BootsnAll Travel Community

Hello everyone!

I'm new to Boots, but VERY excited about the community-

I've been tossing around the idea of "vagabond style" traveling for the last year, and I have decided that it is something that I very, very VERY much want to do! My dream is to take 8-14 months (maybe more if budget allows!) on a trip in Latin America, but I'm not certain exactly how to get started.

I am hoping so start in the Feb-April time frame, giving myself a 6 month window for the "planning-phase," but my start date is tenitive. I could leave as early as January, but the extra couple months will be positive for my budget...(I'm hoping to hit about 10,000 $US from start to end....including gear, medicines, insurance, flights, and living expenses).

anyway- for the moment what I'm most concerned with is the "less-fun" aspects of planning a trip- Primarily, the vacinations/medications, health insurance, visas, and traveling as a female.

Do any of you seasoned veterans have any advise for where to start planning? Is it worth it to get a better idea of where I want to go before I start worrying about visas/medications? Or should I think about locations more seriously beforehand.....I do not want to be limited by lack of a visa/vaccine, so I'm assuming that i want to go everywhere in Latin America for the moment.

Realistically I think I want to start by flying into central america...probably San Jose, Costa Rica priarily because I've been able to find several reasonable flights from Los Angeles. Hopefully, after 4 months or so, I then plan on moving downward, with Ecuador, Peru, Boliva, Chile, Brazil, Urguay and Argentina as definate stops while not excluding any other locations along the way!

I have my passport and it is valid for 4 more years with a fair amount of room for more stamps/visas- Are there any places I should be getting a visa for AHEAD of time? (I know brazil requires US citizens...) but can I get one at the border? Or at least at a consulate in another latin american country? Any others I should look out for?

Also, as far as medications go, is it recomendable to start vaccinations this early? Or wait until my start date is definate. again, I have about
a 6 month window until I want to start the trip.

I've already gotten some good information about health insurance from the Boots guide, but any info is appriciated.

And, a special question to all you female "vagabondas"- can you give any tips to travelling as a female? I have done so before, but not for a period of time quite this long, or with quite as few items I plan to bring.


I do appriciate the advise- I'm so excited about going on a trip I can't contain myself! But, starting the planning is a bit difficult, so your comments are greatly appriciated. Where to begin...where to begin...

thank you!

~kpm

Hi - your trip sounds great and I'm already getting a bit envious (I've been grounded for a while...)

Have a look at my site (link below) for information on solo travel for women - it should answer some of your questions.

The planning vs not planning is a difficult one, because some countries do indeed require you to get visas in your country of origin, or huge amounts of time beforehand.

I backpacked across Africa and here's how I did it: I tried to decide ahead of time which countries I would visit (I got about 15 out of 20 right). Then I researched them to find out about their visa requirements. I added more countries to the list - countries which I might visit, and checked their visa requirements as well. That took care of another few. As a result of my research I organized my trip in a certain way - for example, traveling to country X via country Y because that was the only way I could get a visa... so, what worked for me was a mixture of planning and improvisation. Along the way I changed my route a bit - but on-the-spot research and conversations with fellow travelers usually sorted things out. As for your passport, it sounds fine - just beware that if you happen to be on the road 3.5 years from now, many countries won't give you a visa if you have less than 6 months' validity on your passport. Also, many countries that give you visas on arrival will only do so if you're flying in. I would check this out carefully.

The vaccinations are an important part of your travel and these do need to be planned ahead of time. Thing is, most of them are valid for several years so get them done before you go, and you won't have to worry about them on the way. There are some excellent sites out there with vaccination requirements, like the CDC, NetDoctor, or Travel Doctor, to name just a few.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for the link to your site- it has some fantastic information!

I will also try your tip about the tenetive "hit-list" of countries I think I want to go to- that will help with the visas and vaccines/etc. I didn't know about the flying-in bit for visas....hmmm- that will give me something to poder....

again, thank you thank you!

~kpm

I would start getting your shots now, especially if you need Hep A and a few others that need more than one shot. Many people don't listen to me and end up spending tons of money on vaccinations. Shop around! The cost in the US varies greatly. I'd call as many travel clinics that are in your area and ask for a price list, if there's a consult fee, an injection fee or any other fees involved besides the cost of the shot.

You'll save a lot by shopping around. And, for instance, where I live the typhoid pills lasted 5 years instead of 3 and was considerably cheaper than the shot. Also do a little research about malaria before you go in. I also suggest you consider if you seriously think Japanese Encyphilitis and rabies will be an issue as they aren't common but many doctors push them in the US. I think I knew more than the doctors when I went in!

I'll just say that there's no way $10k will be enough. Try $15-25... for 12+ months. $10k might be okay for 8 months but even that's close once you throw in flights. I think most people like to have around $1k a month living expenses.

A friend just got a Brazilian visa in the last year or so. HE had some trouble because they required flight details (an actual ticket) to get the visa at the Chicago consulate. I think his an out before he got there and he had to get one in another country anyway. I bet you could get it in a neighboring country, ask on the SA branches to see which country it's best to get in.

Feel free to look at my site (there's a budget on there from two RTW trips and a packing list). As a woman... I'm not sure what to say. I guess that I suggest trying to use a Diva Cup or equivalent instead of tampons but bring a few backup tampons just in case. Use ones with on applicator so they take up less room. I take birth control pills (mono phase, not something like ortho tri cyclen) for 4 months and then skip a week so I don't get a period every month. If you take either suggestion do it at least 3 months before you leave so you can get used to them (pill and Diva Cup).

If you have any more specific questions let me know.

sounds like a very cool trip you are trying to plan :-) DEFINITELY start the vaccines NOW. Check with your county health department, too. Mine actually had a special travel clinic in it and the people there were SUPER helpful. I also recommend using the moon cup or diva cup. I love mine, but it did take a few months to get used to it.

Also, are you planning on doing any special activities along the way - language school, volunteering, hiking, etc? You will need to factor in additional costs for stuff like this.

quote:

Originally posted by kpaige:

Also, as far as medications go, is it recomendable to start vaccinations this early? Or wait until my start date is definate. again, I have about
a 6 month window until I want to start the trip.

~kpm

i'm planning on hitting 6-8 countries in SA. i got my shots about a month ago and i've just booked my flight to quito which leaves this coming wednesday. the shots i got were for yellow fever, typhoid (shot version), and tetanus booster. the only one required for entry to some of the countries is for yellow fever, but both my travel clinic nurse and i agreed that the rest were reasonable. if you've gone through the normal shots that are required for elementary through college here in the states, you've probably have covered most of the others typically advisable for SA, other than hep a/b- definitely get the shots for those. there was an option to get the oral pill or shot for typhoid- i chose the shot, which lasts only two years, versus the pill which lasts i believe 4 or 5 years, though there is a slightly greater chance of allergic reaction to the pill. you can get all of the above shots a month before you travel, other than the hep a/b which is done over 3 months when i got them. i'm carrying cipro for TD, and plan to pick up some doxy for malaria along the way, but will not take it during my trip unless i need to. i am not worried about rabies- it is up to you to get the shots for that. i suppose you can do what i did and get shots just a month before your trip (except for hep a/b), but if you think you might have a reaction, are allergic to some medications, have had reactions to shots in the past, etc.., then go now and consult your doctor. otherwise i think i've listed the typical shots you will probably get when you go to a travel clinic. it cost me around $300 for all that which included a $50 or so visit fee in SF.

as for the rest of my SA trip, i plan to wing most of it.

I agree with Bunglegirl that 10K is probably too low for an 8-14 month trip especially if that has to cover flights, immunizations, etc.

As for the Brazilian Visa, I would recommend finding the Brazilian consulate nearest you and giving them a call. The one thing to keep in mind is that many (maybe all) visas require you to enter the country within a certain period after the visa is received. So it would definitely be best to get it once you get closer to Brazil, assuming that's possible.

Hey everyone, thanks for the responses-

I will re-evaluate my budget after hearing your comments, so thank you for that. Hmmm....I guess that second job may be a good idea after all....

Also, thanks for the advice about the medications/vaccines. I will shop around (thanks bundlegirl!), and look at different options. I did get quite a few updates on my last trip, but that was 2 years ago now-

Thank you to everyone for your imput!

I wouldn't be too concerned with your budget. It could use a bit of a topping off but you can easily make due traveling on $1k/month and could certainly have a good time traveling for up to 14 months on $10k. Maybe after a few months you find a town you like and a cheap place to stay. Stop, rest, stay. Learn to play an instrument, speak the language, write, something, anything. And have a cheap month, $400-$500. Most all of those countries you should be able to get visas upon arrival. Go to the library and check out the travel section and they'll have guide books with more info on visas. A cool thing to check out: Maybe try and catch a ride on a boat that is going through the canal and on to the Galapagoes islands.

As an American you will also need visas in advance for Bolivia and Paraguay in addition to Brazil.

A Bolivian Visa can be bought at the border. You need to get the one for Paraguay in advance. Others offered good advice about the Brazilian Visa. For your situation its best applying from a consulate in Argentina. I met some people who got theirs in Argentina. It was a hassle but they managed.

The Yellow Fever vaccine is essential for the Brazilian visa.

Your budget of $10,000 is too low. Countries like Brazil and Chile are very expensive. You will at the very least spend $60+ per day in Brazil. In contrast, countries like Bolivia and Peru are extremely cheap.

But your budget depends if you like to drink, do tours, if you move a lot (bus/plane costs), etc.

Hi everyone!

thank you all very much for your input- I really have taken what your comments said to heart, and I'm re-evaluating my travel-plans- hopefully, this will work a bit better:

I don't think I'll be able to stretch my budget much farther than the 10,000- I think that instead of trying for a full-out Latin America trip, I'll focus my time and money on a jaunt in Central America, and really take time to explore that region. I'll save the majority of South America for another trip later on down the road- Possibly, if I can swing it, I'd love to go from Panama to Columbia and Ecuador, but save Brazil, Chile, Peru, Bolivia etc. for another trip. I recently returned from Argentina (I have tons of family there), and I can't wait to go back. This time, If I do the Centeral-America thing, I'll be able to come back later, use Argentina as a home base, and travel to some of the other areas as well-

thanks everyone! Your advise is greatly appriciated!