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


Polo’s Bastards Top 10 Worst Destinations

With the current conflict going on between Ethiopia and Somalia, my mind immediately began to wonder what the writers at Polo’s Bastards had been up to and what dangerous lands they’ve been exploring. Last time I checked in they’d just posted a piece on Rio’s favelas. Since then North Korea and Chechnya have also made their blog pages.

To round off the year though, Lee Ridley spent a little bit of his Christmas day highlighting some of the world’s worst destinations in 2006. Iraq assumes the position of No. 1, which doesn’t come as a shocker at all. The conflict created by the Hezbollah kidnappings of Israeli soldiers earned Lebanon the No. 10 spot, and in the middle you’ll find Haiti, Afghanistan, the entire Horn of Africa (poor Eritrea), Nepal, Chad, Chechnya and North Korea. If you’ve been in the dark concerning the political climate of these particular areas, you might want to mosey over and see what the deal is. Otherwise, just be sure to proceed with caution in the upcoming year. It is a far, far more dangerous world out there.

Uruguay’s Rebound

I know from having traveled there a significant amount that when most people think about traveling in South America, they don’t think Uruguay. It’s always Brazil, Chile and Argentina that come to mind. But according to this piece, that may be about to change.

Frommer’s suggests that the Uruguayan town of Punta del Este is staging some kind of serious rebound. The town witnessed a serious loss of luster during the 1990s, but made significant infrastructure improvements and now the “Pearl of the Atlantic”, has reinvented itself as South America’s premier all-purpose vacation spot. There are attractions for everyone from lounge-music fans and families with small children to sport fishermen and gamblers. And if you just enjoy hanging out on the beach, well, you can do that too.

Personally, I’d love to see South America take off as a destination favorite of Americans replacing, say, Mexico. Chile and Argentina remain two of my favorite places on the globe, and now that I’ve checked out the piece here, I may have to add Uruguay to my list.

Megan Lyles Travel Writer

When really good travel blogs manage to remain secret to me, I get bummed wishing someone had called me sooner to say, “Hey, Adrienne you need to peep this right now!” No personal calls were ever received which leads me to wonder how many folks even know about the travel writing goodness of Megan Lyles? It really makes no huge difference that I didn’t follow Megan and her fiancé/photographer, Michael Simon, while they were blogging on the road. It just means I have a ton of catching up to do.

Back in the summer of 2005 Megan and Michael took off on a one-year long bus trip from Manhattan to the tip of South America. The trip has since been wrapped up and Megan and Michael are back in Manhattan, but the site is still up and there for your viewing pleasure. And I do mean it is a pleasure to check out. I read through some of the Mexico, Paraguay, and Uruguay stops not wanting to stop, but catching up is going to take a while. Before I departed I clicked on just one more plug while they were in North Carolina attending the Vans Warped tour. All I can say is Megan, where ever you are – I can totally relate.

Global Gift Guide from T+L

Christmas may very well be a thing of 2006 past, but the spirit of giving is never ending! Perhaps you received something not so shimmery this holiday season. Maybe mom had it all wrong when you said you wanted a sari and picked up a kimono instead. Or let’s say you just happen to have so much money to burn your head is spinning and you are still ready to purchase for your entire circle of friends. Good for you! Whether you are making a return, exchange or a new transaction keep your eyes extra peeled for deals.

I stumbled on this Travel+Leisure global gift guide a few days before Christmas and meant to post sooner, but it makes no difference. There are some awesome finds here and reasonably priced. Okay, some are a little pricey, but it is a guide that truly caters to everyone I think. Gift ideas range from Colorado western wear to beach inspired gear to the far east like these jewels of India. I’ve got a few pals of my own with birthdays until the end of the year so I’ll be one of many still searching for the perfect trinket to package and ship.

Word for the Travel Wise (12/25/06)

Wishing all who are celebrating this Christmas holiday a very merry day. May Santa bring you everything you wish for and more!

Today we say Merry Christmas in various languages:

  • Hawaiian – Mele Kalikimaka !
  • Catalan – Bon Nada!
  • Lithuanian – Linksmu Kaledu!
  • Dutch – Gelukkig Kerstfeest!
  • Persian – Krismas-e shoma mubarak!
  • Spanish – Feliz Navidad!
  • Swedish – God Jul!
  • Korean – Sungtanul chukaheyo!
  • Turkish – Neseli Noel!