Camp Mom South America archive

4 Travel Hacking Skills that Led to Camp Mom 2017, Nov. 2016

I began FT4RL with a quick “state of The Hobby” chat in order to drive home the fact that everything changes but nothing changes at the same time. The “nothing changes” refers to the travel hacking skills we all need in our toolkit. 

The travel hacking skills list just sprung into action when this Secret Flying sub-$400 RT fare to Santiago, Chile popped up on my twitter feed. Fares to deep South America last summer were averaging high enough that 60,000 AA miles for coach didn’t look 1/2 bad.  

90% of the flight steals fall on dates that just don’t work for families with two school age kids. The rare ones that do match our dates tend to have overnight layovers or other wacky routings that make the price not worth the trouble.

However, this one happened to be available pretty much all summer and had an easy five hour flight/two hour layover/six hour flight format…interesting!

Travel hacking skill #1- flexibility

 Summer 2017 is a Camp Mom year. If you’re not familiar with Camp Mom- it’s a concept we started in 2013 when we realized the single largest vacation expense is transportation. Once you’ve spent the money to get to your vacation destination the extra time is simply a matter of lodging and tours- you’re going to eat at home, aren’t you?  So Deal Dad goes home after our two week trip and I stick around with the kids for Camp Mom.

In 2013 I challenged myself to spend two weeks in Europe (with an assist from miles and points) for less than $1600 (2 weeks of camp for 2 kids at $400/week). Here’s how it went. In 2015 we did the same in Asia, extending our trip to Japan with legs in Vietnam and Hong Kong. Illness aside, we made it work within our budget.

I was considering Eastern Canada for 2017 but hadn’t nailed down an itinerary yet. Two reasons were lower cost to get there and climate. Deal Kid wilts in heat and specifically requested somewhere cool.  As soon as I saw the Santiago fare wheels started to turn…

Travel Hacking Skill #2: Knowledge

I have a little knowledge of the region because Mendoza, Argentina and Santiago were on my short list for Camp Mom solo. The main reason I went to Liguria and Cote D’Azur instead was that I didn’t want to do wine country solo.  I knew the climate in July was cool but mostly sunny.  

I also know there are low level Hyatts in Santiago, Mendoza, and Buenos Aries along with lots of condo rentals all along the countryside.  Intra South American flights on LAN are easily bookable via Avios, on Aerolineas Argentinas via Skymiles or you can purchase cheap tickets via Azul, the Brazilian discount airline.

Travel Hacking Skill #3: Lack of Hesitation

Here’s what separates the hackers from the posers- and here’s the skill that requires family buy-in. Just as I found flights for July Deal Dad returned from the gym. He saw the sparkle in my eye and knew what was coming! I kept it quick: “Flights for one of our bucket list destinations have come up”. (It helps that we saw a House Hunters International on Bariloche just last night.) I filled him in quickly and he said “do it”. 3 tickets for me and the kids for five weeks, one for him for two, and we’re getting to South America for $1500. 

SINGLE LADIES- IF YOU FIND ONE LIKE THIS- HE’S A KEEPER.

Travel Hacking Skill #4: Self-Awareness

I mentioned how lack of self-awareness is the  travel planner’s biggest mistake. Before I booked I ran through my quick “must have” checklist for travel with kids- especially solo travel with kids:

• Access to western medicine: check.  Santiago has a Johns Hopkins approved hospital and Mendoza a large expat community. I’ll be sure to pick up an Allianz insurance policy for extra safety.
• Decent transport/roads: check. Some routes in the Andes might be a bit harrowing but in general it looks OK for getting around. 
• A language I can read, if not speak: Even in Asian locations I’m a lot more comfortable if signs have phonetic spellings.  Check. My Spanish is enough to get us by. 

Deals come and go, but once you’ve mastered the basic travel hacking skills you can roll with it and make your dream trip come true. Or you can just book this Santiago fare and come meet us in July for Camp Mom! 

Pressing “book” energizes me like nothing else. I was starting to have withdrawal symptoms because I had nothing to plan! If you’ve been, please share your tips. As of now, my itinerary is wide open for ideas- the Deal Kids will be 10 and 13. 

