the tips i want to visit soon but particular other parts columbia
I also have a website Baconismagic.ca that may help as I’ve been visiting Colombia since 2010
Great video. I appreciate all your time to educate us about travelling around South America 🙏
Thank you! It’s all my pleasure.
Great video thank you. So much good advice. 🛫
I am so happy you found it useful!
Would you like to travel around Colombia ? Check the best travel experiences on my travel channeI 💯🇨🇴
Awesome advice thank you
You are so welcome!
I am a new subscriber and I loved your positive attitude.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
this video help me alot, thanks
Glad to hear that!
Now I research a Colombia issue same of Francis candiyey his a Filipino vlogger he went to Colombia last week he suffered all that experience he got drunk with some guy thier then suddenly he feel unconscious when he wokeup his already in hospital the body have aparatos ,then his things gone all loptop,money,phones so sad .... Colombia to bad
In Colombia people need to be more aware, getting drunk with people you don't know is dangerous. What was the name of the vlogger? I'll check out his channel.
Thank you for the advice
You bet!
Great advice
A lot of it is common sense but always a great reminder.
Fantastic advice ❤ i don’t drink, I mean alcohol, prefer water 💦 bottle water, I know someone who lives in Bogotá, so I be with her & extra be careful I known her for 2-3 years
Then you’ll be fine, it’s the naive foreign men who come and think a beautiful Colombian woman will be at a bar alone and strike up a conversation with them with no bad intentions.
Your last tip is great and respect should be given to people trying to make a few dollars. Where I live in Ecuador you kind of get to know what they are selling before they ask and I politely tell No, gracias, or No, por favor but they are also usually selling something I do not eat or will not buy from people on the streets like fish.
Hope you are recovering well from your 36 hour flight.
I think some people become so guarded about people trying to rip them off that they forget these people have lives and families beyond a short interaction. And thank you, I am taking things slow here but so far so good.
Excellent, aloha !!!!!
I hope it's useful for you!
Where is the area with the lovely lit umbrellas? I found that space to be very esthetically pleasing.
It's just off the main square, there are a lot of really pretty streets like this.
Thank you so much! From EPS
Have an amazing trip!
Best tips ever
Thank you so much!
Just found your channel and we loooooove it! Thanks for sharing your insight. Just subscribed. 👍
How about overnight busses? Recommend or not? If so, any tips for staying safe?
I have a video on the overnight bus! I took one from Bogota to Santa Marta. It can be good if you have winter clothes or pick up a blanket.
I would like to add some advice for male Travelers.
Prostitution is a very big industry in Colombia. Most of the women are simply trying to put food on the table for their family.
But use a bit of common sense when taking a girl back to your hotel.
First and foremost is advise your hotel of your intention of returning with a guest.
Ask the staff to insist, that she registers with a copy of her Cédula.
Inform the hotel, that you will escort her out. And if she try’s to leave without being escorted. That should be interpreted as a serious situation.
Finally, never accept any food or drink from her or leave your food or drink unattended.
Even a sealed can of Beer or Soda could have liquid drugs placed on the mouth area of the can. Evaporated and just waiting to get washed down when the can is opened!
Have fun, but stay safe!
This is all really great advice, thank you Michael!
@@ayngelina very welcome!
Very accurate
What's a cedula?
@@mightyknight government ID
Hi Ayngelina I want to visit Colombia but dont want to go solo. Any recommendation on how to find a travel buddy.
I’d suggest going on a group tour for the first time so you can meet like minded travelers.
@@ayngelina Good advice thank you. Do you know of any or Any recommendations?
What’s your age and are you male or female?
@@ayngelina 50 male
I really like Intrepid, I have taken tours with them in Cuba and Galapagos and they have good guides and are people who travel quite a bit and all ages. They have a good price point too. They are connected with Urban adventures, which do day trips and I did a few in Cuba and also thought the guides were excellent - and I'm picky as I was based there for two years.
Let's see what ayengelina says! 😅
Let me know if you agree
También deberías hacer referencia a la cantidad de estadounidenses (hombres) que vienen a algunas ciudades de Colombia a ejercer el turismo sexual aprovechandose de menores de edad en ciudades como Cartagena y Medellín
I don’t have a lot of knowledge in that area but traveling the world I see this horrific behavior everywhere. I wish there was a way to deal with it internationally.
Poor Alina looks like she is off the boat from Sweden. Ayngelina looks native. You might not attack a native.
Well there are a lot of blonde Colombians but I think it was sadly just being in the wrong place. Thankfully she had good instincts.
Great tips. Tourist tours are one of the most hated product in tourism. Most of the time the service does not coincide with the description. My advice is avoid as much as possible.
Thanks for sharing!
Some cities are very safe, some are not as safe. Depends.
Very true and within a city some areas are safer than others.
Would you like to travel around Colombia ? Check the best travel experiences on my travel channeI 💯🇨🇴
Can i retire in North armenia i don't know any Spanish language nada.what is your advice for old man.just simple life. Quite place. Solo
Going to smaller towns is definitely more difficult and there will be fewer people speaking English. I’m not sure how much of an expat situation there is there. Are you willing to learn Spanish? That would go a long way.
