Exploring South America: Rio, Buenos Aires, Patagonia & Chilean Fjord Cruise 2019 EXTEND YOUR TRIP Brazil: Manaus & Amazon Rain Forest Machu Picchu, Cuzco & Lima Santiago & Easter Island, Chile Your Travel Handbook CONTENTS Travel Documents & Entry Requirements . 3 Climate . 24 Your Passport . 3 Climate Averages & Online Forecast . 25 No Visas Required . 3 Migration Forms . 4 Aboard Your Ship . 28 Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents . 4 . 28 Overseas Taxes & Fees . 4 M/V Skorpios Ship Specifications . 29 Health . 5 About Your Destinations . 30 Is This Adventure Right for You? . 5 Steps to Take Before Your Trip . 6 O.A.T. Trip Experience Leaders: A World of Difference . 30 No Vaccines Required . 6 Culture & Points to Know . 30 Yellow Fever Vaccination: Recommended . 6 Travel in South America . 31 Staying Healthy on Your Trip . 8 Shopping . 33 U .S . Customs Regulations & Shipping Charges . 34 Money Matters . 10 Agricultural Statement for Chile . 35 Top Three Tips . 10 Local Currency . 10 How to Exchange Money . 11 Demographics & History . 36 ATMs . 11 Credit & Debit Cards . 12 Resources . 46 Tipping Guidelines . 13 Suggested Readings . 46 Suggested Movies . 50 Preparing for Your Trip . 14 Useful Websites . 53 Land Only Travelers & Personalized Air . 14 Optional Tours . 14 Communications . 15 Packing . 17 Your Luggage . 18 Clothing Suggestions . 19 What to Bring . 20 Electricity . 22 2 SKO2019 06/27/2019 TRAVEL DOCUMENTS & ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Your Passport • Must be in good condition • Must be valid for at least 6 months after your scheduled return to the U.S. • Must have the required number of blank pages (details below) • The blank pages must be labeled “Visas” at the top. Pages labeled “Amendments and Endorsements” are not acceptable Need to Renew Your Passport? Contact the National Passport Information Center (NPIC) at 1-877-487-2778, or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov for information on obtaining a new passport or renewing your existing passport. You may also contact our recommended visa service company, PVS International, at 1-800-556-9990 for help with your passport Recommended Blank Pages Please confirm that your passport has enough blank pages for this adventure. • Main trip only: If you are taking only the main trip, you will require 6 blank passport pages. • Pre-trip extension to Brazil: Manaus & Amazon Rainforest: This extension does not require any additional pages. • Post-trip to Santiago & Easter Island: This extension does not require any additional pages. • Post-trip to Machu Picchu, Cuzco & Lima: You will need 1 additional blank page. • Both the pre and post-trip extensions: If you are joining the Easter Island post-trip, you will need a total of 6 blank pages. If you are joining the Machu Picchu post-trip, you will need 7 blank pages. No Visas Required Travelers with a U.S. passport do not need any visas for this adventure, including the optional trip extensions. 06/27/2019 SKO2019 3 Traveling Without a U.S. Passport? If you are not a U.S. citizen, or if your passport is from any country other than the U.S., it is your responsibility to check with your local consulate, embassy, or a visa services company about visa requirements. We recommend the services of PVS International, a national visa service located in Washington D.C.; they can be reached at 1-800-556-9990 or www. pvsinternational.org. Traveling With a Minor? Some governments may require certain documentation for minors to enter and depart the country or to obtain a visa (if applicable). For further detail on the required documentation, please contact your local embassy or consulate. Migration Forms When entering a new country, you might be given a Migration form. Keep it with you until the end of your trip, as the Migrations Authority might require it. Emergency Photocopies of Key Documents We recommend you carry color photocopies of key documents including the photo page of your passport plus any applicable visas, air itinerary, credit cards (front and back), and an alternative form of ID. Add emergency phone numbers like your credit card company and the number for your travel protection plan. Store copies separate from the originals. If you plan to email this information to yourself, please keep in mind that email is not always secure; consider using password protection or encryption. Also email is not always available worldwide. As an alternative, you could load these documents onto a flash drive instead, which can do double-duty as a place to backup photos during your trip. Overseas Taxes & Fees This tour may have taxes and fees that cannot be included in your airline ticket price because you are required to pay them in person onsite. All taxes are subject to change without notice and can be paid in cash (either U.S. or local currency). If applicable, you will receive a list of these fees with your Final Documents. 