Tips and Advice

Foreword

We did a 6 months trip in South America from August 2011 to February 2012 starting in Ecuador (+ Galapagos Islands), Peru, Bolivia, Chile (+ Easter Island), Argentina and Brazil. We had to prepare for all kinds of weather conditions: humid jungles, the driest desert in the world, beaches and mountains of up to 5,000 metres altitude and temperatures ranging from -5°C to 40°C. 

The first advice that we would give is to prepare thoroughly and long in advance. Not only this has obvious practical reasons such as allowing time to get the necessary vaccines or visas without stressing, but you also  have better chances to get the best deals for flights and equipment. 

For this trip we decided regarding equipment that given a choice between several models of equivalent quality and functionality, we would buy the lightest option. By trying as much as possible to minimise the weight, we actually managed to leave on our adventures with relatively light packs: 8.5kg for Roxana and 11kg for me (weight of bag included). 

  

Toiletries

Mini Sizes

If you are the weight conscious type as we were and are considering bringing everything mini (soaps, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush), don’t bother! Just bring what you normally use at home. I know it's contradictory to travelling lightweight but the problem is that as soon as the minis finish you’ll end up buying the normal size ones anyway.

Paper Soaps and shampoo

We brought some paper soap, shampoo and shaving soap but it was not very useful as we soon reverted to normal soap and shampoo. 

Toilet Paper

Obviously you may buy toilet paper everywhere, but make sure you always have one roll in your bag, even while in hostels as you may sometimes find that the roll is finished in the loo. 

Nail Clipper and Scissors

A small nail clipper and a small pair of scissors are of course always useful. (it's worth mentioning that some Swiss Knives have got a nail clipper too - most of them have a pair of scissors). 

Sewing Kit

We also brought a set of needles and thread. We used the needle a few times, but not really for its intended use but rather to get stuff such as sea urchin needles or small splinters out of our hand or foot.

Shaving blade

I brought my 6 months’ supply of shaving blades which was a good idea. I soaped up to shave with normal soap most of the time, I did not bring shaving gel or cream nor bought it along the way. In hindsight that item is worth buying in small size cans (50-100ml) as they last longer than soap or shampoo. 

Medical preparation and supplies

This is a section that demonstrates the need for a timely preparation. Some vaccines are single shots so no  problem there. But others such as rabies or hepatitis require several shots and in the case of Hep B you’ll need three shots : 0, 1 and 6 months. So it is good to start more than 6 months before the trip to have 100% protection. If you are too late it's still ok to get the first two vaccines (close to 100% protection for about a year) and then get the 3rd one upon your return which would make you immune for life.  

Also there are three main types of malaria pills, each having their own advantage and drawbacks. And each type of pills is best suited for a type of "exposure" to malaria affected regions. For example, if you are entering a malaria infected region for 1 week only and then leaving without going into another one, a type of pills is better. But let’s say you are going in and out of malaria regions for a few months with a few days intervals between each malaria prone region, another one might be better suited

This is why it important to have a good idea of your itinerary from before. 

We took Malarone once a day starting before going into the jungle in Ecuador and a few days afterwards. We found that it was better to take it just before going to bed to avoid the side effects such as headaches and nausea.

As far as regular pills go, we brought the usual for cold and headaches. We brought our own and used them fast. Of course they may be found everywhere but sometimes they cost substantially more. (depending which country you’re going to). Long story short, if you have a favourite pill (such as Rhinofebryl), bring it along with you.

We brought sea sickness, altitude sickness and anti diarrhoea pills but did not have to use any.

We also brought a set of gauze, bandage, medical sewing needle (0.3mm) and fortunately did not have to use any.

We also brought Isobethadine (Iodine solution) in small doses (30ml tubes) and did use them here and there for some scratches and stuff.

A very important item for us was a simple antiseptic hand gel to clean a little bit the hands before starting to eat or simply crunch on an apple in a bus. Of course we would have survived without it, but I believe we put all the chances on our side not to have a small stomach upset. 

Also remember to bring anti-mosquito spray and ear plugs if noise bothers you.

Electronics

Universal Plug

Bring a good universal plug (S-Kross for example) where you can easily change the fuse if needed. Try to get one with a USB charger too which will be very practical for your iPod. New installations in Peru, Brazil, Chile and Argentina have got European plugs so that was no problem for us.

