BoldspiritTravels on a budget: That space that is necessary for “magic”, for an unexpected, for an adventure to happen. [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]

Hey Guys! ☀️

Travelling may sometimes be frustrating. I mean it seems that you never have enough time at your disposal.
I scheduled to be 30 days in Colombia. That’s quite a substantial amount of time, in most cases, with our 9 to 5 jobs and only around 26 days of paid holidays... that’s pretty difficult to reach. Yet. That wasn’t enough. Especially if I wanted to travel “the slow way”, immerse rather than hurry from one touristic attraction to another.

Medellin. source

I was really interested in visiting Medellin. After all who wouldn’t want to experience the city that Pablo Escobar called his home!? That was still marked by his actions and story. Well, at least I wanted all that. I should also mention that judging by the photos I saw Medellin simply seemed like a charming and interesting town. And did I mention the coffee region? Full of green areas that I only can imagine would bring much calm and joy... Sipping a beverage so dear to your heart in one of the “fincas” with locals or fellow backpackers.

A glance at a coffee region in Colombia. Stunning isn't it? source

Colombia is so diverse. It offers so many pittoresque landscapes and captivating spots. Like many other places around the world. We can make an “effort” so visit every corner of our planet but is that really doable in such a short lifespan? On the other hand is that so bad? Life is about choices. About following what your intuition is trying to tell you. Something important to me will be random and unimportant to you. And the other way round. This is how we gather experiences. This is why we differ.

As I have already written somewhere, I firmly believe that travelling with a strict, packed plan, without a space for alteration, can, in the end, be harmful. It seems like you are perfectly prepared for your journey. But most probably you will not create a space that is necessary for “magic” to happen, for an unexpected, for an adventure. Sure, staying without a (rigorous) plan can be scary, it requires stepping out from your comfort zone. You may even regret it from time to time and say you lost your precious time. But in my opinion, in the end, and seen from the distance, it is worth it. But you don’t have to believe me, after all, who am I to suggest you how to behave. :)

I recall being in Cali and listening to someone who just came back from Caribbean part of Colombia. He was highlighting how anyone should go there in order to do scuba diving license called PADI Open Water. Apparently it was one of the cheapest places in the world for this kind of activity. I remember how my heart skipped a bit ;) while listening to this guy. I always wanted to scuba dive but it was always out of my financial reach. The same day I decided to completely reorganize the rest of my journey in Colombia. Additionally, I needed to decide how to pay for this unexpected and unscheduled activity. (generally speaking, it was affordable but I hey, I was traveling on a tight budget and I couldn’t jeopardise the rest of my backpacking just because I really really wanted to scuba dive;)).

I have many examples like this particular one from Colombia. To me it pays off, although it is sometimes?/often? associated with additional stress along the way.
I am super curious what are your opinions and, most importantly, experiences? Do you agree, do you disagree and what make you feel that way?

Thank you for being here with me. I hope until next time!
Pura Vida and enjoy your journey! 💛

• More about me here: You can travel without being wealthy aka a girl from a "struggling" family chasing her dreams!

• Some of my recent stories from South America:
  Boldspirit and the death road - la ruta de la muerte - Bolivia # 1 and # 2
  [BoldspiritTravels on a budget: “CICLOVÍA” - when bikes take over the city! Weekly! 😍 💪🏻 Bogota (Colombia) Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America
  BoldspiritTravels on a budget: So you are travelling and you refuse to pay twice the regular price? (Cali, Colombia) [Solo backpacking on a budget in Latin America]