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Playa del Carmen to Tulum: 4 Safe & Easy Transport Options

Category Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Travel Updated on January 23, 2022

playa del carmen to tulum transportation
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You’ve made it to the tropical paradise that is Playa del Carmen.

Now you want to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum safely and comfortably?

You’ve come to the right place. Check out all the options you have for any budget right here.

In This Article: hide
How To Travel From Playa del Carmen to Tulum?
Option 1: Take a colectivo from Playa del Carmen to Tulum easily
Option 2: Get on the ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum
Option 3: Travel from Playa del Carmen to Tulum by Rent a Car
Option 4: Hop in a Private Taxi from Playa del Carmen to Tulum
The Best Way to Get From Playa del Carmen to Tulum – Our Choice
Playa del Carmen to Tulum – Frequently Asked Questions
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How To Travel From Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

Playa del Carmen and Tulum are popular beach destinations on the Riviera Maya coast. With countless beaches, activities like swimming in cenotes and delicious food to try – you’re bound to have some fun.

playa del carmen to tulum highway

A day trip to Tulum is a popular choice for travelers from Playa del Carmen. The 2 towns are only an hour away from each other. You can visit Akumal Beach and swim with turtles along the way or head straight to Tulum and start getting the boho vibe at a beach club.

Read This Next: How To (Safely) Get From Cancun Airport to Playa del Carmen 2021

Option 1: Take a colectivo from Playa del Carmen to Tulum easily

Your cheapest option is to take a colectivo from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. If you aren’t familiar with colectivos (like I was), think of them as shared minivans that travel from one town to another.

  • Price: $2 – $3 USD
  • Duration: 1 hour and 20-30 minutes
  • Type: Shared Public Transport

To take a colectivo, simply head to the designated pick-up spot and you can hop on and hop off at any stop. Depending on their destination, they will have different pick-up spots and you pay at the END of your ride before you get off.

colectivo van playa del carmen

The cost of a colectivo fare from Playa del Carmen to Tulum is around $40-60 pesos ($2-$3 USD) one-way.

Again colectivos are a shared form of transport. You will sit next to strangers just like any public transport and it’s important to know that you might not want to travel with a suitcase on colectivos. They tend to fill up quickly and might not let you in if you have lots of luggage.

Where to catch the colectivo: The colectivo stop from Playa del Carmen to Tulum can be found along the Juarez bridge. The address is this: Calle 2 Nte LB, Centro, 77710 Playa del Carmen, Q.R., Mexico.

The journey does take a little longer, adding around 30-40 minutes to the 1-hour journey because there are multiple stops along the way. Colectivos start operating from 5am – 11pm. We strongly recommend only riding during daylight for safety reasons.

IMPORTANT: If you know how to speak Spanish – this will be a much easier process.

SAVE this Google Maps listing if you ever plan on traveling from Playa del Carmen to Tulum vía a colectivo: https://goo.gl/maps/WnBMSQaGB9DXPFo77

Option 2: Get on the ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum

Another great option that is very affordable is taking the popular ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum. The bus is a good alternative if you don’t feel comfortable taking the colectivo.

  • Price: $2.50 – $6 USD
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Type: Shared Public Transport

If you’ve got a bigger suitcase – this option will suit you better than the colectivo. However, the departure times are less frequent and it’s slightly more expensive (but still affordable). This will also be a much more comfortable ride from Playa del Carmen to Tulum.

ADO bus at cancun airport
ADO Buses | Photo via Cancun Airport’s Instagram

You don’t need to know much Spanish to buy a ticket and get on the bus – so this is a great option if you’ve just got the basics.

The cost is around $50 pesos to $100 pesos – this can vary depending on how early you book. We recommend booking a few days before your actual trip because things happen and it’s harder to get a refund than a ticket days before.

Where to catch the ADO bus: To take the ADO bus from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, there are 2 bus stations you can go to. The main bus station is on Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) on the corner of Benito Juarez.

