Adjusting to Life in Medellin Can Be Difficult if You Don’t Do This!

So … we’ve been living as locals in Medellin Colombia for nearly 5 months now. And already, I’m missing friends back home.

One of the mistakes we made when we first got here was making friends with other gringos and expats passing through. The thing about those expats passing through is that you will make a great connection with some, and before long, they’re leaving. Not good for you if you’re trying to establish more permanent roots.

All of the transients leaving will make your life more miserable because you start missing everybody and you start to get even more homesick.

I made a video about this previously, but one of our YouTube subscribers (naxis5000) made a great comment and offered the following advice:

“Having lived in a number of countries and locations, this is what you need to do:

1. Avoid temporary people like the plague. This is a big subject on its own.
2. Avoid making friends with other expats…at least until you are certain they are there long term. Even then, limit the time you spend with them.
3. Join clubs/societies that locals go to. You will get the best of where ever you live if you have local friends giving you knowledge etc. This could be a martial art, hiking clubs, yoga, whatever. Do something you enjoy but with local people.
   I did this with salsa dancing when I did not speak a word of the language and now have really great and reliable friends from doing that 10 years ago. You know your there when you start being invited to weddings and christenings.
4. Bury yourself in the language (TV, reading all in the local language). You can work in whatever language you need to. At some point things will begin to click.
5. Take lessons in the language, but not in groups or you will end up with only English speaking expats (see 2) around you.
6. Avoid having quests too often until you have a great life with local friends and can speak enough of the language to get by socially.

Do this and you will be happier at the end of your first 6 months. Otherwise, people tend to reach a peak of unhappiness at about 5-8 months where either they change or they need to leave.”

After being here for nearly 5-months, I’m just starting to realize the importance of all the points made above. If you’re looking to stay here permanently, the advice above will help you.

Many people leave within 6-12 months because they can’t adapt. You gotta make local friends and setup a routine as you did back at home. Otherwise, you’ll go crazy after the fun and excitement wears off.

Please share your thoughts or experiences below...

After Losing His Entire Life Savings, This Guy is Living the Good Life in Medellin on a $1,400 Social Security Check!

Surviving on a $1,400 monthly social security in the United States wasn’t looking good for Ned. So he did the unthinkable.

He decided to look abroad to see where he might be able to stretch that $1,400 so that he could actually upgrade his quality of life … And then he found this beautiful gem.

Medellin is a great place to restart and get your life back together. After working hard and saving money for most of his life, he lost it all to a fraudulent investment scam (ponzi scheme).

Left with only a $1,400 monthly social security check, he knew he couldn’t survive on that income in the United States. He needed to find a loophole that would let him live and have more on less.

Watch the story as Ned breakdown how his move from the United States actually upgraded his lifestyle …

• Ned has his own penthouse suite
• Has a housekeeper that comes by once a week to clean his 3-level penthouse ($13 bucks)
• Goes out to lunch/dinner a few times each month
• Has dinner parties with friends
• Goes to the movies (and watches them in English)
• Has a gym membership and goes a few times each week
• Fills his refrigerator with more for far less than in the U.S.
• Can take $2 taxi rides to the mall if he doesn’t feel like walking
• Can take cheap flights to beautiful beaches (for like $75 bucks)

Click the play button to watch the video below:

What do you think about this interview? I hope you’ve found it helpful.

If you have questions you’d like me to ask Ned during our next round of interviews, post them in the comments box below.

Would you like to get on the phone and consult with Ned? Click HERE:

• Go like our new Escape to Medellin Facebook Page … New stuff will post there first.
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive for Medellin Content

Got questions about Medellin? Post your comments and/or questions in the comments box below!

Please share this page to help spread the word about this amazing country!

Help!!! My Husband Wants to Relocate to Colombia. I’m Kind of Scared!

People generally freakout when you tell them you’re visiting or moving to Colombia. You’d be shocked at the responses we got when telling folks we were going to be living in Medellin!

Anyhow… I received the following e-mail from one of our subscribers and wanted to share this with you. It shows the fears and concerns people really have about moving to Colombia.

Good afternoon, I know you now live your life in Colombia with you family. I just wanted to ask you a couple of questions about that move. What made you make that move with your family? What steps helped you make that decision? I’m asking these question b/c my husband is from Colombia and wants to relocate us (our family of 4) there.

But as an american living here my whole life of course I’m kind of scared. Is there anyway you can convince me that it would be the right decision for us. I have two children 12y and 6y. i would really appreciate the help. thanks in advance.”

In response to her comment, I decided to post a video so everyone could benefit … I imagine many others share the same concerns. Watch the video below:

I hope you’ve found this useful …

But one of the best responses I liked came from Sara … One of our YouTube subscribers. Take a look at the comment she wrote below.