@@ayngelina I don't like big city I am from Dallas tx. So your advice is I can't survive in small city like North America. 🤔 maybe they think I am crazy Loco 🤣🤣 any way I like your videos 📹lot thanks
I am hoping to go back to Colombia later in the year and the coffee region is on my list to head back to. I was there in 2010 and 2011 but did not shoot video. I will pay attention to how much English is there :)
A. Man tip applies anywhere you are traveling.
Very good point!
I'm a Subscriber, and like # 93.
Thanks so much Pedro!
@@ayngelina It's a pleasure, and we have some catching up to do.
Well winter is a good time to catch up.
Admin ada cita" Punya SUAMI orang INDONESIA enggak ya. 😅
Hahahaha no
👍👍👍
Gracias Ivan!
@@ayngelina lindos videos y hermosos lugares 👍📹📸👍
Like al video por enrique 7:23
Siiiiiii
A truly safe country is a country where you CAN be a bit reckless and most likely get away it. I recently lived in Seoul, and the locals there would constantly ‘dar papaya’, like never looking up from their phones on the street, walking alone at night, being blind drunk on the street, not checking their surroundings before taking out their wallet, leaving their laptop on the table in a cafe whilst going to the bathroom when alone etc etc…because it’s so unlikely anything will happen to them.
That’s the difference between a safe country and a less safe country like Colombia where you do need to take more precautions.
Not many countries you can do that in. Even in Canada it’s possible nothing with happen but it’s still very risky. But you are right, comparing Asia with Latin America in terms of safety is like night and day.
@@ayngelina you’d be surprised at how many places you can risk taking very few precautions in. Japan, S Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Slovenia…I can see someone else made a very similar comment to mine saying precautions weren’t necessary in Latvia, New Zealand, Croatia, Czechia too.
Whilst good to exercise basic common sense, the point is that the same level of precautions do not apply to every single country. Safer countries require fewer precautions. Dangerous countries require more. Colombia needs more precautions than any of the aforementioned countries, but probably far less than Venezuela or South Africa.
Yeah I’d agree with that and as a woman I consider safety a bit differently there’s no place I can get black out drunk without risks.
@@ayngelina maybe not black out drunk, but that was one example of many I gave. I think in the countries I mentioned you could safely walk around the street with your phone out. Or safely walk alone at night. Or leave your laptop unattended whilst going to the bathroom in a cafe
You are not solo tho... someone is behind the camera sometimes :)
I am traveling alone in Colombia, I use a tripod for the camera 😊
You don't say what city you're in....
The first thing I say in the video is Good Morning from Santa Marta Colombia 😊
If you look at the government travel advisory you would think everywhere besides America is dangerous. So stupid
Agreed! I never listened to the advisories because they are so political and not really about safety at all.
You are very beautiful!
Thanks for the kind words. I hope you enjoyed the video!
I would like to ask you a question. Of all the beach towns you have been in, where does Santa Marta Colymbia rank? Loq médium or high? Thanks
All the beach towns around the world? I would give it a medium.
Not going to visit a country where it is not safe. "Don't go down that street ..." to me means don't go to the country. We will skip Columbia.
Every country has areas you should not visit and streets you can't walk down. Even my home country Canada. If you're smart about it and know in advance you'll be fine. I've traveled all over Latin America solo without worry.
I agree, I came upon this because I was considering going in March . After reading dept of state travel advisory I wanted to see someone who actually been there . I do this before I go anywhere outside of the country. Yep I’ll pass on Columbia
Thank you. I have travelled in Asia and Europe as a Marine then Solider. Different when I was in the military. My concern is my elderly wife. Best to you. DRS / RVN Vet.@@ayngelina
@@ayngelinahi, your video was actually good with helpful tips and you covered some real issues there. I've seen many people claim before that oh its just like any other country, you need to watch out and you'll be safe. Like it's no different when clearly it is. I lived for half a year in colombia in both cartagena and Santa marta and soon will be going back and while those are nice cities it definitely was not like anywhere else and had some serious issues. Basically if there are precautions to be taken in means its not safe. Precautions are there to be safe. In my country latvia and many others that I have lived in such new zealand, Norway, Croatia, Czechia and so on none of your mentioned issues where issues of any consideration there. Never took any precautions there and nothing ever happened. No problem walking with your phone out alone at 12 pm and checking the map or something. But in colombia I prepared for my trip and took a lot of precautions and that's why didn't get robbed or anything bad happening. Although probably got close on a few occasions and felt uncomfortable. The crime for sure is a real issue there and I hope that something can and will be done about it soon so that people can relax and really enjoy those beautiful places more like in other parts of the world. Honestly it often can get a bit (or a lot) troubling when you constantly have to be alert and watch out when out and about, creates some kind of constant anxiety in the body. This is what happened to me. We lived in santa marta and yes there were times when it felt really dangerous, one night we asked the police to take us back to the hotel. In that hotel met people that were robbed right there and then. So many precautions need to be taken but hopefully there will come a day when there will be no need for them that much in colombia
I don't think it will change. If anything I think it really has gotten better to what it once was ad Colombians are just accustomed to knowing what you can and can't do. I travel Latin America a lot and thankfully can blend in a bit more as my goal is always to not look like a tourist. You don't want to be the most obvious one to rob.