Camp Mom 2017 Planning and Transport Part 1- Costs and Lessons Learned, May 2017

I’m finally cutting through decision fatigue and have most of Camp Mom 2017 booked. Today I want to share with you the Camp Mom 2017 planning process, transport details and pricing and lessons learned. In the next post I’ll share the Lodging options we chose. 

The Itinerary

• Iguazu Falls, Argentina (2 nights)
• Buenos Aires, Argentina (5 nights)
• Colonia del Sacramento Uruguay (2 nights)
• Vina Del Mar/Valparaiso, Chile (7 nights)
• Cordillera de la Costa (2 nights)
• La Serena, Chile (6 nights)
• San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (3 nights)
• Santiago (5 nights)

I anguished over the itinerary WAY more than I thought I would when booking tickets to Chile. Deal Dad requested culture (Buenos Aires), beach (Vina/Valparaiso) and Iguazu. I added Colonia because it’s famous for its sunsets and Uruguay adds a new country to our map. Flying into and out of Santiago while spending no time there is a bit weird. However, the Deal Kids and I will visit on our way home. 

When Deal Dad departs we’ll stay in Vina for 4 more days. From there we’ll detour a bit into a National Park, partly due to the amazing lodging I found. Then we head for a week in La Serena. I chose La Serena because of the combination of history- it’s the second oldest city in Chile- things to do in the region and climate. 

From there we head to San Pedro de Atacama to visit the driest place on earth. Finally we wrap up in Santiago before heading home. 

Camp Mom 2017 Planning: Transport

Getting there

Flights from DC to Santiago cost $1440 for the four of us paying cash. We’re flying Copa in E class so will earn 100% on many Star Alliance Airlines. On a 10,069 mile Round trip route (x4) that’s effectively a $400 rebate. If I’m organized enough I’ll get Deal Dad and the Deal Kids on an Egypt Air Family Account and be 1/2 the way to Star Alliance Gold with one vacation. I’ll keep mine credited on United as I’m already United Silver via Marriott Platinum. We also earned 2880 Arrival, points,  $28 in Orbitz credit and $6 back from ebates.

While we’re there

The flights to Iguazu are on Delta Skymiles. At 12.5K each for flights costing over $500 one way, it’s a solid redemption value. We earned the Delta miles via an American Express Platinum signup bonus. 

AAdvantage Miles take care of the flights from Iguazu to Buenos Aires. Flights within Argentina or within Chile are a great deal at only 6,000 miles each way. Avios are another option for within county flights, but with the vast distances involved AA is usually the best deal. We get a 10% rebate on 3 of the tickets due to our AA Aviator cards- which is also the source of most of the miles. The fourth is a complete freebie: Deal Girl had 6,000 butt in seat miles in her account. 

We’re taking a round trip ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia at a cost of $200. The flights back to Santiago are a fifth freedom flight on KLM. We booked those on Ultimate Rewards points for 59K points total. Because we’re in July holiday season low level award flights were surprisingly scare on what should have been a common route. 

To get to Vina del Mar we’re renting a car for two weeks at the cost of $381. It’s higher than usual because I’m renting an automatic due to the terrain. I can drive a manual but am keeping it simple.  Autoslash may find a lower rate. From Santiago Deal Dad heads home and the Deal Kids and I head stay in Vina for four more days before heading to La Serena. 

We’ll leave the car in La Serena and fly to San Pedro de Atacama on LAN. The 500 mile flight was reasonably priced one way at $40 including a checked bag. We return to Santiago on LAN on a slightly more expensive flight: $72 for 650 miles. 

Costs

Using Bonnie rule math I’ll value most redemptions at 1.5 cents (I had originally said 2 cents but I think 1.5 is more fair). However, I’m going to continue valuing accruals at a penny for simplicity’s sake.

Totaling our costs we get the following:

Flights to SCL: $1440- $465 rebate and points =$985 net

SCL-Iguazu: 50K Skymiles and $120 taxes= $870 net

Iguazu-Buenos Aires: 22,800 AA miles and $34 taxes= $376 net

Buenos Aires-Colonia: $200- $6 points= $194

Colonia-Santiago:  53K Ultimate Rewards – $28 miles= $767

Rental car (10 days):  $381- $18 back=$363

Santiago-La Serena: $94-6 back back=$91

Rental Car La Serena=$154 – $6 back= $148

La Serena-San Pedro: $120- $18 Back=$102

San-Pedro- Santiago: $226- $24 back=$202

Total: 126,000 points and $2239 or $4129 net

I’m pretty happy with that amount considering the flights to Santiago alone could have cost that much. 

Lessons Learned

• Jump on those fare sales. The biggest savings comes from the round trip flights. Flying 10,000 miles for $370 is a screaming deal. Anything under 4 cents a mile falls into  “mileage run” territory. Spending only 3.7 cents a mile on an actual planned vacation? Score. 
• One way vs. round trip travel matters more here than in the US or Europe. I mentioned that our flight from SCL to Iguazu was over $500 one way. The exact same flight was $430 round trip going back to Santiago. Be sure to search both ways- worst case you can book the round trip and just take the first leg. 
• Partner intra-continent or domestic one way economy awards are the way to go.  I saved a ton two of my intra-South America flights this way. It will be my first go to when spending miles from now on. 
• Don’t forget to shop in Spanish. The Chilean LAN website often returned prices less than 1/2 of the American LAN site. I also successfully bought tickets on Sky Airline in Chile via Skype. Speaking Spanish without gestures or context was a challenge, but doing so saved me over $50. 
• Traveling on the ground can cost more than traveling in the air. Costs like ferries and rental cars can catch you by surprise. Make sure to budget for them. 
• Learn to drive stick! I’m using an automatic for the first two weeks because of the terrain. In La Serena I’m driving a manual and it’s 30% less. 

The first two weeks of the trip is more accurately named “Camp Mom and Dad”.  Once Deal Dad leaves I’m on the ground with the Deal Kids for 19 more days. It’s been challenging to fill in the rest but I can’t wait to share our adventures! Please share any tips in the comments. 

Camp Mom 2017 Planning Part 2: Lodging- Sausage Houses, Private Funiculars and Geodesic Domes!

Today I want to share with you the Camp Mom 2017 lodging details and pricing and lessons learned.

Camp Mom 2017 Planning: Lodging

We land in Santiago late then take off the next morning for Iguazu Falls Argentina. The first night I have a room at the Holiday Inn SCL for 20K points. The IHG points are due to last year’s Priceless Surprises promotion. The cost was 40 stamps and our time, but I’ll value the points at .7 cent each.

Iguazu Falls

Our original intention was to stay at the Sheraton Iguazu falls at 12k SPG points a night. The Sheraton is the only hotel within Iguazu national park but the property gets mixed reviews. However, even as a Platinum we needed two rooms for a whopping 24K points a night!

Plan B is a well-reviewed AirBnB for $44 night. This is my first AirBnB booking and I was surprised how much they’ve graduated from couch-surfing to a viable family option. For 1/10 the cost we get a two bedroom cottage and a host who will pick us up at the airport. The fact that she’s a chef and cooks dinner for a nominal fee is a bonus. 

Buenos Aires

In Buenos Aires I faced the same two rooms problem we had in Iguazu. The alternative is to rent a 3 bedroom historic “casa chorizo” (sausage house) for $100/night. Is this even close? I reached out to San Telmo Loft, which rents out “The Guesthouse” and a number of other charming properties and am excited to review a sausage house! San Telmo is an up and coming neighborhood as opposed to the more well known Palermo and Reloceta. It’s famous for a Sunday market which we’ll be able to see on our visit.

Colonia, Uruguay

In Colonia del Sacremento we’re burning 44,000 Club Carlson points per night at the well-regarded Radisson Colonia. I think this is a bit high as rentals go for around $200 but at least the room sleeps four.  We have a large stash of Club Carlson points via the Club Carlson Visa. On our way back to Chile we have a night at the Holiday Inn EZE for 20K points.

Vina del Mar

The first decision to make was whether to stay in Valparaiso or in Vina del Mar five miles down the road. Valparaiso is more traditional but also a bit more scruffy while Vina del Mar is polished to a high shine. My guess is that it will resemble Boca Raton.

I decided that with Deal Dad and the kids reliability and amenities trumped history. We can visit Valparaiso during the day and retire to luxury without worry. This is vacation, after all. 

In Vina del Mar we could spend 20K Starwood points a night (again, we need two rooms for 4 people) or 50K at the Radisson. OR…we could get a 3 bedroom apartment with a private funicular to the boardwalk for $112/night. What do you think I chose? 

La Campana National Park

From Vina Del Mar we’ll wind our way back towards Santiago. I was looking for something a bit different between two beach weeks and boy did I find it! This is as close to camping as I’ve come since I was a girl scout. I’m a bit concerned about the cold, but am really looking forward to two nights in a geodesic dome found on Airbnb. At the least it will make a heck of a blog post!

La Serena

In La Serena I found an absolute steal on a well rated condo blocks from the beach. We’re spending $269 a WEEK for the three bedroom flat. Gotta love Airbnb! 

San Pedro de Atacama

This one is still in flux. I have a reservation at a well reviewed Hostal for now but may upgrade to a more full service property.

Santiago

After San Pedro we have five days left in Chile. I have an award at the Hyatt Place for 40K. That gets me two queens and a sofa bed along with free breakfast. Status counts exactly squat. 

Costs

Using Bonnie rule math I’ll value most redemptions at 1.5 cents (I had originally said 2 cents but I think 1.5 is more fair). Club Carlson and IHG merit .7. However, I’m going to continue valuing accruals at a penny/ 1/2 penny for simplicity’s sake.

SCL: 20K IHG or $130

Iguazu: $88 – $2 points= $86

Buenos Aires: $500

Colonia: 88,000 Club Carlson or $616. 

EZE: 20K IHG or $130

Vina del Mar: $774 – $21 points= $752

La Campana: $120 – $4 points=$116

La Serena: $234 – $6 points= $228

San Pedro: $220

Santiago: 40k Hyatt Points or $600. 

Total: 168K points and $1902 or $3404 for 34 nights

We’re spending an average of $100/night on lodging, which surprised me. Some of that is my choice but a lot of the decisions were dictated by the market.

Lessons Learned

• South America is not Central America. I had a different expectation of pricing based on my experiences in Mexico, Guatemala and Panama. I found prices more comparable to Southern Europe. 
• Hotel points were of limited value. I collected a large stash of Marriott and SPG via credit cards signups for this trip. I ended up not using any at all. The barrier? Occupancy limits. I couldn’t find a single SPG or Marriott property that allowed four to a room. Hyatts were the same with the exception of the Hyatt Place in Santiago. Holiday Inns and Radissons generally allowed two adults and two kids under 17. 
• Airbnb is all grown up. After many friends suggested Airbnb I finally took the plunge. I’m so glad I did! If you think Airbnb is for couch surfers and dreadlocked hosts smelling of patchouli oil think again. If you want to give AirBnb a try here’s my referral link for $40 off your first booking.

The first two weeks of the trip are more accurately named “Camp Mom and Dad”.  Once Deal Dad leaves I’m on the ground with the Deal Kids for 19 more days. I’d love your input on things to do, etc. 

How do you decide to splurge on hotels?

Camp Mom South America is only two weeks away and I need your help. I don’t know if it’s the new continent thing, if it’s the off-season part or just plain indecision but I’m struggling with two of my hotel choices. I’m hoping someone out there has experience with either and can give me some guidance. Here’s my over-reaching question: how do you decide when to splurge on hotels and when to save?

I’ve nailed down a couple of criteria but then have two specific situations where I’m having trouble taking my own advice. That’s where you come in.

When to Splurge on Hotels

• When the hotel itself is the destination (IE Hyatt Cannes Martinez.) The historic property was on my bucket list, so the category 7 points plus cash plus suite upgrade made sense. Although to be fair the view from the Holiday Inn Cannes was nicer.
• When it’s a once in a lifetime destination or event. Macy’s Parade and Bastille Day Fireworks come to mind. Although neither of those hotels was particularly high end, I would have spent what it took to make either happen. 
• When you’re celebrating a personal milestone. 

Otherwise, I tend to find a balance on the comfort/price scale, even when using points. Two destinations coming up have really put me into a dilemma. 

Iguazu Falls

The only hotel with a view of the falls is the Sheraton Iguazu. The Sheraton requires us to reserve two rooms for four people at a gag-worthy price of 24,000 Starpoints a night. The hotel itself is dated and gets mixed reviews if not for the view. 

Almost 50K Starpoints for two nights? That’s easily a week at an equally nice or nicer property in a different location. We’re probably not making it back to Iguazu so my own criteria says to go for it- and they are points from signup bonuses.  However the thought of it makes me want to throw up. 

San Pedro de Atacama

Hotels in San Pedro go from 5 star all-inclusive resorts to two star hostels with nothing in between. I technically have the Ultimate Rewards points to get three nights at $900 (ACK) a night for the three of us at the five star property. 

Again, it’s a once in a lifetime destination, but it’s also just me and the Deal Kids so I feel guilty blowing out the budget without Deal Dad in tow. Yes, the all inclusive includes meals and tours but I have trouble thinking how we’ll spend the extra $800/day over the two star on food and tour guides, no matter how special. 

That said, I’d hate to have a less-than-optimal experience and know I could have afforded to go all out. 

Hence my dilemmas. I know these are first world problems but would appreciate your input, especially if you have visited either destination. 

One Thing You Need to Know Before Visiting Argentina, July 2017

I consider myself fairly well informed on all things travel. I read the books, searched the blogs, and thought I was ready. However, I missed the importance of this crucial detail and I want to share with you one thing you need to know before visiting Argentina. It could make or break your trip. 

Money is not always available when you need it

I’ve visited countries with unstable currencies. Heck: Indonesia’s Rupiah dropped 30% during a single visit to Bali. However, I’ve never visited a country where I literally could not get money. That has happened to me more than once in our week in Argentina. 

We arrived into AEP- Buenos Aires’ domestic airport- Monday morning the 3rd. I immediately found an ATM, but just as quickly found it was empty. At 9AM the currency exchange booth was closed. I was a bit concerned to find an empty ATM but figured the one at the Iguazu airport would be open. 

Well, it apparently was open, but this ATM couldn’t read my Capital One debit card. IGR didn’t have an open exchange booth as most flights coming into it are domestic. No problem- I’ll just change money at the hotel.

Except the hotel was out of pesos as well. They thought “we might have some tomorrow” but at that moment I was completely without pesos to pay a taxi or to buy anything else outside of the hotel. 

I found a taxi driver willing to accept US Dollars- note: bring small bills- and she drove me into Puerto Iguazu to get some cash. It took us three banks to find an ATM with money in it that would also accept my card. 

Finding an ATM with Cash Only Solves the Problem for a Few Hours

Turns out Argentine payday is the 1st of the month and ATMs get cleared out the minute that paycheck hits. Because of the lack of cash ATMs have strict limits about what you can take out. Scott at MileValue, who lived in Buenos Aires, is the only person who I’ve seen cover the money situation in detail. 

So once you do find an ATM that works, you can only get 2,000 (about $120 as of this writing) or a bit more at a time. I did find that you can do back to back transactions so I successfully pulled out 4K pesos. The ATM charges HUGE fees: about $6 per transaction, so you’ll definitely want a card that rebates your ATM fees here. 

Iguazu Falls? Not Without Pesos.

If you’ve traveled all the way to Iguazu, you want to see the falls. Iguazu Falls national park charges a large entrance fee: for us it was 1,630 ($100ish) pesos, due in cash, in pesos only, for a family of 4 (500 adults, 130 6-12). TIP: hold on to your tickets! Take them to the box office at the end of the day to be validated. If you do so, day 2 will be 1/2 price. 

