Traveling in South America alone
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Want to visit your top countries without going broke? To achieve this, you need two keys: good planning and financial discipline. It’s really not as difficult as it seems. If you want to have the best tips to achieve it, stay tuned to this article. In the next few minutes we will tell you how you can make the adventure of your life without money putting you in iron chains. Let’s get started!
Since the idea is to travel abroad, you’ll need to make the conversion to the currency of the country you’re going to visit. But when to do it? This decision depends on the volatility of the exchange rate of your local currency. A good option is to buy dollars or euros before traveling, as they are the most stable currencies in the world. However, be aware of which airlines and countries restrict the amount of cash you can carry.
If you can choose the dates for your vacations, avoid at all costs the high seasons. These correspond to the months of June and July, as well as the first half of August and December. In the other months, the chances of saving money increase and you avoid the hassle of being trapped in a sea of tourists.
Traveling South America by bus
In this article I will share with you my tips for backpacking in South America alone – or with friends – so that you can plan your first trip in the simplest way possible and be the basis for many other trips that will surely come later.Before starting, you do not need to have defined what you are going to do day by day before leaving on your trip, but you should have a general idea of what destinations you want to visit. This will allow you to organize a logical route and not waste your time and money in traveling from one end of a country to the other several times. As you may have already seen in the map, South America is a huge continent, and in terms of logistics it is nothing like traveling in Europe, so my advice is to write down all the places you are interested in, dividing them by country. Then you can place them on the map to make a meaningful tour depending on the time you have available. Remember that less is more, and that wanting to cover everything will lead you to know nothing in depth. 1. Traveling in South America: The luggage
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If I travel by land, I try not to use the plane at all. The cheapest way is to hitchhike. It is almost certain throughout Latin America. Be aware that some areas like Paraguay (Chaco, northeast of the country), Bolivia (jungle area) and Patagonia in Chile and Argentina are places where it is difficult to get a car quickly. There are few cars passing through especially in the low season, plus it is cold (if we are talking about Patagonia).
Chilean buses are also quite cheap with a lot of amenities. You have to buy tickets in advance, since, as well as airline tickets, the more expensive the closer to the date of travel. The normal fare for a 7-hour tour – 20 dollars.
I usually do not spend nights in hotels. Very often I use the system couchsurfing.com – it is very convenient and easy to use, and it is always possible to find a lot of friendly people around the world. It is a site where people offer free accommodation, and in return expect a pleasant, cultural and emotional pastime. When I was planning the trip to Greenland I got at least 5 replies, and on Easter Island I got 3 replies. However, not everyone responds at once – sometimes you even have to wait up to two or three weeks. So you have to be prepared in advance.
Best route to travel through South America
The number of Venezuelans crossing the Darien to North America has increased dramatically as several countries have imposed visa requirements that make it difficult for Venezuelans to travel by plane to Mexico and Central America. Venezuelan nationals have surpassed Cubans and Haitians as the largest population crossing the Darien in 2022, and now account for more than a third of all migrants using this dangerous route. During days-long treks through the jungle, migrants of numerous nationalities suffer repeated robberies and serious abuses, including rape. They also face dangers caused by natural conditions, such as raging rivers and wild animals.
Many migrants who have taken this longer route reported being attacked by criminal gangs who robbed and threatened them. Between January and May, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) provided medical and psychological assistance to 89 women of various nationalities who were sexually abused in the Darien Gap.