Moving to Colombia and visiting Colombia are two very different things.

It’s easy to fall in love with the country while traveling. The mountains, the weather, the fruit, the cost of a good lunch, the fact that somebody will deliver almost anything to your door. Then you decide you might actually want to live here and suddenly you have completely different questions.

Where should I live?

How do I rent an apartment without Colombian credit history?

What does healthcare actually look like?

Do I need a car?

How much money do I realistically need?

Who do I call when I need a lawyer, accountant, doctor, driver—or somebody to fix my washing machine?

And perhaps most importantly: Is the version of Colombia I have imagined actually compatible with the life I want to live?

I’ve been answering variations of these questions for years.

I’m Erin Donaldson, an American writer and relocation consultant, and I have lived in Colombia since February 2013, primarily in the Coffee Region. Over that time I’ve built a life here, raised a family here, worked here, dealt with Colombian bureaucracy, moved houses, navigated healthcare, hired professionals, built a local network and made plenty of mistakes along the way.

That experience is now the basis of the relocation resources and consultations I offer through Coffee Axis Travel.

Moving to Colombia Is Not Just a Visa Question

People understandably spend a lot of time researching visas before moving abroad.

Visas matter. But once you’re actually here, your visa may be one of the least interesting parts of your day.

You’re going to need somewhere to live. You’ll need healthcare. You’ll need to understand transportation and banking and neighborhoods. You’ll eventually need a dentist. Something in your house will break. You may discover that the neighborhood that looked perfect online isn’t remotely where you want to live.

And Colombia doesn’t work exactly the way the United States, Canada or Europe works.

That’s neither good nor bad. It simply means there is a learning curve.

A lot of my work with people considering Colombia is helping them understand that difference before they make expensive decisions.

Where Should You Live in Colombia?

This is one of the biggest questions, and I don’t think there is one universally correct answer.

Medellín gets enormous international attention, but it certainly isn’t the only option.

My own expertise is particularly strong in Colombia’s Coffee Region, including Manizales and Pereira. I’ve lived in this part of Colombia for years, and these cities can offer a very different experience from Medellín, Bogotá or the Caribbean coast.

Even Manizales and Pereira—despite being relatively close geographically—are not interchangeable.

Climate, transportation, terrain, housing, social life, healthcare access and the general rhythm of daily life can be surprisingly different.

This is also why I am skeptical of relocation advice that begins with:

“The best place to live in Colombia is…”

The better question is:

What kind of life are you trying to create?

Someone moving with four large dogs has different priorities from a single digital nomad. A retired couple concerned about healthcare has different needs from a 35-year-old entrepreneur. Someone who loves dense urban life may be miserable in the place another person considers paradise.

Good relocation planning starts with the person—not the city.

The Things People Don’t Always Think About Before Moving

Some questions are obvious: visa, rent, healthcare, cost of living.

Others don’t occur to you until you need an answer.

How will you get around if you don’t drive?

What happens when you need to receive money from overseas?

Can you find the foods you normally eat?

How do you identify a trustworthy professional when everybody seems to “know a guy”?

How much Spanish will you realistically need?

What happens when something goes wrong?

Who can you call?

Those seemingly small questions often determine whether living abroad feels manageable or exhausting.

And after more than 13 years here, one of the most valuable things I’ve accumulated isn’t information.

It’s people.

My Colombia Rolodex

Over the years I’ve collected phone numbers.

Lots of them.

Doctors. Dentists. Lawyers. Accountants. Drivers. Real estate contacts. Visa help. Household help. People who repair things. People who deliver things. People I’ve personally used and people who came into my network through clients, family and other people I trust.

For years, when somebody asked me:

“Erin, do you know somebody who…?”

I’d go digging through WhatsApp.

Eventually I realized this was something people actually needed.

So I organized that network into The Colombia Relocation Directory.

It now contains 40+ trusted contacts and practical resources, with particularly strong coverage in Manizales, Pereira and Colombia’s Coffee Region.