Add in the 600 for round trip taxi and a single trip could clean out your cash before you even buy a bottle of water. There’s an ATM at the entrance, but (guess what?) it was empty on Tuesday morning the 4th. Thank goodness the hotel had pesos by then, but they only let us change $100. Later that day the park ATM had cash so we muddled through. 

Even BA needs more cash than you think

More restaurants and activities than you think are cash only. Even tourist spots like Cafe Tortoni only sell tickets to their 380 peso ($23) Tango show in cash. Fortunately they did accept US Dollars at a decent rate. Our cruise tickets in Tigre? 540 pesos for 4, cash only.

At this moment, Sunday morning at 9AM, we have exactly 152 pesos in our possession. First order of business this morning is to find an exchange place or an ATM.

In most places I try to keep the cash on hand to a minimum in case of theft. I had planned to supplement my US cash stash with ATM visits and charge card usage so only brought about $300 a week to spend. At this rate our month’s worth of cash wouldn’t last 10 days. 

Thank goodness Uber is alive and well in Buenos Aires. However, even that is not hassle free.  Turns out Uber only accepts Visa or Mastercard. American Express credits or Uber gift cards will not help you here. 

Crossing the Border into Uruguay

We leave tomorrow for Colonia and it appears the money situation there is much easier. From there we head for Chile. If anyone has had similar experiences getting money in Chile, please let me know so I can get some US cash in Uruguay!

Iguazu Falls Hotels: Is the Melia Iguazu Worth It?

‘m going to begin this post the same way I end it- by imploring you to put Iguazu Falls on your wish list.

I asked before we went to Iguazu Falls whether we should stay at the Melia and the consensus was that the hotel’s location was worth the exorbitant (for families over 3) cost. In the end we decided not to stay at the Melia but did have lunch on property so I could see what the fuss was about.

My Non-Review Review of the Melia Iguazu Falls

If you are looking for nuts and bolts room info, check TripAdvisor. That’s not how I roll. What I wanted to know- and what I’m guessing you want to know- is whether the Melia is worth the extra money. In order to answer that question we need to answer two others: 

How Much Extra Money?

This depends greatly on the size of your family. If you have three or fewer in your party, it’s not so much. However, if you’re four or more the costs go up- as in double- because you’ll need two rooms. They even define an “adult” as age six or higher! 

Let’s compare that to our experience at the new Falls Iguazu Hotel and Spa. Using our friend TripAdvisor I found the highly rated property for just $110 a night. Even better, the room slept four, included breakfast, and they even threw in a one way airport transfer. To be fair, we did spend $30/day on taxis so need to factor that in to the equation.

I highly recommend the Falls Iguazu Hotel and Spa. It was a ten minute drive to the falls, the rooms- being new- were well maintained and large, and the setting was quiet and tranquil but still modern enough to have a decent pool cafe and a grownup-friendly lounge for an after-falls glass of Malbec.

Oh, and did I mention that massages were $36 for 45 minutes? Not only did Deal Dad and I each get one, we even bought Deal Kid a leg massage after our nine miles at the Falls got to him. The spa equaled most you see at a four star in the states and included an indoor Roman bath that I didn’t expect to find that far out in the wild. 

What do you get?

Well, the main thing you get is this:

I won’t deny that’s pretty great. However, what you also get is this:

Cute, right? Well, not so cute when this guy and one of his friends dives for your lunch not once, but twice in the same meal! Deal Girl decided her memoir title will be “A monkey stole my mustard”. Catchy, dontcha think?

I never thought of monkeys being like pigeons or seagulls, but they got that disruptive. There must have been a dozen hanging on the Melia’s balconies- not just the restaurant. In the two hours we were there they stole food- not just from us-broke dishes, chased guests from balconies, and just created havoc. 

Many of you mentioned the joy of your morning coffee while enjoying the falls, but I’m not sure how much joy I’d get sipping java while a monkey relieves himself next to you. We saw monkeys poop on balconies, too! 

