What is your favorite travel memory?

Probably going to Medellín for the first time. The Coffee Region is what people think of when they imagine Colombia. The rough terrain, the mountains, and lush greenery. I’d never seen a coffee plant before, which was really cool. The banana plants lining the mountain roads and the tile-roofed fincas in the hills are so picturesque. Guatapé, now a popular backpacker’s stop, was a treat. The bright colored buildings and artwork on the sides of houses was so unique. I have wonderful photos of them. My only regret is that I wish I’d taken even more.

Do you have a favorite photo you took during your travels?

This was taken from an apartment building on a hill in El Poblado, Medellín. The trailing headlights? A complete accident— the shutter got stuck.

In Medellín, I visited an ex-boyfriend’s family. If you know Medellín, it’s very hilly, and the boundaries between city and country are often blurred in Colombia. His cousins lived on a higher floor of a building overlooking a grassy field with cows (yes, in the city!) They had these huge windows in the house and one night I was fooling around with a point and shoot. I don’t know exactly how I did it, but somehow by accident the shutter, I guess, didn’t close immediately. I got the trailing tail lights of card going up the hill. I actually got two photos like that. Very cool.

What’s one travel tip you abide by?

If at all possible, learn about the public transportation of where you’re visiting before you go and use it. I saved around $18 using a public guagua from Santo Domingo airport versus taking a $20 taxi.  Some places are trickier than others. However, it’s not only an opportunity to save money, it’s also offers a snapshot into culture and everyday life.

Have you been anywhere which turned out to be totally different than how you imagined? If so, how?

A picture is worth a thousand words. However, oftentimes the only photos you see are what the tourism industry wants you to see. Nobody is going to post photos of a beach overrun with Sargassum seaweed or the dozens of people crammed around the Trevi Fountain. What you see isn’t always what you get. That said, I do try to research a place as much as I can so that there are minimal surprises.

Another thing that has surprised me and continues to surprise me is how small many places actually are. I’ve learned that many world renowned cities barely scratch a half million inhabitants and are often very walkable from one end to the other. Florence? There aren’t even 400,000 people there and it feels like a big town.

What’s even more incredible is how small many countries are, especially in places like the Caribbean. Being from New York, these cultures are huge, so it’s amazing to visit a country that you can walk from side to side in few hour and whose population is smaller than many cities.