4 SKO2019 06/27/2019 HEALTH Is This Adventure Right for You? Please review the information below prior to departing on this adventure. We reserve the right for our Trip Experience Leaders to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their condition would adversely affect the health, safety, or enjoyment of themselves or of other travelers. GROUP SIZE • This adventure has a group size of 20-25 travelers (average of 22) with our local Trip Experience Leader PACING • 7 locations and 3 nights aboard a ship in 19 days PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS • Not appropriate for travelers using wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility aids • You must be able to walk approximately 3 miles unassisted and be comfortable participating in 6-8 hours of physical activities each day • This trip takes you to remote places with no medical facilities nearby • We reserve the right for Trip Experience Leaders to restrict participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home, if their limitations impact the group’s experience • Due to early morning flights, there are several very early wake up calls on this trip. • Activities on Day 5 and 6 include walking on narrow catwalks and up steps in hot and humid weather for 2 to 4 hours • Activities on Day 11 include walking on narrow catwalks and up steps for 2 hours while visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier • Activities on Days 13 and 14 include 2 hike of up to 2 hours on uneven terrain where you may be exposed to high winds • You must be able to go up and down the stairs of your ship to get from your cabin to the dining room, as the Skorpios III does not have an elevator. CLIMATE • Daytime temperatures average 50-60° F in the Andes and Patagonia and 75- 100°F in Brazil • Rain or high winds are possible at any time in the Andes and Patagonia, while Brazil’s tropical climate features high humidity 06/27/2019 SKO2019 5 TERRAIN & TRANSPORTATION • Travel over city streets, rugged paths, hard sand, icy surfaces, and bumpy and icy roads; walk and hike through uneven terrain and high winds on 3 treks of about 2 hours each • Agility and balance are required for boarding or disembarking small motor boats • Travel by air-conditioned minibus • Cruise aboard a 90-passenger small ship shared with other travelers. We’ll also board small motor boats for excursions during our cruise • Two overland drives of 3 hours each and a 10-12 hour drive and border crossing • 4 internal flights of 2-5 hours each ACCOMMODATIONS & FACILITIES • Hotel rooms are smaller than those in the U.S. and offer basic amenities • 3 nights aboard a small ship with full hotel amenities • All accommodations feature private baths with showers Steps to Take Before Your Trip Before you leave on this adventure, we recommend the following: • Check with the CDC for their recommendations for the countries you’ll be visiting. You can contact them online at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel or by phone at 1-800-232-4636. • Have a medical checkup with your doctor at least 6 weeks before your trip. • Pick up any necessary medications, both prescription and over-the-counter. • Have a dental and/or eye checkup. (Recommended, but less urgent) No Vaccines Required At the time of writing there were no required vaccines for this trip. The CDC recommends that all travelers be up to date on their routine vaccinations and on basic travel vaccines like Hepatitis A and Typhoid, but these are suggestions only. However, this could change in future so we encourage you to check with the CDC yourself before meeting with your doctor. Yellow Fever Vaccination: Recommended The CDC recommends that you get the Yellow Fever vaccination for Brazil and Argentina (Iguassu Falls), as well as Peru on the optional Machu Picchu post-trip extension, if your health allows. The vaccination is not for everyone. Please discuss this health recommendation with your doctor, because he or she can offer a suggestion tailored to your personal medical 6 SKO2019 06/27/2019 history. If you and your doctor decide the vaccination is not right for you, you are NOT REQUIRED to get it. If you and your doctor decide to move forward with the vaccination, then he or she will issue you a Yellow Fever Card that shows you have been vaccinated. TIP: If you do get the vaccine, we recommend that you bring your Yellow Fever Card with you on the trip. If you don’t get the vaccine, then we suggest you bring a letter from your medical provider stating that you cannot receive it for medical reasons. If these countries make a last-minute change to their entry policies before you leave, having one of these documents with you could make all the difference.