You've never left the country and now you're doing this. That's fine.
A surprising share of medical travellers have never used a passport before. Every guide assumes you're a seasoned traveller who just happens to need surgery. This one doesn't. Here's every small thing that feels enormous the first time.
Staying connected
Cheapest reliable option is usually an eSIM bought before you fly — you activate it on landing and skip a shop queue while jet-lagged. A local physical SIM is cheaper still if you'd rather. Your home carrier's international roaming is easiest and by far the most expensive. Whatever you choose, arrange it before you leave.
What to install first
A ride-hailing app, a translation app with Spanish downloaded for offline use, WhatsApp (which is how Colombia communicates — clinics, drivers, everyone), offline maps for your city, and your bank's app. Do all of this on home wifi.
Cards and cash
Tell your bank you're travelling. Bring two cards from different institutions, stored separately. Use bank ATMs attached to branches in daylight. Withdraw modest amounts. Never use an ATM someone has approached you about.
Plugs and voltage
Colombia uses the same flat two-pin plug type and 110V supply as the United States, so American devices work without an adapter. European and UK travellers need one. Bring a small power strip — one outlet is never enough with a phone, a laptop, and a power bank.
Twenty words
You don't need Spanish. You need por favor, gracias, me duele aquí (it hurts here), necesito ayuda (I need help), no entiendo (I don't understand), and the ability to say your allergies. Everything else, an app handles.
Buying medicine
Pharmacies are everywhere and pharmacists are genuinely helpful. Many medications available only by prescription in the US are available over the counter here. That does not mean you should self-prescribe around surgery — ask the clinic first, always.
What happens, in order
They may ask for proof of onward travel
Airlines check this because they're liable if a country refuses you entry. Have your return booking on your phone and printed. This is the most common place first-timers get stuck.
Liquids, laptops, medication
Medication stays in your carry-on, in original packaging. If you have a doctor's letter, have it accessible. Nobody will make a fuss; the letter is for the rare occasion someone does.
Immigration
Passport, a few questions, a stamp. Have your lodging address written down. “Medical treatment” is a perfectly normal answer to why you're visiting.
Usually nothing
Most travellers walk straight through. Declare anything unusual rather than hoping.
Ignore the offers
People will approach you offering taxis, currency exchange and help. Politely decline all of it and walk to the official taxi queue or open your ride-hailing app. This is standard advice for any international airport.
Longer than you think, from MDE
Medellín's airport is about 45 minutes to an hour from the city, on a winding mountain road. If you get motion sick, sit in front and open a window.
It's not the logistics. It's being alone.
The practical stuff sorts itself out within about a day. Almost everything above turns out to be easier than it looked from home. What catches people is the middle of the second week: you're in a room, in a city where you don't speak the language, you're sore and bored and the novelty has worn off, and everyone you know is asleep in a different time zone.
Plan for it the way you'd plan for anything else. Set a fixed daily call with someone at home — a real appointment, not “we'll talk soon.” Download more than you think you need before you fly. Go outside every day you're cleared to, even if it's just to sit somewhere for twenty minutes. Tell one person your full itinerary and check in with them on a schedule.
And if you can possibly bring someone, bring someone. Here's the page to send them →
Questions people actually ask
I don't speak any Spanish. Is that a problem?
Manageable, not ideal. Most clinics that treat international patients have English-speaking coordinators, and translation apps handle daily life adequately. Where it gets hard is outside the clinic: pharmacies, taxis, building staff, and anything that goes slightly wrong. Learn twenty words. It changes the whole experience.
Is it safe?
Colombian cities have the ordinary risks of large cities and the neighbourhoods where medical travellers stay are generally busy and well-policed. The advice that matters is unglamorous: don't display expensive phones or jewellery on the street, use ride-hailing rather than hailing cars, don't walk alone late, don't accept drinks from strangers. Post-surgery you're slower and more visibly impaired, so lean conservative for the whole trip.
Taxi or app?
App, nearly always. You get a recorded route, a fixed fare, a driver identity, and no negotiation — which matters when you're tired, sore, and not fluent. From the airport, use an official queue or an authorised desk rather than anyone who approaches you inside the terminal.
How does tipping work?
Restaurants frequently add a voluntary service charge to the bill — you'll be asked whether to include it, and it's normal to say yes. Beyond that, tipping is far less systematic than in the US. Rounding up for a driver or tipping a helpful hotel staff member is appreciated and not expected.
Can I drink the tap water?
In Medellín and Bogotá the tap water is generally regarded as safe to drink. Standards vary elsewhere and on the coast. Around surgery, when you don't want any avoidable stomach upset, bottled is the low-stress choice regardless.
What if I get scammed or something goes wrong?
Most problems are small: an overcharge, a misunderstanding, a bad taxi. Keep copies of your documents somewhere separate, keep a second payment card in a different place, and know your embassy's contact details. For anything medical, the clinic's number comes first. For anything criminal, the police, then your embassy.
First trip? Start with the plan, not the price.
The planner walks you through what you'll actually do, day by day, and what it costs to be there. It takes about a minute and it removes most of the unknown.