What to pack for Bogota with tips from someone who lives there

We were heading for Colombia in December, and my huge question was: what to pack for Bogota? Fortunately, we have friends who’ve been living and working in Colombia for a couple years (shout out to Narcos!). So we reached out to them to get some tips on what to pack for Bogota in December. Although most of these tips will work for any time of year!

Here are the super-helpful tips from our friend and fabulous Colombian chica Shelly…

What to wear while in Bogota:

Okay, so safety is important. We have heard and been close to people that have had their phones, money, and/or jewelry taken right off of them. BUT don’t be scared you can avoid this by making a few small changes…

No jewelry. I know it sucks, but just think of it as a beacon of light screaming, “guess what else I have!” If you must have some kind of jewelry make it the cheap-y kind — I wear a $20 necklace to go out.

As far as a purse goes I would suggest a crossover (cross body) purse. Be sure that the purse has zipper to close all openings. I am not very good with purses (I tend to leave them lying around) so I got myself a fancy version of a fanny pack. Its a pouch that I loop through my own belt. I love it, but the fanny pack look takes some getting use to.

Make sure your jacket has at least one zippered pocket. Make sure your phone and wallet fit into this zippered pocket. We just got my boyfriend a great one with four zip pockets at Zara.

Lastly think layers as far as dressing goes. Maybe a tank or short sleeve shirt on the bottom with a scarf sweater and jacket. Jeans are perfect for everything here.

No open toe shoes. As a Miami girl, I brought a bunch of them and never use them. Boots boots boots.

Based on that info, here’s what I packed, wore, and used in Bogota:

I wore these boots with hidden pockets all over the city. I walked for miles in them, and they were always comfortable, and kept my feet dry and warm, and my secret stash well-hidden.



When we went out to nice restaurants and clubs, I wore my favorite comfortable heels — these ‘ol things (in black).



There’s a reason Zella calls these live-in leggings, because you can live in them and nothing else forever. They’re comfortable, look great, ideal for working out or wearing out and about, because they are cut from a moisture-wicking knit and sewn with flatlock seaming for a comfortable, chafe-free fit. They can be dressed up or down.



I brought 5 of these layering tank tops from Target in black or grey.



One light long-sleeved shirt



Heat generating button down flannel from Athleta that I wore buttoned up as a sweater and open as a light jacket.



I brought three different waterproof jackets, which was over-kill. I should have just brought my waterproof Anorak (I got mine at Target and it’s longer available but any of these would work) — it’s light (layers are your friend!), water resistant, and could look dressy if paired with heels. Or super-light, down jacket that comes with a bag you can smoosh it into to portability.



One light infinity scarf — this was probably my most useful layer! The one I’ve been using for years is this cashmere blend scarf (pictured above). It’s easy to take on an off, and easily tied around my purse when I wasn’t wearing it.



I actually brought 4 or 5 chunky knee socks, but wish I had just brought 1 or 2 leg warmers like these that a) would have taken up less room, and b) would have been easy for me to remove as I got hotter as the day wore on.



One little black cotton dress for going out to dinner at these amazing restaurants.



This cross body purse with a main zipper, even more secure inside zipper (for money and credit cards), that could also be a clutch, with a strap that I kept my hand on while I walked through crowds. It fit everything I needed for a night out, and it worked perfectly!






Anyone else have packing tips for Bogota?