You've decided on your destinations, made your travel arrangements and have your documents in order. You've marked off the remaining days on the calendar and your to-do-before-you-leave list is growing.
What more do you need to do?
Prepare yourself.
SAV-vy travelers study ahead. If you have time to study Spanish and or Brazilian Portuguese before you go, please do it. You'll find the South Americans appreciate your efforts to learn their languages and will respond well. Even if you can't get to a language program, get a language tape or CD, listen and practice. Get a good traveler's phrase book and practice the words you'll need. At least, find out where in the book you'll find the phrases you'll need most so you don't have to thumb through the book when you need to say something important. You might plan on taking an immersion language program while you are in-country. Chances are you will live with a host family. It's a great way to learn the language and the culture, see how people live and make friends.
Spend some time looking theough the Top Picks section for a wide variety of hand selected topics.
Read the guidebooks. Check your local library for the latest issues, read them, then buy your favorite to take along with you. Don't rely on memory when you're looking for a restaurant or things to do and see. Reading ahead will prepare you for the sights you will see and enhance both your understanding and your appreciation. It will help you choose between attractions, evaluate the best use of your sightseeing time and help you find the best bargains in accommodations, shopping and dining.
Read the commentaries and trip reports of people who have been there before. You might not have the same travel arrangements, or schedule, but you'll get an insider's glimpse and find out what the guide books and the tour agencies don't tell you. Make sure you know what kind of weather to expect. Remember that the seasons between North and Southern Hemispheres are reversed.
Ask questions and discuss your travel plans with other travelers on the South America for Visitors forum. You'll get a lot of suggestions and insight there. You'll need to register to post, but it's easy and free.
Check into the practical suggestions at Travel Tips. You'll find some packing hints, jet lag and altitude recovery tips and a lot more.
Don't forget to read about current events in your destinations with this selection of news and current events.
Get a good camera, perhaps a digital one. Take plenty of photos! Take a notebook or a journal to record each day's activities and impressions. Use these to write your own trip report and send it in to include on this site.
Know the customs limits and requirements before you leave the country. Save yourself a hassle and potential penalties on your return.
Traveling, exploring new places, discovering ourselves is a joy and a learning experience not to be missed. Being open to adventure and off-the-beaten-path travel is part of the experience. And yet, it's only common sense to know what to expect and take some cautionary steps. Some of these Common Sense Safe Travel suggestions apply to travel anywhere, and some only to South America.
One more thing: relax, enjoy yourself and make some fabulous memories. Once you've made your first trip to South America, you'll want to go again and again. Each trip will be special, and with each, you'll learn more and appreciate this many-splendored continent.
I invite you to keep a travel journal and share your experiences with readers of South America for Visitors!
Buen viaje! Boa viagem!
