Argentina in general
1st: Pay with credit card at your Hostels. You do not have to pay taxes if you pay by card therefore the stay will be cheaper (most of the times). Just ask for it as not every hostel deducts the tax automatically (some try to make profit by not saying anything)
2nd: Always ask for discounts. Sometimes you are lucky and can safe some money by doing it.
3rd: The Bank Santander exists in Argentina. if you are at Santander you might (only a theory ask your bank) not need to pay this fee but be careful as Santander is a tricky bank. Therefore read carefully what your conditions are and how it works.
4th: (this one was given to me but I did not fly so far so I do not know if it is true) when booking flights do not change the webpages of the domestic airlines to English as they will raise the prices immediately. If you don't speak Spanish just ask someone at the hostel for help.
5th: National Bank of Argentina is the cheapest to withdraw money (3000; fee about 114 pesos)
Advices for several Argentinian cities:
Bariloche:
-Llao llao is in my opinion the best tour to do
-Manush is a quiet bar but offers good beer and food.
-I got the advice go to Cerro Lopez and Tronador(need to sleep on Tronador as it takes to long to go up and down) but they were closed when I have been there. So just handing over other people's advices.
Mendoza:
-Viña Lopez offers a tour for free including a wine tasting (3 wines). I did not like the wines and you do not get to see the wine yard but you see where they produce the wine
-Instead of doing an organized tour try to rent a bike and visit them yourself. Cheaper and a great experience. Watchout that you still can ride your bike back home 😉
Puerto Iguazú:
- the Argentinian side of Iguazú takes a little longer so go early
-when going to the Brasilian side, make sure you get all the stamps! And when you take a public bus just pay whenever a bus comes because if you wait for your company you wait at least 1 hour or even longer!
Puerto Madryn:
-If you know when you are coming (oktober to February is the best season) rent a car in advance as they are booked out ahead but are even cheaper than the tour of you do it alone. Otherwise ask for discounts. Flamenco Travels gives a discount of 10% on everything but the parc entrance if you pay by cash.
-If you go to Punta Tomba and to Peninsula Valdés you can safe some money by going to Puerto Pirámides with a bus and do the whale watching over there. Won't see all of the island but Penguins and sea lions you can see at Punta Tombo
Tilcara:
- if you want to go to the 14 colored mountain do it in the afternoon as colors are more impressive and if you want to safe some money try to hitchhike (ride on the back of a car) behind the bridge
Bolivia in general:
-entering from San Pedro it will be smart to exchange money before San Pedro as the rates in San Pedro are bad
-withdrawing money is at most ATMs for free and sometimes you can get dollars so you might think of getting some dollars and change them in places you need to pay fees
La Paz:
-Greenhouse Hostel is a good choice. Sergio, the owner, will help you with whatever you need
Rurrenabaque:
- you can get there from La Paz. Either take the bus (12-24hrs - very variable) or by plane. Taxi is just expensive but not faster at all
Brasil in General:
- Itau and National Bank of Brasil do not take any withdraw fees
- get a Brasilian Chip to order Ubers as they are much cheaper
-take you Student ID. Lots of discounts e.g. at Sugarloaf
Belém:
-the ferry to Manaus is the cheapest way to get there. Check the schedule before and reserve. Be aware that it is supposed to be dangerous as there are many pirates so think about it
Florianopolis:
- Greenhouse Hostel is not perfectly located (15min to beach or supermarket) but has a nice chill vibe as well as it is a perfect place to spend Christmas as they organize everything for a big meal together (even cheap)
Ilha Grande:
- During summer (Jan-Feb) this is Argentina’s place to be for vacation meaning many hostels are booked out. If you plan to go there during that time book in advance
Jericoacoara:
- there is no ATMs so even though you can pay lots with card I suggest bring enough money. Some charge extra for paying by card and the only way to get cash is go to the supermarket but they charge a 15% fee
- instead of taking a bus to Jericoacoara take it to Jijoca de Jericoacoara. Then take a 4x4. It is the same as the bus because to Jericoacoara there actually is no bus but it is cheaper
- when entering Jericoacoara you need to pay a fee. Make sure you pay and get the receipt as you need it when you leave Jericoacoara
Lençóis:
- you’ll need to book tours for lots of things but Roberto do Meio and the natural pools as well as the Primavera waterfall you can do easily on your own. Trekking path is on Maps.me
- if you need to exchange money, don’t do it here as the exchange rates are bad. Do it before you get here e.g. in Salvador
Morro de São Paulo:
- take cash with you as there is only a few ATMs and at those you need to pay a fee
- it’s a bit of a walk to Gamboa (best at low tide otherwise you will get very wet) but it’s worth it as this beach is not that touristic and has SUPs and Kayaks for free
Rio de Janeiro:
-besides the main things there is the Olympia road as well as the museum future to see
- for Cristo book the train in advance as you otherwise need to take an expensive taxi
Chile in general:
Advices for several Chilean cities:
-The Chilean Fest is September 18th which is worth going there if you like partying
-Use Uber as taxi drivers will take advantage of tourists.
