There’s a version of this story where I play it cool. Where I show up to Colombia as some seasoned traveler who knows what he’s doing, fits in immediately, and has a great time.
That is not what happened.
What actually happened is I got on a plane to Colombia with a fresh set of braces — adult braces, at an age where you think you’re past the point of being the guy with braces — and spent the next [ADD YOUR DETAILS: how many days] grinning at strangers with metal on my teeth like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It kind of was, actually. That trip taught me something about confidence I didn’t expect to learn from a group vacation.
Why Colombia, Why Then
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: What was the context for this trip? Who organized it — was it friends, a group tour, a travel group you found? What made you decide to go with a group vs. solo?]
I’d traveled before. Solo trips, mostly. Me and a bag and a vague plan and whatever happened, happened. Group travel felt different. More organized than I usually like. More people to coordinate with. More potential for someone to ruin the vibe.
I almost didn’t go.
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: What made you commit to going?]
Landing in Colombia
The first thing that hits you when you land in Colombia is the air. [ADD YOUR DETAILS: Where did you fly into — Medellín, Bogotá, Cartagena, other?] It smells different. Feels different. There’s a humidity and a warmth that isn’t just about the weather.
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: First impressions of the city. What did you do on the first day?]
The group was [ADD YOUR DETAILS: describe the group — how many people, where they were from, how you all connected].
The Braces Thing
Here’s the thing about getting braces as an adult — people react to them differently than you expect. Kids with braces, nobody notices. Adults with braces, everyone notices, and then they try very hard not to say anything, which somehow makes it more obvious.
In Colombia, nobody cared. Not in a polite “we’re ignoring it” way. Genuinely, truly didn’t care. I’d smile at someone, they’d smile back, and that was the whole interaction. No second look at my teeth. No pause.
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: Was there a specific moment or interaction where the braces came up or where you felt particularly self-conscious or the opposite?]
That sounds small. It wasn’t. There’s something about being in a place where nobody knows you — where none of your baggage follows you — that lets you just be a person. Not the guy who did this or went through that. Just a person, walking around a city, smiling with his metal teeth.
What We Did
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: The actual itinerary — neighborhoods, food spots, excursions, nightlife, anything specific that stood out]
Colombia does not mess around with food. [ADD YOUR DETAILS: specific dishes, restaurants, street food you had]
The [ADD YOUR DETAILS: specific highlight of the trip — a place, a moment, an experience] was the thing I talk about most when people ask about this trip.
What Group Travel Actually Taught Me
Solo travel is selfish in the best possible way. You go where you want, eat when you’re hungry, stay as long as you feel like it, leave when you’re ready. Nobody else’s schedule. Nobody else’s preferences.
Group travel forces you out of that. Someone in your group is going to want to see something you don’t care about. You’re going to end up at a restaurant that wasn’t your first choice. You’re going to wait for someone who’s always five minutes late.
And somehow, the trip is better for it.
[ADD YOUR DETAILS: A specific moment where the group dynamic made something better than it would have been solo]
I went to Colombia with a set of braces and a slight chip on my shoulder about group travel. I left with [ADD YOUR DETAILS: what you left with — new friends, a changed perspective, a story?].
Worth it. All of it.
The Braces, Postscript
They came off [ADD YOUR DETAILS: when]. My teeth look great. Colombia was partly responsible.
— Baldo
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