With the 2016 Olympics happening in Rio de Janeiro, here are 15 Brazil travel tips. Even though I did a good amount of research before my trip to Brazil, I experienced most of these tidbits first hand when travelling through Brazil.
15 Awesome Brazil Tips For Travelers:
1. Prevent Mosquito Bites
Given how widespread the Zika virus is in Brazil, the best thing you can do is to prevent mosquito bites. Easier said than done, right? The CDC recommends using insect repellant containing DEET, to treat clothing with permethrin and to beware of mosquitos during the daytime. The BugsAway line of clothes by Exofficio is pretreated with their trademarked Insect Shield. I own and love their Ziwa Convertable Pants.
2. Sem Inglês
Not many people speak English in Brazil, not even those in many service-oriented industries, except for those working in hotels and the airport. Download a translation app on your smartphone. We communicated with waiters in many restaurants using a phone translation app.
3. Drink Bottled Water
Don’t drink or rinse your mouth with water from the tap; not even in a luxury hotel.
4. Plan B For Coffee
We couldn’t find many cafés that served Brazilian coffee and ended up getting our caffeine fix from the local Starbucks. We were told that most Brazilian coffee is exported out of the country and discovered from our tour guide that Brazil produces an awesome hard coffee candy that we stocked up on from the grocery store.
5. Restaurant Bread Is Not Free
Many restaurants bring out bread and/or small dishes called couvert as soon as you sit down. These are not complementary since there is an additional charge per person. Some fancy restaurants charge upwards of R$25 ($8 USD) for the couvert. At some restaurants you have the option to opt out of the olives you didn’t want in the first place.
6. Service Charge Is Included
A service charge of 10% is usually included on restaurant bills.
7. Wear Sunscreen At All Times
Even on cloudy days. The UV factor is very high and you’ll end up with a sunburn even on cloudy days.
8. Plan B For Breakfast
Breakfasts are low key meals in Brazil consisting of primarily fruit and a small carb, like bread. Even the local Mc D’s didn’t have a breakfast menu. I always travel with protein bars from home and so we ate those for most breakfasts, which tide us over until lunch – not bad for two always hangry girls. Plan B: look for hotels that include breakfasts.
9. Keep Hydrated
In the heat, keep hydrated by drinking fresh coconut water sold by street vendors near the beach. Locals in Rio recommend the açai berry drink. Be forewarned this is not a fresh fruit drink but more of a 7-Eleven slurpee. I made the mistake of ordering a large açai drink only to find out it was made of açai juice concentrate (no real berries were involved in the making), blended ice and a truck load of sugar. I was not a fan!
10. Join a Free Walking Tour
Did you know there are free walking tours in Rio? Get to know the city up close and meet other travelers by checking out these tour companies: Rio Free Walking Tour and Free Walker Tours.
11. Things Don’t Come Cheap In Brazil
I thought that Havaianas flip flops, the Brazilian brand of sandals would be much cheaper in the motherland, but I was wrong! The prices in Brazil are on par with the price of Havaianas in North America and that goes for clothes and regular shoes too. Certain shoe stores even offer the option of paying for shoes in monthly instalments.
12. Don’t Be Flashy
Being aware of your surroundings is super important in Brazil. We were advised to leave anything with a visible brand name at home and wearing anything that looks remotely valuable is discouraged. I went as far as leaving my Ray-Bans at home in favor of inexpensive, plastic sunnies. Take extra precaution if carrying electonics like dSLR cameras, iPhones and cameras. Click here for more Brazil safety tips.
13. Snag The Best Flight View
If you have a flight from Rio de Janeiro’s regional airport (SDU) to Sao Paulo, sit on the right side of the plane for the best aerial view of the beaches of Rio.
14. Getting Around Rio
The safest way to get around Rio is by taxi. We had heard about all the incidences of random street muggings and pick pockets and decided to avoid taking public transit including the bus and subway. Uber hasn’t quite made its way to Rio so in the meantime, if you want to hail a taxi using an app, the Easy Taxi app is really easy to use.
While some guidebooks suggest taking a blue, green or white radio taxi, we were fine with taking yellow taxis with a blue stripe. The worry is that there is a large number of illegal taxis in Rio. While yellow taxis with the blue stripe are legal, some travelers go with the added safety of radio taxis. However, radio taxis cost more than yellow taxis as you are charged a fixed rate no matter the time of day or the traffic congestion.
15. Check The Holiday Schedule Before Traveling
As with any trip preparation, don’t forget to check the local holiday schedule for closures. On New Years Eve, all the Cariocas head to Copacabana Beach for huge celebratory events. New Years Eve is the largest celebration in Brazil. It’s even more pompous than Carnival. Follow the local tradition and wear all white for the celebrations. Almost everything in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo shuts down on December 31st (past 4pm) and remains closed on New Years Day.
Safe Travels!
xx Deb
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