And our final post … learnings from Brazil, Argentina and Chile

For those who have been following along on previous blogs you will be aware that we always have a final post that highlights our thoughts, observations and learnings. This trip will be no different. 

I had been a little apprehensive about this trip … not out of fear but more just uncertainty about what we would experience. Travel to South America seems to be an area where not a lot of people go … certainly not people that we know. So we didn’t have a lot of feedback about what it was like. 

We were very surprised and loved every minute of our adventure. Here are our observations …

1. Location of your accomodation is very important. Sometimes you want to be in the centre of the city … where you can be immersed in the culture and vibe, and other times you want to be out of town and closer to the natural environment. We have two classic examples of this with our hotel in Buenos Aires … smack bang in the city, amongst the restaurants, parks and markets compared with El Calafate where we were 4 kilometres from town and yet close to Lake Argentino with unobstructed views to the distant snow capped Andes. Pay the extra money so you can stay on Copacabana Beach!

2. The cashless society and a tipping culture do not go together. As we move to using cash less … just tap the card and the conversion will happen automatically it invariably means that the tip for the local is lost. We had cash … either from an ATM or from a currency exchange and we used it to tip our guides and drivers. But more and more people are not taking cash and this means the tip which is added to a bill may not go directly to the person(s) who gave you the wonderful service. 

3. The importance of the guide. Listen to your guide! They studied hard, and continue to study, to be the expert in their country. Don’t be rude and wander off when you are in a group setting … stay with them, ask the questions, listen to the answers. Be willing to absorb even just a small percentage of what they have to share … you will be better for it.

4. Be willing to try the food and drink. Sometimes you can be faced with foods that are unfamiliar to you, and putting aside allergies be willing to give it a go. Sometimes it can be hard to even consider … I baulked at the blood sausage but Ian gave it a go (with a … No that’s not for me). We had some amazing food in South America (and the wines were amazing as well!)

5. It’s not just the tourist spots. Make sure that you explore the areas you travel to. We almost always visit churches, libraries, supermarkets, local parks and squares and even sporting stadiums. We actually don’t like the manufactured “tourist” moments … like Coffee with Legs (Google it) which we opted out of, but we would rather buy an ice cream and sit in the park and watch the kiddies have their school photos shot. Stepping off the main tourist path will always open up a new vision of the place you are visiting.

6. Shoulder season travel. Where possible try and avoid the high season of travel. If you are willing to go when it may be a little cooler, or a little wetter you will find that things are just a little bit quieter. So many of our guides told us that we were lucky to have come when we did because in another month it would be so much busier and waiting times would be much much longer, or walkways would be much more crowded. We liked the quieter pace, the less frantic, the smaller group sizes. I’m not saying travel in the low season … especially not to Patagonia where you would need a full set of thermals … but the shoulder gives you more one on one with your guides and a greater opportunity to pause to enjoy the moment before being rushed along.

7. The impact of Covid. Five years on and you can still see the impact of Covid. In South America the bounce back of tourists has taken so much longer. So many of our guides talked about the darkness of that time (which we can all relate to) but also pointed out that for some they have not been able to come back at all. In San Telmo in Buenos Aires there are empty shops and restaurants still closed down … and there is no indication that they will ever reopen. Cities have been left decimated by the “work from home” culture and this can also impact the tourism industry. It is a world wide phenomenon … and I don’t think we will ever return to a pre-Covid existence. This may be a good thing … but for those left in its wake … I am sad.

8. Plan, plan, plan. This is so important and I’m sure everyone who travels knows it but find yourself a good travel agent, form a relationship with them. We are very particular with our travel plans … we don’t like wasted time, or an afternoon at leisure. We want to make the most of our trip. Our very patient travel agent knows us and is willing to work with us to make sure the trip we end up going on is exactly what suits us, she has the contacts to make it happen. It is also important to be willing to go with the flow though and make changes on the ground. We had some wonderful local guides who suggested changes to our set itinerary that gave us a much richer experience.

9. Spanish is a language that you can work out what is being said or written. We found ourselves understanding signs, and by the end of the trip I was more attuned to what a waiter might be saying to me. On the whole … you can generally muddle through and with Google translate … life is even easier.

10. Queuing … the locals are really good at waiting in line with no jostling or queue cutting. They know that they will get their turn … or their seat on the plane (unlike so many who want to queue well before the boarding call has even been made).

11. Greater employment diversity. We observed a much greater willingness for businesses to employ people with disabilities. We had guides with very low vision, we had housekeeping that had intellectual disabilities. They are welcomed, they are supported and they do a great job.

12. Climate change is real. Hearing from the guides that the glaciers are shrinking at an accelerated rate is alarming. Yes, the ice age is not meant to last … that’s why they are called ‘age’s. However, the impact of humans has meant that this is happening much faster. Deforestation has also had a major impact on the environment. We need to listen to the experts and we need to embrace ways to curb emissions to help our world be a better place for our children and their children and those to come in the future.

13. The sounds of South America are nothing like what we have here. I’m talking music … and the local music (listening to hymns being sung in native Rapa Nui, the islander music, the Spanish influence), but also the absolute murdering of a pop hit. Listening to “We Built this City”being sung as a slow ballad was bewildering and to follow it up with an upbeat, boppy version of “Careless Whispers” is beyond! 

14. And finally, there is us … we became more and more aware of ourselves as travellers. 

• We are not good at waiting. If I am told that someone will pick us up at 7.00am … then I will be ready 15 minutes before and will become anxious if they haven’t appeared by 15 minutes after they said they would be there. 
• We are good listeners … especially to our guides, and Ian has a somewhat disturbing ability to remember almost everything that we are told!
• We are willing to give things a go (within reason of course ). I never imagined that I would be riding a bike along the main streets of Buenos Aires and having to pedal furiously to make it across the 16 lane (plus 2 bus lanes) main avenue before the lights changed. We will go on a hike to the top of a volcano (dormant) to get 360° views of the island. We will take the extended walk on the balconies at Perito Moreno Glacier in the heavy snow fall when everyone else headed back. You travel all this way to visit a place … we are going  to make the moments count.
• We like extra leg room on a plane. For the first time ever we opted to pay a little extra to get the premium economy seats. That extra few centimetres made all the difference to Ian’s foot and my back. We will look at it for future travel … thanks LATAM for the opportunity to experience this. 
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