{"id":3583,"date":"2012-04-23T12:00:39","date_gmt":"2012-04-23T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?p=3583"},"modified":"2016-05-12T16:31:02","modified_gmt":"2016-05-12T21:31:02","slug":"safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s safety week at Colombia Travel Blog<\/a>! Over the next 5 days we are going to be attempting to lay to rest some stereotypes about Colombian safety<\/a> (or apparent lack thereof) and demonstrate why Colombia is fast becoming the must-see country for all visitors to South America. To start us off, here\u2019s an introduction to Colombian safety\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Last-ditch<\/a>
Last-ditch safety precautions…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s face it\u2026Colombia doesn\u2019t have a great reputation when it comes to safety. Hollywood certainly hasn\u2019t done this country any favours recently<\/a>, and the majority of British newspaper buyers only get to see the word Colombia when it\u2019s linked with some negative news story. All the recent kerfuffle with the good ol’ Secret Service won\u2019t have helped either: just another excuse for people to write this great country off as a hotbed of scandal and corruption!<\/p>\n

I must own up to something here and now before this goes any further: I am not<\/em> one of these remarkably (and almost unbelievably) streetwise travellers you\u2019re always reading about and listening too as they hold forth (a little bit too loudly from the bar stool at the hostel) on how walking drunk through a favela <\/em>at night alone really isn\u2019t dangerous at all, it\u2019s just the media twisting our minds. I am, in fact, extremely muggable.<\/p>\n

Yet having lived and travelled extensively throughout the rest of the continent I can safely say that I feel as safe, if not safer, travelling in Colombia than I have in any other country I have visited over here. I have taken long-distance buses (day and night), taxis, colectivos, <\/em>light-aircraft, horses, and my own two feet whilst making my way around Colombia. Paul at Colombia Travel Blog has rented a car for a road-trip holiday<\/a>. \u00a1Sin problemas! <\/em><\/p>\n

There are still plenty of websites busy trying to convince the world that Colombia (and particularly Bogot\u00e1) is a terrifying place. Whilst it would be wrong of us to claim that Colombia is 100% safe, the reputation it seems to have around the world is outdated and reactionary at the best of times.<\/p>\n

\"Barack<\/a>
Barack Obama even payed us a visit…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bogot\u00e1 is becoming a city of international arts festivals, Medell\u00edn is busy reinventing itself with ambitious public works programs and architectural projects, El Cocuy<\/a> and the Choc\u00f3 are increasingly full of trekkers and ecotourists: Colombia is changing. Places that were once viewed as off-limits are opening up to tourists, backpackers and expats. 2011 saw a 10% rise in foreign visitors: increasing numbers of people are waking up to the fact that Colombia is firmly back on the travel map.<\/p>\n

The slogan of the Colombian Tourist Board translates as: \u201cThe only risk is wanting to stay.\u201d Whilst this may seem like a mere advertising catchphrase, the fact is that more and more people are visiting Colombia, falling in love with the place, following the advice\u2026and staying. Bogot\u00e1 and Medell\u00edn particularly host large expat communities and new hostels and businesses are opening up around the country on a seemingly weekly basis.<\/p>\n

Colombia is busy building itself a new reputation: as a vibrant, exciting country, full of variety, history and ecology, and we here at See Colombia Travel<\/a> are here to help you experience it to its fullest.<\/p>\n

As we have said before\u2026the only \u2018U\u2019 in ColO<\/strong>mbia should be you!<\/a><\/p>\n

Chris<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s safety week at Colombia Travel Blog! Over the next 5 days we are going to be attempting to lay to rest some stereotypes about Colombian safety (or apparent lack thereof) and demonstrate why Colombia is fast becoming the must-see country for all visitors to South America. To start us off, here\u2019s an introduction to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0},"categories":[35,904,3,115,624,625,626,4,66,97,12,767,131,110,67],"tags":[2735,2882],"yoast_head":"\nSafety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s safety week at Colombia Travel Blog! Over the next 5 days we are going to be attempting to lay to rest some stereotypes about Colombian safety (or apparent lack thereof) and demonstrate why Colombia is fast becoming the must-see country for all visitors to South America. To start us off, here\u2019s an introduction to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-04-23T17:00:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-05-12T21:31:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Chris\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"description\":\"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/\",\"name\":\"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2012-04-23T17:00:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-05-12T21:31:02+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc\",\"name\":\"Chris\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Chris\"},\"description\":\"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia","og_description":"It\u2019s safety week at Colombia Travel Blog! Over the next 5 days we are going to be attempting to lay to rest some stereotypes about Colombian safety (or apparent lack thereof) and demonstrate why Colombia is fast becoming the must-see country for all visitors to South America. To start us off, here\u2019s an introduction to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/","og_site_name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","article_published_time":"2012-04-23T17:00:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-05-12T21:31:02+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Chris","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/","name":"Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","description":"Colombia Travel Blog: An international perspective on travelling in Colombia by world travellers.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/New_1_1194-1024x768.jpg"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#webpage","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/","name":"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia - Colombia Travel Blog by See Colombia Travel","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#primaryimage"},"datePublished":"2012-04-23T17:00:39+00:00","dateModified":"2016-05-12T21:31:02+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/2012\/04\/safety-week-introduction-to-safety-in-colombia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Safety in Colombia Week: Introduction to safety in Colombia"}]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/06325007b1e564f887bb4e43855a53dc","name":"Chris","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/25ee1ba433dbef5f2ed1e6d6275605e9?s=96&d=retro&r=g","caption":"Chris"},"description":"I'm Chris and I'm the Colombia Travel Blog's resident Colombia travel expert and our editor. In nearly 4 years in the country, I have visited 31 of Colombia's 32 departments, and that last 1 is on the way! Colombia has been my home for years and I'm still not bored of exploring its diversity and magic, and getting to know its wonderful people. You can follow more of my adventures on Facebook @ChrisBellTravel and Instagram @ChrisBellColombia","url":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/author\/chris\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3583"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22807,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3583\/revisions\/22807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seecolombia.travel\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}