Tourism in Colombia is growing exponentially as the security situation continues to improve and international travelers recognize Colombia’s potential as an important eco-tourism destination. Colombia has 49 national parks or nationally-protected areas, although it’s best to stick to to those in well-traveled and well-secured areas.

In Bogota, I've found that most of the nicer gyms charge as much, if not more, than they do back home, but if you sign up for six or twelve months, you can often get up to a 50% discount, and services such as a personal trainer and spa and beauty treatments are cheaper.

Bogota is kind of like New York, with its thousands of cafes, restaurants, museums, attractions, and hotels. Just throw in extra pollution, weirder architecture, some crappy sidewalks, a bit of subdued Latin flair and you’ve got Colombia’s capital city.

If you're like most expats, you can't help but wondering about safety and convenience. While being the lone Gringo in a dangerous neighborhood in the middle of nowhere might be some people's idea of adventure, most of us are looking for a safe, comfortable neighborhood with easy access to transportation, restaurants and shops.

So you finally did it: You quit your job, sold your home and bought a one way ticket somewhere south of the U.S/Mexico border; fast forward a couple months and you're living the so-called dream life somwhere near the Equator but it's not exactly the glamerous existence you'd been anticipating.

If your idea of retirement is living a simple life in a small house far outside any major city, then yes, you can probably live on $1,000 a month. Of course, if you want to live in a nice apartment in a nice part of town in a large city, your cost of life goes up. But the truth is, it's really quite hard to answer this question because some countries are more expensive than others and some cities are pricier than others.

You won't have to wait long before a very professional waiter or waitress approaches you. But while Colombian servers and baristas generally acknowledge your existence in a friendly way, sometimes they forget about you and you, the customer, are not necessary always right.

People often ask me what motivated me to leave the U.S. for Colombia. Most of the time, the askers are Colombians themselves, many of whom would do pretty much anything to get a visa to the U.S. or Canada and can't understand why someone would willingly choose to move to the "disaster" (their words not mine) that is Latin America.

Inefficiency: Anyone who's ever tried applying for a business visa or gone through any other legal or immigration process in Latin America knows what I'm talking about. Person A sends you to person B who sends you back to person A who then sends you off to some remote office to talk to person C who then tells you your papers are all wrong and you'll have to start the process all over. It can be exasperating, so mentally prepare yourself for a long and arduous paperwork journey.

Few cities capture the imagination like Cartagena. This sultry, romantic city on the Atlantic is an open air museum of the best of Spanish colonial architecture and is Colombia’s most popular and beloved vacation destination.