Save the Google Maps listing here: https://g.page/ado-playa-del-carmen-turista?share

Book your ADO bus ticket from Playa del Carmen to Tulum here: https://www.ado.com.mx/

Option 3: Travel from Playa del Carmen to Tulum by Rent a Car

This could be the most expensive option depending on the time of year you rent a car.

car rental sign cancun airport

The seasons significantly impact the prices in Playa del Carmen and/or Tulum. If you want to make sure you visit during the best time, read this!

  • Price: $60 – $200 USD
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Type: Private Transport

We looked at renting a car in September and it was like $30 USD per day which is super affordable! However, we didn’t end up doing our road trip in September 2020 and we went early December and the price doubled!

[RENTALCARS IMAGE HERE]

We paid around $75 per day including insurance. The price is justified because of the freedom it gives you – we visited Chichen Itza, Valladolid and Izamal because we rented a car.

Where to get a rental car: We rented ours from Firefly on 10th Avenida and it was a decent experience. All car rentals have bad reviews on Google so it’s about picking the best of the worst. You can use the app rentalcars.com to secure yours in advance.

Option 4: Hop in a Private Taxi from Playa del Carmen to Tulum

This can be a great option if you’re comfortable with a little negotiation game and paying much more than what public transport costs.

If you can lock in a price you and your taxi driver are happy with – this is a great alternative if you want to be dropped off right at your hotel/Airbnb door and if you have lots of luggage.

  • Price: $20 – $40 USD
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Type: Private Transport

Our friend was able to take this option from Playa del Carmen to Tulum directly and she paid $600 pesos ($30 USD). What you pay is directly correlated to what you can negotiate and how willing the driver is to drive all the way.

white taxi cars playa del carmen

We don’t recommend hailing a taxi along or near 5th Avenue (Quinta Avenida) – they will charge you a ridiculous price and might be a little rude from our experience.

The best thing to do is walk a couple of blocks away and hail a taxi from there OR ask your Airbnb/hotel for a number to a driver who can take you. The latter is the safest and easiest option.

Pro Tip: Don’t get into the taxi without settling on a fixed price first.

Safety Tip: Send a friend your live location on WhatsApp or iMessage for safety reasons if you choose this option especially if you’re alone. We’ve heard no problems but better safe than sorry!

The Best Way to Get From Playa del Carmen to Tulum – Our Choice

So…which is the best way to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum considering the price, privacy and safety?

Our choice is…

…ADO bus!

A super affordable option at less than $10 USD and we feel it’s one of the safest options on this list. You can also bring more luggage on and you get a fixed price.

Simply book a ticket online or in-person then show up 30 minutes before your departure time, hop on the bus and enjoy the ride. This is also a great option if you’re a big group and want to travel together.

Whichever option you take to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum – you are in paradise! We loved our stay in PDC and enjoyed a day trip to Tulum. The Riviera Maya has so much to offer and they have done a great job at making it easy to travel to all the towns along the coast.

Playa del Carmen to Tulum – Frequently Asked Questions

How to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

  • Colectivo ($2-$3 USD)
  • ADO bus ($6-$10 USD)
  • Taxi ($25-40 USD)
  • Rental Car ($60-$200 USD)

Can I take an Uber from Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

Unfortunately, no. Uber is not available between those two towns.

How long does it take to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

By car, colectivo or bus – it takes around 55 minutes. By colectivo, it takes around 1 hour and 20-30 minutes.

What is the cheapest way to get from Playa del Carmen to Tulum?

The cheapest option is colectivo ($2-$3 USD) followed by taking the ADO bus ($6-$10 USD).

Should I have travel insurance for going to and from Playa del Carmen and Tulum?

No matter where you travel – travel insurance is always a must if you want to be safe. There are two popular options – World Nomads and Safety Wing. We use Safety Wing and we’re happy with it!

Save This Post For Later On Pinterest!