Camera

Along with your camera, bring 2 batteries and 2 memory cards. The 2^nd battery is a must so that you always have a spare one. The second memory card is more for the situation that the main one is corrupted in some way. Of course you can buy those things everywhere but they may cost substantially more when you are buying them as a matter of urgency in the only electronics shop of a small town. 

If you have got a compact camera that you are happily bringing on your trip, great. If you are a serious photographer and you are bringing your SLR anyway, you know more about photography than me and you are the best judge re. the implications.

But If you are thinking of taking the opportunity of this trip to move from a compact to that SLR you wanted for a long time then I would advise against. Of course you’ll take better pictures simply because the camera is better. But it takes several months of extensive picture taking to really start mastering the intricate settings of SLRs. On top of that it is a hassle to carry different lenses and the whole camera bag.

We opted for a middle ground and bought a Canon G11. It has all manual setting for shutter speed, aperture, contrast etc. and the same sensor as entry model Canon SLR. It is heavier than your regular compact but you enjoy great flexibility without the hassle of transporting extra lenses etc.

Mobile phone

We each brought an unlocked mobile phone and in each country we bought a new SIM card for local calls (to book a restaurant, check if a museum is open or warn the hostel you’ll be late). But Brazil was difficult to get one as it is a whole process with registering with the national ID number. Bring a spare charger as it is easy to forget or lose one. And again you may find one (but with different plug) but they may cost substantially more when you are buying them as a matter of urgency.

The mistake we did was to buy only 1 SIM card in each country, as we were two we should have bought one each.

Skype

Also try to use skype as often as possible as obviously roaming charges will add a big dent to your total costs.

Computer

A mobile device is important as you may book hostels, keep up to date with friends and family, research the next destinations etc. Wi-Fi is usually available everywhere (in South America): cafes, restaurants, hostels, city centres and even long distance buses (in Peru).

We preferred a netbook over a bigger laptop. We preferred in order of importance the weight, the battery autonomy and the hard disk size. We did not really care about the memory as all the models that made our short list had 1Gb RAM. And ours may be extended to 2Gb. A larger screen will use more battery power so we avoided those. On low brightness and doing word processing or excel only. While watching movies (long bus trips) I get 6hrs.

An external ultra portable Hard Disk is up to you. We decided not to bring one because of the extra weight and we only got the netbook with more capacity. When you think of it, 6 months of pictures only took 20Gb. It’s really music and movies that take up more space.  And movies and series are quite handy while on long bus trips or during a rainy day.

You may be considering bringing an accumulator source of power such as a “Power Monkey” but honestly we did not find much use for it. You will be having access to electricity everyday unless you are doing some hard core wild camping.  

Accesories

Head Lamp

This is an item that I thought would be useful only when I had to go to the loo while camping but au contraire, that was a very useful piece of equipment. It is very useful in dorms when it is time to turn off the lights but you still want to do some reading and even if in a private room where there are no bed side lamps.

A box of matches or a lighter

We found that useful in hostels to light the gas stoves but it was not a life saver.

Swiss knife

We had the most common model (8-10 functions) regular size knife. The blade itself of course if the most useful but do not underestimate the tweezers and the wine opener :-).

Padlock

This is very useful to lock your backpack if you put it in the bus but most importantly to secure your locker in a dorm. Prefer the models with a code (lost keys are a pain). The brand “Master Lock” is excellent quality and may be opened by US customs without assistance nor breaking them.

Watches

We each bought cheap (10€), waterproof electronic watches. It needs to have time, day, date and alarm with a backlight to see the time at night. No one wants to steal those watches and they were perfect for the trip. 

I brought a GPS watch for tracking distance and speeds etc. but it was a pain more than anything else. It had to be recharged every day and only had storage capacity for

5 day files. But it was very useful when we were trekking for distance and altitude.

Sunglasses

Bring good quality sunglasses. Especially if you are going to do some trekking in dusty places, buy specialised brands also called Performance Sunglasses (Oakley, Sinner, etc) that cover the sides of the eyes. Your Ray Ban Aviators might not be the best in a windy desert. You might consider bringing a spare fashionable pair (your Aviator!) for downtown bashers.

Hairdryer
Buy a good brand (so that it does not kill the fuse of the hostel in which you're using it), small, foldable with no less than 1000W. 

