Archive for the ‘South America’ Category

Beat the Heat: Skiing in Chile

July 8th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America destinations

The East Coast heat-wave continues for another day, prompting authorities to issue an Excessive Heat Watch and citizens to try to stay cool in malls, movie theaters, and swimming pools throughout the northeast.  Sounds like the perfect time to take a South America vacation since the southern hemisphere is in the heart of winter right now.

If a little snow play sounds heavenly as you sweat in out in New York or Washington, you might consider skiing in Chile. The country is home to roughly fifteen ski resorts each with varying degrees of modernity and infrastructure. Quite a few of them are an easy drive or shuttle ride from Santiago de Chile hotels, making a ski day an easy add-on to your Chile vacation. With mostly sunny skies and a high temperature today of about 30 degrees, it’s a far cry from the triple-digits at home.

The three resorts closest to Santiago are located high in the Andes east of town. I lived in Chile for three years and enjoyed a couple of epic winters with record snowfall during the week combined with gorgeous blue-sky days on the weekends.  I have skied each of these resorts numerous times and can recommend each of them depending on your wants and needs.
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Passport Fee Increase

July 7th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
Caribbean Central America Mexico South America destinations news

If you haven’t gotten around to applying for passport books for those upcoming Europe vacations or renewing your passport cards for those booked Caribbean cruises, your pocketbook will appreciate it if you act before July 13. According to the US State Department website, new “consular fees” go into effect next Tuesday.

The cost of a new passport book for adults will jump 35% from $100 to $135 dollars. Renewal of existing passport books will increase to $110 from $85. Minors will see the cost of a new passport book go from $85 to $105. The cost of a passport card for adults will increase $10 from $45 to $55, while a minor’s passport card will go from $35 to $40.

If you are one of those travelers who collects so many stamps that you run out of pages and need more, that too will cost you. Currently you can just send in your passport and get new pages for free, but starting next week there will be an $82 charge attached to those additional sheets of paper.

Looking at the price difference between a passport card and a passport book, you might wonder if you can get by with just the card. The passport card, similar in size and appearance to a driver’s license, is valid only when entering the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda by land or sea. It is not valid for any international travel by air, so if you will be flying to your destination, you’ll have to get the passport book.
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Up-Scale Vacation Trends

March 30th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
Mexico South America destinations news

Where are up-scale travelers headed in 2010? According to a new report published earlier this month, the most popular international vacation destinations for high-end travelers in 2010 will be Italy and Mexico.  Both Cabo San Lucas hotels and Italian villas will be in high demand according to the 2010 Virtuoso Luxe Report.  The next most popular country to visit will be South Africa. While some Americans might be curious about South Africa as such a hot destination this year, the rest of the world is obsessed with a little soccer event called World Cup that will be taking place there in 72 days.

As far as trips within the United States go, the report lists Maui as the top spot for high-end American travel. Hawaii is followed in the report by the other non-contiguous state – Alaska. The three most popular mainland destinations are cataloged as New York City, Napa, and Las Vegas.

India and Vietnam were named as the top two emerging destinations, meaning those on the cusp of becoming popular. The Galapagos Islands and Chile, two South American favorites, also received emerging destination nods. Interesting, so did Cuba, which is still a difficult place for Americans to visit.
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Andean Adventures

March 5th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America destinations outdoor adventure

There is good news out of Chile today. The government has made a dramatic downward revision in the number of expected casualties from last week’s earthquake. While any loss of life is tragic, it is great to hear that the number is less than originally forecast. While the sad damage to life and property has made the most headlines, the geological news coming out of the country in the wake of this event is fascinating. The quake, caused by the force of the Nazca tectonic plate pushing under South America, actually caused the coast of Chile to be permanently lifted by two to three feet. This extra land mass on the earth’s surface has modified the way the planet rotates on its axis enough to actually shorten our days by 1.26 millionth of second. It has also made the summits of the Andes a couple of feet higher, which means bigger bragging rights for travelers planning to scale some peaks on their next Chile vacations.