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We want to hear from you…

Which is the best transport option for you? Was the trip to Tulum worth it? Comment below and let us know! We read every response.

In: Mexico, Playa del Carmen, Travel

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Welcome!

We’re Matt and Ashley, the American-Aussie couple behind this blog. In 2018, we realized we could take our work with us…anywhere in the world. We packed our bags, sold our stuff and bought two tickets to Bali. Today, we slow travel full-time, run our business from our laptops and embrace life one adventure at a time. We’ve completely fallen in love with the freedom that comes with this lifestyle and we hope to inspire you to join us on the digital nomad journey!

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Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣ Flying out to Cyprus just made sense! 🇨🇾⁣
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The weather in Europe started to get colder in October and if you know us, you’ll know we chase the sunshine ☀️⁣
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The best part is that we were joining a coliving space with some friends we made back in Zagreb! We spent an awesome month together - exploring the country, getting work done together and getting to know each other better!⁣
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We love coliving because you get to have an instant community as soon as you land. A nomadic life gets lonely (yes, even as a couple) and coliving spaces usually create great communities with like-minded people!⁣
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@tohani_coliving was especially great at creating events for everyone. During our first week, we had a community design meeting to discuss and plan the kind of things we wanted to do together. I'll share more about our experience on coliving soon ✌️⁣
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Here are some of the highlights:⁣
🌊 Swimming in the ocean with friends⁣
🚗 Weekend getaway to northern cyprus⁣
🎳 Bowling night with the coliving fam⁣
🍼 Meeting good friends (+ their cute baby)
🚤 Jet skiing with my girl @jbabbage 
🥟 Monday dinners at home with the coliving fam⁣
🏖️ Exploring the many beaches Cyprus has to offer⁣
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Would you ever try staying in a coliving space?⁣
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#digitalnomadcyprus #colivingspace #tohanicoliving #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #coliving #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome #digitalnomadlifestyle #fulltimetravel #passportcollective #travelcouple #cyprusdigitalnomad #cyprus
Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination lis Is Skopje, North Macedonia on your destination list? 🇲🇰⁣
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On our Europe tour, we decided to make Skopje home for a few weeks! One of the main reason is because I needed to renew my passport which is much faster outside the country.⁣
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Other than that, we didn’t really know what to expect. There weren't many blogs or videos about being digital nomads here. We could only find 1 coworking space in the area but there were plenty of cafes to visit! There’s a huge cafe culture which is always nice.⁣
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We had a really nice, modern, comfortable apartment in Skopje for $580 USD which was 5 minutes walking from the city center. The cost of living is pretty affordable and it’s very safe! ⁣
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If you’re looking for a city to get some work done, explore the surrounding destinations and establish some routine or even simply go to the BEST gym I've ever been to (@fit_in_performance) - Skopje could be that place for you!⁣
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Would you visit Skopje, North Macedonia as a digital nomad?⁣
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#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadskopje #skopje #skopjedigitalnomad #skopjenorthmacedonia #visitskopje #visitnorthmacedonia #europedigitalnomad
Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destinat Lisbon, Portugal is the top digital nomad destination in Europe! 🇵🇹Why?⁣
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One word: community!⁣
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According to some digital nomad statistics, loneliness is the #1 reason people leave this lifestyle. When you’re traveling alone (or even as a couple), you easily feel all alone. Thankfully, the digital nomad community is very strong, open and welcoming!⁣
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Lisbon is also a popular spot because of the fast wifi (we had speeds of 500+ Mbps), endless coworking options and a relatively affordable cost of living (except the rising rental prices, of course let's be real). ⁣
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Our month in this wonderful city wasn’t long enough! It’s got all the simple things we love:⁣
 ☕ specialty coffee⁣
🍷 delicious food & wine⁣
🥑 bustling brunch scene and ⁣
👯 friendly people & community⁣
