STATUS UPDATE: 29 Days ’til Colombia

STATUS UPDATE:

Next Destination: Colombia (TBD)

Departure Date: December 29, 2010

Return Date: Early April (for a best friend’s wedding)

Overall: 29 days from today I arrive in Bogota, Colombia for the second edition of Tourist 2 Townie. I have 0% of the trip figured out so far and that’s exactly how I like it! I plan on being more creative, pushing my limitations and learning as much as possible about becoming a successful “digital nomad.” I want to build and monetize the blog, while still staying true to the experiment. Travel deeper, build relationships and completely submerge myself in the Colombian culture while sharing my uncensored experiences along the way.

Money: This has been priority number 1 since I’ve been back home. I’ve put the T2T blog on the back burner to try and cook up some magic to keep this dream alive. The goal has been to build revenue streams without being tied down to a particular location… Location independent with financial freedom is the ultimate dream and I think it’s starting to move in the right direction.

I’ve done some odd jobs for quick cash, but Marketing Consulting has become my main source of income. The Spanish Program is doing better than expected and I’m starting a second project towards the middle of December that I’m pumped about. Also, I’m heading out West next week for a project that should give me some substantial income before I take off.

This next year is going to be super expensive. With 5 weddings and counting throughout the United States, I need to leverage every income source possible to afford this lifestyle.

T2T Website Redesign: I’ve decided it was time to make the leap from Squarespace to WordPress so I can start playing with the big dogs. I’ve spent time redesigning the site and learning about the process of doing so.

The goal here is to not loose all my content, page rank, SEO, etc. that I’ve built up over the past year as I make the transition. I’ve also been working with a designer buddy to come up with a unique, user friendly, SEO relative, monetizable site design. Hopefully it will be launched by early January. From there, I gotta start attacking all this video footage I have from the past year.

MY Attitude: Ready. Ready to get back to traveling and exploring. Ready to learn, grow and be constantly stimulated. Ready to be more productive. Ready to write the future.

When I’m home it’s easy to get complacent with all the distractions. Everything is comfortable. That isn’t to say it’s a bad thing, just the opposite, I love it, it’s home. It’s just not where my dreams are right now. My dreams are focused around places I’ve never seen, things I’ve never done and people I’ve never met. They’re on the open road, finding out about myself and creating something amazing. I’m anxious to get back to chasing them.

COLOMBIA TRIP PLANNING:

Why Colombia?

Just like going to Argentina, the big question is always “Why Colombia?” The truth is, it doesn’t really matter where I’m going. I don’t really put much thought into that part. I’ll develop the Colombia “To Do List” in greater detail as the plan develops. (see why Argentina?)

Here are the some additional factors of why…

1. My roommates in Argentina were from Colombia and they spoke very highly of it.

2. I heard the cities, beaches and women are beautiful.

3. Colombians speak a very “pure” Spanish, which I think I could pick up nicely.

4. Cheaper flights back to the States for all the weddings/events.

5. To share a cup of coffee with Juan Valdez.

What I know about Colombia right now:

1. Drugs and Coffee.

2. Venezuela (Chavez) has been a pain in the ass because Colombia is allied with the United States.

3. Shakira, Pablo Escobar and Sofia Vergara (Gloria from Modern Family).

(This is more than I knew about Argentina when I started)

Big Questions I have about Colombia:

1. One-Way Ticket Trouble? – I bought a very cheap 1-way ticket, I’m wondering if they will give me shit at customs when I arrive for not having an exit strategy planned.

2. VISA Requirements? – I think it’s a 90-day tourist visa like in Argentina… right?

3. Where will I stay? –  Bogota vs Medellin or both (or neither) What are rental prices? Roommates vs living solo?

4. Health Insurance? – Last time I used STA Insurance for the first 3 months and then had nothing. I traded drink coupons for surgery. Can I just do that again?

5. Cell Phone Plan? – Hopefully, I have an iPhone 3G coming soon so I plan on using local chips with that. From what I have read it seems like a good move.

6. New Bank Account? HSBC good? ATM fees? Exchange rate? – No idea.

Biggest Concern: Because of time restraints, I’m worried I wont be able to dive as deep as I did in Argentina.

Goals/Tasks for Colombia are coming soon.

Here we go…

Gareth

My name is Gareth Leonard, a Marketing Director turned World Traveler with a passion for slow, meaningful travel. I have been traveling the world full-time for the past 9+ years and document it all on Instagram and YouTube. Come join me!