The Truth About Travel

We’ve been traveling for less than two weeks, and while we’ve already made many wonderful memories, it’s also important to share the truth about long-term international family travel! Here are some behind-the-scenes facts that you wouldn’t know if you looked at my curated Instagram account with smiling children and beautiful scenes…

1. We haven’t had a hot shower since we left home. Our showers have been lukewarm at best. With the high temperatures and humidity, the cool water usually feels okay, and surprisingly you get used to it after a bit, but that first step into the shower is the hardest!

2. Our legs are covered in mosquito bites. 3/4 of us have had or currently have traveler’s diarrhea and have  already broken into our stash of antibiotics. Zack has a cold, and his nose won’t stop running. With the humidity, we sweat A LOT. Thank goodness our accommodations have air conditioning!

3. Food and water are challenging. Because you can’t drink the tap water, we are always buying water or filling up our filtered water bottles (but it’s not cold!). Food takes forever compared to the United States. We did pretty well in Cartagena once we got some groceries, but when we went out to eat, places were either very crowded or took nearly an hour to bring us our orders (even if we were nearly the only ones there). It’s been even harder on the island. We learned the hard way that if you don’t set your alarm to get to the included breakfast that starts at 7:30am, you may not get much/any food! For other meals, our resort has a very limited and overpriced menu, so we’ve been walking to another resort a few minutes away, but that has its own challenges. One time we arrived there at around 3:30pm, very hungry having not eaten since our 7:30am breakfast. They had just stopped serving lunch and wouldn’t be reopening the kitchen until 5:30pm. We put in our orders anyway to hopefully be prepared as soon as they did reopen, killed a couple hours with card games, and finally got our food at 6pm! We’re all learning patience, how to deal with being hangry, the importance of obtaining snacks in advance, and how to subsist on two meals per day total. To Colombia’s credit, the food is delicious once it does show up!

4. Teenagers (and grown-ups) still have mood swings in South America! Adults and kids alike are working on approaching transitions and unexpected challenges with a sense of optimism and positivity. We are getting better at being prepared for various circumstances, knowing what to expect, and working our way through the unanticipated difficulties. We are all a work in progress, right?!

5. Sharing one small bathroom is challenging. One child sheds a lot of hair all over the place. Counter space is limited. And let’s just say that toilets don’t flush with the same “oomph” as ones at home! Sometimes they don’t flush at all, and you have to wait for awhile before trying again.

6. Online pictures can be deceiving. Reviews can be inaccurate. This island stay was supposed to be the luxurious part of our trip, a bit of a splurge above what we’re normally paying for accommodation. The setting is beautiful and the outdoor area is gorgeous, but the room is, um, a bit rustic. And that’s not just some spoiled American talking…take a look at the “view” out our bedroom window. The pool is refreshing, but it has broken tiles, and loud looping music blares all day long. Food and drinks are limited in selection and way overpriced. A fan hanging above Johanna’s head was held in by one dangling screw. When we let them know about a hole in our bathroom screen (flies were coming in), a guy came to “fix” it by stuffing a trash bag in the hole!

7. WiFi is spotty and unreliable here. This is to be expected on an island, but it does make certain schoolwork more challenging to complete.

8. It’s hard to not speak the language very well. This is our own fault, as we should have studied more Spanish, but I am surprised at how little English is spoken, even in the more touristy areas. I don’t expect anyone to speak my language (I understand I’m the visitor), but I anticipated it’d be a little easier to get by. Google Translate has become our best friend!

I’m very aware that most of these are first world problems, and I don’t want to come off as a complainer, but I do think some people might find some of this interesting, and I want to be sure to document our full experience! Overall, we’re having a good trip so far, and the minor inconveniences are worth what we’ve been able to see and do together as a family.