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We can easily see why digital nomads keep coming back to this city and we hope we can explore more of Portugal (Porto, Algrave, etc).⁣
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Have you been a digital nomad in Lisbon before? What were your thoughts?⁣
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#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadportugal #lisbon #lisbondigitalnomad #lisbonportugal #visitlisbon #visitportugal #europedigitalnomad
We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our n We embarked on another 6-hour bus journey to our next digital nomad destination on this Europe tour.⁣
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Zagreb, Croatia has been on our minds for a while. While most people think of Split or Dubrovnik, we wanted to visit the capital and see what it’s really like for digital nomads.⁣
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These are some things that we think of before choosing a destination:⁣
- Is there an active digital nomad community?⁣
- What’s the wifi speeds like?⁣
- Are there good coworking spaces?⁣
- Is the cafe culture buzzing?⁣
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And so much more! Our biggest concern was the community part. After traveling Serbia alone - we were starting to feel quite lonely! We joined an FB group and found someone had set up a weekly coworking day.⁣
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It’s always nerve-wracking going to events where you don’t know anyone but as digital nomads, you get acquainted pretty quick! TLDR, we had a pretty close group of 8 working from cafes together, exploring Zagreb and getting to know each other.⁣
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Zagreb is a great destination in Europe for a digital nomad wanting a more affordable cost of living while still exploring Croatia! 🇭🇷⁣
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#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadcroatia #zagreb #zagrebdigitalnomad #zagrebcroatia #visitcroatia🇭🇷
Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣ ⁣ Never did we think we would visit Serbia…⁣
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…but we are SO glad we did!⁣
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Serbia surprised us in so many ways, we honestly didn’t know what to expect! ⁣
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That’s one of the ways we like to approach some of our travels - not judging the country by its cover. You can hear some positive (or negative) things about countries but you never truly know until you experience it for yourself. ⁣
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We spent a month living in Belgrade, Serbia and it wasn’t long enough! With such limited time, as digital nomads you have to hit the ground running to get settled into your new home. We used our first 3 days to find (good) cafes to work from, sign up for a gym membership and plan our travel across Serbia.⁣
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Here are some reasons we can recommend Belgrade to fellow digital nomads:⁣
- friendly, welcoming people⁣
- they have delicious food⁣
- high standard of living⁣
- relatively low cost of living⁣
- fast wifi with tons of cafes to work from ⁣
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We ate countless bureks, drank copious amounts of coffee and worked from some of the coolest cafes. We can’t wait to get back to Belgrade!⁣
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Serbia, you stole our hearts!⁣
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#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #digitalnomadserbia #belgrade #belgradedigitalnomad #belgradeserbia #visitserbia
European Digital Nomad Summer 2022, incoming ✨⁣
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After 4 months in Medellin, Colombia - we decided to head to Europe for the rest of the year!⁣
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Travel planning just becomes part of your lifestyle as digital nomads - it almost becomes a side hustle. When we're not working or exploring, we are researching/booking our next destinations!⁣
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What countries did we decide on?⁣
🇬🇧 England⁣
🇦🇹 Austria⁣
🇭🇷 Croatia⁣
🇷🇸 Serbia⁣
🇫🇷 France⁣
🇳🇱 Netherlands⁣
🇵🇹 Portugal⁣
🇲🇰 North Macedonia⁣
and finally, a last-minute decision to visit...⁣
🇨🇾 Cyprus⁣
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We found flights for only $400 to London from Colombia! My lovely friend and her husband were the best hosts and showed us around their new home. We spent a week in London exploring, acclimating to this continent and working from Pret! ⁣
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TTA TIP: If you're in London, Pret has a subscription service for only about £30 and you get 5 drinks per day plus a cafe space to do a little work!⁣
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*I'm going to be recapping the rest of our 2022 as digital nomads for the next few posts, we are currently in Asia🤪 ⁣
