Looking to travel to Colombia any time soon and need some tips, and or an itinerary? Check out 5 things to Consider When Visiting Cartagena, Colombia!

I had the pleasure of visiting Cartagena, Colombia in April, 2022 and had the most amazing time ever. If you are considering visiting, or are in the process of planning a trip there, here are 5 things to Consider. For my full trip itinerary to the beautiful country, visit stampedbyhaby.com and click on"Shop". You can also feel free to visit @stampedbyhaby on Etsy or click on this link: Full Cartagena, Colombia Travel Itinerary.

1) People Will Talk to You Be prepared for people engaging in conversation with you. There were a bunch of people coming up to us to rap which I never experienced before when traveling – I found it entertaining lol. If you are going to stop & take videos, do be prepared to tip. If you are staying in El Centro (downtown area), since it is touristy, street vendors will also constantly be trying to sell you items.

2) The Locals are Friendly As a dark skin black woman, I’ll be frank in saying that I haven’t always been well received abroad. It was a breath of fresh air being able to travel somewhere and feel welcomed by the locals. My friend and I received a bunch of kind comments regarding our skin color and promoting Black culture in general. When I tell y’all I have never experienced this anywhere else I’ve traveled. I have heard the same from a bunch of other Black women on Tik Tok about their experience in this country, and am just happy to hear that we are experiencing kindness abroad.

3) Be Prepared to Tip When traveling abroad and booking different activities, I am not sure what percentage the tour guides can make off the experiences they host. To help with this, one thing I want to start doing when budgeting for trips is budgeting tips for my activities and excursions. For example, if I am partaking in 5 different activities, I will make sure to have at least 50 dollars budgeted in to tip at least $10 for each experience. Sometimes, more money may be necessary if there are multiple guides you want to tip.

For Cartagena, I would encourage you to be cautious of when you stop to engage. I remember walking into a church and someone walked up to me and started talking. I am not fluent in Spanish so I thought it was a casual conversation. In the end, he asked me for a tip which caught me off guard because I thought it was a regular conversation. All in all, sometimes, it’s best to just keep it pushing so you won’t be caught off guard like I was. Lastly, if you are going to take videos or pictures of Las Palenqueras make sure to tip as well! Gotta support Black Women globally!

4) The Walled City is Very Walkable One of my favorite things about this trip is how little we had to Uber. If you are staying in El Centro (downtown area), all of the major touristy activities, bars, restaurants, and activity meeting points will be within close walking distance. I only took a taxi to the airport and one other time explored life outside of the downtown area. If in need of a taxi, they run frequently.

5) It Was Affordable Affordability is subjective, but I personally found that this trip didn’t tear my pockets up. Colombia is considered one of the most affordable countries in Latin America! While staying downtown in Cartagena will cost a bit more since that’s where all the tourists are at, I wouldn’t say it came close to the money I spent in places like Tulum. Restaurants in the downtown area were not ridiculously priced, and the wide array of street food made it easy to find quick snacks.