Brazil! (budgeting and other travel tips)

oniian

My friend and I want to go to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup. Neither if us have ever been to South America let alone Brazil.

My friend prudently wants to start budgeting now for the trip. He figures the round trip airfare will be $1200 - $1600. Neither one of us has any idea on what to expect for cost of living while down there or what kind of budget goal to set.

Does anyone have advice on what to expect cost-wise?
Any other travel tips/information as far what to expect culturally, what to bring, how to prepare, and what to see is also greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Fantasma

Start by learning Portuguese if you can. Avoid the Favelas.

Fizban140

I have never been to that country but know quite a few people who have, they had a entry fee into the country if you are from the US, might want to look into that as well as I don't think it is too cheap.

witch_ie

I have family in Brazil and so have visited a couple of times, not at that recently though. As for planning for any trip, I would suggest you monitor air fare trends to see where they're going. It will probably cost significantly more to travel to Brazil in 2014 for the World Cup than it does today.

I'm not sure where exactly in the country that the World Cup will take place, but am guessing Rio will be the center of it. Brazil is a big country and feels very different depending on where you're visiting. My experience with Rio is that it feels like other large cities. There are a lot of people and you need to watch out for pick-pockets. When I visited, the streets were often crowded with people, so it's best to keep your valuable belongs well secured and unaccessible.

If you visit other parts of Brazil, such as anywhere near the Amazon, you may want to be prepared to buy mosquito repellent or bring nets with you. My first night there, I was literally bitten 50 times on my legs as many of the buildings did not have screens on their windows.

Overall, I've found Brazilians to be very welcoming and hospitable and they love their futbol. I remember once, right after the '94 World Cup, everyone ran out to watch one of the returning players, I think it was Romario, drive by on the highway, just so they could wave and cheer. If you do your best to learn Portuguese, you should be able to get by and I'm sure there will be Brazilians who speak English around during this even too.

Have fun!

Edit: You will have to get a visa to enter the country. Make sure to do it early as the expedited visa is a lot more expensive.

adytum

The visa process is byzantine. Start it early and be ready for headaches. If you're buying a round-trip ticket to and from Brazil, you'll have to buy it before you apply for the visa.

It's pretty much impossible to tell you how to budget for 3 years in the future. 3 years ago Brazil was a cheap destination. 3 years before that it was an extremely cheap destination. Now, with the real strengthening and the dollar weakening, it's actually quite an expensive place to visit.

The air tickets you quoted are in a reasonable range. I wouldn't expect to pay less than that for a round trip ticket.

You should make sure you have accommodation months in advance. Every year tourist accommodation in Rio fills up well in advance of Carnival; I imagine the world cup will be worse.

Virsoul

I would just like to reiterate that you need to get on the visa as soon as possible. When I went, I prepared and mailed everything they said I needed (including already purchasing a non-refundable ticket). I was denied 3 times and had to bring additional documents in person each time I reapplied. Because of these delays, I had to change the flight date on my ticket which cost me quite a few hundred dollars.

Take the documents in person if you live near your respective embassy, mail can take a long time to get a reply.

Taterskin

Ill mostly reiterate what others have said.

The air fare sounds about right. But again, who knows what it will be like in three years? Same with the exchange rate. Their economy is picking up so it might even be a one to one exchange rate by that time.

It looks like multiple cities will be hosting different games? Im not sure how that works, but they dont have a good rail there (not sure if they have inter city passenger rail at all).

Learn Brazilian Portuguese if possible. Just the basic noun/ present tense verb should be enough to get by. Oh and basic questions and numbers.

Visa is time dependent. So maybe get it a yr before going down there. I think mine cost around $150? And its valid for about 4 yrs after as well (basic tourist visa). There is a local consulate here in Atlanta, so I didn't have the same problems as Virsoul.

Try to avoid driving if possible. If you do, stop lights are yields past a certain hour at night. You can't drive in Sao Paulo on certain days depending on your plate number (though I'm not sure how that works with rental cars). Luxury goods are way more expensive there. I'm not sure about Rio, but the Sao Paulo metro doesnt connect to the airport. If you are pasty white skinned, then use plenty of sunblock.