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#workfromeurope #workfromwifi #laptoplifestyle #digitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #remoteworking #digitalnomadcouple #locationindependent #freedomlifestyle #fulltimetravel #digitalnomadeurope #remotework #workonline #workfromanywhere #workandtravel #digitalnomadlifestyle
Figuring out where to live can be difficult as a d Figuring out where to live can be difficult as a digital nomad. Medellin is a big city to navigate but there were some areas that stood out to us. ⁣
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We moved from Laureles to El Poblado in March to truly answer the question “Which neighborhood is best for digital nomads?” - there seems to always be a debate (for good reason). If you read our blog post on where to stay, you’ll know our answer 😉⁣
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If you hate working from home - you’ll love your ‘office’ options in Poblado! There are endless cafes, coworking spaces and free coworking zones in the mall (yes, free!). @elopenspace, @pergaminocafe and El Tesoro Mall are some of the faves!⁣
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Medellin, Colombia continued to impress us and we’re so glad we ended up staying here for 4 months in 2022!⁣
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#medellincolombia #medellindigitalnomad #colombiadigitalnomad #elpoblado #laureles #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #travel #twoticketsanywhere
Settling into a new country as digital nomads isn’t always easy…⁣
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…We spent our first full month in Medellin, Colombia going through a list of things to sort out for ourselves (per usual).⁣
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It might look like we just land in a country and have everything sorted by day 1 but that’s certainly not the case.⁣
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In each country as digital nomads, you have to:⁣
- Buy a local SIM card (or find an eSIM solution - @airalocom & @realnomadtravel are our faves)⁣
- Find your local grocery store⁣
- Get connected with the digital nomad community (constantly putting ourselves out there)⁣
- Figure out where to work (coworking vs cafes)⁣
- Plan the activities we want to do while visiting the country⁣
- And so much more!⁣
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We heard so much about Medellin for digital nomads, we just had to check out what all the buzz was about (especially as we run a blog for digital nomads).⁣
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This was also my (Ashley’s) birthday month and we went paragliding for the first time (2nd pic). We flew with @paraglidingmedellin 💯 I absolutely loved it - if you get the chance, it was a great experience!⁣
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#medellindigitalnomad #colombiadigitalnomad #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #twoticketsanywhere
2022 didn’t start off as we expected…⁣
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…lying on the beach in Thailand, one of our favorite places in the world. 🌴⁣
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Instead, we were touring a couple more US cities: Phoenix, San Francisco and Miami! At this point, we didn’t know how our year would look but we just needed to nail down our next location as digital nomads.⁣
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How did we do that? Simply go on Google flights, enter Miami (where we currently were) and don’t add a destination! There was one place that popped up that was high on our digital nomad destination list - Medellin, Colombia! 🇨🇴⁣
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For $245.15 USD total, Matthew and I hopped on a 2 hour plane ride to a country (and continent) we’ve never stepped foot on before! 🥹⁣
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We were tired of flying and traveling (faster than usual) and we decided to make Medellin our base for a few months but that’s for the next couple of posts to come…⁣
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#travelawesome #digitalnomad #fulltimetravel #travelinglifestyle #travel #digitalnomadlifestyle #laptoplifestyle #exploretheworld #passportcollective #traveldestination #digitalnomaddiary
Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️ ⠀ Dig Well, that's the truth...🤷🏻‍♀️
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Digital nomad life isn’t for everyone.

There are days you’ll feel excited to live in a new country every couple of months, ready to learn about other cultures & always inspired by fellow digital nomads you meet on the road. 

But there are days where you’ll feel lonely, stuck, miserable and exhausted from moving and/or always making new friends. 

This digital nomad lifestyle is no way perfect, as it may look. But…

We wouldn’t have it any other way 🤍
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#travelreels #digitalnomadlife #funnytravel #traveltheworld #catchflightsnotfeelings #workandtravel #workfromwifi #digitalnomad #travellifestyle #traveladdict #travel #twoticketsanywhere #travelblogger #travelawesome #digitalnomadlifestyle #fulltimetravel #passportcollective #travelcouple #funnytravel

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