South America is a land of diverse beauty, ranging from dense rainforests to open grasslands to hot deserts to snowcapped mountain peaks and glaciers. That’s also not to mention the excellent food, wide variety of wildlife, and ancient historical sites (such as Machu Picchu in Peru).
Here are the top beginner’s tips for traveling to South America:
Find Out About The Different Visa Regulations
Different countries in South America have different visa regulations, and you’ll want to research what they are for your specific country before booking flights.
While some South American countries don’t require any visas at all, others are quite strict about it. One example is Brazil, which requires every U.S. citizen who has a passport to get a visa (which costs a hundred and sixty dollars) before you leave.
Research The Different Currencies
Each South American country has its own currency, with each currency having its own exchange rate.
You’ll need to go into a remittance service to exchange the American dollars for the currency of the country you’re traveling to. In addition to paying a small fee to get the currency, you’ll also need to pay a small margin of the exchange rate.
Yes, you should be able to pay for most things with a credit card (such as hotels and restaurants), but it’s still always a wise idea to have physical currency in your pocket to get around should you lose or damage your cards.
Learn The Local Language
You don’t have to become fluent in the language of the country you’re traveling to, but you should at least make an effort to learn basic words and phrases so you can be conversational. It’s polite to the native citizens and
Take note that not all South American countries have Spanish as their primary language. Brazil, for instance, has Portuguese as their primary language. In French Guiana, French is the primary language.
Decide What You Want To Do
This is the fun part of getting ready for your trip. There are many different things to do in South America, and while you most likely won’t get to do everything on one trip, you should still make a firm decision of what you would like to do before booking your flight.
If you want to visit ancient historical sites, Peru will arguably be the best country to visit, as you can visit the Inca trail and Machu Picchu (which is a one of the best treks in Peru).
If you want to do hiking or backpacking, you’ll want to go to either Argentina or Chile, where you can trek through Patagonia. For visiting the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru will be excellent destinations.
Traveling To South America
Traveling to South America will be quite an adventure and definitely something worth your time and money. There are many things to do there, but it’s also important to plan your trip wisely and move head accordingly.
