1. Don't do enough research on flights.
Your flight will be the most expensive part of your trip. You can
save hundreds of dollars by taking flights that require several stops
rather than non-stop and in some cases by taking airlines into countries
neighboring your destination, then smaller national airlines or buses
or trains to your final destination.
2. Bring too little or too much luggage.
Not researching the climate can mean you might end up purchasing
things you already have at home and could bring with you such as
jackets, hats and gloves. On the other hand, bringing things you
probably won't need (or won't be able to use) like too much clothing,
too many appliances (hair dryers, curling irons, shavers, cellphones
that won't work here) can add to your budget either at the airline
counter (overweight luggage) or when you have to pay someone else to
cart your luggage around while you're here (taxi drivers, kids and
bellhops at hotels and airports), or pay to store your luggage while
you're on shorter legs of your trip.
3. Use credit cards and travelers checks and don't bring enough cash.
The surest way to waste money is to use credit cards. First of all,
you'll pay an extra percentage to use them in most South American
countries (usually about 3%). Secondly, many places don't accept them.
Travelers checks are also exchanged (for an extra cost) in just a few
places. Running out of money is another problem. If you have to have
someone wire your money you'll blow a big wad of cash!
4. Ignore great small hotels and hostels because they sound "unknown" or aren't in your travel guidebook.
There are many small hotels and hostels that are clean, comfortable
and provide good service all over Latin America. You don't need to stay
at a big expensive hotel. I'm not suggesting you put up with
cockroaches, but unless you're planning on spending a lot of time in bed
or watching TV, how often will you really be in your room anyway? One
of the best ways to find a cheap but good hotel is to get a personal
recommendations so I strongly encourage you to visit travel forums and
hotel reviews (and pay it forward - leave your opinions for someone else
to benefit from if you've already traveled).
While you should always take precautions to ensure you don't get
sick, skip restaurants that don't look clean, but don't always dine out
at the expensive restaurants. Choose restaurants that look great but are
NOT in your travel guide. Most restaurants that are frequented by
tourists adjust their menu prices for tourists and locals who choose to
dine there do so knowing this. In addition, many travelers don't try the
local food!! Did you know that in many parts of South America foreign
or international fast-food restaurants are a luxury and among the more
EXPENSIVE options by local standards?
5. Don't bargain.
In supermarkets and stores that have price tickets on their items
you cannot bargain the price down. But in most open markets it's a
mistake not to. Vendors automatically increase the price as soon as they
see you are foreign and EXPECT your first reaction to be a request for a
price break.
6. Ignore open markets.
Latin America's open markets sell EVERYTHING. Skip meats and
cheeses, (they're never refrigerated) and unbottled water and juices,
but purchase fruit, vegetables, bread, butter, cookies and snacks,
sodas, and more. Almost anything you find in a supermarket you can find
here. You can also get sunglasses, hats and clothing, mosquito
repellent, batteries, toiletries and many other things that are sold in
supermarkets nearby for up to twice as much.
7. Go to tourist trap shops.
Latin America's markets don't just sell food. Skip the expensive
tourist trap souvenir shops (most cost about 2-3 times more than they
should). Even souvenir areas that look like open markets can be way more
expensive than they should be because they cater only to foreigners. If
you only see souvenirs and nothing else, it's a tourist haven. Go to
the open markets, buy from individual vendors who offer their products
on the street, and you can get the same souvenirs at much lower prices.
And be sure to BARGAIN (they will be surprised if you DON'T). You'll be
truly contributing to the most needy sector of our local economy if you
do.
8. Ignore cool free sites or attractions not in travel guides.
Stay on the tourist path 100% of the time and you'll waste a lot of
money (and miss some really nice places to visit). Did you know many
great museums and art galleries in South America don't charge an entry
fee? Have you checked out the hundreds of great local parks and plazas
for super people watching and photo opportunities? Have you asked the
LOCALs what's great to see?
9. Pay too much for taxis, don't take public transportation, don't walk anywhere.
Many hotels have resident taxi services. Don't use them. They charge
2-3 times what a normal taxi costs. Walk a few steps to the corner and
take a cab off the street.
