South America

Travel through South America by country:

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela

Travel through South America by popular city:

Bogota, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro

Travel through South America by popular things to do:

Adventures in the Amazon, Falkland Islands, Iguazu Falls, Tierra del Fuego

Five easy ways be a philanthropic traveler

by Laurel Miller on

Voluntourism is the newest warm fuzzy of the travel industry. Under ideal circumstances, it’s a sustainable, experiential way to see the world and give back at the same time. Whether you’re helping to build a new school or clearing a trail, a working holiday is, for some, the best possible expenditure of disposable income.

But there’s the rub. Along with multitudinous other factors that make voluntourism a dicey concept, it doesn’t come cheap. Some organized volunteer holidays cost as much as a luxury vacation or adventure trip of the same length. That’s great if you can afford both the time and expense, but many of us don’t have that option.

The good news? You can still be a philanthropic traveler regardless of your income, physical ability, educational background, or destination. Below, five easy ways to make a difference on every trip.

1. Donate.
Clothing, shoes, school supplies, basic medical supplies (Neosporin, aspirin, antidiarrheals, bandages), food (fresh fruit and dry goods such as rice, flour, or beans are often good choices, depending upon where you’re traveling; avoid processed foods and candy).

In regard to donations, I’ve found it’s best to do a bit of research beforehand (even if it just involves talking to some fellow travelers or travel operators in the region, or locals). You don’t want to inadvertently cause offense or shame by giving freebies; on the other hand, don’t be put off if you’re asked to help if you can. Some reputable outfitters may request that clients donate any unwanted items of clothing at the trip’s end. These items significantly help local communities (especially children) or the families of contracted staff such as porters or cooks. Donating gently used clothing and shoes is also a greener way to travel.

[Photo credit: Flickr user Visions Service Adventures]Ask–tour operators, guides, community leaders–before donating medical items, even if they’re OTC; ditto food. Guidebooks, travel articles, and local travel literature often note what items are in short supply in specific destinations.

For example, when I did a farmstay on a remote island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, my guidebook suggested I bring fresh fruit for my host family, as residents could only purchase it on the mainland. The farm patriarch also let me know at the end of my visit that any clothing donations for his children would be greatly appreciated. Depending upon your cultural and/or economic background, such a request may appear brazen or appallingly rude. Coming from a humble man whose entire family had welcomed me into their single-room home, fed me, and treated me as one of their own (rather than just a fast source of income), it was a request I was only too happy to honor.

2.Volunteer…for free
Voluntourism is something you can do yourself, assuming you ask permission when appropriate, and act in accordance with local and cultural mores (Behave Yourself! The Essential Guide to International Etiquette is an entertaining and informative book I recommend for all travelers). Whether you pick up trash on a beach, offer to work reception at a locally-owned backpacker’s for a few hours or days, or teach useful foreign language phrases to children, you’re giving back to that community.

I realize how colonialist this may sound, but the fact is, English speakers are in great demand worldwide. Even in the most impoverished countries or regions, locals who speak English (or French, Italian, German, etc.), no matter how rudimentary, can find employment or offer their services as guides, taxi drivers, hostel employees, or translators. Fluency in a foreign language(s) gives them an advantage in a competitive market. Think about it. It’s never a bad thing to learn a language other than your own, no matter who you are, where you live, or how much money you make.

3. Buy local handicrafts and food
Just like shopping your farmers market back home, buying local supports a local economy, and usually eliminates the need for a middle-man. A bonus: many specific destinations all over the world are famed for their food, textiles, woodcarving, pottery, etc.. Every time I look at certain items in my home–no matter how inexpensive they may be—I’m reminded of the adventures and experiences that led to their purchase.

4. Immerse yourself
You don’t need to “go native,” but the best travel experiences usually entail a certain amount of surrender to a place or culture. Learn a few key phrases in the local language or dialect; treat the people–even if they’re urbanites in an industrialized nation–with respect and observe their rules or customs when appropriate; be a gracious traveler or guest. Your actions may not provide monetary or physical relief, but giving back isn’t always about what’s tangible.

