After living in NYC for the past 11 yrs, I’ve finally decided to head back home to the sunny skies of Los Angeles…but before I go, I’m planning to head out on a 5-6 month sabbatical to South America and this is where I could use some help from the blogging community.
I’ve actually been saving funds for the past 1.5 yrs, but as you can imagine, after living in one of the priciest cities in America and having to constantly chip away at my student loans from Columbia Univ., I’ll still have to be budget conscious while planning for my trip (I don’t think I’ll have to work to make ends meet, but I definitely won’t be living like no Kardashian while I’m on the road).
My main goals will be to focus on, and develop more of my creative outlets (photography, dance, social-media, and Youtube channel) as well as to brush up on my Spanish. I also hope to volunteer, if possibilities arise, to use some of the skills I’ve acquired over the years, being an Occupational Therapist with a specialization in orthopedic/upper extremity rehabilitation.
The general outline of my trip will be to start off in Colombia (either Cali or Medellin) for about a month, then head out to Argentina, where I’ll be making Buenos Aires my home base for the remainder of my trip. Since my schedule will be somewhat open, I also welcome any recommendations on where to take some weekend trips (even if it requires traveling to neighboring countries while sitting in a bus for 24hrs).
Though I’ve been following a bunch of blogs already, I know that there are so many exceptional bloggers that I haven’t found that I could definitely learn a lot from. Here are just some of the topics that I’m hoping to get more info on (in no particular order):
-Realistic budgeting for extended travel
-Practical routes for traveling to countries around Colombia and Argentina
-Good locations for landscape, cityscape and street photography
-Dance schools and clubs that focus on bachata, salsa and/or tango
-Volunteer organizations that could use help from a rehab specialist, but won’t try to pilfer thousands of dollars out of me before allowing me to assist
So if you know of any blogs that you think will help me out during the planning phase of my trip, please drop a link in the comments section, or send me a personal message, and I’ll make sure to check it out!
**In the coming weeks, I’ll also be posting about some of the logistics related to wrapping up a decade’s worth of living in NYC, and on what practical pointers I’ve been able to attain from reading your recommended blogs. So feel free to subscribe and follow my adventures as I set out on this next chapter in my life! 🙂
Mapes24 
How cool 5-6 month sabbatical…right now I could only dream of such! I cannot wait to see the suggestions so I can check the out too, LOL!
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Haha! Yeah, I’m definitely getting more and more excited as my exit date draws near.
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Who wouldn’t! That is awesome!
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Excellent, enjoy. I just spent three months in Colombia (Bogota and Cali) and another three in Ecuador (mainly Quito) — for Colombia getting around city-to-city by bus is cheap and comfortable. An overnight ride Bogota to Cali for example is 8-12 hrs one way, about $28 USD for first class. That includes a roomier seat, personal multi-channel tv (like on an airplane) and decent WIFI. Definitely worth the few $$ for the upgrade.
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Thanks for the head’s up Bob! Definitely the type of insight that I was looking for!
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Long distance bus service is similar to what I mentioned above in both Argentina and Chile. It’s worth the extra few dollars to go first class, or ‘cama’ class. But you have to book those seats early as they go very fast.
You also mentioned being based in Argentina for much of the time. If you haven’t already, be sure to look into the immigration requirements for foreigners. I’m almost certain you can’t stay there that long a period without leaving the country. That’s usually easily taken care; just head to Chile or Bolivia for a bit and then return.
For long term stays check out Airbnb. If you’re not a member let me know and I’ll be happy to pass along a 25USD credit voucher. 🙂
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I’ll definitely be looking into traveling via cama class as I hope to take a short side-trip to Chile for a salsa/bachata festival. Also I hear that Uruguay is a quick hop away from Argentina, so a quick trip will hopefully keep me from overstaying my visa.
I have someone who’s helping me out with an apt in Buenos Aires, but am thinking I could prob use that voucher for my stay in Colombia. Definitely appreciated (you can hit me up here or send it to mapes24@gmail.com).
Btw, how was your experience in Cali? Do you think a month there is too long? Thx again for all your help!
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