You don't need to get a visa prior to arrival for most countries.
Everything is inexpensive, including cell service. Young South Americans are very big on social media, so you can find reloadable SIM cards on the cheap. Plus, there is WiFi all over the place.
Buses from city to city are cheap and comfortable.
Ecuador is very cool, and you can take a short flight from Quito or Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands and see a natural treasure of unimaginable richness.
Uruguay is probably the chillest country of all time.
Santiago, Chile, is pretty damn cool too.
People think South America is dangerous, but places like Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay are a far cry from the violence of Venezuela or the horror stories you hear about street crime in Colombia. Still, the slight whiff of danger makes a South American adventure all the more exciting.
And believe it or not, a lot of folks love Yankees down there.
Uruguay is probably the chillest country of all time.
I really want to visit or live in this beautiful, progressive country. My wife and I live in Cambodia now, but we've talked about spending a year or two in South America. Uruguay is my first choice!
I'll also recommend Argentina, though I've only been to Buenos Aires. Enough people speak English that you can get by pretty decently without a lot of Spanish knowledge, and it's a ferry ride to Uruguay (Montevideo, Colonia and others). Similarly, you can travel to Uruguay and make an easy trip to BA.
Regarding phones: I picked up a Nexus 5X specifically to start with Project Fi. I highly recommend this for traveling now. You can keep your US number, get free text messaging, inexpensive data (not the cheapest at $10/GB, but not terrible, and it's sorta pay-as-you-go, you get credit for unused data).
Comments
South America.
You don't need to get a visa prior to arrival for most countries.
Everything is inexpensive, including cell service. Young South Americans are very big on social media, so you can find reloadable SIM cards on the cheap. Plus, there is WiFi all over the place.
Buses from city to city are cheap and comfortable.
Ecuador is very cool, and you can take a short flight from Quito or Guayaquil to the Galapagos Islands and see a natural treasure of unimaginable richness.
Uruguay is probably the chillest country of all time.
Santiago, Chile, is pretty damn cool too.
People think South America is dangerous, but places like Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay are a far cry from the violence of Venezuela or the horror stories you hear about street crime in Colombia. Still, the slight whiff of danger makes a South American adventure all the more exciting.
And believe it or not, a lot of folks love Yankees down there.
I really want to visit or live in this beautiful, progressive country. My wife and I live in Cambodia now, but we've talked about spending a year or two in South America. Uruguay is my first choice!
I'll also recommend Argentina, though I've only been to Buenos Aires. Enough people speak English that you can get by pretty decently without a lot of Spanish knowledge, and it's a ferry ride to Uruguay (Montevideo, Colonia and others). Similarly, you can travel to Uruguay and make an easy trip to BA.
Regarding phones: I picked up a Nexus 5X specifically to start with Project Fi. I highly recommend this for traveling now. You can keep your US number, get free text messaging, inexpensive data (not the cheapest at $10/GB, but not terrible, and it's sorta pay-as-you-go, you get credit for unused data).