10. Bring the wrong appliances, electronics and accessories.
Electric power sources vary greatly in South America and from one
country to the next (even within a country). Some use 220V and some
110V. You either have to bring adapters or be sure you bring the correct
appliances for the region you will be traveling or living.
11. Don't research proper documentation.
All countries require something of foreigners to enter (passports,
yellow fever shots, letters of invitation, hotel reservations, and
others). Having all the correct documents before you arrive will be a
true blessing to your wallet. Getting them upon arrival can cost you
more, waste your time, and potential end up getting you sent home if you
don't have the documentation you need.
12. Don't leave copies of your documentation and credit cards at home.
Losing or getting your documents stolen can be a truly horrifying
experience. Not having copies of them only makes it worse. Leave
photocopies of your passport, medical records, airline ticket, credit
cards and other important documents you carry in your wallet at home
(and bring an extra photocopy with you). If you need to process new ones
at your consulate, this will make it much easier and faster and usually
less costly.
13. Don't spend enough on your tour. Huh?
Well, believe it or not if you don't properly research your tour
operator, your cheap tour with a cruddy tour operator who doesn't live
up to your expectations and doesn't deliver what was promised can end up
costing you more in dissatisfaction than a tour that was a bit more
costly to begin with but delivered on its promises. You'll end up
feeling cheated and like you wasted your money.
14. Don't invest in travel insurance.
Nobody wants to get sick while traveling, lose luggage or
documentation, have an emergency or accident, or have something stolen
from them while traveling. But it does happen. Are these things EVER
predictable anywhere?
15. Make way-too-expensive overseas calls.
There are many cheap or even free ways to communicate with people
"back home" while you're on your trip. Latin America has an uncanny
number of super cheap internet cafés that in many areas cost under a
dollar per hour. Set up programs like Skype on your computer back home
and use them while you're here. In addition, if you research the best
phone cards and/or cellphone rental or purchase options, and you can cut
your budget way down. You can also use Skype without a computer.
16. Bring your own cellphone.
Check before you travel if your cellular phone will work in South
America. Most of South America uses a completely different grid and type
of calling system and many many many cellphones from many many many
countries DON'T WORK HERE AT ALL. So investing in a rental cellphone or
purchasing an international travel phone can actually save you money.
17. Don't venture out enough on your own.
Some tours are hazardous or just plain too remote to take on your
own but you don't need a guide everywhere you go. With a little
self-assurance there are tons of places you can visit without the need
for guides, translators and tour operators. The same goes for those of
you who are relocating to South America
18. Don't research the laws regarding traveling with kids and pets.
If you travel with minors you must have special permissions and
documentation, especially if only one parent is traveling with a child.
Many a foreigner has been sent back home for not having a permission
document from the other parent. Not having the appropriate documentation
for your pet can result in expensive quarantine costs.
19. Don't research our holidays.
One of the best ways to lose money while traveling is to arrive
during national or regional holidays to find everything closed. While
you might enjoy the festivities, you might not find a place to stay,
banks or exchange houses may be closed, and you could end up either
spending to travel somewhere else or paying for the only hotels
available (the most expensive ones are the last to have vacancies).
20. Don't brush up on your Spanish.
Investing in a few Spanish lessons, a good Spanish travel
phrasebook, or getting FREE Spanish phrases for your iPod or other
accessory can save you money in the longrun. How? You can potentially
avoid paying for a translator (in many South American countries tour
guides do NOT speak English or other languages). FURTHERMORE you can
avoid feeling cheated in markets and stores or anywhere else you pay for
anything if vendors see you know just enough Spanish to get by. If they
assume you've been here a while they're more likely to expect you to
bargain.
21. Inadvertently (or purposely) break the law.
One way to get into MAJOR financial trouble is to commit a crime.
