Before you go On the ground
How the country works once you land
Money, phones, safety, and getting from one place to the next. Most of what Americans worry about here is either simpler than they expect or different in a way nobody warned them about, and this is the half of a trip that guidebooks are worst at.
-
Is Brazil safe? An honest answer
What is real, what is exaggerated, and what I do differently in Rio than in Florianópolis. No fear, no denial.
Being written
-
Money, cards, Pix and tipping
Cash versus card, whether you need Pix, and the card-machine setting that quietly costs you 3%.
Read it
-
Phones, eSIMs and staying connected
eSIM or a local SIM, which carriers work where, and why WhatsApp is the whole country's operating system.
Read it
-
Getting around Brazil
Domestic flights, overnight buses, Uber, and when renting a car is a mistake.
Read it
Pages marked as coming are being written now. The ones already up are dated, and I keep them that way.
The rest of it
- Planning The decisions you make first, in the order you make them.
- Paperwork and health The things that stop a trip before it starts.
- Culture advice The part that makes the difference between visiting and being welcome.
- Start here: Brazil for first-timers If this is trip number one, read these in order.
Free · 29 pages
Free guide
Beginner's Guide to Brazil
A free 29-page guide to everything a first-time visitor should know before landing: visas, safety, money, getting around, where to go, and what to eat.
We'll email you a link to confirm your address. Click it and the guide opens right away.
I am offering free consultation calls for anyone that’s interested in traveling to Brazil. Learn directly from someone that has traveled throughout Brazil. Even if you have no ideas for your trip, let’s talk about it!
Get trip advice