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So my parents (especially my dad), does not really want me to go to South America.

Originally part of Need Help Planning A Trip [21 Male, first time]

They have this silly notion that I will get kidnapped or die. I'm going to go anyway, but to put their minds at ease, do you guys have any ideas of things I can tell them to make them understand that it's safe?

14 years ago, February 26th 2010 No: 1 Msg: #105167 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

So my parents (especially my dad), does not really want me to go to South America. They have this silly notion that I will get kidnapped or die. I'm going to go anyway, but to put their minds at ease, do you guys have any ideas of things I can tell them to make them understand that it's safe? Brazil has a pretty high crime rate, but from my limited research, Peru is pretty safe. And obviously there's areas that tourists should avoid, and the tour guides will let me know where not go, I'm sure. If you guys can help me think of specific things to tell them, that would be great. Please spare me the "it's your life, do whatever you want" thing.

Also, I am on travbuddy looking for people to meet over there, possibly even split the cost if our schedules work.

Thanks! Reply to this

14 years ago, February 28th 2010 No: 2 Msg: #105273 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

So my parents (especially my dad), does not really want me to go to South America. They have this silly notion that I will get kidnapped or die.

Yeah, go anyway. You are an adult and shouldnt live your life for others. You only get one life afterall. My parents, especially my mother has always hated my travelling. As well as thinking all kind of of bad things would happen to me, they think it is a waste of money that would be better spent on property, fancy living....

do you guys have any ideas of things I can tell them to make them understand that it's safe?

Tell them you will send them an email everyday. If it was my daughter, I would like to hear that, even if I am not trying to stop her going. As a parent, I would be able to relax and enjoy that my daughter is doing wonderful things with her life, once I get that regular reassurance that she is still safe.

Please spare me the "it's your life, do whatever you want" thing.

Well, it is, and I think you will regret if you dont live it the way you want.

Also, I am on travbuddy looking for people to meet over there, possibly even split the cost if our schedules work.

You could also put a thread in the Looking for Travel Companions Forum here on TravelBlog if you want.

Mel
Reply to this

14 years ago, February 28th 2010 No: 3 Msg: #105307 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

Thanks Mell, I did make a travel companion post I believe.

How will I send them an email everyday? I shouldn't bring my laptop, right? I figured I would call them everyday, or is that not going to be possible?

Don't worry Mell, I'm going to go anyway ;p. Reply to this

14 years ago, February 28th 2010 No: 4 Msg: #105310 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

It is easy to send an email everyday. Even if you dont take a laptop there are email cafes everywhere. And if you are going trekking in the Jungle or someplace like that, for a few days, you can just let them know that and that you will be sending an email in a few days. Calling them everyday would also reassure them. Reply to this

14 years ago, February 28th 2010 No: 5 Msg: #105325 Delete Edit

Stephanie and Andras
Stephanie

B Posts: 883

Hi Kenny -

A few things that I've often said in the past (convincingly or not) is that for one, is the major cities around the world tend to have more in common with each other, than they do the surrounding landscape. My parents very worried when I went to France alone in college. I argued that Paris was going to be just like Seattle, only things would be in French and if they were okay with me going to one big city alone, why not this one. Entirely true? No. But true enough. The world often isn't that foreign, it just seems that way because it's unknown to us.

Second, I see that you live in Chicago and I imagine your parents do to. We Americans often have a very very narrow view of foreign countries, in part because we've been exposed to years and years of media and news reports emphasizing how big and scary the world is outside the 'safety' of our borders. I just returned from Mexico and my family was extremely worried about the same thing (murder, kidnapping, drugs, oh my!) - but even I was surprised at what a safe, well-kept, upper-middle class vibe I felt everywhere I went around Puebla. Remind them that what they've heard is only the most extreme scenarios, or that we might be hearing about events that occur in one region of the country (the borderlands, or slums of inner cities for instance) which are then be applied broadly to the rest of the nation. Imagine how silly it might sound to them that out-of-towners think they're going to have violence run-ins with the mafia when they visit Chicago. Or if someone thought that rural Illinois might be dangerous because other parts of the U.S had high crimes rates.

Traveling abroad is always risky, but you can minimize the risks by being smart. You are also more likely to get injured in a car accident on your way to and from your daily activities than you are to get kidnapped and held for random by drug dealers.

