Pssst! Want a cheap trip? $99 one-way flights to Colombia!

     Who says there are no travel bargains anymore? Who? I want names! Listen to this: to promote a new route starting in May, JetBlue is flying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Bogota, Colombia for $99 one way or $228 round trip (those pesky Colombian taxes!) This includes all taxes AND one free checked bag.
     Soak that in for a moment. Colombia! Lest anyone forget, Colombia is one of the great countries of this hemisphere. I’ve been four times. I started this blog in Colombia, in fact, and I have another page here of evocative pix and stirring commentary that you have come to expect from Senor Dromo.
     Colombia still has an image problem for people who last looked at a newspaper in 1994 so they anointed a bunch of bloggers to travel around and promote it. I am sure my invitation got lost in the mail (cough!) because I am a huge fan of Colombia and always sing its praises.

     Cheese and liquor store in Bogota. Do you need more of a reason to visit?


     Hey, all you Europeans who always ask on Couchsurfing and Lonely Planet Q&A boards for the cheapest way to go between Europe and South America: it’s through Florida. Whether you want to mess with the U.S. visa, transit or otherwise, that has to be factored in, but this is the answer. It’s also the answer to anyone wanting to go the cheapest way to Peru (if you are already in Colombia) and Brazil. You take a $50 flight from Bogota to Leticia on the Amazon, then a boat south to Iquitos for Peru or east to Manaus for Brazil, whereupon both places have cheap flights to the big cities. Piece of cake! You’re welcome!

     This art installation in the Orlando airport (yes, that's a dummy) might be my favorite thing in Florida


     I flew FLL-BOG (using airport codes makes me sound authoritative; bear with me) for only $83 two years ago. This deal was the foundation of my website to show people how to fly cheaply. I laid out all the details of my three-prong attack here.
     Logistically, it’s easy to pull off. Fort Lauderdale is a short transit ride up from Miami, and FLL itself is becoming a hub as an alternative to MIA. If you don’t want to wait until May, JetBlue already flies one way from Orlando (MCO) to BOG for $153 all-in, which is also very good for a four-hour international flight. I did this in reverse two years ago.
     A downside of the FLL-BOG flight is the 8am departure. A downside of the MCO-BOG flight is the 9pm arrival. Thus, here’s my question for you: let’s say the flights cost the same. If the choices are flying from FLL at 8am or arriving in BOG at 9pm, which do you prefer? When I think 8am I think of sleeping in the airport because it’s too early to get there from public transport. (I slept in the FLL airport last time; not a big fan.) When I think 9pm in Bogota, I think I won’t get to town until after 11pm and that’s late to get to a hostel or visiting someone and maybe daunting if it is your first time to Colombia. Which is the lesser of two evils?

     A note: If I was a real blogger, I would have JetBlue, Kayak and Hostelworld ads all related to Bogota here and get a few cents if you clicked on the links and maybe a couple of bucks if you booked something—but I don’t. I’m still conflicted about ads.

     Bogota street artist. You're missing out if you don't go to Colombia!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Comments

Pssst! Want a cheap trip? $99 one-way flights to Colombia! — 7 Comments

  1. After spending one year in South America, I concur- Columbia (and Ecuador) was my favorite country. The coffee growing area is worth a long, relaxing stop sipping Colombian coffee in the mountains.
    Medellin is a great city as well, I preferred it over Bogota.

  2. I wrote to the Colombians, and they sent me this very long, canned response:
    “Dear Kent,
    In Colombia, we dream about sharing with the world the beauty of our land, the warmth of our people, and the infinite richness of our culture.

    This is why we want you to have, just as millions of Colombians and foreigners do, the opportunity to visit us, to enjoy the best vacations of your life, to carry out big business, and to prove that in this country, the only risk is wanting to stay.

    On behalf of Colombia’s Entities of Tourism Promotion and all the Colombians, we appreciate your great interest in Colombia. Regarding your communication, we want to deeply thank your valuable comments about our country, please keep on mind that you are welcome anytime you want to come. Anyway, we keep on working hardly to make the world see the real face of our beautiful Colombia.

    One more time, thanks for show your interest in Colombia. If you want to relax, travel or invest in our country, you can always count with us. Colombia is changing. Cheer up to know it and you will find that,

    The only risk is wanting to stay.”

  3. My friend, you have made my day here!
    I’m looking for the least expensive way into South America from the US, and this just may be it (I did have a friend who flew from ATL-BOG for $73 one-way! So I’m still searching.)..
    Whatever I find, I’ll be sure to share it with you all as well!
    And, how do I suscribe to this blog? (If I were a real blogger…I’d know.)
    😉
    Happy Holidays!

  4. Hi Lisa,
    I don’t know if there are good deals right now, but keep checking JetBlue and Spirit (and their route maps to see your options) and everything out of Florida. I bet you can find something from NY to Cartagena.
    On the main page of my website there are lots of ways to follow me, but I will include the links below.
    I could have guessed you were from New York. That photo of you on your blog is the biggest I have ever seen! HA! If I had a smile like that, I would do the same.
    -Kent
    http://www.facebook.com/dromokent
    http://twitter.com/thedromomaniac
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/113734359262838344498/posts
    http://feeds.feedburner.com/thedromomaniac
    http://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/mailverify?uri=thedromomaniac&loc=en_US

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *