"Deep in the jungle where the mighty tiger lie, Bill and his elephants were taken by surprise."  -The Beatles
 
For many people this is the image that is conjured up when one speaks of third world travel and many times it is this way because of lack of knowledge or lack of resources about the country in question.  It is also possible that the person may not have had the chance to study the country and therefore does not clearly understand what goes on there.  So many people think that a trip south of the boarder will bring them nothing but diarrhea and hassles.  This image is simply  not what you will find.
 Another scenario is that of the timid traveler who feels that traveling through such remote areas would prove treacherous or worse.  Sometimes people are afraid that unrest may occur and they may be left with nowhere to turn.  Once again this is a notion that is not completely realistic.
 
The problem comes from the lack of information about these countries and an increased encouragement by national businesses to keep your travel funds in your own country.  Many of the United States’ surrounding countries could benefit from the travel dollars that we as Americans tend to use exclusively in our country.  However, the money is not going there.  It seems to me that anyone spending there money  for the experience of traveling through a third world country would be adequately compensated in life lessons.

In this hemisphere alone there are so many travel destinations that it is enough to boggle the mind.  It only takes some simple research before you will see that travel to third world countries is not only possible but affordable, safe, and practical.  There are many people who have already found the pleasure that is experienced when visiting any one of the many natural wonders or urban settings of the world’s vast geographical locations.

  National Standards:    Whether your traveling with a group or alone there is a valuable lesson to be learned in the area of using maps and other geographical tools to acquire and process information.  Traveling also helps you to use mental maps in order to give spatial perspective to the world.  For just as the map is not the territory, one must learn to organize geographic perspectives in spatial terms. Traveling also helps you to understand the physical and human characteristics of  a place, as well as helping you to understand that people define regions. There is also the fact that culture and experience influence one’s perception of that region.  Traveling helps one to know and understand the characteristics, distributions, and migrations of human populations.  It helps one to understand the complexity of the earth as well as the networks of economic interdependence, the process patterns and functions of human settlement, as well as the forces for cooperation and conflict that shape the divisions of the earth’s surface.

 Environmentally speaking traveling helps you to understand how the earth’s human and physical systems are connected and interact.  It also helps us to understand the consequences of the interactions between human and physical systems and the changes in meaning distribution and importance of resources.  Last but certainly not least, traveling helps you to interpret the past present and future.     Travel Time!!!

 One country that has had great influence in South America and continues to maintain a complex and thriving society is Uruguay.  It sometimes goes unheard among the world community, but it plays a major cultural role in South America  as well as many other roles.  The purpose of this investigation is to show the possibilities for travel in this amazing country and to hopefully make evident the opportunities that are available to you at a reasonable cost.

 Let’s say your stuck, as so many people become, and you don’t where to begin.  Your not sure if you should make hotel reservations, obtain a visa, or consult a guide.  It seems that many people are turned away because they see making planes as such an enormous task.  Hence, they are scared off before they even begin.
 
The best place to start may be exactly where you are, in your thoughts.  Think of a country you’ve heard something about; possibly their news, culture, art, or history.  Be careful though, try not to pick a country that has a notorious reputation for tourism, because if you do chances are if you’ve heard about their reputation others have also.

There is nothing worse then rolling into a country that you think will be remote, and end up being surrounded by a few dozen tourists the same as yourself.  Don’t worry if you do, because if there are that many tourists at least you won’t have to worry about learning a new language, Ha! Ha!  Now that we have a place to start let’s get to our country.  Uruguay, one of the smaller countries in South America, yet one of the most densely packed with culture and diversity.   Point of Entry   It is time to begin. Let's start at the point of entry.  There are a few simple things that must be considered before entering.  This is a perfect time to discuss these things.
First is the requirement  of immunities.  Many third world countries require you to obtain inoculations before entering their country.  Uruguay does not have any immunization requirements for those traveling from North America.

Next is the visa requirement.  What are the political restrictions that you must follow in order to enter Uruguay.  The requirements are as follows: "Uruguay requires visas of all foreigners except those from neighboring countries and nationals from Western Europe, Canada, Israel, Japan, and the United States.  All visitors need a tourist card, which is valid for ninety days and is renewable for another ninety."(Bernardson, 478).

Once this is in order you will want to find out what the entry costs are. For the North American traveler there are none.  It is important to know what you can or cannot bring into the country, "Uruguayan customs regulations permit the entry of used personal effects and other articles in reasonable amounts." (Bernardson, 478). Basically this means that you can bring your own things as well as other objects as long they are in reasonable amounts. Transportation   Now that we know what is required let’s talk about transportation. Since this little investigation is designed for the North American traveler, we will discuss three entry points appropriate for U.S. travelers traveling into Uruguay. We will be starting with air, then over land, and finally by water be it river or sea.

If  your flying in you will have two main choices. You can either fly into Buenos Aires’ Ezeiza Airport with a connecting flight to Montevideo or you can fly one of Delta’s three flights leaving weekly from Miami with a stop over in Rio de Janero.

If your coming in to Uruguay by land you once again have two choices.  You can either come directly in to Montevideo by bus from Brazil, from Chui & Pelotas to Chuy. "This is the most frequently used border crossing."(Bernardson, 478). There are obviously many more bus routes once your in the country, but we’ll stick to the entrance routes for now.

The most common route by boat is from Buenos Aires to Colonia. Once your in Colonia you can catch a bus to the capital. Another option for boat is from Tigre a suburb of Buenos Aires across the bay to Montevideo (Bernardson,478).

Once you have gotten all of this information and have decided where you are going to enter you need to have a plan of action. It is very easy to find out how to get to your country of choice and then stop there. Many people have done this and they have never seen their concept materialize.

Most definitely if your leaving from the United States your going to be flying. With that in mind I will address those who are flying and leave the other routes to those who might be traveling to Uruguay once they are already in South America.

Before flying it is imperative that you make reservations, and since this is  standard it is generally good to do it at least one month in advance. Since all flights to Uruguay are routed through Miami consider taking an alternative means of transportation to Miami. Rather than flying to Miami you could take a bus or ride share from any main commercial center. If your really daring consider hitchhiking or catching a ride from a driver at truck stop.

There are alternatives to commercial air travel as well. The information for these flights is readily accessible through membership to a courier program or by visiting a courier web site.

Courier services have purchased unsold tickets from  commercial airlines. So don’t fear that you will be riding along side the chickens and pigs. However they are not allowed under contract to advertise, so even those these good deals are available it’s going to take a little investigation. The best place to catch their info is on the Net. You’ll have to pay a small fee for their information, but in the long run it’s worth it. Arrival   Now that you’ve got all that we’ll skip to arrival. Your in the country and you don’t have any local currency, no problem. You can walk to the Plaza Cagancha. "There are many exchange houses around Plaza Cagancha and, the most convenient tourist office is in Plaza Cagancha."(Berndardson, 487). So once you’ve gotten your money situation straightened out stop into one of the many tourist offices in the area for a map and some bearings. Don’t be afraid of these tourist offices, because more times than not they are going to give you the cheapest deals going on any travel purchase in or out of the country. They generally offer many trips inside of the country and now that your here you better get going.

Accommodations   Your going to need accommodations while your in Uruguay and this can be solved with a little bit of hard bargaining. The section of Montevideo that is ideal for budget travelers is Ciudad Vieja. There you can find a place for less than five US dollars a night and extended stay is possible. There are quite a few places in this area with the same prices so take your time. There is obviously much more that can be said about accommodation, but the point of this information is to show you how to get set up quickly while you wait for more long term accommodations (Berndardson, 467).