And of course, promising to do your best to call, email or Skype on a regular basis (and then ACTUALLY do it) will set their mind at ease. Reply to this

14 years ago, February 28th 2010 No: 6 Msg: #105331 Delete Edit

deleted_49612
deleted_49612

D Posts: 24.6K

Another thing you could do is suggest to your parents that they come on TravelBlog to chat for a while. I saw one parent do that. They would then see that so many of us travel and come to little or no harm. And they will also see that there are 20 year old girls travelling alone in S. America, and if it is safe enough for them, it is surely safe enough for a 21 year old guy. Reply to this

14 years ago, March 1st 2010 No: 7 Msg: #105401 Delete Edit

PenelopeB
Penelope B

N Posts: 1

My parents were worried when I went on my solo backpacking trip around Asia. I was 25 when I did the trip, hardly a kid anymore, but parents will always be parents. Hey, at least you know there are people who genuinely care about you 😊

I think you should definitely go, and even better, go alone. It was a whole new experience for me when I did it alone, would be so different if a friend had come along I reckon.

Having said that, I do suggest you do PLENTY of research before going to a place. During my 6 months backpacking in Asia I came across not one, not two, but three con artists. They were young and innocent looking girls. Had I not been warned by the well traveled folks from all walks of lives in the backpackers I stayed in, god knows what would have happened to me.

Not to make it sound bad, but I have been told by my South American friend that it isn't rare for foreigners to get kidnapped over there. In face it can be quite dangerous.

As for me I believe in the good in humanity 😊 There are more good than bad in this world! As long as you travel smart I believe everything will be fine.. Here are a few tips I have for you, based on my own experience:

- Do your research! crime rate, places, food, culture, taboo words etc.
- Look poor and try to blend in if you can. For obvious reasons.
- Like what our mummy always used to say, don't go off with strangers and don't accept any offer from them. That really depends on the situation though..
- Try not to pull out your huge ass camera or flash any bling bling in a poor country/district. You're just ASKING FOR IT.

Just my 2 cents, hope I help a little. Have fun 😊

Regards

Zen

Reply to this

14 years ago, March 12th 2010 No: 8 Msg: #106315 Delete Edit

Synnott
Nicolas Synnott

B Posts: 206

yo know what my parents always have something to say each time I am leaving Canada for travel...And I left for the last 5 years....this is how they are...but sometime the best thing to do is just go...and prove them wrong.

for my gf it is even worst.

the trick we have is not telling them before the plane ticket is bought...after they have no other choice that help us and have our back. Reply to this

14 years ago, March 13th 2010 No: 9 Msg: #106390 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

Thanks for the info everyone!

I have a bunch of general travel questions - they might be stupid, but I have never done this before:

1. cell phone - how is this going to work? Am I supposed to buy a temp phone when I arrive in Peru? Or will my cell phone work there? How will I call my parents back home?

2. Camera space - I have a 12 MP digital camera that has an SD card (haven't check how much space the SD card holds), I'm sure I'll run out of space... so which alternative do you think would be smarter:

a. After the SD card is full, find a computer at a hostel (hopefully they have SD card readers or I will need to bring a USB sd card reader), and then upload the pictures on a private server on the internet and then clear the space on the SD card.

b. Buy like 5 SD cards

c. ??

3. Visas

I'm reading that an advance visa is not required for American citizens to enter Peru. But when I arrive there, I should check with the embassy or consulate of Peru.

So from what I understand, I can simply apply for a visa after I arrive in Peru, but on the other hand, a visa is required for entry into Brazil. Regarding Peru, wouldn't it be easier just to do it in advance while I am still in the United States? So I don't have to waste time going to the embassy? Or is that not even possible? I'm trying to figure out where I can do this ... I'm at http://www.peruvianembassy.us/en.html ... but not seeing anything - if anyone can link me that would be great.

Also, according to travel.state.gov, I should register with the nearest U.S. Embassy if I am traveling in Peru - and I can do this through https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ .. I made an account there but when I try to add a trip to Peru, it wants my local address and phone for Peru .. I do not know this yet - am I not supposed to to do this until I arrive at Peru?

As for the Brazilian Visa, I am working on that right now, and I should have one before I leave.

