Adventure diaries: 45 days into backpacking South America

We are about 1,5 months into our adventure of backpacking South America on a budget and we already saw most cities in Bolivia (including Salar de Uyuni and Lake Titicaca), we went to Salta in Argentina, we went to Paraguay and Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil, we spent a few days in a Fazenda in Pantanal, and we lived in the Amazon rainforest for 5 days. Now, while heading to Colombia, I decided to reflect on the things I learned so far.

Backpacking can definitely bring its challenges, especially when you want to live certain experiences that may cost you a lot. For example, spending a few days in the middle of the Amazon rainforest can look be pricey, transport can be pricey as well if you’re visiting a whole continent like we are, and the list goes on.

The first thing we tend to do is to give up some comfort and convenience to save a few bucks, we stay in hostels and accommodations way below what we usually choose, we try to cook instead of eating out as much as possible, we usually prefer the bus as it is cheaper even though a plane is much faster and comfortable, we avoid those expensive coffees and stuff, etc. This one seems kind of obvious to me and, even though I usually don’t travel at a luxury level, I also don’t do it on such a tight budget so this takes a bit of getting used to.

However, after 45 days of this life, I learned a few things. First, I learned how resilient and adaptable we are. Sometimes we get to a place so bad (like our hostel in Manaus) that we just want to turn around and choose another one, even though it would cost us a lot. Of course, we never did that because we are on a budget and, as long as it is not dangerous, we have to deal with it because we’re not rich 😅 And after a few days, you kind of get used to living in that level of “discomfort” and your first reaction to it starts to seem like a bit exaggerated (in Manaus, it was not, I really didn’t like it!)…I mean, we survived camping in the middle of the jungle, so we can survive anything!! Speaking of which: the Amazon rainforest was probably our toughest challenge until now, but we pushed through it and it was such a unique experience!!

Second thing I learned: research, research, research! And sometimes taking a day to just sit and plan stuff is very much needed and will save you a lot. I’ll give you an example: I almost didn’t go to Pantanal because it was too expensive. We were looking into it and everything was 500€/person or more and that was too much. But we kept on researching and found a place where we could stay for less than 500€ both of us. Then there was transportation: it took even more research so that we could avoid expensive transfers and, guess what? We did find something. So instead of 1000€ or more, we spent less than 600€…a big save!

And this leads to the third thing I learned which is ASKING. I am an introvert, so fellow introverts will get me when I say that having to ask things can bring some stress. Still, overcoming this can save you some bucks and even allow you to live some things that you couldn’t without asking. Examples we had of this:

• asking for prices at all bus companies when you need a ticket and even negotiating (not just accepting the first thing you get is crucial to save money - we once got a ticket for 120BS when the first offer we got was 220BS, this one was a bit of luck but it showed us how we can save up if we do ask around and negotiate)

• when booking the stay in Pantanal, we asked them for transportation options and they gave us only transfer companies that were quite expensive, so it was quite impactful to ask them for cheaper option - they had it, we just had to ask and then play with what we got.

• lastly, there was a time we were going to miss a viewpoint in Argentina because it cost a few pesos and we didn’t have any with us. We explained the situation to the lady and she let us pass without paying. This didn’t save us a huge amount of money but it allowed us to climb to the viewpoint, which we wouldn’t if we didn’t talk because we were assuming she would just say no and we would feel embarrassed (by the way, we didn’t have pesos because it was a short stay and withdrawals were expensive so we were avoiding them as much as possible).

Lastly, I learned that we shouldn’t overthink stuff and we shouldn’t be afraid of connecting with other people (always with care for our own safety but trying to get out there). As I said, I’m an introvert and so is my boyfriend so it’s hard for us to initiate conversations, but this is something you should try to overcome as much as possible because what you take are the experiences and the people you get to know. Also don’t overthink about following them on Instagram or even sending a message, it will be fine 😅

Oh I almost forgot! Another lesson: keeping track of your budget is really important but really hard if you don’t have an efficient way of doing it (we’re still working on this part haha). Still, if you feel like staying a bit longer somewhere, do it. You will end up managing it just fine.

And I think this is it! These are the biggest lessons from these first 45 days of backpacking South America in a budget. Let me know about lessons you’ve learned while travelling, maybe that can help someone out 😉

XOXO,

Barbara