Get To South America

So I come from a small town in the North Island, called Wanganui. Recently finishing school I have always had a love of travel even though my experiences have been based just over in Australia. I love travel books, documentaries, shows, and everything else to do with the subject.

I want my life to be about travel and my love of South America will mean travelling there is going to hopefully kick start that. If I could travel to every country I would, baring a few of the war ravaged regions although they too would be exciting places.

As I get closer to my leaving date I will share with you everything I learn along the way. My time with travel agents, researching and packing before I leave. Once I arrive later this year in South America I will record the experiences of it all as well as photo’s so everyone can hear and see just what life is like there. I not only what to experience a new country, but a new culture and meet people whos lives are so different from my own.

I have no idea what this trip will cost. Literally. In terms of NZ$ I would guess around $10,000… which is US$6,900. That is only an estimate, I will looking around to see over the next few days to see about what exactly it will cost. But since I have no other bills to pay I think I should be quite capable of getting the amount by mid year.

So which countries exactly am I going to visit? Well Brazil and Peru are absolute MUSTS, I am pretty flexible with the others but I want to get a decent glimpse of several more at least. I just want to go with the flow as it happens, see where the road leads me.

The thing that probably most fascinates me about the cultures there are the complete isolation they live in. Most western countries are dominated by the media and we always know what is going on in the world around us. But these people, the tribes I am talking about, have little or no clue. I mean I don’t know this for sure and I won’t find out until I get there, but internet, tv, mobiles are completely foreign to them and I am looking forward to embracing that way of living even if it is for a short period.

about learning Spanish. I know it is widely spoken in South America and it would be something fun to do that would help me out… I could even one day be a translator if I had no other job! I did learn it for a few years at school so I remember Hola and Como te llamas? It would very much be useful once I get over there so I will see how things go. Adios.

One of the first questions I will face is when to go? It is mid February and right now I think sometime towards the end of the year would be ideal. I need to get some money, perhaps a lot, so this may give me enough time. Of course how I will get there is a bigger question, if I went in say July that would give me (one two three four) five months to save up, but of course I do need a job!

I am not really sure why I am so fascinated with South America, I think maybe it is because we know so little about it. There is the element of dangerous excitement that gets me going, all the weird and wonderful creatures of the Amazon River, the mystic traditions and tribes from there. So much of the world has been discovered, documented, and explained that places we don’t know everything about seem so much more exotic and enticing. The journeyman inside me can’t wait to be away from the world, hidden in the dense dramatic jungle with deadly snakes and squealing chimps calling out. And trekking up a narrow path as my legs ache and I pine for food from home, then reaching the top and gazing across into the distance to see another undiscovered valley with waterfalls… maybe I am dreaming a little too much! What will it be like there?

With the one way to find out I begin the first steps of this mission. But South America has so much more to offer, let the discovery begin!

And thank you for stopping by. Here I am stuck in little old New Zealand, with $0 and no job. My dream, my goal is simple… I want to travel to South America! I hope for it to be later in the year, I don’t know how I will pay for it or who I will go with, but I will get there. So it all starts here, I know I want to go to the legendary Machu Picchu and travel down the amazing Amazon. I want to soak up the culture of the place and get to know everything about the land that is South America.

Over the next few months I will find out all I can about the wonderful places I will be going. I will of course have to do some training and increase my fitness if I want to be able to do the Inka Trails! And I will have to start planning and booking, it will be on a shoe string so I will need to find out the cheapest places.

Follow me as I continue on, and please give me some advice… I am sure I will need it. South America has always fascinated me and I hope some of you enjoy this and it can spark a fire so you too may come along with me.