Getting Ready for my 5 Month Trip in South America

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The Blog Begins....

In 31 days I will be off to Lima, Peru to go on a 5 month trip to lovely South America. In a true naive backpacker fashion I haven't yet planned anything as of yet. All I have committed to is the date I arrive in Lima and the date I leave Lima. I have somewhat of a hazy plan of the countries I want to go to which include Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Colombia.

I had previously traveled to South East Asia in the summer of 2012 and had meant to write a travel blog. Unfortunately I did not have the discipline to continue with the blog so I am going to commit to one now. In the next 31 days I plan on sharing some practical information about packing, visas, budgeting, and tips on planning a somewhat unorganized itinerary. Hopefully you will be able to join me on my travels if I have the patience to write every week.

Budgeting

Sooooo here we go, my first practical advice is going to be about everyones favorite topic; budgeting. Before you go on your 5 month backpacking trip you have to know how much you can save in a certain amount of time. Luckily for me, I saved up so much for Asia that I had enough money to save up more for South America. I spent roughly $1200 a month in South East Asia and I felt like I splurged. South America on the other hand costs more so I have decided on a $40 a day budget which includes food, shelter, attractions, transportation, etc.....

What $40 a day does not cover is health insurance, buying supplies before the trip, visas (for the countries I travel to you do not need to pay for a visa), immunizations, and anything else you need to buy/fix/payoff before you leave on your excursion. Before you make your budgeting plan I found getting all this shit calculated and out of the way is the best way to know

A. how long you can stay for

B. how much you can splurge

For 5 months, travel insurance cost me $230 Canadian. Would I recommend it???? Yes. Will it most likely feel like you wasted $230 because you never used it? Hopefully. The main reason I suggest travel insurance though is because I don't want to play safe. I want to raft down the amazon, I want to hike the Andes, and I want to find anacondas in marshes without the dooming thought of "how much will it cost for hospital fees or emergency flight fees back to Canada if I screw up?" Do you really want to be constantly playing safe? No? I didn't think so. The trip is all about doing things you wouldn't do back home. So do something smart and get travel insurance before you do something evolutionarily stupid, like rafting down the amazon.

There are a few immunizations/medication that I belive, in my very unprofessional opinion, are a waste of your hard earned loonies. The ones I think are a waste include malaria medication, rabies immunization, and Japanese Encephalitis.

Okay, maybe take malaria pills if you don't mind crazy dreams, depression, and appetite suppression. I listened to the travel clinic and got doxycycline for Laos, as I would be in the more remote areas. Personally I believe the side effects were not worth it. After two weeks of taking them in Laos, I hated life, even though I surrounded by amazing people and scenery. I also lost an unhealthy amount of weight in those 2 weeks because I always felt full and bloated. I also had terrifying, vivid dreams where everyone I loved died. Also, apparently doxycycline lowers the effectiveness of birth control and at this point in my life, I would rather take the small chance of contracting malaria than having a kid. I talked to my doctor about this and she said that I could either spend hundreds of dollars on Malarone or take cheap doxycycline. I have sided with applying copious amounts of deet and wearing long sleeves while I am in the amazon.

The rabies shot is another immunization that is completely pointless. If you are bitten by a rabid dog you still need to get treated for rabies. The "immunization" only gives you a little bit more time to get that treatment before you die a painful death. Also, if you live in Canada, it will cost you around$630 as you need three shots that cost $210. I decided to just not get bit....i guess easier said than done as there are many crazy dogs in south east asia/ south america that would looooove to take a chunk out your leg. I had to fight off dogs 4 separate times in South East Asia. Just make sure to have a stick handy and you will be fine!

Lastly Japanese Encephalitis is so rare that you will not get it. It's like winning the lottery....but I guess it's more like the Hunger Games in that you hope that the odds are ever in your favor. It's also ridiculously expensive. WEAR DEET!

I do recommend your Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid (free I am pretty sure), and Tetanus. I also looked up Yellow fever and you can get it for $30 at the airport in Lima instead of the $40 in Edmonton.

Okay, now that immunizations are out of the way lets talk supplies. So what items do you need buy before you go on your trip??? Well here is some of my list of necessary expenses ( which i will probably later edit as I start packing):


• Backpack: (Cost:$230) This is one of the most important items a traveller can buy. Many people have suggested a 35L. Myself, being a girl who loves clothes, decided to go with a lightweight Osprey Ariel 55L. My boyfriend bought a 40L. My previous backpack that I got very my 2012 trip was awful. I lugged around a 70L+10L backpack. DO NOT GET ANYTHING OVER 60L!!! This is so important as a small backpack lets you get around much easier without the sore shoulders. It also forces you to bring less useless crap you won't use. I plan to write more about buying backpacks once I test out my new one.
• Lightweight Hiking Shoes: ($100) I plan to not spend over $100 on a good pair of Keens. I did a bit of research and found that these shoes are a travelers best friend. They aren't super dorky looking and they are supportive.
• Silk Sleeping Bag: ($70) I adore my silk liner. I have a strange need for a blanket covering me when I am sleeping. Often enough I found I was too hot for sheets but still needed something to cover me. The silk liner came in really handy, especially when the sheets or blankets were dirty. The silk liner keeps you cool yet gives you the comfort of having a secure blanket. I have a sea to summit mummy style liner. It also packs up really nice and small in your pack and doesn't smell!



I will provide a bigger list of items later. But these three things are a MUST HAVE! Now Canadians we don't have to pay for Visas in the countries I listed as going to. For Americans on the other hand Bolivia is a headache to get into and cost $135 . Heres more info: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1069.htmlOther countries I believe should be free when getting into Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia. Also make sure to pay your credit card bill, your friends/family members back, and your phone bill. You don't want to be having to worry about this when you are supposed to be worrying about an uneven tan.

Okay, NOW that you have all those expenses out of the way now you can decide your budget. Here is how I decided my budget. I calculated $40 a day for 153 = $6120. Now I tack on an extra $880 for extras to round up to $7000. The reason I round it up to $7000 is just in case something happends. Perhaps you decide you want to take salsa lessons. Perhaps you are inspired to go to the Galapogos Islands. I try to keep to my budget but it is a good idea to have a little bit extra just in case. You don't want to be counting every loonie while you are supposed to be having fun.

So how did I save up $7000 in a year on a low paying job??? Well first I live with my parents and I just stopped spending money. That's it. I walked, instead of drove ,when I could. I stopped buying expensive wine and beer at the bars, and got my buddies to come over/host house parties, I stopped eating out, I stopped getting tim hortons, starbucks etc. (that shit adds up!!!) and I stopped adding to my earring addiction. Yes, this costs me my pride and a good few drunken nights, but it helped me with eating healthy. Also, whenever I got a check I immediately put some money in my separate savings account for South America. If you don't live at home with your parents it will be a lot harder. So when I finally stop being a bum and move out I will write out a more adult/ realistic budget plan.



Well that's my first blog, hopefully more will come to follow.

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