This isn’t a database I scraped from Google. The whole point is that these are contacts that come out of more than a decade of actually living here.

It includes resources for visas and immigration, legal help, Colombian taxes and accounting, healthcare, housing, drivers and transportation, household services, local specialists and more. I’ve also included important emergency, anti-extortion and consular contacts.

The Colombia Relocation Directory is $14.99 and available as an instant digital download.

Get The Colombia Relocation Directory

If You’re Still Researching Your Move

Not everyone needs a consultation.

If you’re still at the stage of figuring out whether Colombia makes sense at all, start with information.

My Expat Guide to Moving Abroad to Colombia covers many of the practical questions that come up when you’re preparing for a move: housing, healthcare, visas, cost of living, cultural adjustment, banking and the realities of getting established.

I also wrote Coffee Axis Living: An Insider’s Guide to Long-Term Life in Colombia’s Coffee Region for people particularly interested in this part of the country.

Those resources are intentionally inexpensive because sometimes you don’t need an hour with me.

You just need somewhere sensible to start.

When a Guide Isn’t Enough

Sometimes the question isn’t:

“How does Colombia work?”

It’s:

“How would this work for me?”

That’s where a private consultation makes sense.

I offer a 60-minute Colombia Relocation Consultation for $150.

This isn’t a generic presentation where I spend an hour telling you things you could have read online.

Before we talk, I want to understand what you’re actually considering. Then we use the hour to work through your priorities.

That might include:

• Where in Colombia you should consider living
• Manizales versus Pereira
• Housing and neighborhood considerations
• Cost-of-living expectations
• Healthcare
• Transportation
• Banking and everyday logistics
• Cultural adjustment
• Building a local network
• Planning an exploratory trip
• Questions about your particular family or lifestyle
• Finding appropriate local professionals

If there’s something I don’t know, I’ll tell you.

And if your question really belongs with an immigration professional, attorney, accountant, doctor or another licensed specialist, I’ll tell you that too—and when possible, point you toward someone appropriate.

The goal isn’t to convince you to move to Colombia.

The goal is to help you make a better decision.

Book a 60-Minute Colombia Relocation Consultation — $150

Why Listen to Me?

I don’t know everything about Colombia, and anyone who claims they do should probably make you nervous.

What I do have is a fairly unusual amount of lived experience.

I’ve called Colombia home since 2013, primarily in the Coffee Axis. I’m an American writer, cultural journalist and founder of Coffee Axis Travel.

My work about Colombia has appeared in publications including World Nomads and International Living, and I’ve been interviewed about what it’s actually like to live in Manizales. The existing Coffee Axis Travel page documents those writing and media credentials as part of your professional background.

But living here for a long time has taught me something else:

There is a huge difference between knowing facts about Colombia and knowing how to live in Colombia.

The second one takes time.

You Don’t Have to Figure Out Everything at Once

If you’re seriously considering Colombia, don’t try to solve your entire future before you get on the plane.

Research.

Ask questions.

Come and spend time here.

Look at ordinary neighborhoods, not just tourist attractions.

Go grocery shopping.

Take public transportation.

Look at houses or apartments.

Pay attention to how you feel when you’re doing normal things—not just when you’re drinking coffee overlooking the Andes.

And don’t be afraid to discover that the place you originally thought you wanted isn’t actually the right place for you.

That’s part of the process.

I’ve been living that process for more than 13 years.

If my experience can save you some time, introduce you to the right person, help you avoid an expensive mistake, or simply give you a clearer idea of what you’re getting yourself into, that’s what Coffee Axis Travel’s relocation resources are here for.

Start with what you need:

Want practical information about moving to Colombia?
Explore my Colombia relocation guides.

Need trusted contacts once you’re here?
Get The Colombia Relocation Directory — $14.99

Have questions specific to your situation?
Book a private 60-minute Colombia Relocation Consultation — $150.