2005 Latin America Trip Planner

Story and Photos By Ron Mader

If you’ve been thinking about trekking south of the border, now is a perfect time to contemplate such a journey. Certain regions of Latin America are more expensive than others but travel bargains can be found in every country, and travel connections are increasingly more efficient. Decide whether you want to make up your own itinerary or whether you prefer purchasing a packaged trip. If you have more than a week, you might consider the flexibility of going it alone. You can travel based on your preferences as well as fortuitous coincidences, and if you find a town enchanting, you can spend more time than you had planned. If you have limited time or creature comforts are of particular concern, specialty organizations can be very helpful in Latin America. They take pride in their local knowledge and niche interests, wheter it's rafting, birding, mountain-climbing, archaeology, or gastronomy.

INFORMATION PLEASE!

Find out about as much as you can before hand. Getting information is no trouble—via the Web, guidebooks, or by calling government tourism phone lines. Find out what the weather will be like. Are there special events you can plan to attend or seasonal migrations of animals?

Timing can be everything. For example, from late December to early March Mexico is home to the famous grey whales and monarch butterflies.

The quality of guidebooks is as high as the diversity of topics the books cover. Favorites include Lonely Planet, Footprint, Avalon, Hunter and Manatee Press. I always travel with two or three books and compare how the authors cover a particular region.

The prime disadvantage of guidebooks however, is that they take so long to produce that by the time the information is in your hands, you’ll have to return to the Web for an update! This is a painful truth in Latin America where phone numbers and addresses change more frequently than the publisher’s revisions.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

Make sure you get details about visa requirements ahead of time. Given recent U.S. policy changes, many countries, including Brazil, are adding tasks for incoming travelers. If you are flying, the airline will let you know if they provide the necessary tourist card or visa. You can find the contact information for a particular country’s tourism office by calling toll-free 800-555-1212. You can check visa requirements for your destination(s) via the Embassy World web site at www.embassyworld.com.

PERSONAL BUDGET

Transportation is the major expense involved in a trip to Latin America, but once you arrive, you can offset your investment by staying at the many quality inexpensive hotels or hostels. Spanish language schools typically arrange home-stays as well.

Figure out what you are willing to spend. Note that in-country prices are always going to fluctuate when a country experiences drastic inflation or a devaluation of its currency. Be a responsible guest and if a devaluation does occur, don’t gloat in your new fortunes but be more sympathetic to the changes on your host.

TRANSPORTATION

If you are planning to travel to Latin America by air, check on current prices online or in newspapers—many give a best price list. Get a ballpark figure and then visit a favorite travel agent. Super deals are quite rare, and, when found, often impose too many restrictions to be worthwhile.

Once you’re in Latin America, you’ll find that buses are the most popular forum of public transportation. First-class buses provide the most comfort, especially to long-legged travelers. Second-class buses are cheaper and traverse rural areas. If you’re short on time, you can always rent a taxi by the day. It often costs less than renting a car. Trains have played an historical role in the development of the region, but as a mode of transportation, the quality is on the decline. Many countries offer flights, but at greatly varying prices. A 20-minute hop across the Sea of Cortez can cost more than $300, while in-country flights in Ecuador cost less than $100.

SAFETY

Latin America's safety issues will be familiar to anyone who has traveled in a developing country. You'll want to avoid carrying or wearing expensive accessories like a briefcase or jewelry.

Beware of crowded situations. The Mexico City metro, for example, moves five million people a day, and it’s also the location of numerous robberies.

As you would do anywhere, keep your luggage in site at all times. Make a copy of your passport and/or visa and keep the copies in a separate location from your originals. If you are robbed, having copies will help make the replacement process much easier.

If you are attacked, don’t resist. In two taxi cab incidents that took place last year in Mexico, one journalist was paralyzed and another murdered after they attempted to fight their attackers.

MONEY

You can exchange foreign currency at banks or at exchange houses (casas de cambio). Exchange rates will vary, and often you’ll get a better rate if you exchange currency instead of traveler’s checks. The exchange rate is particularly poor at hotels. Find out what the current exchange rate is before you leave for your trip. This helps you begin the task of converting and will keep you from being ripped off. You can easily get a cash advance from an ATM. Machines are almost always bilingual. While you will be charged a greater fee from your credit card company, this is relatively hassle free. Make sure you know your access number before you go on your trip, because most companies have a policy of not reporting the number over the phone.

