To me, solo travel is all about challenging yourself, growing as an individual, stepping out of your comfort zone, and opening yourself up to new experiences and to new people. So when I came across the Colombia Immersion Spanish School, I knew I had struck gold. Check out the below 5 reasons why Colombia Immersion is perfect for solo travelers, to see for yourself!
1. You develop language skills that help you become a more independent & confident traveler.
It’s tough when you’re traveling solo and there’s a language barrier preventing you from communicating properly. It can be a little tricky, intimidating and certainly very frustrating. I can tell you that Colombia is a difficult place to communicate if you’re a native English speaker, as many people do not speak English. My first few weeks in Bogota were not easy, as I had a hard time with the smallest things like ordering coffee or picking up groceries. Like, what the heck is “cuantas quotas”?! Colombia Immersion’s interactive curriculum is designed to help students understand and use grammar quickly so you can start speaking immediately. After a three week immersive learning experience, I was using my skills to form basic sentences and get my basic point across. Now, I can approach situations that once caused me anxiety, like ordering a coffee or picking up some groceries, with so much more confidence, and I know to say “uno” whenever I am asked “cuantas quotas?” Learning the basics has made me feel so much more independent and more confident to go out and experience more of South America!
2. You’re immediately welcomed into a community.
Solo travel often means, well being solo. However, when you attend Colombia Immersion, you’re immediately welcomed into their community and all that the community has to offer. From gathering for morning coffee before class, to attending one of the daily activities offered, there’s always something going on. I loved how their event offerings like the Comuna 13 Graffiti tour or the Colombian Chocolate tasting, were not only fun but also a learning experience. With each event, you learned new vocabulary and had the chance to interact with locals. You can be as little or as much involved in their community as you want to be, but I love how the option is there. My first day, I attended the Comuna 13 Graffiti tour and was blown away by how much I learned. Not just about the history and culture, but the language too. Although it’s nice to have your own space and own time as a solo traveler, it’s also really nice to be automatically accepted into a warm, encouraging and often hilarious (I’m looking at you Iñaki) community like that of Colombia Immersion.
3. Both the Envigado & Laureles campuses are in really safe locations.
A question I get asked most often about solo traveling, especially in Medellin, as not too long ago it was such a dangerous place, is: “is it safe?!” I say with confidence that throughout my three week experience in Medellin, I never felt unsafe, not even once. However, like anywhere I travel alone, I took precautions like not walking alone at night and I listened to the advice I received from locals who know the area well. The Laureles campus is located in a quaint neighborhood where the locals are friendly and the streets are lined with perfectly maintained landscaping. You’ll find residents walking their dogs, street vendors selling freshly squeezed juice and many cafes to stop off at and enjoy a taste of the local, world-renowned coffee. The Envigado campus is located in a family neighborhood, with a playground and a soccer court just across the way. You will find old men at the corner panderia sipping on their cafe tinto and snacking on some sort of pastry. So scary, I know. Honestly, I think Medellin has been one of the places I have felt the most comfortable as a solo traveler.
4. You make friends from all over the world.
Something I love about traveling solo is that you are more likely to open yourself up to new friendships than if you were traveling with a friend or a group that you already feel comfortable with. Almost everyone I met attending Colombia Immersion was also undertaking the experience solo, so it was a perfect atmosphere for fostering new relationships with other likeminded people. It’s really awesome to meet people from all over that all have the same intentions as you; they’re here because they want to learn, meet new people and have an authentic experience in Colombia. From the people volunteering for Colombia Immersion to the friends you make in class, to the friends you make at the Friday Night Language Exchanges, attending Colombia Immersion is a gateway to making friends from all over the world. After three weeks there, I left with friends from Sweden, France, Ireland, Australia different parts of the States, and of course Colombia.
5. You challenge yourself to learn something new and ultimately become a better citizen of the world.
Colombia Immersion is not your typical Spanish school. This is not a sit back and listen to the teacher lecture or rattle off vocabulary lists, kind of school. This is a we’re going to get you speaking on day one and get you to speak with local people on the street to practice, kind of school. They get you out of your comfort zone in order to achieve maximum results. For me this was really challenging, as I’ve always seemed to struggle with languages, so going out in the real world to practice with locals was really intimidating. But one of the best parts of solo travel is the challenge, and Colombia Immersion offers you the opportunity to take on a new one. Learning a new language means that you are interested in connecting with people from another part of the world. It means that you are willing to take on the challenge of learning something new in order to become more in tune with the rest of the world, and that my wanderers, is pretty beautiful.
Disclaimer: I received discounted Spanish classes in exchange for my opinions, but all opinions are my own. I only recommend programs that I love!
Wander On,
Wanderluluu xx
