Monthly Newsletter - October 2008

Hello my fellow travelers! We will now go over a few tips to make your trip around South America as fulfilling and memorable as possible. As you are traveling, you will probably be surprised by some of the local idiosyncrasy which is sometimes better to know beforehand, so make sure you don’t overlook these basic three things:

1) Passport. Without it, you can’t leave your country. And just as important are the travel visas in your passport (in case they are required by the countries you are visiting). Without these, you can’t enter the countries. Also make sure your visa doesn’t expire during your travel, especially important when taking any flights.

2) Flight Tickets. Thanks to modern age and internet, most of these are now being issued as e-tickets. These are quite useful as you don’t require any printed papers (yes, they are also ecological), just your passport when you approach the airline’s counter.

3) Money. Just like in any most cities in the world, it’s not a good idea to carry loads of cash with you, so credit cards are always a ‘must’ for your trip. ATMs are very popular in South America, as you will find one even in most small towns. You should take out enough money from an ATM to get around for the next day or two. Traveler checks on the other hand are not very popular in South America – if you find a bank or entity that accepts them, you won’t probably get a good exchange rate – so these are not really recommendable. US Dollars are widely accepted in some countries, for example Peru, as long as you are not paying with large bills. $5s, $10s and $20s will do just fine. Still, it’s always a good idea to have some Soles (Peruvian currency) in hand. In other countries like Brazil, Argentina or Chile, you will have to exchange bills into national currency (Real, Argentinean Peso and Chilean Peso respectively), which can be done in a money exchange booth, located in every airport and major bus stations. Or you can simply take some national currency directly out of the ATM, where you might not get the best exchange rate, but it saves you lots of time.

You have now got your passport, flight tickets (or e-tickets) and money (cash and credit card) and you are ready to start your trip. Your first stop will naturally be a South American airport. An important detail to remember: try to avoid any help from strangers that approach you, as they might have the intention of overcharging you for a service or something similar. You can kindly say “No, thank you” and carry on you own way – Spanish: “No gracias”; Portuguese: “Nao, obrigado”. If you do need any help, you can always approach an information booth. It is always recommendable to have your airport/hotel transfers previously arranged, or otherwise take an airport taxi, which might be a little more expensive, but trust worthy.

Once in the city, you will want to spend your time enjoying the wonders of South America, so remember that the less valuables you have with you, the less you have to worry about. Always have with you just what you need and don’t flash around your personals. It’s not that Lima, Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro are more dangerous than any other big city in the world, but it’s always better to be cautious. Where you probably will find a big difference, is when purchasing souvenirs, especially in small markets with handmade clothes and handcrafts, as you will have to learn to develop your bargaining abilities. A good starting point is to offer about half of whatever they price they set. So for example, if they say 100, you offer 50, and then you can start the bargaining process (note that you will always have to ask for the price, as this will not be on display). In the end, you should get a 20%-25% off the original price.

Knowing all the above, here are some useful phrases to get around:

ENGLISH / SPANISH / PORTUGUESE

Hello / Hola / Oi
Please / Por favor / Por favor
Thank you / Gracias / Obrigado (for men); Obrigada (for women)
Do you speak English? / ¿Habla inglés? / Fala ingles?
What is your name? / ¿Cómo se llama? / Como voce se chama?
How do I get to…? / ¿Cómo llego a…? / Como eu chego a…?
Where can I find an information booth? / ¿Dónde puedo encontrar una cabina de información? / Onde eu posso encontrar uma cabina de informaçao?
Do you accept US Dollars? / ¿Aceptan dólares americanos? / Aceitan dólares americanos?
How much is this? / ¿Cuánto cuesta esto? / Quanto custa esto?
I love your country! / ¡Me encanta su país! / Eu adoro seu país!

By
Diego García

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter September 2008
• Newsletter August 2008
• Newsletter July 2008
• Newsletter June 2008
• Newsletter May 2008
• Newsletter April 2008
• Newsletter February 2008
• Newsletter January 2008