Pannybaba

Hi Everybody,

I am planning a big trip in South America with my boyfriend. As I have never planned anything like that before, I would be greatful for some help.
I am not entirely sure where and how to start??
I live in the Uk, so I would depart from here. The budget is up to £3000/person

The itenary would be:
Quito where we planning to go to the jungle than to Lima, see Macchu Picchu, from there we would like to go to La Plaz,maybe Argentina a bit - Buenos Aires -, Iguasu Falls, Rio... If anyone have better ideas, I am open for everything and anything.

My main concerns are:

1. Is it safe to do a self-organised trip over there? I have read a couple of forums here and seems that quiet a few of you have had a trip there before and it seems to be safe... But I am just not sure.

2. How do I do accommodation? Do you know any websites I could try? Or do I go by Lonely Planet?

3. Does anyone could give me a price? Like how much would it cost with all trips and accommodation and everything? Or just ideas? I also know that we need some medicines, vaccination, visas...

4. I have millions of question but my main one is... How and where should I start?

Thanks for all your comments, I am really greatful for any help. That is my dream since I was young (not like I am old now...) and I am finally doing in... Just difficult to start

Susan7

I would suggest starting your research by looking at the Lonely Planet South American guide so that you can identify which places you want to visit. That guidebook has accommodation suggestions for all sorts of different price ranges. I've mostly booked accommodation on-line for Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.

Internal flights in South America are quite expensive. There are often air passes that give you a slight discount--the Brazilian airline TAM, has one of these. It might help to use a travel agent, if it's a multi-stop trip.

Once you have finalised your itinerary, check with your GP what shots you need. For example, you only need a Yellow Fever shot if you are going to an area where that is prevalent. I got one of those only when I went to the Amazon, it lasts 10 years. You will also need a vaccination passport to record the shots you have had, sometimes that's more for re-entry to your own country rather than to show in South America.

crellston

We have just got back to the U, after a 6 month trip to South America. Here is a link to our blog with full details of our trip happy to answer any questions you may have.

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/6/tpod.html

Addressing you specific concerns:

1. Yes it is safe. Just take the sensible precautions you would anywhere. Have a look at http://www.artoftravel.com for some guidance

2. Websites for accommodation include www.hostelworld.com and wwww.hostelbookers.com I found the LP guides for the region werenot particularly helpful and there guide books outdated and basically wrong on a lot of occasions. It is easy to find accommodation in most places on arrival. Have a look at a few and then decide.

3. We averaged around £50-60 per day for the two of us excluding flights. That included accommodation, food and internal travel ( by bus). As Susan rightly points out air travel in much SA is expensive in although Bolivia and Ecuador are cheap. We got open jaw ticket from LHR to Quito via Madrid returning from Lima. This avoided any backtracking. Travel insurance is a must and will probably cost around £100 pp ( Trailfinders is good).

4. You started here!! The best thing you can do is to make a list of the places YOU want to see. Get a few guide books from the library to assist in the process.

As Susan suggests, once you know where you are going, visit your GP or travel nurse practitioner for advice on your vaccinations. Unlike our American friend, vaccinations tend to be free or at least cheap from the NHS. In addition to your childhood vaccinations you need the basic like Tetanus and typhoid. Also hepatitis A & B, yellow fever is likely to be expensive ( I think around £50). I would visit sooner rather than later as some need a course of jabs over a period and take a while to take effect.

Not sure when you are planning on going but do research the weather before deciding, SA is huge and climate is diverse because of time of year, altitude and latitude so you need to take this into account when planning.

Lots of people here will help. Just ask.

Pannybaba

Thanks a lot Susan and crellston,it's a huge help!
We are planning to go in may.We've been in STA travel as we wanted an organise trip but they charge £4200 excluding flight tickets (apart from one domestic one).I thought it's way too expensive so we decided to do it self-organised. Crellston,do you think we could get away with paying less?But also have fun and not to worry about money... We would like to go to the inka trail..the agency said,we have to book it months in advance but a friend of mine said,you can always get tickets there...Any experience on that one?
Accommodation...should we book them from here in advance or you think booking the first 1-2 should be fine and we do the rest from there?
Still need to read you're he websites you've suggested -thanks a lot for that-. If I'll have more questions after that,I'll ask Thanks again for all your help!

crellston

You are very welcomePannybaba. Yes, I do think you could get away with paying less. You could have a really good time on your budget or less. We generally stayed in private rooms with ensuite facilities in nice hostals. This can cost maybe $20-40 per night.You could get away with paying a lot less for shared bathrooms or dorms. Turn up and haggle over the price. We did and got some good reductions. As you suggest, book you first couple of nights accomodation in your arrival city and then just sort it out as you go. Wifi is everywhere these days so it is not difficult. I find an iPad to be invaluable but it is not essential. If you don't have one buy a cheap tablet. It will pay for itself. Or, as I suggest ted earlier, just find somewhere on arrival in a new place. There will always be a bed somewhere. Just don't aim to arrive late at night.