One of the most popular climbs for casual trekkers, as opposed to hardcore mountaineers, is to the top of the Villarrica Volcano located in the Chilean Lakes District near the popular vacation town of Pucón. Located south of and inland from the quake’s epicenter, Pucón felt, but received little damage, from the quake. Located on the shores of Lake Villarrica, Pucón was begat by adventures seekers and now prospers by sating their needs. Vacationers are drawn to the area by the awe-inspiring natural surroundings such as the magnificent araucaria forests, the snow-capped volcano, the sprawling lake, and rivers ripe for rafting adventures. Here is just a sampling of some of the fun to be had in the region:
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Earning Airline Perks

February 19th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America news tips

Want free airfare for your unborn child? Try to give birth on one of Bolivian airline TAM’s flights. A couple of weeks ago a woman went into labor on a flight to La Paz and ended up delivering her baby at 24,000 feet. Luckily there were both a doctor and nurse onboard as passengers who assisted in the delivery. According to the Miami Herald, the child will be given free domestic flights on the airline until she reaches the age of 18. In a funny twist, the girl’s mother named the newborn Tami in honor of the airline.

While you might not be willing (or able) to go to those lengths to get cheap tickets or free airfare, there are other things that you can do to try to get airline perks.

Fly the Same Airline – A Lot: As we all learned from watching George Clooney’s character Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air, super-elite frequent fliers are treated like royalty by airlines. News stories since the movie came out have reported airlines that have private check-in areas and procedures for these fliers, as well as unique meal and boarding services. These VIPs get rebooked as soon as there is a flight delay and even have connecting flights held for them.

Even if you don’t make the super-elite status, having any status at all on an airline is a good thing. People who qualify for the lowest level of elite status on US Airways for example, get free space-available upgrades, are allowed to check in via the always shorter first class lines, and are one of the first groups to board the airplane, meaning they don’t have to fight for overhead space. Another perk, not having to pay for checked bags, is a bonus with true monetary value these days.
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Carnival in Rio

February 15th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America beaches destinations events and festivals

It may be cold and snowy in the United States right now, but things are sizzling in other parts of the world (and I don’t mean Vancouver, where they are having problems with rain, snowmelt, and the winter Olympics.) The Carnival party in Rio is reaching full swing and this week’s heat wave doesn’t seem to be slowing anybody down. Vacationers have descended on this Brazilian city in droves, where tourism officials estimate that 700,000 people are filling Rio de Janeiro hotels, sunning on the beach, and dancing in the streets.

The highest February temperatures in almost fifty years haven’t stopped the non-stop revelry that Rio’s Carnival season represents. Famous Americans who have escaped the frigid temps to visit Brazil include Madonna, Paris Hilton, and Gerard Butler,  who have all joined in the fun. Here are some of the things they, and anyone else who heads to Rio for Carnival, should not miss:

Samba Parades: These parades are actually a high pressure competition amongst the best dance troupes, known as Samba Schools, in Brazil. The top twelve groups in the country dance for hours over the course of two nights (and well into the morning.) The first six groups performed last night, and the second six will perform tonight. Eighty thousand people watch the competition live in the Sambodromo,  a special samba stadium, while millions stay up all night to follow the spectacle on television.
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Exotic Escapes: Colombia and Uruguay

February 12th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America beaches destinations

Whether you’re in D.C. or Dallas this morning, chances are you are starting to feel the walls of your house closing in on you a bit. As we all know, snowstorms have been creating havoc up and down the East Coast and have now moved over to the center of the country. The first snow day is fun, but after that, things start to get a little tedious.

Well it turns out that these storms may be good for the travel business. Tim Conder, a leisure equity analyst with Wells Fargo Securities said in a note to investors that the travel industry has historically benefitted from cold and snowy weather. People get cabin fever and hop online searching for cheap airfare to warm, tropical destinations.

There are great deals to be found right now on Cancun hotels and Arizona vacations,  but if the travel bug has really bitten you hard during this cold snap, you might want to consider one of these more exotic warm weather vacation spots:

Cartagena de las Indias
Remember the movie Romancing the Stone? It was set in the sexy, steamy, tropical locale of Cartagena de las Indias, Colombia. Colombia was considered too dangerous to visit at the time, so they actually shot the movie in Mexico. Now however, according to the Colombia Tourism Board, the only risk of travel to Colombia is wanting to stay. (That’s actually their slogan.)