-the cheapest airline is generally Sky airline
Pucon:
-Chili Kiwi hostel is great
-the Vulcan is a trip worth. Ice hiking, which is always expensive, and a good chance to see lava as this is southamerica's most active Vulcan
Puerto Natales (Torres Del Paine):
-Last Hope is a great hostel assisting a lot with booking everything... if you can survive one day without a shower: campsite Italioano is for free (there are more free ones on the Q Trail but this one is the only free one for the W)
Punta Arenas:
-Is worth a trip not only for seeing penguins but also as the city has some nice buildings and a great plaza in the city center.
San Pedro de Atacama:
- I did not do the tours but rented with 3 others a camper (Wicked Campers). Great to get another perspective on the desert (fill up the gas canister though as some destinations are to far to do it on one tank)
-Get cash (pesos Chilena and Bolivian if you plan on going there afterwards) as it is hard to get cash over here and for Bolivia you will need Bolivianos (exchange rates are bad over here)
Santiago:
-Manquehue is a great hike for a terrific view. There is also Santa Lucia and San Cristóbal to go up. I liked Manquehue most, then Santa Lucia and least but still worth a trip San Cristóbal. The view in Santiago is generally best after a day of rain!
-Kamikaze is a great club to go and it is safer over there. When I went there they also had bull riding for free until 12ish
-of all wine tours I have done so far I liked Viña Cousino Macul the most even though the vine yard is small. So that might be an option what to do.
Valparaiso:
-Freetour (freetourvalparaiso) offers a good tour through Valparaiso and is cheap. Tip based which means 5000-7000 Chilean pesos is fine. The guide Danny has friends within the street art scene and therefore can give some extra input
Colombia in general:
-at Dadivienda you can withdraw money without a fee (your own banks fee will still be charged)
-coming to Colombia you need to show proof of a return ticket. There are several pages for fake tickets. Furthermore busbud tickets are 100% refundable so just book a ticket here and return it
Cartagena:
- book a accommodation in the historic center even though it might be a bit pricier because this is where everyone spends the day either at the beach, party or walking through the city. Otherwise you will need to take a taxi everywhere
Santa Marta/Lost City:
- in case you want to do the lost city tour (very pricey) get enough cash before as every agency will give you a discount on paying cash or charge extra for credit card
Taganga:
- right now there is only one Bank of Colombia ATM so best to bring enough cash as everyone will charge you extra for paying with card. Also there are barely supermarkets and only small ones so you might want to go out for food...
Ecuador in general:
-Pichincha is the cheapest bank to withdraw (free)
Quito:
- you can do Mitad Del Mundo easily by bus which costs 40 cents each way
Peru in general:
-BCP let’s you withdraw for free
Food to taste:
-Lomo Saltado
-Ceviche
-Arroz con Pato
-Papa a la huancaina
-Causa Rellena
-Anticuchos
-Trucha (fish in Cuzco)
Lima:
- if you arrive by plane, go outside the airport to take collectivos. Cost about 3 to get the city so way cheaper and a great experience
Uruguay in general:
-you can pay about everything by dollars so you might not even withdraw money and pay a fee
Colonia Del Sacramento:
-besides the old town there is the letters (just saying Colonia Del Sacramento) and the bullring to see. Unless you climb over the fence which is forbidden (I need to tell you here that I would not recommend you doing it) you can’t enter the inside of the bullring
Punta Del Diablo:
- a nice place to stay is the Hostel El Diablo Tranquilo Playa (directly at the beach but a bit more quiet) or the sister Hostel El Diablo Tranquilo. At the playa one is no kitchen but you can go and cook at the sister hostel
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