South America is often overlooked by backpackers when compared to Southeast Asia or Australia. As someone who spent six incredible months in South America, I know this is criminal. The continent has everything to offer, from incredible mountains to one-of-a-kind wildlife and paradise beaches. I’m here to tell you why your next big trip should be a journey to Latin America.
But first, let’s dispel your reservations about your potential journey to Latin America. Most people are rightly concerned about two things: safety and political unrest. Both are legitimate concerns, but both can be mostly mitigated with some simple advice. Firstly, check out our article on staying safe at Rio Carnival; this will give you all the tips needed to avoid most of the crime affecting tourists.
As for political unrest, this can flare up at any time, and it has recently happened in Peru and Ecuador. To avoid this as best as possible, stay up-to-date with current affairs in the countries you are visiting, and if possible, try to avoid visiting when there is an election upcoming.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about planning your journey to Latin America.
What to work out before your flight
Working out how much money you will need to go backpacking is the first step in any journey.
You need to research how much internal travel (flights, buses, and trains) will cost before you go. For your information, the cheapest flights in South America are usually with LATAM Airlines or Aerolineas Argentinas.
For buses, Buson is a great app for Brazil but doesn’t have a great footprint in other countries. You can use Rome2Rio to get a feel for bus prices online, but generally, the prices they list are quite inflated.
I only took buses in Bolivia, where I paid approximately £10 each way for a long-distance journey, and Peru, which was slightly more expensive but much nicer.
Then you need to work out how much your hostels will cost. Top tip: use a mix of Booking.com and Hostelworld, as one is often cheaper than the other.
Finally, don’t forget to look at your visa entry requirements, travel vaccinations, and travel insurance before you fly!
How long are you planning to go for?
Assuming you are reading from Europe or the USA, a journey to Latin America will be a slog of connecting flights and tight transfers. I will always recommend taking the longer-term choice; after all, that is what this blog is about! But I do understand not everyone is in a position to travel for months on end, and if that’s you, don’t stress; you can still have an amazing adventure on your annual leave.
If you are on annual leave, stick to one country and do it properly. The most easily accessible countries from Europe are Colombia and Brazil, with direct flights from most big airports. Both of these countries are magical places brimming with culture and biodiversity that rival the entire European continent, so don’t feel as though you are missing out.
If, however, you are one of the lucky ones with more time to spare, you can visit multiple countries over the course of a month or two, depending on your interests.
For example, if you love hiking, I would start in the Garden of Eden, which is Ecuador’s interior mountains, and make my way down the Andes until Patagonia. Hint: Make sure you spend some time in Bolivia; it’s a hidden gem and utterly beautiful.
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Alternatively, if you’re a complete beach bum who wants to soak in vitamin D and sip cocktails on the beach,
You could fly into Rio de Janeiro and make your way up Brazil’s stunning Atlantic coast before hopping on a flight to Colombia to check out the Caribbean coast and Tayrona National Park.
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Apps to make your journey to Latin America easier
Modern technology has made travelling infinitely easier and safer than decades prior, so why not make the most of it? Here are a few apps that will help make your journey to Latin America safer and stress-free.
Money is always a big issue when abroad; after all, top of my mind is travelling safely with my savings and budgeting easily, all while paying as little fees as possible!
You should look at registering a bank account with one of the “challenger banks”, My favourite is Starling Bank for travel, as you don’t have to pay fees when withdrawing money abroad.
By comparison, Lloyds Bank charges a whopping 2.99% of withdrawal value for each transaction AND £1.50 each time you withdraw; over the course of a few months, this will really add up.
You will undoubtedly either run out of data or encounter a mobile data black spot at a critical point in your trip; it happens to everyone.
You should download Maps.com on your smartphone and individually download the maps of each country you will visit; this could save your bacon one day.
Finally, and this might seem obvious, download Google Translate. It’s, in my experience, the best translator app, and you can download the specific language pairs, so it still works perfectly offline!
Conclusion
Thus completes my quick run down on planning an incredible journey to Latin America, your time on the continent will be equally eye-opening and life-changing. One thing is certain, you will never forget the time you spend on this magical continent, the people you meet and the sight you will see!
