For Canadians in Quebec
Skip winter from Quebec
Quebec has 2 cities on Skip Winter: Montréal, Québec City. Each one runs the same daylight and temperature comparison against Medellín using its own weather station. This page covers the Canadian logistics — health insurance, getting there without a US airport, and what your dollar buys.
RAMQ and time outside Quebec
RAMQ requires you to be present in Québec for 183 days or more per calendar year (January 1 to December 31). To calculate your absences, add together all stays away from Québec that are longer than 21 consecutive days; shorter trips don't count. Days of departure and return don't count either.
Once every seven years, RAMQ allows you to exceed the 183-day limit — the so-called "7-year provision." You need to notify RAMQ before you leave and complete a Temporary Departure form. A standard December-to-February winter (about 90 days) fits comfortably inside the annual limit without needing the exception.
Source: ramq.gouv.qc.ca — Absence from Québec. Rules change; verify before your trip.
Getting to Medellín without a US connection
A lot of Canadians want to avoid transiting through a US airport. The two cleanest routings are Copa Airlines via Panama City (PTY) and Air Canada or Avianca via Bogotá (BOG). Both connect through countries where Canadians don't need a visa to transit, and both arrive in Medellín (MDE) the same day.
From most Canadian airports these are one-stop or two-stop itineraries; price a Tuesday or Wednesday departure in early December. Miami and Fort Lauderdale remain common alternatives if you don't mind clearing US customs.
The loonie in Colombia
Colombia runs on pesos (COP). The exchange rate moves, but as a rough shape: one Canadian dollar has typically bought between 2,800 and 3,500 COP in recent years. A furnished one-bedroom in Laureles that rents for 3,000,000 COP/month is roughly C$900–1,100 depending on the rate. Groceries, local restaurants and transit are priced for Colombian incomes, which means cheap by Canadian standards.
For moving money, Wise (affiliate link — we earn a small fee, it costs you nothing extra) gives you the mid-market rate with a small transparent fee. It beats a Canadian bank wire on spread every time. For day-to-day spending, a no-foreign-fee Visa or Mastercard is the simplest option; choose "charge in COP" when the terminal asks.
Travel insurance from Colombia
Your provincial health plan covers almost nothing outside Canada — a few hundred dollars at most toward a hospital bill that could be thousands. You need travel insurance for any winter stay in Colombia.
Some Canadian credit cards include travel medical insurance (check the number of covered days — many cap at 15 or 30). For a 90-day stay, you'll likely need a standalone policy from a Canadian insurer. The good news: Colombia-based private healthcare is a fraction of US prices, which means the premiums for a Colombia-only policy tend to be lower than a snowbird policy covering the United States.
Free, and timed to your weather
The Winter Countdown
A short email series that starts when your city's first hard cold snap is due. Pick your city below and we'll send the right one.
Ask someone who's done it
Message Andy on WhatsApp
I came to Medellín for the winter before I lived here. Tell me the basics below and hit send — it opens WhatsApp with the message already written.
Nothing is stored on this site — the message goes straight from your phone to mine.
Rather talk it through with a person?
If you're 55-plus, planning with a partner, or just want someone on the phone — that's our sister site, run by the same American in Medellín.