Later this year, I am planning on spending six weeks travelling through South America. This has been a dream of mine for years now and was almost a reality when I booked the trip between my Master's and my grad scheme, until covid threw a spanner in the works. Below I've answered the most common questions I've been asked about my travel plans.
Why?
I vividly remember chatting on the phone to a school mate in my second year of uni, and looking at the scratch map on my wall as we spoke of the South America trip we'd complete after uni. This then got pushed to after our Master's and then covid pushed it even further to after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. I always knew that this was something I'd want to do, and even though I knew I didn't want a gap year after school (as I was so excited to experience uni life, wanted to travel once I was earning, and didn't feel that it was necessary to take off a whole year in order to travel for a couple of months), it was inevitable that this trip would eventually happen.
This is also a major item on my '30 before 30' and even though I've travelled extensively, including going on solo trips and spending a couple months in Madeira or Lisbon at a time, I've never lived out of a suitcase and travelled continuously for so long. Therefore, it will be a whole new experience for me and I cannot wait!
Why South America?
Since visiting Brazil in 2013, I fell in love with Latin America. I loved the lively atmosphere, the variety offered, the passion and the cultures. The more countries I visited, the more this appreciation was solidified, and my trip to Mexico and Cuba in 2020 really kickstarted my passion for Latin America. It remains one of my favourite trips to date and I had such a good time that it was only a matter of time until this big trip occurred.
In recent years, I've actually put off visiting most of South America as I wanted to wait to see the majority of these countries in a single extended trip. That said, I did make a special exception for Colombia in 2023, as I simply couldn't wait, and spend time visiting other parts of Latin America, including, most of Central America, as I wouldn't have had enough time to do all of this in one go. I also love hearing the different Spanish accents and want to force myself to practice my Spanish in the hopes that I won't lose it.
When are you going?
The current plan is to leave London on 14th April 2024 and return on 26th May 2024 - a total of six weeks.
Which countries are you visiting?
If all goes according to plan, I will start in Ecuador, then travel through Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, finishing the trip in Uruguay.
Who are you going with?
I will be exploring Ecuador alone, Peru with a uni friend and a school friend, continue with that same school friend through Bolivia and Chile, before my family fly out to join me in Argentina and Uruguay. This will hopefully allow for a varied experience!
How long are you spending in each country?
Ecuador: 3 days
Peru: 14 days
Bolivia: 8 days
Chile: 6 days
Argentina: 10 days
Uruguay: 4 days
What have you got planned in each country?
Ecuador: I'm just visiting Quito, but hoping to visit the equator whilst there. The plan is to stay in a fancy hotel as I will be travelling solo before the real backpacking begins.
Peru: Two friends and I will be staying in an Airbnb in Lima for a few days, before joining a tour group for various places, including Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain. My uni friend will then head back to London, whilst my school friend and I 'PeruHop' to Lake Titicaca and onwards to Bolivia.
Bolivia: We will continue to 'BoliviaHop' here, staying in hostels until we get to La Paz, where we will then stay in an Airbnb.
Chile: We have a couple of tours booked in order to see the salt flats and San Pedro de Atacama, and similarly to Bolivia, will stay in hostels along the way before getting an Airbnb in Santiago.
Argentina: From Santiago, I will fly to Mendoza to meet my family, and we have various wine tasting tours planned. We will then go to Patagonia and Buenos Aires, where hikes and a tango show await.
Uruguay: We're only visiting Montevideo and Colonia here for some city sightseeing, before concluding the trip.
One of my favourite aspects of this trip is the variety of accommodations, activities, landscapes, and transportation.
Why 6 weeks?
Initially, I asked for three months off work, and this was offered without any issues. However, my school friend only managed to get four weeks off, and I knew that I didn't want to solo travel for two months as I'd already solo travelled several times (including to Malta, Austria and South Africa) and knew I preferred having new experiences with loved ones.
I also get bored very easily and feel that the novelty of living out of a suitcase and putting on insect repellant daily would wear off very quickly, as I'm always so excited to return to my routine in London after my travels. Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore London and my community here, and I wanted the trip to be enjoyable throughout rather than experience homesickness or misery, so six weeks was the perfect amount for me.
I also bought a flat less than a year ago so preferred to have the stability of a pay check sooner rather than later to pay my mortgage and bills comfortably and to actually live in the property.
This was finally solidified when I learnt about 'long-term travel burnout' after listening to a podcast called 'The Psychology of Your 20s', where the podcaster actually cut a trip short because she realised that she wasn't actually enjoying herself anymore and was more miserable than happy. I feel like I am similar in that if I were to travel for the entire three months as I'd initially planned, especially with the majority of it being solo, I wouldn't feel happier than I do in my day-to-day life in London so it would be a waste of time, money and energy. Therefore, I settled on six weeks - long enough to be fully immersed in the experience, but short enough to leave you wanting more.
What are you most and least excited about?
I am extremely excited for Machu Picchu, especially as it'll be the sixth of the 'Seven New Wonders of the World' that I'll have seen (although I'm not climbing it; we're getting a train up and hiking Rainbow Mountain instead). I'm also looking forward to the wine tasting and exploring Patagonia, but most of all I'm excited to travel with two of my closest friends and my family and have a new experience that I've wanted for so long.
The three things I'm least excited about is the mosquitoes (I get bitten extremely easily and am allergic to the bites), the ongoing state of emergency in Ecuador, and being apart from my boyfriend for a total of nine weeks (he's actually spending three weeks in Peru right before my trip starts)!
Are you taking a Sabbatical?
I am! Since I couldn't travel before starting my grad scheme due to covid, and then spent three years studying for exams, the next natural point to take a career break was after qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. I had debated taking some time off when next between jobs, however I didn't love the idea of having a gap in my CV, and taking Sabbatical Leave allowed me to take some time off without affecting my career.
Hopefully this has provided some insight into my upcoming trip. Expect a lot of South America content to come - the good, the bad and the ugly!
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