5. Reduce your footprint.
It’s impossible not to have a carbon footprint, and as recreational travelers, that impact increases exponentially. But there’s no need to eradicate “frivolous” travel; indeed, experiencing other cultures and sharing our own helps foster tolerance and empathy. Rather, we should be mindful travelers, and do our best to conserve natural resources and preserve the integrity of the places we visit. Just as with camping, leave a place better than you found it. Even if the locals aren’t putting these philosophies into practice, there’s no reason you can’t.

[Photo credits: schoolchildren, Flickr user A.K.M.Ali hossain;vendor, Laurel Miller]

Medellin then and now

by Elizabeth Seward on

Medellin, Colombia isn’t the way it used to be. Once known for its drug cartels and their inordinately vengeful wars that regularly victimized citizens of the city as well as travelers, Medellin has gone under, well, the knife, in more ways than one. The city’s makeover has made tourists from across the globe feel more welcomed and has brought peace to locals who know what it was like back then. ‘Back then’, a phrase Colombians don’t use lightly, but do use frequently. Since Escobar’s reign of terror, Medellin has reclaimed itself and is now better prepared than ever to brave what’s to come.

No one would have considered Medellin a tourist destination 10 years ago. It simply wasn’t. Hundreds of lives a month were being lost in the city at the hand of relentless drug wars then and the city was dubbed ‘The Most Violent City in The World’. The city sculpted into the Andes was avoided by travelers, and for good reason. Locals at the time could barely call Medellin a home and many were being driven away from their houses, encumbered by fear, and forced into Witness Protection programs or other forms of hiding because they ‘knew too much’. With the waters being so treacherous for locals, foreigners felt even less at ease and found themselves targets in the unforgiving battles for territory taking place, battles headed up by drug-lords who had more sway than city officials back then. When Escobar was killed in 1993 (or when he killed himself, reports vary) and the two drug-lords that stepped up in his place, leaders of the Cali Cartel, were finally brought down, Medellin’s districts were ceded with this trio’s vanishing and the city needed an emergency recovery plan. That plan has helped make Medellin traversable today.

Medellin’s makeover began within. City officials rallied and conjured up support from nations far and wide, raking in investment money for the city chunk by chunk. Citizens bound together and formed a bit of a union, a promise to rebuild their city and keep out the bad. They joined forces while unblinkingly awaiting the support that eventually came from around the globe. With foreign aid, a devoted community, and a powerful drug-lord out of the way, the city had promise and the building was underway.

During a recent trip to Medellin, I walked through places that were monumental in the city’s development.
%Gallery-113677%The public library sits atop a hill, silky clouds from the mountains slither between the modern structure’s sleek twists and turns. The attention-grabbing building was placed smack in the middle of a neighborhood in Medellin once known as one of the worst. Still neighbored by poverty-stricken homes that steadily climb the mountainside, the library was placed intentionally, just like the high schools. The idea was to positively influence children who only had seen the worst.

And the plan seems to be working. Babies born into these neighborhoods become children who frequent the library with their parents or teachers and those children become industrious teens who attend high schools that have perks, like running water in some cases, that they never saw at home. These teens, of course, become better-rounded individuals more capable of considering the colorful expanse of possibilities for their future.

In a further attempt to improve this area of the city highly affected by the pain of the past, Medellin installed its metro system in such a way that it runs straight through this same district. The city’s subway isn’t too unlike the subway system in New York City. Trains arrive at and depart from even cleaner stations (no eating on the metro in Medellin) and commuters flip through their iPods and books while eyeing the bright advertisements in their peripheral. What’s unlike New York City is the cable car portion of the metro system.

These cars ascend into the clouds that roll off the Andes. They are pulled gently and at such an elevation, it’s not difficult to see what those investing in Medellin see: a beautiful sprawling city tucked into a lush valley, hungry for the chance it deserves. For just 70 cents, passengers are slowly raised up the mountainside. The ride is serene and the to-be destination on the top of the hill is even better: a massive city park that will eventually be available to everyone for hiking, camping, and other outdoor recreational activities. But for now the cable cars provide opportunities for those living on the hills beneath. The opportunities provided? Jobs mainly.