Living and traveling abroad truly opens your mind and frees you from the constraints of the American “dream”. It can also free your time as you mentioned.

When our family moved to W. Africa I decided to finish off my doctoral studies that I had stopped a few years prior due to my busy schedule and hectic lifestyle.

I literally had so much free time and was far less stressed than I had ever been in the U.S. I have been able to focus with a much higher level of clarity and understanding than before. You don’t realize how much you hustle in the U.S. until you come out.

It’s almost as if you don’t know what to do with yourself once you have the freedom that life in other countries oftentimes affords. Maybe she can even visit for a month or so before making the move. It can help her get a feel for what it’s like if she is having doubts and fears.

Because Columbia may not be for her but getting out of her comfort zone can give her new perspective and possibly open her up to living someone else. Also, I feel you about staying in Columbia for a while with your family.

It’s great to have a “home base” while traveling abroad. You can always travel periodically from your location while still having the stability and comfort of having your own home. This is what our family does. We generally travel abroad about twice a year for 2-4 week stints.

It breaks the monotony and gives us a chance to explore other countries, yet we still have a sense of security knowing that we have a “home” to come back to.

– Sara

Feel free to share your comments and/or questions below in the comments box. When I know more about what you’d like to know, I’ll make the effort to get an answer from someone who knows.

Avoid This Taboo Topic While Visiting Medellin Colombia

Pablo Escobar is a very sensitive topic here in Medellin, and I’ve heard stories where taxi and Uber drivers put passengers out of their cars due to the sensitivity of this topic.

I’ve heard firsthand accounts of the horrors families had to deal with during Pablo’s reign of terror on this country. They’ve shared stories of seeing body parts scattered all over the streets after a bombing. They’ve shared stories of loved ones taken away and never seen again.

When you come to Medellin, be mindful of this topic … The people you’re talking to likely lost someone very dear to them…

Watch the video below to get the full story…

• Go like our new Escape to Medellin Facebook Page … New stuff will post there first.
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive for Medellin Content

Got questions about Medellin? Post your comments and/or questions in the comments box below!

Please share this page to help spread the word about this amazing country!

Beware of This One Thing Before Renting or Buying a Condo in Medellin

Prior to moving to Medellin Colombia, I’ve never lived in a condo before. So far, I’ve lived in two condos since being here. The first was a beautiful condo in the Conquistadores neighborhood of Luareles … And the other is where I’m currently at now in La Frontera, which is in-between El Poblado and Envigado.

The benefit to renting is that it allows you to get familiar with a neighborhood, along with the amenities and benefits of the area. Things like nearby grocery stores, restaurants, parks, etc…

But I never considered this issue prior to moving into my new place in La Frontera… Watch the video below to get a full breakdown of what I’m talking about:

Feel free to share your comments below … To see what our YouTube subscribers thought of this video, see comments here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbfAaSnONko

OMG … Get $253 Rent in Medellin

Well … This example actually shows a place in Envigado, but the strategy is the same for any place in and around Medellin, Colombia.

Take a look at the video below to discover how you can save a fortune using the method outlined in the video below … Click the play button to watch:

Please share and leave your comments below…

Violence and Crime in Colombia?

An quite amazing transformation has taken place in Colombia, and statistics are showing that crime in this South American country is way down.

As you may (or may not) know, a 52-year old civil war has recently come to an end. I found a great piece aired by 60 minutes that you might find helpful. I think this will help open up the door for more people to come explore this beautiful country.

Play the video below:

Feel free to leave your comments/questions below in the comments box.

How We Ditched Everything We Owned and Made Our Way to Medellin

Been getting a surge of e-mails from people talking about how they’ve been spending 2-3 years planning their travel abroad. It seriously don’t take that long to get this all sorted out. For us, once we made the decision, we was out within a couple weeks.

We sold everything we owned (and what we couldn’t sell, we gave it away and threw the rest in a big 20-feet dumpster we rented.

Play the video below to get the full-story of how we pulled this off in record time:

Feel free to share your thoughts and comments below:

Rental Breakdown for Our Penthouse in Medellin

Got a lot of questions from people wanting to know the cost for the penthouse we’re renting in the La Frontera neighborhood of Medellin. In case you haven’t seen it yet, watch the video tour of our place in the video below:

I am paying a lot more than what most people will need and there are a bunch of personal factors that drove my costs up.  Keep in mind that you can find a much nicer looking place for cheaper, if you don’t need the room. Keep in mind, our place is HUGE — well over 3,000 square feet. You don’t see that much space here often. So before I get into the pricing, let me explain the factors that increased my costs.

