5 Transportation Tips for South America
5 Transportation Tips for South America
After traveling for just under six weeks through South America, we learned a few things about getting around this giant continent. It is so big and depending on where you’re looking to go, it can be quick and cheap or really long and expensive. Here are 5 transportation tips for South America that hopefully will make your travels easier!
1. Carry On Luggage in South America
Carry on sizes and baggage limits really differ depending on the airline you fly with. Some smaller, budget airlines have significantly stricter baggage policies than larger airlines especially when flying internationally. Our backpacks are carry on size according to MOST, however, some of the stricter ones restrict weight to 7 kg or less. My backpack is about that but Dave’s is a little heavier especially with camera equipment.
A few of the airlines we flew in South America give you one piece of carry on luggage where many in the US allow you a carry on plus a personal item making it two total. I have a small purse and Dave has the camera bag so we were also a little worried if that was going to be a problem.
Throughout all of our traveling in South America we flew LATAM airlines, Boliviana De Aviacion, Aerolineas Argentinas, Azul and Norwegian UK. As well we flew Jetblue in the US and then Easy Jet in Europe. We had no problem walking on with our backpacks as well as personal items on all the flights.
A few times we did notice that almost everyone had a tag on their luggage that said approved for hand luggage. We never got them because we always check in online and then go straight to the gate. But we think when you go to the check in desk they give them out after you weigh your carry on to show it is approved. We simply wore our backpacks because we’ve found people pay significantly less attention to them because their on our backs as opposed to in our hands or rolling suitcases.
Travel Truth: We always look up the baggage policy before boarding a flight so we know what to expect. If an airline only allows one item we try to be more discreet with our second bag or put (shove) it inside our backpacks so it’s all in one. Generally though we‘ve found while some say they are very strict, it’s usually not a problem unless your bag is massive and draws a lot of attention.
2. Airlines board (and sometimes leave) early
We were expecting things to be late and kind of on their own schedule in South America based on personal experiences as well as some things we’ve read. However, we found when flying almost all of our flights boarded earlier than the time given. We also found that quite a few of them actually left early too from the gate.
A few times when we got to the gate to board we were surprised to find boarding had opened a while ago and almost everyone was already on the plane.
Definitely make sure to check the monitors in the airport carefully and then give yourself some time to get there early. Sometimes the monitors are delayed or not updated right away so make sure to get to your gate a few minutes before you have to. On some of the flights our boarding pass said boarding starts exactly an hour before the flight was scheduled to take off. We thought that couldn’t be true but often we found ourselves pulling out of the gate to depart ahead of schedule.
3. Buses are easy and generally don’t have to be booked more than a day or two ahead of time
We took buses a few times in South America and found it was really easy to take. You don’t need to be there nearly as ahead of time as flying, you can bring snacks and water and the ones we took were all pretty nice!
In general we found you really don’t need to book buses more than a day or two ahead of time. We took an overnight bus from La Paz, Bolivia to Uyuni, Bolivia to the Salar de Uyuni and booked two days ahead with no problem. We found there were so many bus companies that do that same route there really was no reason to book way ahead of time.
While it might not seem like the most glamerous option, we were impressed with all the buses we took in South America. They were all on time, got us there with no issues and had plenty of room to sit. Now we know this isn’t always the case as there are many times when buses do break down or things prevent them from being on time. But overall we had a really positive experience so don’t write off buses in South America just from horror stories!
4. Every man/woman for themselves when getting off buses and planes!
We’re not sure if this is true in all South America but we noticed that when you’re getting off buses or planes it can be a little cut throat. When the plane lands everyone immediately stands up, starts grabbing their bags from the overhead bins and is in the aisles walking out before the plane door is even open.
We’re used to emptying by alternating row as in the people in the row in front of you go first then the people in your row and then the row behind you but that’s not quite what we found. You have to stand your ground and be a little aggressive to carve out a spot for yourself in the aisle in order to leave. Otherwise you’ll find yourself as one of the last people on the plane or stuck like we did a few times.
We experienced this on planes as well as buses. Maybe it was just the transportation we were using but we noticed it quite a few times. By the end of our time in South America we got used to it and started knowing the protocol . Just keep this is mind if you’re getting stuck waiting for a while and you’re trying to make a quick connection.
5. Prices really vary
This last tip isn’t really a tip but more a piece of information. Throughout the four countries in South America that we traveled to, we found the price of transportation can really vary. We found really cheap options as well as very experience options. Obviously it can also depend on bigger factors such as where you are going and the time of year.
Check out our Budget Series for how much we spent in each country!
Even in the low season, flying from Buenos Aires to Patagonia was very expensive. It’s far (about a 3 hour flight to El Calafate) but we anticipated it to be a bit cheaper than it was because it was the low season. We were also surprised by how expensive our overnight bus was from La Paz to Uyuni, Bolivia. We opted for the tourist option for security reasons so we could have opted for a more local company but nevertheless it was more than we were expecting.
Generally we would say don’t generalize that all transportation in South America will be cheap. It really depends on where you’re going, the mode of transportation you’re choosing and the time of year. All that to say though you definitely can find different options you just have to do some research and be flexible with your dates.
Interested on More Posts About South America? Read Here!
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Welcome to Truth of Traveling!
We’re Nicki & Dave! In 2019 we sold everything, packed our backpacks, and set off on an adventure around the world! We spent 2020 converting a Ford Transit van and we’re now traveling around the US in our home on wheels!
Here you’ll find travel guides and itineraries, tips we’ve learned along the way and our must have travel items! Our goal for Truth of Traveling is to show you travel doesn’t have to be overwhelming and can be done on a budget!
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