Take a prison tour to purchase cocaine is a huge no-no. Buying illicit
drugs or purchasing drugs or alcohol for yourself or anyone else
anywhere is a crime. Getting in arguments or fights, participating in
political rallies or demonstrations, being rude to police officers,
trespassing on private property, disorderly conduct, attempting to cross
roadblocks, injuring someone else while driving, or even if you are
defending yourself from a thief, can all end you up in jail. Even if you
are declared innocent and everything is cleared up eventually, it can
take lots of time and money to get you out of your predicament.
22. Flash your money.
When you travel, carry your money in several different places at a
time (some in your purse, some in each pocket, etc.) so you don't have
to take the whole wad out when you need to pay for something. Not only
will this make you appear presumptuous, cause your vendor to feel
cheated if you just bargained a price down, and make Latin America's
poor feel horrible in general, it's a guaranteed way to be sure people
will immediately increase their prices when you ask what the cost of
something is. When you exchange your currency ask for small bills. It
will make getting change easier and save you money in the long run as
you won't be perceived as "the foreigner with the big wads of cash for
whom we should increase our prices".
23. Look lost.
Not only will this automatically send out the message that you are a
foreigner and should be charged more for stuff, it's also dangerous. No
matter where you are or where you go, even if you ARE lost, walk with
purpose, stick to well-lighted areas. Only ask for directions from
police officers, store owners, restaurants, or other establishments.
Look like you're lost and you may become a target for thieves and others
who may purposely misguide you and you could end up having to replace
your belongings. Look like you know where you're going and you most
likely will discourage their activities. But you would follow this
advice anywhere in the world, wouldn't you?
24. Carry huge expensive cameras in full sight.
Nothing screams "Tourist Coming!!!" more than your camera - and
actually this goes for just about any camera. South America's vendors
are master tourist spotters. They can see you coming from miles away and
the message rapidly spreads that you're in the neighborhood. Vendors
busily rearrange their products (with the most expensive on top or even
hide cheap ones), and before you've arrived, they've already talked
amongst themselves and settled on the higher prices they will ALL
simultaneously offer you. Carry all types of cameras in a camera bag,
take your camera out when you need to take your photo, put it back in
the bag when you're done, and you'll save a lot of money.
25. Don't set aside any money for emergencies.
It's awful to get sick, have an accident, lose your belongings, or
suffer a loss by robbery while you're traveling. Blowing all your money
at the beginning of your trip is not only unwise, it's dangerous. You
could end up needing to visit a clinic and having no money. Furthermore,
having someone wire you money will add to the expense. In addition,
making a lot of purchases at the beginning of your trip just means
you'll have to cart them around with you (or pay to store them) while
you continue traveling.
26. The surest way to pay way more than you should for just about everything: look, dress and act like a tourist.
a)
Wear geeky tourist clothes (the embroidered shirts or knit hats that
don't really look cool on anyone and nobody but tourists wear, the huge
hiking boots even when you're walking around the city, the alpaca
sweaters only tourists can afford, the jeans that are so unwashed they
could stand on their own, you get the picture).
b) Wear clothing
that is inappropriate for an event or occasion. Nobody expects you to
dress up when touring. But at restaurants, bars and clubs you may even
find some don't allow you to enter if you're wearing inappropriate
clothing (for example, some don't let you in with torn or cut-off
shorts, others don't allow sneakers).
c) Speak a foreign language
all the time, don't make any attempt to use Spanish, and speak very
loudly. Many South Americans are fairly soft-spoken and speak quietly
amongst themselves in public places, buses, restaurants, etc.
You will never NOT look like a foreigner. Everyone will always know a
tourist or expat from a local. But if you want to save money, tone it
down.
Charis Barks grew up in Latin America from the age of four and as
an American expat, third culture kid and missionary kid, relocated to
and from various countries in South America. Growing up in the southern
hemisphere gave her a unique perspective she now shares on http://www.boliviabella.com and http://www.gosouthexpat.com,
a website she builds about moving abroad and living overseas. Feel free
to post your questions if you are considering relocating to South
America and if you've already done so, join in and post your own
articles about living overseas in the forums. Expats and travelers from
all over the continent contribute to this site by adding pages with
their own travel tips and stories, advice and personal recommendations.
Your best source for first-hand facts and advice is your South America
expatriate community!
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