Job Discussion Forums

[airbear]

Ok. So here's my dilemna.

I'm a 25 year old N. American female finishing up a year of teaching in South Korea, and man do I need a vacation. After a short visit home to Oregon, I've decided that I'll head South, down through Mexico and Central America, and hopefully all the way to South America, sticking to the West coast. I am considering this route for several reasons:
-I want to work on my Spanish and possibly scout out a future place of residence
-it would be an adventure in itself
-I've got a little time
-airfare to S. America seems outrageously expensive
-I could go at my own pace and turn back whenever I pleased

Am I crazy?? Does anyone out there who has done something similar have any advice, or thoughts? My main questions are:

1. I'll probably want to avoid Colombia. Is there a cheap flight or a ferry or something that gets you from Panama to Ecuador?
2. Are there any other dangerous places to avoid?
3. I'm open to flying partway as well. Can anyone provide me with links to cheap airfares within Latin America? (Or from N. America, for that matter?) Or estimate costs of airfares?
4. How long would it it take at a semi-leisurely pace?
5. Are there any websites or blogs that I might find helpful?

Any advice is most excellently appreciated. I'm super into this idea but feel pretty lost as to how I might get the thing done.
Thanks!
Erin

[ls650]

If you factor in the costs of all those different buses, food, hotels, etc., I don't think you'll save money in comparison to flying. Also, some areas (such as northern Mexico) are so wide-open that you'll be staring out the window at desert or plains for hours on end.

You can fly from LA to Mexico City for a couple of hundred dollars with Alaska Air; it's actually cheaper (when you factor in the extra costs) than the 1st-class bus.

My suggestion would be to fly some of the lengthier chunks, and bus in the areas that are more scenic.

[MELEE]

While it sounds like a fantastic adventure. I'll agree with ls, don't do it for the cost. If you want to go over land do it because that's what you want to do, it may actually cost you more. There are ways to get cheap flights. I'm not sure if this airline still exsists, but it used to be that LACSA, from Costa Rica did milk runs stopping just about everywhere, starting from Los Angeles or Miami. I flew from Miami to Santiago, Chile on them and we stopped in San Juan, PR, Santo Domingo, DR, Telguichigalpa, Managua, San Jose, CR, Panama City, Cali, Quito, Quayaguil, and Lima, before arriving in Santiago! It was quite a trip! There were options to get off on the layovers and continue on a later date. I had to be there to start school so I didn't take any layovers on the way down. We had to get off for cleaning (of the plane, but many passengers needed it too ) in San Jose. On the way back, I did take a week in San Jose and saw Costa Rica. It was a crazy trip, fit for the young and the poor alike. I haven't see or heard of this airline recently though so I suspect it's gone under. Do a search for airpass and Latin America and you might find something similar. Also contact CIEE, at 25, you can get youth discount on airfare.

You should probably get a copy of a guide book like the lonely planet South America guide, and you should look at the forums on the lonely planet web site. That will help you plan what places you want to see and how long a trip you are talking about. Lots of Europeans do grand tours of the Americas, so there are definately people who have done similar things. I also remember seeing a lot of Israelis in South America on trips the year after their military service.

Also, don't knock Colombia, I don't think that on a whole, it is more dangerous than many other countries you'll be passing through.

Make sure you have enough credit on a credit card to buy a ticket home at moments notice for any unforseen emergancy and have a great trip!

[lozwich]

[Justin Trullinger]

Hear, Hear!

Colombia is beautiful, and not to be missed.

Do I think you're crazy? Well, I have a friend who went from Alaska to Chile by bicycle, so everything is relative.

Do I think that it's a logical response to high flight prices? Depends on what you're like. It would be a heck of an adventure- but how many places will you stop and spend the night along the way? You could, in theory, save a little money by never paying hostels and leaving each town the same day you arrive, but where's the fun in that? I have done this on long haul trips around south america, and after a day or two, being on buses ALL the time isn't much fun. Much better to sometimes stop and spend the night.

So don't figure bus fare will be your only expense- you'll need to budget for some hostels, food and drink on the road, and maybe the occasional longer stop to see stuff.

There are flights from Panama to Ecuador, but they are not cheap. It would be much too far for a ferry. I advise simply going through Colombia- where the country is beautiful and the people ROCK. But if you really don't want to do this, I suspect that you'll find the Panama flights expensive enough to more than cancel out any savings you might make on the rest of the trip. Better to just fly straight to where you're going.

Best,
Justin

[lozwich]

Warning: Travelling overland from Panama to Colombia through the Darien Gap is incredibly dangerous and not serviced by any bus lines (or even a road). You'd have to boat to Cartagena or fly.

I don't want to scare you, but that bit of the world is somewhere I seriously would not go, unless it was in a boat run by a reputable operator, or looking out of a window at 30,000 feet.

But otherwise, have a blast!

[lehh]

Warnings about foreign kidnappings/robberies/bus hold-ups in Latin America.

not to scare you but just so you can be aware that there are possibly certain areas and/or situations where you should be extra careful if you decide to travel alone in this area.
click on the link below:
http://kirsten.schurich.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=52
also look here:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&region=SAmerica

[gambasbo]

Thanks. All those mentions of Bolivia. Scary!!!

However, just to balance it a bit, I have never been robbed or attacked after more than seven years of living here in Cochabamba. But those letters are good to remind us all to take sensible precautions and to be careful and alert at all times.

Mike



[quote="lehh"]Warnings about foreign kidnappings/robberies/bus hold-ups in Latin America.

click on the link below:
http://kirsten.schurich.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=23&Itemid=52