1. Furnished rentals will cost significantly more than unfurnished rentals. From some readings I’ve come across online, you can end up spending anywhere from 40% – 65% more just because it’s furnished. It’s easy to walk into a place and see all of the beautiful furniture and get caught up by the ‘awesomeness’ of the place. Furnishings can really make or break a deal. And in many cases, it can allow the owner to charge a HUGE premium. But for us, a furnished place was a necessity.
2. Electricity, Cable TV, High Speed Internet, Water, etc. One of the benefits of getting a furnished suite is the fact that all of the utilities are typically included in the rent. So for us, we get the Internet, cable tv, water, gas, and electric bill all rolled into the cost. It also includes cost for trash disposal. We also have a landline from which we can make phone calls too.
3. 24-hour security. The building we’re in is behind a gated door and 24-hour security guard. No one can come through without getting past the guard. I sleep better at night knowing someone’s there and I feel comfortable leaving my wife and 3 girls at home when I gotta leave. The guards are great. They keep an eye on your kids when they’re out and they’re genuinely concerned for their safety. One day, my 14 year old and 9 year old went to the park to play and stopped by the store. After 30 minutes had elapsed, the guard called us to say he was concerned the girls had not come back and wanted to know if we heard from them or knew where they were. He assumed they were just going to the store to get some candy and come right back like they always did. But in this instance, he didn’t know they were going to hang out at the park and play. With that kind of genuineness, you don’t mind the extra costs that pays the guards salary.
4. Four-bedrooms with a private suite upstairs — 4 bedroom suites are not that common and because of that, you’re going to pay a premium for that. We’ll have a lot of guests coming into town and having more rooms was ideal for us. Plus, when our 4th daughter arrives in the summer, we’ll need the space to accommodate here. And, for our guests, they can use the upstairs suite and be off to themselves without being disturbed (while also keeping them away so we’re not disturb).
5. Private space to work. I needed lots of room to accommodate my work space to shoot videos, create online courses and to get away from the noise. I figured instead of getting a separate office building, I’d rather spend the extra money in a much larger home, versus getting the office and having to pay office rent, water, gas, electricity and Internet.
6. Convenience. There are 2 HUGE groceries within a 2-3 minute walk from my house … Including a mall and a swarm of restaurants and cafes. I’m able to cut my taxi/uber bill my almost half just because of the location and no longer having to take a taxi each time I need to go somewhere.
7. Location. We’re in a very desirable area and we can be in El Poblado within minutes in one direction and Envigado in the opposite direction. We are in a very safe area, close to train station, bus stops, etc.
8. Quality furnishings. When you look at 100+ AirBnB listings, you’ll notice that most have cheap flimsy furniture. They’re very uncomfortable to sit on and use. You can tell just by looking at most of the pictures. When I look at listings, I spend a lot of time looking at the furniture. I chose this unit because they furniture appeared to be of the utmost quality. I want to be comfortable versus looking good. So I’m paying a premium for the comfort.
9. Peak Season. Another factor that drives cost up is the time of year. Prices typically goes up during the December and January  — and we’re smack in it. Hope to renegotiate after we get the results.

The owner initially wanted approximately $2,600+ dollars. I was able to get him down to $2,200.00. If the place was unfurnished, we could have probably gotten it for about $800-$1,200 US Dollars. As I mentioned, this place is HUGE. Our lower level alone is larger than most people’s condo … and keep in mind we have 3-levels and GREAT views. I could have found an equally nice place for about $800/month and would have been totally happy (and that would have been for a 3-bedroom in a nice area). There are deals to be had for $500 month, especially with 2-bedrooms. But we are a large family.

If you need help scoping out a place, let us know … We can be your boots on the ground. Check out this video of a nice condo being sold for less than $65,000 US Dollars.

Exotic Raw Fruits & Vegetables for Health and Healing in Colombia

I just started back juicing and making smoothies for my health and wellness. I’m blown away by the variety of fruits and vegetables they have available here in Medellin, Colombia; and the costs are amazingly low compared to what we pay for in the United States.

I wanna live to be a very healthy 100 years old… So it’s best to start now before any major issues arise. The exotic fruits in Medellin, Colombia is amazing. Great for smoothies, juicing, cleansing and healing. Tomorrow, I’m going to an Exotic Fruit tour and I can’t wait to see and sample the variety.

In the interim, here’s a video from some of the fruits I’ve managed to pick up from the local market/store … It’s some of the best eating I’ve ever had. I can literally eat on these all day and be completely satisfied (and healthy).

I’ll be posting more videos on the individual healing benefits of the fruits and vegetables found  in #medellin #colombia.

Please comment and share this page with your friends and family (if you haven’t subscribed to my youtube channel, do that too).