So I will only need a visa for Peru and Brazil, right? Will I need a visa for Bolivia if I am visiting Lake Titicaca? Will I need a visa for Argentina if I am visiting the Iguazu Falls (both sides)? I am assuming I will, maybe not for Bolivia - but I just want to make sure.

Thanks! Reply to this

14 years ago, March 14th 2010 No: 10 Msg: #106393 Delete Edit

Synnott
Nicolas Synnott

B Posts: 206

cell phone are useless, there is a lot of place you can call for 5 to 10 cents the minute...

by a usb card reader and bring a couple cd...burn your picture and send them back home.

yup if you can deal with it at home..its a plus...however you might need to know when u go there..cuz once you receive your visa, it start right away( 2 years for example...receive june 5th 2010...done june 5th 2012)

Reply to this

14 years ago, March 15th 2010 No: 11 Msg: #106483 Delete Edit

Stephanie and Andras
Stephanie

B Posts: 883

Hi Kenny -

You do not need a visa for Peru, but you can/should register with the U.S Embassy in Lima using the Travel Dept link you already found.

The purpose of registering with the embassy is for YOUR protection, not because it is required by a foreign government. Basically if there is a natural disaster, the political climate changes, or some other sort of emergency, the State Dept has a way to contact you, assist you and/or evacuate you if there is a need. So you can register online once you arrive in Peru after you find out the addresses and phone numbers of your hotel(s) and your itinerary as best as possible, and you should do the same with all the other countries you visit too.

It's not required, but it's a smart precaution to take.

You also do not need a visa to visit Argentina. I believe you do need one for Bolivia though, although I think you can get one at the border without having to apply in advance. Reply to this

14 years ago, March 16th 2010 No: 12 Msg: #106544 Delete Edit

Stuart
Stuart Morgan Hurlbut

B Posts: 170

I always carry a cellphone with me for emergencies - I just change the SIM card in each country I visit. If you carry a cellphone you do need to make sure that it is a tri or quad band phone as most countries in the world use different frequencies to the one used in North America. Also, you need to check that the phone is unlocked. Then its easy to buy SIM cards with a pay as you go package.

These days I also always carry a little netbook computer - they are light - there's plenty of space on it for all the photos you might take. Reply to this

14 years ago, March 16th 2010 No: 13 Msg: #106590 Delete Edit

tarinay
tarinay

B Posts: 15

My Mom was convinced I was going to be kidnapped, raped and robbed on my first trip to Italy (of all places), even though I wasn't even traveling alone most of the time. The irony was my Mom's traveled to many more turbulent places than I have (Kashmir, India and Ceylon for example).

My point is, parents will worry regardless of how logical you are or how much reassurance you provide.

The best way to allay their fears is to simply stay in contact. Email and phone calls do actually help.

Just go and promise them that you'll stay in touch, but don't allow their fears to dampen your travels! Reply to this

14 years ago, March 19th 2010 No: 14 Msg: #106805 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

Thank you everyone for the cellphone advice - I will look into it! As for the rest of my concerns, including camera space, please read below!

tarinay - I definitely will not - my dad recommends me a new country everyday even though I keep telling him this is basically finalized hehe.

Thanks for the replies!

***UPDATE***:

I have sort of figured out how I will get from place to stay and where I will stay:

After landing in Lima, I will stay at the Loki Hostel most likely - I am still looking into transportation for how to get to the Hostel. Also, I am still deciding on whether or not to fly to Cuzco or do train/bus.

In Cuzco, I will probably stay at the Loki Hostel as well. For Machu Picchu, I haven't looked into specifically where I will be staying and what train I will be taking. For Lake Titicaca, Dos Manos will provide the transportaiton (75$ for a 3 day tour). I am still unsure of how to get to the Pantanal from Puno, but I am starting to look into that as well. I may even have to go from Juliaca > Lima > Sao Paulo and then bus it to Cuiaba or something. Hopefully this will be easier once I have finally decided on a Pantanal tour agency, so I know exactly where I need to be. (I am still leaning toward the Northern Pantanal). As for the rest of the trip, I haven't looked into it much but I don't think it should be too difficult. Hopefully everything starts coming together soon, because my schoolwork is not going to get any easier!

I'm still working on comparing Pantanal agencies - I will post again once I have made some sort of tangible progress.

