
January 19th, 2012

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Question by : Is traveling/touring of south america dangerous?
i am really exicted to travel anywhere other than the U.S. and bolivia. is taking a tour of south america dangerous??? and is it expensive?
Best answer:
Answer by Queen of Hearts
I went to Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina Feb-Apr this year. I thought Bolivia was bit nervy/sketch, and the fake police stole my camera in La Paz. (you can read up on this scam on Cdn and UK gov travel advisories). In Bolivia it seemed everybody was trying to fleece me; taxi drivers for example will insist on charging 8 bolivianos for a ride that should cost 5. Ask someone impartial how much the ride should cost and then tell the driver you are only paying that before you get in the car.
Travelling anywhere can be reckless or even stupid if you are not taking the proper precautions. My mom sure was not happy when I announced I was going to S America by myself for a couple months!! Do read up on travel advisories and in your guide book about current scams and such. That said, you sometimes have to make your own calls as to what lines you are willing to cross.This is just my experience. My biggest lesson that I learned was to never let your guard down, and not really trust anybody except maybe ppl who work at hostels are generally pretty good. Chile, on the other hand, prides itself on pretty much being the safest country in South America, and it's pretty good, I found. (But it could be different, post earthquake) I also went directly to Chile from Bolivia, so it seemed like a really big deal at the time to be in such a chill and economically much better off type place.
Bolivia was definitely the cheapest place out of the four and possibly the continent from what I hear. Chile and Argentina were a bit pricey, but nothing really expensive if you were to compare it to Europe or something. I found accomodation everywhere to be slightly more than I expected, and in Argentina transport (on buses or planes) very expensive (and long!! 24hr rides are nothing!!).
Over-all it was a great experience for me, even though I got scammed. Just watch your back, and ask yourself why this stranger is talking to you... Learn to listen to your gut.
Hope that helps. message me if you have more questions
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