Once you’ve dropped your stuff off it’s time to look for something to eat. Take your local currency, your handy map you picked up, and hit the streets. At this point you could either consult a guide or simply walk the streets. No matter what you choose your bound to find something worth digging into.   Warnings  This an important part of this guide, because it discusses a few of the dangers that you should look out for. When walking through the streets never keep your money or your papers in an outside pocket, especially if the city your in tends to have busy streets. Consider buying a travel pouch that goes under your shirt or in your pants. It may seem like a hassle, but look at it this way, the harder it is for you to get to your money the harder it’s going to be for the would be robber to get to it. Another important thing to remember is to keep your money separated and stored in different places. That way if you lose some you won’t lose it all. If your going to be traveling for awhile keep your big bills in your shoes and your small bills close to your hands. This is also very important to remember when making purchases, because if your bargaining and you pull out a wad of bills especially US currency you can kiss your bargain goodbye. Another important thing to get a handle on is the exchange rate. If you know what your holding then you’ll be less likely to spend needlessly. Oh yeah, don’t exchange your money on the street unless of course you know the person or unless you just don’t need all your money returned to you. If you need to know the daily exchange rates stop in any bank, however they will generally be posted out front. Remember that hard currency like the dollar, pound sterling, or Deutchmark will generally bring you a higher exchange rate. At, least that's the case as of April, 1998.
      
In some countries in South America it is taboo to bribe an officer of the law or a member of the military, however in other countries the situation will not be handled until it is not looked at as a bribe and may very well speed up the process of bureaucracy. Use your best judgment, but don’t put too much faith in your money and never show it all at once.

Be patient when buying and never take their first price. Do your best to support the local economy by staying out of tourist traps that do nothing, but line some tourist agency’s pockets. Try to buy local products whenever possible in order to support the local businesses, many times it will mean a better deal.

Now with all of this said your ready to go and see this wonderful country. You’ve picked your destination and here is a sample of what is possible to help get you get quickly acquainted with Uruguay.

You could leave Montevideo heading north to see some of the cities that line the river. I chose this direction because of the life that generally surrounds the river in South American countries. This will generally give you more possibilities of meeting people and it may become a post for goods if your going long distances. Another thing you might find is a truly patient traveler who takes their time with traveling, you can swap stories, and most definitely trade travel information.

It is important to see every town for what it’s worth. Don’t be afraid to explore, it may seem childish, but it proves itself educating. Don’t rush yourself. Try taking a stroll through the markets. It’s an excellent place to begin to understand a culture and in many third world countries a greater part of the population spends most of their day there.

Traveling can be so much more than time off from work. Enjoy yourself, but be careful. There’s so much out there that’s just waiting for you to discover it. Try to look at all people as individuals and don’t judge them by there politics or economy. You’ll find that many times people in other countries will be as anxious to meet you as you are to meet them. Well, I think I’ve said enough.  I hope I’ve given you a good sample of what is waiting for you and how simple it can be to transform an idea into an adventure, now get out there!!!

Air Courier Service.  199?.  http://www.powerpages.org/ca/AirCourier   (April 14, 1998).

Berndardson, Wayne, and Maria Massolo.  Argentina Uruguay & Paraguay-a travel survival kit.  Berkeley: Lonely Planet, 1992.

Box, Ben.  South American Handbook.  Chicago: Footprint Handbooks, 1996.

Country Info.  1998. http://206.251.29.134/guides/destinations/ (April 14, 1998)

City Map.  1998.  http://citynet4.excite.com/img/magellan/mgmapsoftheworld/montep.gif (April14, 1998).

Ferguson, Halcro J.  The River Plate Republics Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay.  New York: Time, 1965.

Fitzgibbon, Russell H.  Uruguay Portrait of a Democracy.  New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1954.

Map of Uruguay199?.http://citynet4.excite.com/img/magellan/mgmapsoftheworld/montep.gif (April 14, 1998)

St. John, Robert.  South America More or Less.  New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.

Travel Info.  199?.  http://206.251.29.134/guides/destinations/bygeo/0,1256,242,00.html  (April 14, 1998).

Created April 16, 1998

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