latamplan

transitionsabroad / Latin America Travel Planner
by Ron Mader related: Latin America, Latin America Travel Survey, Latin America Media Project, Latin America Tour

//**FYI** -- This article is published online [|Transitions Abroad].//

Latin America has never been as easy to visit as it is in 2010.

Want to maximize your expenditures? Slow down! The chief expense is transportation, so if you slow down, you can go further. The official line from Planeta.com: [|think smart, travel slow].

Instead of trying to cover great expanses of territory in limited time, be a slow traveler who takes time to fully experience the places you visit.

Latin America is enjoying renewed interest due to its cultural and environmental diversity. Environmentalists talk of biodiversity -- the species rich forests of Mexico and Brazil, the abundant birdlife in Costa Rica and Honduras and the megadiversity found in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.

Whether your idea of a good time is hiking the Andes, buying crafts in Oaxaca, snorkeling along the Maya Reef, volunteering in rural communities or learning how to cook a tasty tamale, travel options abound and most are quite the bargain if you know where to look.

TRIP PLANNING
Planning your trip begins with the magic words, "I could take a trip" and continues to the moment you arrive at your destination. Planning your journey should be half the fun.

Decide whether you want to make up your own itinerary and go as an independent traveler or whether you prefer purchasing a packaged trip.

Crafting your own itinerary does not mean that you have to stick to a day-to-day agenda but rather you can make the most of your individual preferences as well as fortuitous coincidences. This works best if you have extended time to make your trip, so that if you find a town enchanting, you can spend more time than you planned. Likewise, if you meet up with interesting travel mates, you can be flexible.

In taking away flexibility, packaged trips do provide more comfort -- if only the knowledge that meals and lodging will be taken care of. Other reasons to opt for a pre-planned trip is that group tours put travelers in the charge of a professional guide. Specialty organizations take pride in their knowledge of niche categories, whether it's rafting, mountain-climbing, archeology and gastronomy.

INFORMATION PLEASE!
Find out about as much as you can before your trip.

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 toattend 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. But don't come a month too early or too late!

The quality of guidebooks varies as many publishers are choosing not to renew contracts with veteran writers. The result in my opinion is a declining quality because the newbie writers simply don't have the same connection to place. That said, I am not a guidebook snob. I haven't picked up a book yet in which I didn't learn something and that's a good way to measure the value of information. I always travel with two or three books and compare how the authors cover a particular region.

The prime disadvantage of the guidebook is that they 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 revision schedule. Truth be told the best source of info comes from other travelers you meet on the road. Ask others what they've seen and enjoyed. Word of the mouth is always the best publicity.

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.

If you are flying, the airline will let you know if they provide the necessary tourist card or visa or whether you need to contact the country's consulate or embassy. Check visa requirements around the world via Embassy World <[|www.embassyworld.com]>.

PERSONAL BUDGET
The major expense involved in a trip to Latin America is the transportation, particularly if you're not crossing overland. That said, if you have the time, consider the transportation an investment and make the most of your visit by staying at inexpensive hotels or in home-stays, frequently arranged by Spanish language schools.

As you think about your trip, figure out what you are willing to spend. I've never stuck to a daily budget, but I've always had a clear idea of what I could and couldn't spend.

In-country prices are always going to fluctuate when a country experiences drastic inflation or a devaluation of their 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 at hand.

HEALTH
Any time you travel away from your home environment, your body is in for a shock, so be kind to it. Germs are easy to catch, so listen to the far-off voice of your parents and wash your hands before meals. If you don't trust the water, then use an anti-bacteria waterless soap.

Diarrhea is commonly known throughout Latin America as //turista//. While major cities often have modern water treatment plants, often the water is contaminated by leaky pipes.

Bottled water is generally safe; so is water that's been boiled for 20 minutes. Make sure that the food you eat has been well cooked. If you want to eat salad, lettuce or tomato, make sure they have been washed in purified water. If you're traveling into remote areas, you can take water purification tablets with you. Avoid water unless it is bottled or purified. Coffee and tea are generally fine, and you won't get sick from pop (refrescos) or beer (cerveza) -- unless you drink too much. Moderation is suggested, but that's advice better preached than practiced.

Another common complaint is of the air pollution, particularly in Mexico City, but also common in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico, not to mention Guatemala City and Santiago, Chile. The most affected are children and the elderly. I wish there were a pill to take. Meanwhile, your best bet is to take it slow and easy.

If you do need medicine, pharmacies are generally well stocked. It's also easy to get prescription drugs, sometimes at a lower cost than abroad. If you're on special medication, take a copy of your prescription with you as a safety precaution.

