Cali to Cartagena

[John O]

I'm planning to take my Cali girlfriend to Cartagena during Easter week. Semana Santa will be busy, but it's the only time I have off till summer.

She found some flight/hotel packages for around 1.2 million pesos, which seems reasonable.

Any ideas on how to pay for it? Should I wire her the money? What's the best way to do this?

Thanks.

[ald07]

... in response to Cali to Cartagena, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

If you dont trust wiring you can always open a bank account and send her the debit card.  Then you can always put in the money you want her to have and she can withdraw it.  Once she receives the card you can tell her the pin over the phone.  If you ever break up with her you can cancel the card

[zack]

... in response to Cali to Cartagena, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

Hi John,

I have heard several bad stories regarding wiring money to novias, that is, LARGE amounts of money. In one instance, a guy wired his lady over $1,000.00 and she later stated that she was robbed shortly thereafter in the streets.(??). The other occurrance happened to a different Latina. She walked into Western Union, got the money and on her way out was stopped by a guy pretending to be a Western Union Employee. He told her that they made a mistake and the money had to be recounted. As he walks her outside the door to recount, up pulls a getaway car, the man jumps in and takes off with her money.

I don't know how true those stories are and for all I know those ladies pocketed the money and made up those stories. But one thing is certain regarding Western Union: The LARGER the money being wired, the more likely a bad apple will somehow appear, and that robber may be your own novia. I hope you trust her a great deal before sending her such a large sum of money.

But I wouldn't give up on Western Union. I recently wired my novia 1.5 million pesos via Western Union for a semi-emergent surgical procedure. I told her to have her dad drive her in his car with her brother to Western Union to get the money. There is always safety in numbers. The money was obtained and taken home without a problem.

John, if you trust your novia, and if you make sure she's with a group of friends/family  when she get's the money, everything will be fine.

Zack

[zack]

... in response to Cali to Cartagena, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

Hi John,

I have heard several bad stories regarding wiring money to novias, that is, LARGE amounts of money. In one instance, a guy wired his lady over $1,000.00 and she later stated that she was robbed shortly thereafter in the streets.(??). The other occurrance happened to a different Latina. She walked into Western Union, got the money and on her way out was stopped by a guy pretending to be a Western Union Employee. He told her that they made a mistake and the money had to be recounted. As he walks her outside the door to recount, up pulls a getaway car, the man jumps in and takes off with her money.

I don't know how true those stories are and for all I know those ladies pocketed the money and made up those stories.
But one thing is certain regarding Western Union: The LARGER the money being wired, the more likely a bad apple will somehow appear, and that robber may be your own novia. I hope you trust her a great deal before sending her such a large sum of money.

But I wouldn't give up on Western Union. I recently wired my novia 1.5 million pesos via Western Union for a semi-emergent surgical procedure. I told her to have her dad drive her in his car with her brother to Western Union to get the money. There is always safety in numbers. The money was obtained and taken home without a problem.

John, if you trust your novia, and if you make sure she's with a group of friends/family  when she get's the money, everything will be fine.

Zack

[zack]

... in response to Re: Cali to Cartagena, posted by zack on Feb 27, 2004

I'm obviously not computer savvy.

[ald07]

... in response to Cali to Cartagena, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

I don't know if thats a good price or not. When I was in Cali last week I went into a travel agency and they were selling roundtrip for two to San Andres, six days, five nights for 440,000 pesos on Aerorepublic.  I here San Andres is a great place to vacation.  Using that as a barometer 1.2 seems kinda high but everything is relative I guess.

[John O]

... in response to Re: Cali to Cartagena, posted by ald07 on Feb 26, 2004

Might prices be higher during Semana Santa?

BTW, what's the name of your travel agent? Maybe I can send my girlfriend there. And do you have any suggestions on how I can pay for travel tix from here in the U.S.?

Thanks!

[Gator]

... in response to Higher Prices for Easter Week?, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

Reservations strongly suggested.

[ald07]

... in response to Higher Prices for Easter Week?, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

Sorry I cant help with that one.  I was just walking around Cali and saw the advertisement in the window.  I lost there card.

[thundernco]

... in response to Re: Cali to Cartagena, posted by ald07 on Feb 26, 2004

Price depends on which resort you will be staying at.  1.2 seems about right if it's at a Decameron or similar type resort hotel.  Enjoy, and just say no, gracias to the vendors. -TNC

[cancunhound]

... in response to Cali to Cartagena, posted by John O on Feb 26, 2004

Depends on your budget, but for that amount (about $500) western union wouldn't be outrageous - but I would cringe at the idea of her carrying around that much cash.
If it's a reputable agency that she's dealing with - and it probably is - you could probably fax and/or phone them your credit card info for the purchase and she could pick up the tickets - make sure your name matches that of your passport.
I'm just guessing here as I've always purchased while in Colombia.  1.2 mil doesn't sound that bad, you could try calling one of the big agencies like Aviatur (odds are good of finding an english speaking rep) and they might match it, they list their prices for semana santa on their website:

http://www.aviatur.com.co/excursiones/Colombia/2004/ctg.htm

You could also try a site like despegar.com but don't expect a bargain.