Without proper roads or means to travel on those roads even if they did exist, many people born into these neighborhoods have found themselves a part of a cyclical depression, one that carries over from generation to generation. The cable cars have made it possible for employable residents of this area to not only find work throughout the city, but to actually mobilize.

The dedication to Medellin extends beyond cleaning up dirty neighborhoods. The campaign, in fact, has been widespread. From the loft-like Brooklyn-esque Medellin Museum of Modern Art to the towering Botanical Gardens, the city truly survived a nightmare with the power of a dream.

I attended the annual Christmas lighting ceremony–a celebration that unites the city with the holiday spirit. I watched as locals enjoyed the fantastic displays of light and water and I couldn’t help but suspect the locals were cheering for something far beyond the engineering of man-the potential of man. And if any city ever had potential, it’s this one.

Although Medellin’s crime rate decreased steadily in the years following Escobar’s fall, it should be noted that the crime rate has been on the rise again in more recent years. But before you rethink your Colombia travel plans, consider this: Medellin has dealt with worse. From abject misery to widespread hope, Medellin is better equipped this time around.

A good traveler is one who is always aware of his or her surroundings, and if you’re a traveler in Medellin, you need to be a good one. Follow the obvious rules of travel (don’t travel alone, don’t travel into dangerous neighborhoods, be weary of traveling at night, don’t carry valuables you can’t afford to lose with you, etc.) and you should be fine in Medellin.

And remember: the more support Medellin has, the better it will do. Already triumphant in its plan to take back the city, imagine the lasting transformation that will be cemented with increased support from travelers everywhere. When all is said and done, Medellin gives me hope for Mexico.

Bogota: Hernan Diaz retrospective

by Alex Robertson Textor on


Fernand Léger’s map of Colombia.

If for some reason you need another reason to visit Bogotá soon, here it is. There is currently a retrospective of the late famed Colombian photographer Hernán Díaz on display in Bogotá.

Hernán Díaz is a Colombian treasure. The photographer, who passed away in November 2009, was loved for his portraits of Colombian artists and other important cultural figures. There are the labored, precise photographs of his own cohort of artists, besuited men who reveal little. Then there are the more joyful images of actors, artists, politicians, and other figures from the artist’s later years.

Some credit Díaz with single-handedly raising the profile of Cartagena among Colombians. Prior to the publication of a book in 1972 by Díaz on Cartagena’s people and sights, the city had little standing in the country. It was simply a neglected colonial city on the country’s sweltering Caribbean coast, a forgotten backwater. Díaz considered Cartagena his adopted home and spent a great deal of energy documenting it.

To round out the focus on Colombia and various forms of documentation, there is also a set of male nudes included in the exhibit. Lastly, there are a number of images of a vanquished New York City, including one of a Horn & Hardat food service automat.

Anyone visiting the city shouldn’t miss the opportunity to obtain a look at modern Colombian history. This intense retrospective of Hernan Diaz’s works at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá is open through January 15.

Mass animal deaths… what’s going on?

by Elizabeth Seward on

Thousands of red-winged blackbirds were reported dead in Beebe, Arkansas. They fell from the sky on New Year’s Eve and residents stepped outside on the first day of 2011 to find their bodies scattered everywhere. Roads and yards were littered with the carcasses and the unanswered question of ‘How did these birds die?’ locked the town in an ominous still.

The internet, as expected, was right behind the citizens of Beebe. Articles and videos and Facebook statuses started referencing this shocking occurrence and the buzz went a little haywire when… 100,000 drum fish were found dead in Arkansas days later. The fish were washed ashore along a 20-mile expanse of the Arkansas River, over 100 miles away from Beebe, but still too close for comfort.

The bird deaths and the fish deaths are said to be unrelated, and they probably are, but this whole thing has people everywhere paying more attention to the mass deaths in wildlife being witnessed all over the world.

These are just a few instances of mass animal deaths across the globe in recent news. So what’s going on? Creating a correlation between these deaths has sparked (of course) apocalyptic theories all over the internet. Some say it’s 2012, some say the Bible’s rapture is nearing, and meanwhile, scientists are clamoring, saying these are all unrelated.

Are they really unrelated? Has the internet given us too much ability to connect unconnected dots and spin fear mongering predictions?