Specific immunizations are rarely required for travel to major cities or tourist resorts. However, if you're traveling in rural areas, it makes sense to get tetanus, typhoid, and polio shots. Consult your family doctor and the U.S. Center for Disease Control <[|www.cdcnpin.org]>.

TRANSPORTATION
Unless you are planning on going the ground route, most travelers to Latin America arrive via an airplane. Check on current prices without committing yourself or taking up too much time from a travel agent. Many newspapers give a best price list. It's also easy to check on fares from websites. Get a ballpark figure and then visit a favorite travel agent. I feel old-fashioned in this regard, but I'd rather deal with a human than a mere website. Super deals are quite rare or impose too many obligations, including when you leave and/or return.

Once you're in Latin America, you'll notice that bus transportation is the most popular forum of public transportation, and it's quite good. First-class buses offer provide comfort 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 historical roles in the development of the region, but as a mode of transportation, the quality is on the decline. Many countries offer flights, but at very different prices. A twenty-minute hop across the Sea of Cortez can cost more than $300, while in-country flights in Ecuador cost less than $100.

SAFETY
Safety concerns are familiar to anyone who has traveled in a developing country. Travelers have seen to possess great wealth, regardless of whether this is true.

Don't be ostentatious. A developing country is not the locale in which to display an expensive watch or briefcase. When in public, avoid wearing jewelry or talking loudly.

Beware of crowded situations. The Mexico City metro, for example, moves 5 million people a day, and it's also the location for numerous robberies. If it's too crowded, don't get on.

Keep your luggage in site at all times.

Make a copy of your passport and/or visa and keep it in a separate location. If you are robbed of your documentation, copies make replacement 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 against 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. Machine are almost always bilingual -- they offer instructions in Spanish or Portuguese and English. 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 and are often equipped with skype.

LODGING
The variety of lodging options boggles the mind -- from $300/night luxury suites to $3/night rooms. Again, guidebooks provide candid observations on just what is and is not included in a given price range. Unless you are going on the very cheap route, expect hotels to have clean sheets and towels. Lodging in 2-3 star budget category is usually more ... eclectic than in the 5-star hotels.


 * TIP** -- Vary where you stay. It's good to have a variety of experiences, so don't limit yourself to a particular class of a hotel. Experiment a bit!

DINING
When you need to fill your belly, check out the local cuisine. Sooner or later travelers begin to explore the nuances of Latin American gastronomy that will take a lifetime to decipher. 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, just go a local market. Along side 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. To drink, you can always ask for a //jugo// (juice drink), freshly squeezed from the fruits at the market.

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!) There's something for every taste.

WEBSITES
There are zillions of websites, blogs, wikis and social media sites, so where to start? Stop [|Googling] and go the best of the best. Here's our list of choice sites:


 * Viva Travel** - The travel guide you create -- [|www.vivatravelguides.com]
 * Mexico Connect** - Features for the expat community and travelers -- [|www.mexconnect.com]
 * Brazilmax** - Hip gringo's guide to all things Brazil -- [|www.brazilmax.com]
 * Planeta** -- Global Journal of Practical Ecotourism -- [|www.planeta.com]
 * Honduras This Week** - Central America's finest English language newspaper -- [|www.hondurasthisweek.com]
 * South American Explorers** - Member organization with offices in South America and the United States -- [|www.samexplo.org]
 * Thorn Tree** - Lonely Planet's contribution to the online dialogue -- http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com

LAMP: SPOTLIGHT ON LATIN AMERICA
Looking for news about Latin America? Check out the [|Latin America Media Project (LAMP)], a collaborative effort to spotlight the quality websites with distinct points of view about the region. LAMP celebrates its fifth anniversary in October 2008. Members should budget 1-2 hours per month in keeping us informed of current work and by posting news in the [|LAMP Forum]. Web: [|www.planeta.com/lamp.html]

FLICKR
Are you a fan of Flickr? Viva Web2.0! The photography website Flickr has some of the best shots of Central America and Mexico. [|Searches] result in amazing finds particularly for those looking for out-of-the-way towns and some inspiring photography. There are some wonderful collaborative groups including [|Mexican Palette], [|Oaxaca Trees] and [|Central America].

Featured galleries created by Transitions Abroad's Latin America editor Ron Mader document the region. Highlights include [|Lessons from Mexico], [|Oaxaca Markets] and [|Oaxaca Baseball].

YOUTUBE
Are you a fan of Youtube? Check out the Oaxaca market videos online Ron Mader's video channel -- [|www.youtube.com/user/ronmader]

AUTHOR
[|Ron Mader] is the Latin America correspondent for [|Transitions Abroad] and host of the award-winning [|Planeta.com] website.