| You set your mind and you're ready to travel | | | | You'll walk for many hours day after day. It |
| to South America, a magical place of immense | | | | would be a shame to walk in the footsteps of |
| beauty where myth and legend continue to walk | | | | the Incas with blisters on your feet. My |
| hand in hand. I've traveled 18 months in | | | | biggest recommendation is to invest in high |
| South America and can give you some tips on | | | | quality walking shoes with Gore-Tex. |
| how to prepare yourself for an unforgettable | | | | |
| adventure. | | | | Health Vaccinations |
| | | | |
| Common Sense | | | | Yellow Fever (if you plan to go to the Amazon |
| | | | Basin), Typhoid (consists of two injections |
| We all hear the unpleasant stories and South | | | | taken 4 weeks apart), Diphtheria-Tetanus, |
| America has a fame of being dangerous. I | | | | Polio, Cholera (only when necessary), |
| traveled thousands of miles traversing | | | | Smallpox Medical Kit: |
| cities, jungles, islands and mountains. I | | | | |
| survived 6 weeks in a street child care | | | | Depending on what you plan to do you can |
| center in the favelas of Salvador da BahÃa | | | | include the following: |
| (Brazil) and had the party of a lifetime | | | | |
| during carnival. Nothing, I repeat, nothing | | | | Antiseptic cream, aspirin, lomotil for |
| happened. Use your common sense. Avoid badly | | | | diarrhea, antibiotics, throat lozenges, ear |
| lit streets at night and if your sixth sense | | | | and eye drops, antacid tablets, motion |
| is giving you the "something is wrong" sign | | | | sickness medication, alcohol swabs, water |
| then take a taxi to your destination. | | | | purifier, lip salve, foot and groin powder, |
| | | | thermometer (in a case), surgical tape, |
| Travel Guide Book | | | | assorted sticky plasters, gauze, bandages, |
| | | | butterfly closures, scissors and last but not |
| The first thing that you will need is a | | | | least, first-aid booklet Note: malaria pills |
| travel guide book. It will be your best | | | | are required in the amazon basin, please be |
| companion in your search for adventure. I can | | | | aware that those pills are very strong and |
| highly recommend Lonely Planet´s South | | | | you should check with your doctor before |
| America on a Shoestring to get you started. | | | | departure |
| The book covers all you need to know to get | | | | |
| the most out of your trip and is ideal to | | | | Traveling Gear |
| plan your journey ahead. I've used the guide | | | | |
| extensively during my 18 month adventure. | | | | Backpack: |
| They offer excellent separate travel guides | | | | |
| of all the countries (besides using the | | | | Obviously a high quality backpack is a must. |
| Lonely Planet Shoestring I've used their | | | | Choose the type that has different |
| separate travel guides of Peru and Brazil). | | | | compartments that can be opened separately. |
| Their guides are the most popular among | | | | Very handy if you need something quickly. |
| backpackers. | | | | Travel as light as possible. A heavy backpack |
| | | | is destined to undermine your traveling |
| Other popular guides are The Rough Guide to | | | | pleasure. |
| South America and the South American | | | | |
| Handbook. Ideal, but not practical because | | | | Clothing: |
| you want to travel light, would be to enjoy | | | | |
| the adventure with a Lonely Planet and either | | | | Depends on where you go. If it's the |
| the Rough Guide or the Handbook. | | | | mountains and the jungle, get some quality |
| | | | clothing from home. If it's the beach, buy |
| Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese | | | | your t-shirts there (cheap). Camping and |
| | | | Climbing Gear: |
| The most rewarding thing for me was the fact | | | | |
| that you can travel in a huge continent like | | | | You can rent camping and climbing material in |
| South America with only 2 languages. Spanish | | | | South America but the quality may be |
| and Portuguese. If you plan to travel just | | | | questionable. Always check the material. |
| for a few weeks you can invest in a Spanish | | | | Bring your own gear if possible. I traveled |
| and/or Brazilian Portuguese Phrase Book. | | | | 18 months with my own tent and various |
| English is not widely spoken and even a basic | | | | camping utensils. |
| knowledge of Spanish and/or Portuguese makes | | | | |
| the trip so much more rewarding (they're | | | | Photography |
| extremely willing to help you, so don't | | | | |
| worry, be happy). | | | | Pictures are something personal. Some people |
| | | | just want some snap shots, others want to |
| If on the other hand you're planning to | | | | publish in the National Geographic. All my |
| travel for a few months I can highly | | | | pictures were taken with a cheap Nikon F50 |
| recommend taking a language course. Ideal | | | | camera. I had two zoom lenses, a 35-80 mm. |
| would be in a school in South America (I took | | | | and a 70-210mm. I also dragged a tripod and |
| lessons in Quito, Ecuador, and had a private | | | | an excellent flash with me. I used FUJI |
| teacher for $2.50/h). | | | | slides (100 ASA) but you definitely need 200 |
| | | | to 400 ASA if you plan to go to the jungle. A |
| Walking Shoes | | | | polarize filter enhances the colours |
| | | | tremendously on sunny days. |
| South America's nature is overwhelming. | | | | |