No matter the reason, protecting our wildlife is an integral component of fructifying travel, so lets discuss.

And if you want to read more before offering your opinion, read about the Top 10 Strange Mass Animal Deaths at Time.

[photo by Elizabeth Seward]

Is Bogota really the next Buenos Aires?

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Yes is the short answer. Bogota is indeed the next Buenos Aires. But before we get to why this is the case, we need to understand why Buenos Aires is the current Buenos Aires.

Travelers have an insatiable appetite for great cities that are cheap, and there’s probably no demographic that pursues this particular type of destination more than the next-destination-early-adopters, or NDEAs. Buenos Aires enchanted the NDEAs back in 2002 and 2003 when the Argentinian economy was in terrible shape and things were dirt cheap. Here was a beautiful, European city reminiscent of–gosh, what? Paris? Madrid? Rome? Milan? A little of all of these, and yet unmistakably Latin American, too.

There were rich neighborhoods where things were very cheap for visiting North Americans and Europeans, and slightly gritty tourist neighborhoods like La Boca with good restaurants tucked away on side streets. There was Palermo, a massive neighborhood with pockets of cute little streets and boutiques that seemed as if it might transform into an outpost of international cool. Visitors saw for sale signs across wealthy neighborhoods. They saw enormous lines of Argentines in suits queuing up in front of banks; other banks, covered with spray-painted graffiti, appeared to be essentially boarded up.

Things changed. The Argentine economy made its way out of the cellar. In 2006 a splashy article in New York Magazine broke the then-mainstream story that New Yorkers could live high on the hog in this charming, warm, incredible city at a fraction of the cost of staying at home. There was a time when every other 28 year-old in New York was openly fantasizing about spending a season in Buenos Aires. I exaggerate, but not by much.

Will this sort of thing happen to Bogotá? In 2014 will we see a story in New York Magazine about how Bogotá is the perfect place to live well on not all that much? Probably not. It’s cheap and it’s got lashings of the fabulous, but it doesn’t have the glorious weather that Buenos Aires enjoys for eight months of the year. Nevertheless, there are at least five powerful forces at play that will continue to motivate journalists and other serious travelers to proclaim Bogotá a next big thing for the foreseeable future.

1. It has lots of rich people. Most tourists like being around rich locals doing things that would cost more money at home. The north of Bogotá sees one rich neighborhood after another full of shopping malls, rich ladies, and teenagers projecting clubby ennui.

2. It’s starting at a terribly low point in the international public imagination. In other words, the Colombian national brand really sucked until fairly recently. The news stories about drug cartels, politically-minded paramilitary organizations, physical danger, and kidnapping came to define the entire country. No matter that my new Colombian friends tell me that they’ve never felt unsafe in Bogotá. The narrative is out there, and only recently has it begun to assume a different shape.

3. It’s a completely exciting city, both pretty and brutal. Candelaria, the area of the city that grabs so much attention, is Bogotá’s colonial core, with excellent museums, awe-inspiring churches, tourist shops, and restaurants. It feels vaguely chaotic, and happily unpredictable. Colonial abuts art deco. It is less a union of opposites as a planning crapshoot that turned out well. And while it doesn’t exactly feel dangerous, it does feel like a place to mind your backpack or purse, and this is part of the city’s lure, frankly. It’s a crowded city that, despite its many upgrades (see below) remains gritty and crowded.

4. The city is in flux. Road works are everywhere, and it’s clear that the city is fully swept up in a state of development and renewal. Two mayors over the last several years (Enrique Peñalosa and Antanas Mockus) both engineered significant changes in Bogotá. The result: a series of real improvements for residents as well as major urban planning upgrades. The latter includes bike lanes, fewer vehicular fatalities, an improved park system, pedestrian-only roads on Sundays, and a mass transit system.

5. Bogotá is not that far from the United States. It’s five hours from New York by airplane, and the frequency of air links is decent. It’s an easy place to visit from North America for a long weekend, and it’s been a consistently well-priced route for several years now.

Want more Colombia travel inspiration? Check out Elizabeth Seward’s recent Medellín itinerary tips post for Gadling.