Here's a few random questions:

Should I bring my laptop to South America? I assumed that I wouldn't because in case I get robbed or something. I was thinking that I just bring a couple SD cards, and not even bother uploading pictures on to the internet, but rather just bring a couple 8 GB flash drives and upload them on to there, and them empty out the SD cards. How does that sound? So all I will really need to bring is an SD card reader, flash drives, SD cards, and my camera of course.

I'm not sure if I will need batteries, my camera has a battery charger where I can just plug it in to an outlet. Will this not work in SA?

I'm currently communicating via e-mail with the Brazilian consulate in Chicago in order to obtain a Visa. I cannot apply yet because I am still waiting for my passport in the mail (I had to renew it, it may still be a couple weeks at least). However, one of their other requirements is that they want a print out of the round trip ticket or the flight itinerary or something. However, I do not know which airport or airline I am taking yet, because I am going to go there after Peru... I do not even know the exact dates, and probably won't know the exact dates until well into June when I am on my way to Lake Titicaca. So how am I supposed to provide this information? I asked them and their response was "We do ask that you provide flight itinerary/plans of entry and exit from Brazil."

I replied back reiterating the fact that I will not have that available and explained my situation, and they have yet to reply. I wonder how strict this? Can I not give them estimates? It's pretty ridiculous.

**Medical/Hygiene Help**

I need some medical help - I'm not expecting anyone to give me some professional medical advice, but just opinion based on personal experience, or links to some information.

Anyways, so I needed a Yellow Fever vaccination in order to get into Brazil. Before I could do this, I was told that I need to make an appointment for a travel consultation in order to get my Yellow Card (sort of like a passport for medical history I believe). The consultation was with a registered nurse, and it was free through my school. It lasted almost 3 hours! I thought it would be a waste of time but it was pretty informative. However, it is always nice to have a second opinion, so please let me know if you have any thoughts on what she is recommending below.

The nurse recommended a lot of different things based on where I am going:

-Yellow Fever Shot ($90) (done)
-Swine Flu Shot ($0) (done)
-Typhoid Shot (49$)
-Seasonal Flu Shot (20$)
-Hepatitis A Shot ($3) (this is recommended even if I am not traveling, so I will definitely get this done)
-TB test to see if I need a shot
-Tetanus vaccination (I don't think she mentioned this, and I'm not sure exactly what it is, but I'm reading that I should have this before going into Manu)

-Cipro - I think this is some sort of anti-diarrhea antibiotic drug that I should take if I happen to get really sick and have diarrhea and vomitting. She also recommended bringing some Pepto or Imodium.

-Malaria Medication - She is recommending I take malarial medication. She was unsure about the Malarial risk in the Pantanal, but she said that there is risk in Iguazu, but I'm not sure she knew what was she talking about as she did not seem very confident with regards to malaria. She is using some program/website called Travel Medicine Advisor to make her recommendations. She recommended taking Malarome or Lariam for malaria medication.
This is the main thing that I am unsure about, can anyone help me out with this?

Based on Google searches, I'm reading that there is about a .1% risk for malaria and Leishmaniasis in Manu, and there is almost no risk in the Pantanal or Iguazu either. Obviously these aren't medical documents where I'm getting this information from, but rather from tourists who have had personal experiences with this, and also from tour agencies.
Tourists are saying that the malaria tablets will just make you feel sick and ruin the trip, and there is no point. I should just stick to DEET mosquito repellant (30-50%?), as that will simultaneously protect me from Dengue Fever as well.

As for rabies, as long as I am sleeping with mosquito nets I should be fine, I don't think there is really a need to look into pre-exposure vaccinations for this, right?
I'm assuming the mosquito nets will be provided?

-She also recommended that I make sure that my medical insurance company is covering me when traveling abroad - to make sure that their policy applies overseas and whether it will cover emergency expences such as medical evacuation. This is what most travelers do, right? I'm going to call my health insurer soon.

-She also recommended drinking only bottled or boiled water. Will I have to buy a case load of bottled water over there? Where will I get this? She gave me a sheet with all of these tips, they even go as far to say as use bottled water to brush my teeth. Also, never drink unpasteurized milk - that makes sense.
She also said to bring some electrolyte powder patches (i.e. Gatorade) to put in your water because your body will need electrolytes even more in that part of the world.. I forget what her justification was exactly, something about the proper minerals not being in their food I believe.

