It’s been just over 5 weeks since I arrived in South America, and I’m now happily settled in Sucre taking intensive Spanish lessons.
Here’s some thoughts from my trip so far, things that have made my travels a little easier.
Try crossing the road with locals – cars will rarely give way to pedestrians in South America. This applies in so many places around the world!
Screen shot maps, vouchers etc that you may need offline. Although I have been impressed with the availability of wifi throughout South America, it will be the time you can’t get it that you’ll need directions, access to a map, or the address of your hotel.
Many bus stations charge a terminal fee for you to access the concourse – it’s not much, but try to have coins ready. Note that this does not give access to the toilets – these are extra!
Don’t assume there will be an ATM in the next town. Cambio yes, ATM not always. Make sure you have enough cash for a few days on you.
I dislike PDF versions of guide books. Next time I would weigh up my desire for light luggage vs taking the book. Flipping through the book, for me, is much more convenient than reading it on my iPad. The opposite applies to regular books. I would never travel with them again as long as I own an iPad mini or Kindle.
I’m finding Trip Advisor a much better source of info for hotels and restaurants than Lonely Planet. One of my favourite features is ‘Near me Now’, especially for restaurant suggestions. You can also download offline city guides for many destinations.
Am also loving booking.com for finding hotels and hostels. Super simple booking process, and you can easily add your confirmation to Passbook if you’re using an iPad/iPhone. The site will also offer to save a screen shot to your camera roll. Check the reviews on Trip Advisor also before booking. I have found their reviews/ratings more accurate than those on booking.com
The Occidental Traveller 