Cartagena, located on Colombia’s north Caribbean coast, is a fascinating and romantic colonial city. Surrounded by 400-year old coral-brick walls, the seaside port has a long been a crossroads melting pot. With African, European, and Caribbean influences, Cartegena pulses with its own unique vibe. Give yourself over to the vibe by touring the walled city in a horse drawn carriage or losing yourself in the jumble of crooked cobblestone streets and breezy plazas. Nightlife options include dining at one of the city’s upscale Colombian-fusion restaurants, enjoying cocktails at one of the open-air bars located atop the walls, or dancing the night away at a salsa club. Don’t forget to toast to all your new friends with a shot of aguardiente, the licorice-flavored national liquor.
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Cuzco, Peru

February 2nd
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America destinations news

Famed Inca ruins, Machu Picchu, were in the news last week when torrential rains in the area caused flooding and landslides that temporarily stranded thousands of travelers. Once the skies cleared, helicopters were sent in to transport the wet and weary vacationers out of the area. Now the government has announced that Machu Picchu will be closed for up to eight weeks because the floods washed away entire sections of the rail line that provide access to the ancient site. The site itself was unharmed, but there is no way for people to get there.

While Machu Picchu is an incredible South America vacation destination, there is no need to cancel your Peru hotel reservation if you have a trip planned in the next eight weeks. There are enough archeological ruins and cultural opportunities in Cuzco, the closest city to Machu Picchu, to make the trip worth taking.

Here are some of my favorite Cuzco area attractions and activities:
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Amazing Ecuador

January 8th
2010
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America destinations

cotopaxiWe have a high school exchange student from Ecuador living with us right now, which has gotten me thinking about the time I have spent on Ecuador vacations.  Through my conversations with Maria, the student, I have been reminded of Ecuador’s charms. Roughly the same size as the state of Arizona, Ecuador is a land endowed with staggering variety – exotic Amazon jungle, remote Andean mountains, balmy tropical beaches, and stark volcanic islands. To find all these different ecosystems in any one country is amazing, but to have them all so near each other makes Ecuador truly unique. My husband and I were lucky enough to write a guidebook about Ecuador, so we have traveled throughout most of the fascinating country.

Interestingly, I have seen far more of the country that Maria has. She is from a town near the coast called Porto Viejo, and has spent time in Guayaquil and a few Quito hotels, but other than that has mostly stuck close to home. She recently asked me about my favorite places in Ecuador, because she is determined to do more exploring when she returns.

Here is the list I gave her:

Galapagos Islands: Not surprisingly, these volcanic islands, famous as a natural laboratory of geological and biological evolution, are at the top of my list. It’s the fearless denizens of the archipelago that make it such a compelling destination. Visitors enjoy up-close and personal interaction with fat marine iguanas, frolicking sea lion pups, lumbering giant land tortoises, and unforgettable blue-footed boobies. In addition, I was surprised by the beauty of the Galapagos. Red and black lava mountains flow down to dark lava beaches that lead to an emerald sea. It’s an extraordinary experience.
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Relaxing in Rio

December 14th
2009
by Becky Youman
posted in:
South America destinations news

Rio de JaneiroA group of thieves in Brazil took advantage of the country’s obsession with soccer last week to steal $6 million from an armored car company’s safe. Knowing that all security guards and practically everybody else in the country would be glued to their televisions to watch the season-ending league championships, the thieves chose the perfect time for the heist. One of the guards admitted to hearing a loud bang, but said that he thought it was just more of the fireworks that soccer fans had been lighting all afternoon.

While some of the robbers have been caught, a few are still on the lam. For all we know they are living large in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike the burglars, you don’t have to knock off any banks to have a good time in Brazil’s famous party-city by the sea. There are Rio hotels to fit any budget, restaurants for every size wallet, and plenty of fun to be had for free. Rio is one of the best places in the world for people-watching, and that doesn’t cost a dime.
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