Please post if you have any input on any of this! Thanks!
Reply to this

14 years ago, March 24th 2010 No: 15 Msg: #107216 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

**UPDATE**
Cell Phone:

I think I'm going to go with the unlocked phone - it seems the simplest option rather than dealing with Skype, because who knows when I'll have access to the internet.
So I have already unlocked my phone - now it is just a matter of putting the foreign sim card into it.

I have a few questions about this:

I have been researching companies online because there are companies that offer to give you the foreign sim card for the country even before you leave, this way you have the sim card already and you do not have to worry about buying it over there. However, all these companies charge about $2.50-$3.00 a minute. My question is, I know that when I land in Lima, I can buy a foreign sim card at the airport, but what will there rates be? Will they be significantly cheaper? If so, I will wait on buying the sim card. Also, are there any other hidden fees? If I buy my SIM card at the airport in Lima, how will they charge me? Will they ask me for my credit card information? Or will I just pay as I go?

Camera:

I think I will just buy SD cards and not take a laptop.

From what I understand, here is the differences between USA, Peru, and Brazil:

United States - 120 Volts, K Shape Outlet, 60 frequency
Peru - 110 Volts.. 220 secondary Volts, K Shape Outlet, 50/60 frequency
Brazil - 110 Volts.. 220 secondary Volts, B and K Shape Outlet, 60 frequency

This site is helping me out in determining whether or not I need a adaptor and/or converter:
http://www.magellans.com/store/util/ElecWiz?Args=

Besides my cell phone charger, camera charger, and maybe an electric razor, I don't think I will need to bring any other things that would require an outlet.

Flight from Chicago to Lima:

I'm currently comparing different airlines, the best deal I have found is 344$ with Continental Airlines at despegar.com (the weird part is that Continental at other websites is almost 200$ more). The 2nd best deal I have found so far is 450$ LAN airlines based on statravel.com (I think it is a student discount), along with Continental via Studentuniverse(450$).

Transportation from Lima Airport to Loki Hostel in Lima:

I will just get Loki Hostel to send a taxi for me, I believe it is 15$

Transportation from Lima to Cuzco:

For bus, I am trying to use http://www.cruzdelsur.com.pe/inicio_2.php - the website is in english, but as soon as I put my arrival and departure date and hit submit, the results are in spanish and I cannot find a button anywhere to convert it to English. I believe it's about 50-60$ though.

If I decide to fly, Taca and Star Peru do not charge much over a 100$

Transportation from Cuzco to MP:

I don't think I have much choice besides using a train for this, I have been referred several times to perurails.com - but I cannot seem to find a price or make a reservation. Every date that I put, it comes back with the result that there is no availability. Am I doing something wrong? Or is it really all sold out? I emailed them and this is what they said:

"At the moment we are not processing reservations or modifications yet because we are modifying train tickets and reservations that already where made you can check our available spaces in our web page www.perurail.com ones everything is done contact our Callcenter for more information calling to this phone number 0051-84-581414."

From what I gather, they are saying I cannot make a reservation right now. But it still doesn't explain why every result yields no availability, and why I cannot see the rates.

Travel Health Insurance:

I called my health insurer and they said I will have the exact health benefits that I have in the US, overseas - and they will only pay 80% of the cost, and I pay the remaining 20%, up to 1500$. Also, this does not cover all the things that a travel insurer would - it only covers medical expense and evacuation.

So I don't think that is good enough so I will just go with one of the following:

Statravel - 165$
Travelassistnetwork - 180$
TravelGuard - 119$
WorldNomads - 127$
It would seem like TravelGuard is the best deal, but I haven't compared the policies. I think it will take a while to compare the policies.There are a few others as well that I need to find the prices for.

Other:

Food & Drink in SA:

I think I have a firm grasp on this now - just stick to water bottles. How will I know if the dairy is pasteurized? If the fruits/vegetables have not been washed in local water? I'm assuming when I am staying at the hostels, I will have to buy food at their cafe, and then also eat out at restaurants, along with any meals the tour agency provides while I am at Manu/LakeTiticaca/Pantanal. So I guess I will just have to continually ask these questions every time I am served? Also, one thing that I don't think I mentioned is that I am vegetarian (lacto-ovo). This will probably make it more difficult! Hopefully not too much.

