Three Bwoggers set off for Puerto Rico this fall break, and had the absolute best time!!

I believe Puerto Rico is a great fall break destination for Barnumbia; however, I have a few recommendations to make your stay great!

• JetBlue flights leave around 8 pm each night for San Juan, so we booked one on Friday to arrive in San Juan around midnight. Theoretically, you could still hit the club after landing, as Friday is the best night to go out, but we were just too sleepy.
• Your first day should be beach. Just beach. Start working on that tan early on during the weekend!
• You really need a car in P.R. Especially if you want to see areas outside of San Juan. We went to Crash Boat Beach near Isabela, and El Yunque National Forest. I also recommend Gozalandia, but we unfortunately had no time. These were each an hour away from San Juan. Thankfully my Puerto Rican friend had a car for us to use!
• Do not be afraid to try the roadside empanada stands. I found that they were much better than restaurant empanadas! 
• Practice your Spanish. If you happen to know conversational Spanish like me, P.R. is a great place to use it, and no one got upset with me for having an accent. Most people speak English anyway.
• Clubs. Do not go on a Sunday night close to the election holiday, the bars were lowkey dead. Puerto Ricans take elections really seriously, and a lot of businesses were actually closed on election day, or would not even offer us alcohol. Just something to be mindful of.
• Visit El Morro!!! El Morro, a Spanish fortress from the 16th century, is located in Viejo San Juan and has many exhibitions and historical panoramas. It also has beautiful views of the city. Definitely a highlight for me!

Puerto Rico is an amazing place to visit, but you should also do so mindfully. Be respectful of the residents, and remember your privilege as a Columbia student. Support local businesses while there, don’t just stick to resort-y areas. Enjoy!!

Images via author