Food can be as expensive or as cheap as you like. Eating in market and food stall wil cost $2-3 for lunch and $4-5 for dinner in most countries. We did spend a lot more than that in some places but there is no need to if you are on a restricted budget.

Avoiding air travel in favour of buses will reduce your travel costs considerably as will staying in fewer places for longer.

STA travel are good for airfares. We booked through them and got our open jaw tickets I mentioned above for £600. About £ 150 less than elsewhere. DO NOT use them to book anything else. You can do it yourself far, far cheaper and it really isn't difficult.

Re the inca trail. You do have to book in advance through an agency way in advance. It is not possible just to turn up and get tickets on arrival (or it would be extremely unlikely) . However, that only applies to the Inca Trail. We didn't bother with the actual trail, instead we opted for the Lares to Ollantaytambo trek which was great and chose to just get the train to Machi Picchu .

Pannybaba

Hello again, I just read your blog -took about 4 hours - ad I have plenty of questions.

- When you organised things, such as trips,buses,etc. Did you do it all by yourself or did you use any agnecies,guidebooks,etc?
- Clearly,Lonely Planet wasn't your favourite... I am plpanning to buy the newest version which been published in August,2013.Is it worth to buy? Or could you recommend an other one which might be better?
- I know you did the Spanish course, but do they actually speak English? Could we able to get informations, even if we don't speak Spanish?
-We are planning to go to May. When would be the latest I have tos tart booking and organising? Also,during I read your blog I could see, you didn't really have lucj with the weather. Id May not the best time to go if I want more sunshine and warmer weather?When is the best time to go?
- As I have mentioned before,Amasonas is one of the reason I really wnt to go there. How did you do the bookings there for the activities such as boat trip, etc? From there or from here UK?
- Inka trail...you are right,we might just get the train. But in case we would like to do the trail,do you know any websites where we could book it for a reasonable price?
- How did you decide your itenary?Book,online,from an other traveller? I have a route in my mind but it could change....
- And my final question...what is the SA explorer club and how can you apply?

I hope I am not causing problem with my 10 thousand questions..

Thank you for your help,again

Pannybaba

sammybuttons

Hi pannybaba,

My fiancé and myself are on a 32 day trip in South America, that I planned all myself/online!
It is definitely doable, I found it better than being pressured into expensive hotels and things we didn't want to do/see by a pushy travel agent!

Most flights I booked all through cheapoair.com. I found these were the cheapest and haven't had any flight problems yet! They have a very easy app to purchase them through.

Hotels/hostal bookings were through bookings.com. This was convenient as with most bookings you don't have to pay until you are at the hotel but you can still reserve your room/bed.

We didn't take a Spanish class, we just have a phrase book but if you can take a few lessons, definitely do. It's just nice to be able to converse with the locals rather than say "si!" Or "gracias!" All the time. Haha

Lonely planet has been useful but we haven't got it out as much as we thought we would. Their phrase book has been mega handy though!

The earlier you book the better. I started mine 6 months before the trip. Little things always pop up closer to the date that you forget about! (Vaccinations, visas, entry taxes etc)

I'll put up my itinerary soon, so you can have a read through it. We have done Rio, Iguassu, Buenos Aires, El Calafate, Punta Arenas, Santiago, San Pedro de Atacama, Lima, Cusco/Machu Picchu, now we are in Quito and fly into Cartagena next week and then lastly Bogota.

If you have any questions you can email me [email protected]

I know how hard it is organising a trip like this, so I'm happy to help!

Sammy

crellston

Hi again Pannyba. 4 hours!! I admire your stamina!
To answers your specific questions.

1. No we didn't use an agency. Essentially, all they add is cost and, in my experience, very little extra value. As for guide books, after a lot of deliberation, I bought the Rough Guide to Ecuador which was ok and then just swapped books in hostals as we went. I did have a copy of. Fodors South America but didn't find it detailed enough for my trip. I used to like LP but they have gone upmarket since being acquired by the BBC and are now cutting out cheaper accommodation ( plus I find the print difficult to read in low light ( must be and age thing!). I haven't seen teh LP SA 2013 edition so I can't comment except to say it is personal preference and it is probably better to get it sooner rather than later and start detail planning.

