Jessica and me at El Totumo, about a week after we met at the Atlanta airport.
It was a week into my first trip to Colombia, and I was floating in a mud-filled volcano outside Cartagena with a woman I’d just met at the Atlanta airport.
Her name was Jessica. I’d found her in a travel Facebook group after every single friend I asked to come to Colombia with me gave me a version of, “I can’t right now, but maybe next year!”
When she read my initial post, Jessica said she couldn’t have pointed to Colombia on a map. But she said yes anyway, trusted me to plan the whole thing, and now here we were—up to our necks in warm gray mud, physically unable to sink no matter how hard we tried.
Adding to the weirdness (or awesomeness?), two local guys were massaging our shoulders. It was maybe a little bit creepy. It was also extremely funny and something I’ll remember forever.
We were two grown women with zero dignity. In addition to not being able to sink, we also couldn’t breathe for most of this experience because we were laughing too hard.
Physically unable to sink, and getting a shoulder massage I did not ask for.
When we finally climbed out, the guys walked us down to the riverbank, where an old Colombian grandma sat me down in the water and scrubbed me clean like she was baptizing me.
I've loosened my grip in a lot of countries. Colombia is the one that pried my fingers off completely.
Colombia was one of the first group trips I ever led in 2022. That first trip in early 2021 was also the moment when I decided to build an entire business on travel.
Colombia is where the responsible, list-making, everybody’s-emergency-contact version of you gets the week off.
So, what does that week off actually look like? I’m telling you below, along with what “letting loose” really means (think salsa lessons and paragliding over tequila shots, but there might be one or two of those, too), and how our women-only trip this January is set up so you can let go without worrying about anything. Except your dance moves, of course.
“Look, everybody, what we found in the street. An American girl!”
You might read that headline and say, “Oh, boy. That’s how kidnapping scenes start in movies.”
Keep reading. It’s not that at all. The complete opposite, actually.
One night in Bogotá on that first trip, Jessica was wiped out and stayed in, so I went out alone looking for dinner. I was walking down the street hunting for a restaurant and somehow ended up at a teenager's quinceañera. When I walked in, the family announced, "Look, everybody, look what we found on the street: an American girl!"
Most people would have thought I was getting kidnapped.
My gut told me to stay anyway.
Long story short: The grandma fed me, the grandpa kept pouring me whiskey, and I sang and danced with that entire family all night.
I went out looking for dinner. I came home with a new family.
That’s Type 2 travel in a nutshell: terrifying for about five minutes, then the best night of the whole trip.
The quinceañera I accidentally walked into in Bogotá. The grandpa never let my glass go empty.
The planner version of me would have found a restaurant, eaten dinner, and gone to bed. And sure—you can try all you want to stay in planner mode in Colombia. The country isn’t going to cooperate, though.
My point is: letting loose isn’t losing control. It’s handing all the details to someone you trust for a week (hi, that’s us!) and having the agenda of doing things you don’t normally do.
What "letting loose" actually looks like in Colombia
Letting loose in Colombia does not look like a blackout weekend.
Hear me out, because I know what some of you pictured when you read the title. I know Colombia has a reputation, and Narcos on Netflix didn’t do it any favors, either.
That’s not this. On this trip, “letting loose” looks like:
Running off a mountain, on purpose.
Let’s rewind for a moment, back to that first group trip in 2022. I was so busy fiddling with my GoPro that I never actually prepared myself for the fact that I was literally running off the side of a mountain. I got dragged off anyway, screaming “I’m not ready!” (There’s video proof, unfortunately.)
Once I was in the air, though, I didn’t have a single regret. The views were incredible.
Moments before I was dragged off a mountain outside of Medellín
I eventually landed at the bottom of a valley in the arms of two 10-year-old Colombian boys whose job was apparently to catch me. Everyone in the group flew except one person who decided to sit it out at the last minute (completely fine—only you know how far you want to stretch above your comfort zone), and even our Colombian trip guide went for the first time. On the 2027 trip, we fly tandem over Bello and Medellín.
Following your gut instead of your plan.
Even when it leads you to a stranger's quinceañera. See the story above.
Dancing badly and not caring.
If I can dance all night with a family I met on the street, you can survive a salsa class. On this trip, we take a salsa or tango workshop at a community dance academy in Medellín's Manrique neighborhood.
Nobody cares if you can dance. They just care that you did.