Clothing & bag

Here again if you do not already possess the equipment advance preparation is really important. We did not know much about backpacking and trekking equipment so we had to read about stuff. First of all we were surprised by the price of some of the specialised equipment. Good quality products are expensive but worth it. And the lighter they are the more expensive they get. But by planning in advance and knowing what you want to buy long before the trip, you can get some amazing bargains. We almost never bought a major item on our list with less than 30% reduction. We even bought a backpack, and two soft shells at 70% off. So when you add on all the savings we made here and there, that paid for a whole month in Bolivia! So think about it. This is impossible if you just show up in a specialised store 3 weeks before departing having no clue. I guarantee you will buy a lot more things than what you really need and they’ll all be at full price.

Underwear

Unless you are trekking for weeks in very harsh conditions, there is no need for technical underwear.

Socks

We got a couple pairs of SmartWool socks with reinforced heel and side sections but generally normal socks do the job just fine.

Baseball Cap
Very important for protection against the scorching sun, preferably with air vents but your favourite one will do.

Back Packs

Roxana’s main concern was weight. So she bought a 50L+10L model from Deuter’s “ActLite” line (1.735kg). It is a very good back pack but does not come with a rain cover.

I went for a Berghaus 65+10L model (3.2kg)

But basically what to look for in bags are :

Weight of the bag itself

Good back and waist support

Good aeration in the back. Don’t buy the models with nets for more than 42L – the nets are great for air circulation but you lose back support important for bigger bags.

A rain cover that comes with the bag is a plus because it may cost up to 30€ and is almost never sold at reduced price.

A front opening is interesting although we did not use ours too often

Head (top) pocket is good to store camera, small umbrella, sun cream, etc.

Small day pack (up to 35L)

Despite what you may think, good back support is really important even for a day pack. We had one from Decathlon and it was terrible. When there are 8-10kg in a day pack while you are trekking, having an inadequate bag ruins it for you and even may cause back and neck pains for weeks after the trek.

Having easy access head and side pockets for bottle of water, suncream and camera are pluses.

Shoes

This is probably the most important piece of equipment. Don’t go cheap, buy a good pair and test it before. Usually you should wear it about 20-30hours before knowing if something is wrong, so make sure you buy it at least one month before leaving. Even longer in advance is better because in case it hurts you, you still have time for another one. 

Leather is more resistant to cuts and scratches than fabric. I wanted good ankle support so I got a mid height Lowa Renegade (full price 150€ - bought at 100€!!!).

Roxana bought a low ankle Meindl.

They both had “Gore Tex” upper bodies as well as “Wibram” sole.   

Money

Credit cards

No one brings a ward of traveller’s checks anymore and it is dangerous to walk around with a lot of cash. The best in our opinion is to have good credit cards and withdraw money as you need it. Most banks will charge a flat fee + a variable exchange rate fee. It is worth shopping around for the best credit card deals.

In the 6 countries we have visited, it was always easy to withdraw money in most towns and touristic places although sometimes in some remote villages or island, it was not so easy to find an ATM.

In Chile, Argentina and Brazil there was a maximum amount allowed for any given withdrawal even though you have a higher clearance from your bank. And in Chile and Argentina you had to pay an extra flat fee for withdrawal if you have a foreign card.

We found out in Chile that at “Banco Estado” we could withdraw a lot more money than at all the other banks so that we would save on the flat fees.

In Argentina, “Citibank” allowed us to withdraw 2500 Pesos when all other banks capped this at 1000 Pesos. On top of that when we withdrew money there were 17 pesos extra fee in all the other banks but not at Citibank ... go figure.

An extra tip to bring at least 2 credit cards, 3 or 4 are better. If you get pick pocketed at least you have some left. But even without that when you get to expensive countries such as Brazil, you are spending faster than you can withdraw with your card with a weekly allowance.

Foreign Currency 
Also it’s always a good idea to have some US Dollars with you. US Dollars may be used to pay in most tourist agencies and sometimes it is cheaper to pay in US Dollars. For e.g. in Nasca, Peru, the flight to see the lines was 100US$ or 290 Soles whereas the exchange rate was 2.70. So we lost 20 Soles in the process.

Also at borders it is always good to have a few dollars to exchange into the country’s currency for you to have until you get to an ATM to withdraw properly.

Another advantage is when you are at the end of a country’s visit and you know you’ll only need a little more of the local currency to get you to the end and do not want to withdraw a big amount. 

Euros can also serve this purpose but is less popular than US Dollars.