2. I planned this trip myself with a lot of help from people here. E.g. I would never have visited Madidi without a recommendation from Glover or Ayacucho without mlgb's suggestion. Tripadvisor was helpful ( although, take some of the reviews with a pinch of salt). Any tours we took we sourced on arrival in towns. Some were successful, some not so much! Easier and a LOT cheaper to book locally. The one exception would be the inca Trail which you need to book ASAP.

3. People in the tourism business ( travel agents, airlines and tour operators )may well speak some English, but owners of small reataurants, hostals etc. Probably won't. Plenty of people get by speaking little or no Spanish but you will get a lot more out of your trip if you learn the basics. It also saves cash as it is a lot more effective to bargain the price of a room in Spanish! If taking technology, get the google translate app.- very effective. I would also consider taking a few days Spanish lessons on arrival. They are cheap and you will be amazed at how much you can pick up in a few days. As Sammy say, the LP phrase book is excellent.

4. As far as the weather is concerned there really is no right or wrong time to visit the continent. Good weather in the Andes usually means not so good weather on parts of the coast. We did experience some unseasonably bad weather in a few places. Locals had told us that the seasons have really changed over the last 10 years. Overall though we had pretty good weather although not as good as our previous trip which was from August to December. A blog of that trip is here http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html South America starts at entry 55 . There is no perfect time for everywhere. You just need to decide which is most important to you.

5. We booked our trip to the Amazon basin in La Paz ( way, way cheaper than we could get it in the UK). Bolivian Amazon trips tend to be a lot cheaper than elsewhere in South America. Ecuador also seemd pretty reasonable. Easy to book in both places with local operators by email, phone or in person.

6. For the inca Trail, take a look at www.andeantravelweb.com for guidance and unbiased reports on tour operators.

7. I planned our trip mostly online using Fodors, TA, frommers and a few guide book and maps. The best thing I found was to identify places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do and work out a basic route from there. Once I had that nailed, I was able to book my international flights - into Quito and out of Lima. I did leave room for changing our plans along the way. We travelled mostly by bus which was both cheap and efficient and saved on accommodation cost by scheduling long trips overnight. We did take a number of flights in. Bolivia where the sheer distance and bad roads made it the only realistic way. Fortunately, flight there are cheap. We did chat to other traveller along the way and took several diversions as a result.

8. wwww.Hi again Pannyba. 4 hours!! I admire your stamina!
To answers your specific questions.

1. No we didn't use an agency. Essentially, all they add is cost and, in my experience, very little extra value. As for guide books, after a lot of deliberation, I bought the Rough Guide to Ecuador which was ok and then just swapped books in hostals as we went. I did have a copy of. Fodors South America but didn't find it detailed enough for my trip. I used to like LP but they have gone upmarket since being acquired by the BBC and are now cutting out cheaper accommodation ( plus I find the print difficult to read in low light ( must be and age thing!). I haven't seen teh LP SA 2013 edition so I can't comment except to say it is personal preference and it is probably better to get it sooner rather than later and start detail planning.

2. I planned this trip myself with a lot of help from people here. E.g. I would never have visited Madidi without a recommendation from Glover or Ayacucho without mlgb's suggestion. Tripadvisor was helpful ( although, take some of the reviews with a pinch of salt). Any tours we took we sourced on arrival in towns. Some were successful, some not so much! Easier and a LOT cheaper to book locally. The one exception would be the inca Trail which you need to book ASAP.

3. People in the tourism business ( travel agents, airlines and tour operators )may well speak some English, but owners of small reataurants, hostals etc. Probably won't. Plenty of people get by speaking little or no Spanish but you will get a lot more out of your trip if you learn the basics. It also saves cash as it is a lot more effective to bargain the price of a room in Spanish! If taking technology, get the google translate app.- very effective. I would also consider taking a few days Spanish lessons on arrival. They are cheap and you will be amazed at how much you can pick up in a few days. As Sammy say, the LP phrase book is excellent.

4. As far as the weather is concerned there really is no right or wrong time to visit the continent. Good weather in the Andes usually means not so good weather on parts of the coast. We did experience some unseasonably bad weather in a few places. Locals had told us that the seasons have really changed over the last 10 years. Overall though we had pretty good weather although not as good as our previous trip which was from August to December. A blog of that trip is here http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html South America starts at entry 55 . There is no perfect time for everywhere. You just need to decide which is most important to you.

5. We booked our trip to the Amazon basin in La Paz ( way, way cheaper than we could get it in the UK). Bolivian Amazon trips tend to be a lot cheaper than elsewhere in South America. Ecuador also seemd pretty reasonable. Easy to book in both places with local operators by email, phone or in person.