ISIC CARD: I'm going to obtain this from the study abroad office at my university. They require 22$ and a passport photo - it seems like I can get some nice discounts, so it couldn't hurt.

Pantanal: I'm still in communication with several pantanal agencies
Thanks for your help!
Reply to this

13 years ago, May 5th 2010 No: 16 Msg: #110268 Delete Edit

Kenny536
Kenny Thacker

N Posts: 39

Update on my trip:

I am leaving May 17th and arriving at Lima, Peru. I am leaving July 12th from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and coming home. The tickets were bought a month ago. I’m going to start packing soon. Please let me know if you think something is unnecessary, and more importantly, if I am omitting anything. Also please let me know if I’m not allowed to bring these things on the plane, cause I have no idea. Keep in mind I haven’t bought some of these things yet, although I must do that soon. Thanks!

In no particular order, here is what I have decided to pack so far:

Mp3 player, charger, 2 sets of headphones
Lots of 50+%!D(MISSING)EET of insect repellant.
Some sort of travelers backpack
SD Card Reader + SD cards + 8 GB flash drive
Camera/charger
Electrolyte powder
Mosquito Net
A few sets of clothes (how many sets should I bring? Will I be cold?)
Binoculars
Spanish English dictionary + Portuguese English Dictionary
Travel pouch, two wallets
Padlock
2 pairs of shoes, one for dry land and one for water
Hand sanitizer/wet wipes
Alcohol rub, malarial medication, cipro, pepto-bismol, Imodium, Tylenol
Travel pillow, towel, razor
Flash light, batteries, adapters and converters for electronics
Sun hat, sunscreen, umbrella

That’s all I can think of right now. Is all of this necessary? I don’t know how I would fit all this into one backpack. Should I have a second bag and just leave it at the hostel?

Here is my schedule for the actual trip:

May 17th May 21st Lima
May 22nd June 7th Cusco (Machu Picchu, Manu, Lake Titicaca, Paragliding)
June 8th July 12th Brazil (Pantanal in Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, and possibly Iguazu Falls)

Things I have done:

Shots / malaria medication (doxycycline).
ISIC card/travel insurance.
Brazilian Visa
Hostel reservations for the hostel in Lima.

Things I still have to do:

Register with the embassies in both countries.
Make copies of my passport.
Carefully read the lonely planet guidebook.
Finalize the date for the Pantanal.
Figure out how to get from Peru to Brazil
Learn more Spanish and Portuguese (haha I am so screwed)
Buy foreign SIM card for phone (will do this in airport at Lima/Brazil)

I think the main thing I need help with right now is how to get from Peru to Campo Grande. I’m hearing that direct flights from Lima to Campo Grande can cost $1000. I do not want to pay that much. I’m hearing cheaper alternatives if I go through Bolivia (i.e. Cusco > Santa Cruz and then bus it to Campo Grande). Can anyone help me out with more information on this? Also, if I do this, will I have to obtain a Bolivian visa?

Thanks for the help everyone this trip will be a memorable experience! Reply to this

13 years ago, May 8th 2010 No: 17 Msg: #110422 Delete Edit

newplacestogo
Gary Bowman

B Posts: 107

Joining this discussion a little late...

For what it's worth, your parents are parents - they will likely always worry about you. It's part of what makes good parents. Some parents just articulate it differently. I did my travels internationally at 36 and had long been on my own, of course. I managed to take care of myself thus far, buy a house, have a reasonably successful job, etc., yet had to endure pretty much the same things you heard from your parents.

Mell and others already mentioned much of the ideas I would have mentioned: 1) call and/or write everyday (or close to it...and let them know if you will be in an area you can't email). As mentioned, there are lots of internet cafes. In fact, more so than here - in my experience. I traveled in Ecuador and as a larger percentage of the population does not have computers in their homes (and perhaps electricity or cable/phone connections in their homes), the internet cafe is how people get online. Very popular and fairly cheap. Same scenario for phone service. Lots of phone cafes, so to speak. I occasionally walked in, went to one of the booths, and called home to talk. Usually around 15-25 cents/minute., 2) have your parents take a look at this website where they'll get to see lots of people doing the same travels successfully. This will help them see you will, in all likelihood, be fine.

