What a Solo Trip to Cartagena, Colombia Taught Me as a Woman
When I would excitedly tell people I was travelling solo to Cartagena, Colombia, I would get the same look. One of slight shock, fear, and surprise. “But is it safe there?”
That was one of the more common questions I’d get. Most of the time the worry and apprehension were expressed by family members. My Mom wasn’t too happy about it. She was so worried she almost followed me there.
Work colleagues expressed concern for me; even the lady at MasterCard told me she’d be worried about me when I called them to let them know I’d being using my card in Colombia.
While I appreciated people’s concern, it would hurt my spirits a bit that I was pursuing this great adventure and wanted to share it with them — but received a lot of negative feedback. I wasn’t worried, so why should they be?
Self doubt started to filter into my mind, and I wondered, was it really a good idea to go to Colombia, all on my own?
Colombia has a reputation of a place defined by Pablo Escobar, cocaine, violence, drug wars, and rebel groups.
This reputation is no longer warranted — Colombia these days is a diverse, beautiful country with so much to offer.