6. www.saexplorers.org is the website. They are an organisation that has clubhouses in Lima, Quito, Cusco. They used to be really good but we had mixed experiences this time. We stayed in the Quito clubhouse for a month whilst learning Spanish and hardly saw the manager during that time. In fact I think we answered more queries from members than she did! Lima clubhouse had just moved and so was in complete disarray. Cusco was run by a really nice Russian couple and was excellent. But, on balance it was not worth the $60 membership fee. You can always pop into one of the clubhouses to have a look around and see whether you think it is worth it.

Anyway, I think I have covered your questions ( it's making want to get travelling again!) any other questions feel free.

Pannybaba

Dear sammy, I have tried to mail you but it says there is no such a mail address.... Could you please double chek it? My address is [email protected] Thanks!!


Crellston, thanks again,I feel like I wanna send you something nice I will check again all websites you've sent me and ask if I have any qustions...do you think I should start to book things by now?
Anyway,where do you live in the UK?

crellston

You are very welcome pannybaba. Currently we live in Northanaptonshire, although for how much longer, I am not sure. Where are you?

As for booking things, once you are certain on dates, I would book your flights ASAP. I had a quick look on kayak.com and saw the same flights we took (LHR to Quito via Madric and back from Lima) at £584 pp , leaving in May, which is slightly less than we paid last year. I doubt you will get it much cheaper.

The only other booking you need to make is the Inca Trail if you want to do that. Book as soon as you are certain of your dates.

I see you tagged Brazil in your original post. If you are still considering Brazil do bear in mind that the football World Cup will be on and prices will rocket and availability will probably be scarce for transport and accomodation.

Pannybaba

Hi crellston,thanks.We live in Camberley,Surrey.I thought we could have a coffee or a tea one day and we could talk,the 4 of us.Not sure what you think about it..
Wow,the ticket is cheaper than I thought but we might fly to Quito than go all around to Brasil and fly back from there.We know that the world cup will be a fortune so we might do it the other way around and start with Brasil

What would you suggest to take with us?As I've read you were more mindful this time.. You probably have some good advice

Pannybaba

I know it sounds crazy but has anyone actually thought about renting a caravan and go around with it?Am I being crazy,would it cost too much or maybe safety issue?? Crellston or Sammy?

crellston

yes you are being crazy! i have never seen a caravan anywhere in south america. 5 mins on most roads outside of cities and you will soon realise why! roads general are pretty bad and yo would think twice about driving a car, let alone a caravan. Plus the drivers are all complete lunatics. don't even think about it.

happy to get together to have a chat but not in Camberley. I worked in Farnborough for a time and it was not a pleasant journey if you happen to be up this way anytime we happy to meet up. we occasionally get back to London from time to time so that could be an option maybe?

as for what to take with you? here is a link to my packing list

http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...ry-on-only.cfm

travelling with carry on bags only is great. no need to wait at airport carousels. you can take the bags on to most buses rather than put them in the hold and much less risk of bags getting lost or stolen.

RobMD

All the above advice is great. My two pence:

- Don't do self drive! It's so easy and cheap to get around by bus. The buses are great too

- Don't over organise the trip. I travelled around SA for 2 months and found that it was much better to be flexible. It's always possible to get a bed in a cheap hostel or hotel. Except in Brazil when it gets near to the World cup
- DON"T MISS SOUTH BOLIVIA - whatever you do don't miss the Salt flats all the Lagoons. You can easily get the bus from La Paz down to the Salt Flats and then fly from Santa Cruz to Rio.

Pannybaba

Thanks guys AGAIN! Ok,message received,I'm not doing any crazy driving stuff haha Well,crellston,I'm happy to go around yours one day if you are both free.I'm going home for a week but when I'm back,I will arrange something
When you say carry bag,do you mean the small bag which we can put on to the plate with us??Isn't that too small??
Thanks the advice RobMD,I do want to see the Salt Flats

sdtravels

Fabulous information. Thank you too. I'm planning a mega trip for 2015 and I'm going to follow along here for ideas. Thanks!

live42day

Just my 2cents worth. We are in South America now, Chile at the moment, and book hotels the night before using booking.com and checking reviews on trip advisor. so far this has always worked well for us

crellston

I do mean a small bag you can put on the "plate" with you this is the one we used which was great for 6 months travel http://www.blacks.co.uk/equipment/10...FYUIwwodpCAATA
We also took a small packable day pack for hikes, days out etc.

Pannybaba

Thanks crellston.I'm home with my family that's why I'm not that active but when I'm back to the UK I'll arrange a day when we could meet and chat Have a nice weekend for all of you.

Pannybaba

Hey crellston,we are off on Sunday,do you think we could arrange something?Thanks.