Last but not least, don't forget Skype. You can set up the accounts online ahead of time and it will be another way to stay in touch via the internet. I used this also (actually still have some money in my Skype account).

Make sure you enjoy the travels immensely! I'm wish I had done my travels a lot sooner than I did, and want to get back on the road, this time a RTW trip. Reply to this

13 years ago, May 17th 2010 No: 18 Msg: #111052 Delete Edit

The Sapir Family
Sapir

B Posts: 98

I believe today you are flying to Lima, so welcome to South America. Though late, all I can offer you in terms of calming down your parents is that I took my own little kids and am traveling with them for the last 8 months in South America - and we are all still happy, healthy and very safe!

Don't know if you took eventually a laptop or not - any way, as Mell wrote you there is internet access everywhere in South America and it is noramlly fairly cheap - it should be the cheapest way to make communication (either skype or mail). In most of these locations you can also download your photos and burn a CD/DVD and send it back home, in parallel you can also download your photos to an internet site (but this is normally in lower resolution) - this will make sure your pictures are safe, even i the CD/DVD does not make it home.

Water and food - try to be smart and safe, but not over histeric, as you might not enjoy a major part of the local culture - the food. Tey to look for restaurants or stalls were the locals eat (ask for recommendations), or where it looks busy so they have to keep things fresh to keep up with the demand. Drink bottles water in Peru and Bolivia, but in other countries ask the locals if the water are safe or not - they will tell you the truth! We have been drinking the regular city water in most places in the last couple of months and we are doing just great.

Enjoy ENJOY ENJOY - as Mel said, we all leave only once.

Lilach Reply to this

13 years ago, May 31st 2010 No: 19 Msg: #112165 Delete Edit

ericandtracy
Tracy and Eric

B Posts: 29

All you have to tell them that everywhere in the world there is crime. Even in the states there is a lot of crime but most of it has to do with drugs or something. As long as you stay out of those areas you are just as safe as you are in a lot of parts in the states. Reply to this

13 years ago, June 5th 2010 No: 20 Msg: #112492 Delete Edit

littlewing
Cindy

B Posts: 897

Lots of good advice here - especially asking your parents to have a read of this. Im going to answer it from two perspectives...that of a parent and that of a child who's parents panic and almost contact interpol when I am travelling.

I have travelled with someone for the first time just over a month ago, I was always a solo traveller. My parents HATED it and nagged and came up with every possible scenario, from natural hazard to kidnapped by the taliban in the jungles of Papua New Guinea or eaten by cannibals in bangkok. So I started just buying flight tickets THEN telling them a week before I left - at 40. Didnt always stop them, I was on a remote island in Indonesia diving when they managed to contact the company I was diving with, track me down, ring one of the few phones on the island and manage to have the whole village waiting for me to come back from a dive for phonecall important australia, man say you cat good and you children good, why cat more important?

I still havent forgiven them for that 😉

Try and make contact every few days. Explain there might be days where you will be remote or under water or whatever and wont be able to but DO keep in touch. Register your details with agencies so if anything does happen you can be located and let your parents know youve done this. In Aus we have a thing called smartraveller.com which I used for the first time due to the bangkok situation this time but I varied my itinery by leaving countries early and heading off so if you do change your whereabouts someone knows. Involve your folks in this process so if you DO change plans they can update with authorities and it gives them a feeling of being an important part of your travels.

On the flip side..Im a parent of teenage boys. For their 18th birthdays I have bought them both a round the world ticket. As a traveller I feel travel is important part of life education and I also feel that a good look at life is good for the soul and development of we as humans. I also want them to understand that No, I cant bring you back an XBox from Cambodia. Im also a daughter. I came back home and found my mother had played an awesome trick and sneakily booked herself on a trip around europe and was in Dubai when I rang her to let her know I was leaving Vietnam. I loved the irony but to be honest i caught myself thinking yesterday....hmm, havent had a msg from Mum since Venice, wonder where she is. I found out via facebook my Dad has gone and done the same thing to Mum and is booked to leave for the US soon. Suggest this to your parents maybe?

You will be fine, your posts sound like your researching things well and have your head screwed on - enjoy your roaming. Reply to this