PHONE

Many public phones in the region now take calling cards (which some travelers collect) instead of coins, but just when you’re prepared to find one, you’ll come across the other kind. Cybercafes offer inexpensive phone service, though the quality is a bit iffy.

LODGING

The variety of lodging options boggles the mind—from $300 per night luxury suites to $3 per night rooms. Guidebooks usually provide details on what is included within a given price range. Unless you are going on the very cheap route, expect hotels to have clean sheets and towels. Lodging in 2- and 3- star category are usually more authentic than in the 5-star hotels.

You can also consider experimenting with various types of accommodations to experience the wide range of Latin American life.

DINING

When you need to fill your belly, go for the local cuisine. The nuances of Latin American gastronomy will take a lifetime to explore. Foods in every country are wonderfully diverse, and locals take pride in making a tamale that their neighbors 10 kilometers away have never mastered. If you do sample the local specialties, you might find yourself coming back for seconds.

If you want to get a real taste of the region, go to a local market. Alongside the vegetable and fruit stalls, you’ll find very inexpensive meals from Mexican elote (corn on the cob, placed on a stick and then smothered with hot pepper and lime juice) to Honduran baleadas (flour tortillas filled with beans and cream). The best drink is "jugo," freshly squeezed juice from native fruits.

Vegetarian restaurants are on the rise, abetted by the growing number of tourists chanting the familiar mantra “No como carne.” (I don’t eat meat!) So are the familiar chains of McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. There’s something for every taste.

PHOTOGRAPHY

It is courteous to ask permission to take pictures of local people, and far preferable that you do so only after you've taken the time to learn their names. Many responsible travelers find ways to thank their subject or share the photo with him or her.

WEB SITES

There are zillions of web sites, so where to start? Stop Googling and go the best. Here’s our choice sites for travelers heading to Latin America:

• Aventurarse, www.aventurarse.com (adventure travel in Argentina)
• Brazilmax, www.brazilmax.com (hip gringo’s guide to all things Brazil)
• Ecuadorial, www.ecuadorial.com (collective work of journalists and authors whose work features Ecuador)
• Honduras, This Week www.marrder.com/htw (Central America’s finest English language newspaper)
• Internet Resources for Latin America,lib.nmsu.edu/subject/bord (Molly Molloy puts together this useful index of academic resources)
• Mexico Connect, www.mexconnect.com (includes features for the expat community and for travelers)
• Mexicanwave, www.mexicanwave.com (European portal with a passion for Mexico)
• Mexican Conservation Learning Network (IMAC), www.imacmexico.org (conservation organization based in Mexico provides tips on green jobs)
• South American Explorers, www.saexplorers.org (member organization with offices in Ecuador, Peru, and the United States)
• Planeta, www.planeta.com (global journal of practical ecotourism run by this author)
• Thorn Tree, thorntree.lonelyplanet.com (Lonely Planet’s contribution to the online dialogue)
• Venezuela Voyage, www.venezuelavoyage.com (journeys like this are remembered for a lifetime)

SPECIALIZED SERVICES

LAMP: The Planeta web site is host of the Latin America Media Project (LAMP), a new collaborative effort to spotlight the best web sites and resources for those interested in learning about the region. Go to www.planeta.com/lamp.html

Weekly News Bulletins: The University of New Mexico’s Latin American Data Base (LADB) publishes weekly newsletters focusing on Mexico, Central America, and South America. Individual subscriptions are $95/year (with discounts for ordering multiple bulletins. Tel. 800-472-0888 or 505-277-6839. Go to ladb.unm.edu.

Online Seminar: Mexico News Seminar examines the evolution of the Mexican press and reviews topical issues and how they are covered in the national and foreign press. If you need to know the difference between Reforma and La Jornada or recommended sources in English, this seminar is for you. Go to www.planeta.com/seminars/mns.html.

RON MADER is the Transitions Abroad Latin America correspondent and host of the award-winning Planeta.com web site. Contact him at www.planeta.com/contact/index.html. See also Ron's selection of the best Best Ecotourism and Socially Responsible Travel Resources.