Toasting with aguardiente
The anise-flavored liquor Colombians will cheerfully pour you whether you asked or not.
Nothing on this list is reckless. All of it requires you to just…let go a little. To get out of your head and be in your life for a minute.
Why it's easier to let go when someone else has the map
You can only fully relax when you trust the plan, which is why every detail of this trip is handled before you land.
I scout every destination before I bring a group (here's why I scout destinations before taking groups), and in Colombia we travel with a local team I trust completely. The group is capped at 14 women. We pick you up at the Medellín airport, a private driver and a bilingual guide handle the logistics of every day, and a Type 2 Travel leader is with you the whole week.
What that means is that there’s no figuring out which neighborhoods are fine after dark. No haggling with a taxi driver at midnight. No 12-person group chat and a half hour of debating where to eat when you’re already hangry.
You show up, we handle the rest.
It’s the good kind of hand-holding. The one that makes letting go possible. When you’re not running logistics in the back of your head constantly, it turns out there’s finally room for the fun part.
If you're the one who always plans everything
Maybe you're the friend who books the restaurant, splits the check, and texts everyone "home safe?" at the end of the night. Maybe you've had a year (or a decade) of being the steady one. Maybe you've wanted to go to Colombia for ages and keep waiting for a friend who never commits. Maybe you just want to remember what it feels like to not know what happens next.
I see you. I was you, floating in that mud volcano.
Our women-only Colombia trip runs January 30 – February 6, 2027. There are only 3 spots left. You get a small group of women who are about to become your people, a country that will ruin regular vacations for you (the private lake house we’re staying at in Guatapé will do that alone), and a week where the only thing you have to plan is what to wear to dinner.
Colombia trip FAQ
Is Colombia safe for women traveling in a group?
Before my first trip to Colombia, just about everyone I knew tried to talk me out of going. Here's the full list of scary things that happened on that trip and the one after it: nothing. Not one issue.
That's not a promise nothing could ever happen. Nobody can promise you that anywhere, including your hometown Target parking lot. So you keep your wits about you, and you don't do it alone, which is a big reason I love a group trip for a place like this.
Here's what I tell everyone before Colombia:
Don't "dar papaya" (give papaya). It's a Colombian saying that basically means don't give anyone a reason to target you, so leave the flashy jewelry and designer stuff at home and keep your iPhone out of sight on the street.
Wear a crossbody bag, and never keep your phone or wallet in your back pockets.
Try to blend in with your wardrobe so you don't look like a tourist.
Use ride-hailing apps like Uber.
Watch your drink when you go out, and never leave it unattended.
Don't walk alone at night, and don't take drugs from anyone.
Keep your money in more than one spot. If someone does try to rob you, don't fight back. Hand over what's in your pocket, and the rest of your cash stays hidden.
None of this is meant to scare you or make you think it's going to happen. It's the same advice I'd give for anywhere. I find that the more prepared you are, the less anxious you'll be, and knowing how to react is half the battle.
Do I need to speak Spanish?
No. Our local guides translate everywhere we go. Learning gracias, por favor, and una más (one more) will still win you a lot of goodwill at the bar.
What's the weather like in Colombia in late January?
Late January falls in the dry season for most of Colombia. Medellín is called the City of Eternal Spring for a reason: warm days and cooler evenings, and Guatapé is much the same. Pack light layers, comfortable walking shoes, and something you'd like to dance in.
How much does the trip cost, and what's included?
The trip starts at $3,799 for a shared room for all seven nights. If you'd like your own room in Medellín, the hybrid option is $4,299 (you'll share at the lake house, which only has three private rooms, and those are already taken). A $750 deposit holds your spot, and you can pay the rest on a free payment plan.
The price covers seven nights of lodging, 17 meals, airport pickup and drop-off, every activity on the itinerary, a private driver and bilingual guide, a Type 2 Travel leader on-site, and optional coaching calls before the trip. Flights, travel insurance, alcohol, and tips for your guide and driver aren't included. All payments are non-refundable, which is why travel insurance is required (we recommend a plan with cancellation coverage).
Can I come by myself?
Yes, and you'll be in good company. Over half of our travelers come alone. You'll fill out a short questionnaire so we can match you with a roommate who fits, or you can book a private room in Medellín. By day two, nobody can tell who came solo.
Keep reading
The Ultimate Colombia Group Trip: a day-by-day look at a past itinerary
Podcast: Where in the World Is Laura? (episode 1, the origin story)