The Falls Experience

The other main benefit I heard about the Melia was the ability to visit the parks before the crowds descended. I equate that to on-site vs. off-site at Disney. If you have a napping toddler, I see the benefit. Otherwise you can employ basic theme park strategy to avoid the crowds. By asking the staff where the tour groups went and at what time we avoided the throngs of bus tourists. 

I think it is safe to say you can have an uncrowded Falls experience without the Melia!

To Sum Up: Is The Melia Iguazu Falls worth it?

It’s so not my style to fail to come to a definite conclusion, but my firm answer is maybe. If you are a couple or have just one kid under 6 and very limited time to see the falls, the scale leans towards yes. Otherwise? I just don’t see it. With a bit of strategy you’ll still have an amazing Iguazu Falls Experience. You can use the savings at the spa- and still have some left over. 

If you’ve stayed at the Melia and have room intel, please share. Also if you have another Iguazu hotel suggestion, please share that, too. You’ll help those who come after you. 

The one thing I want you to leave this post with is a desire to visit Iguazu Falls. While I obsessed over which of the Iguazu Falls Hotels to choose, once we got there I realized it was more important just that we were there. Iguazu is a pain to get to as it requires a flight from Buenos Aires and there isn’t anything to do there besides the falls, but it doesn’t matter. JUST GO. 

Colonia del Sacramento Uruguay: Less- and More- Than a Day Trip

When I revealed Camp Mom South America many commenters objected to my decision to stay two nights in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. “It’s no more than a day trip from Buenos Aires, You’ll be bored” was the general consensus. I’m happy to report that we loved our two nights in Colonia and would have stayed longer. I also understand why you might be underwhelmed if you don’t do it right. 

What Turned “Meh” Into Wow? This.

Our original plan was to use up Club Carlson points at the Radisson. Other points options include a Sheraton and a Days Inn. I’m so glad we re-thought that plan as we would have been in a cramped room- even with a “suite” upgrade you’ve got a family of four in a tight space. But I’ll come back to lodging. First let’s chat about why you should visit Colonia del Sacramento in the first place:

This.

Colonia is famous for sunset- in that way it reminds me of a really low key Key West. With marijuana legal in Uruguay it also smells a bit like Margaritaville. The town is not oceanfront- that’s the 110 mile wide Rio de la Plata- but as you can see it is definitely more bay feeling than river. Even in July- deep winter- temperatures were comfortable in the 60s during the day and 50s at night. In Summer Colonia is known as a temperate getaway from Buenos Aires.

I understand why as getting there from BA is a piece of cake. The hour long ferry ride is easy and comfortable. A number of lines ply the route but the most affordable is Colonia Express. Prices go up closer to departure- we paid about $50/person for a round trip bought two months out. There is no need to pay $300/person for a day tour. 

Once you get to Colonia there’s not much to do. In fact, I don’t know that I’d even bother with a day trip unless you planned around sunset. You can get a new passport stamp, shop tchoktes, eat overpriced and underwhelming food, and generally walk around a nice setting. (I realize if you only read the last paragraph you’d wonder why I bothered to write about the place).  

But that’s not the point. Colonia is not a “do place”. It’s a “be place”. I’ll explain. To me, some places are “do” places, where I feel the need to explore. Others are “be” places, where I want to just absorb everything around me. That’s why where we stayed made the trip- and the Radisson would have broken it.

Our House Was the Place Tourists Photographed.

It’s a shame they only saw the outside…for them. For us the house WAS the destination. Our Airbnb rental felt like the stuff of fairy tales. At less than $150 a night (and using a $40 invite credit) the three bedroom house with a courtyard, backyard, and rooftop terrace was an absolute steal. We even earned Delta miles.

We spent hours in the house tending two fires, reading books, playing cards, and just feeling snug as a bug in a rug. The kitchen hearth became grand central as we enjoyed orange-yolked eggs for breakfast, empanadas for lunch and fresh baguettes with “queso Colonia” (local cheese) for dinner. We stayed till the last possible minute (thanks to the accommodating owner) and enjoyed a third sunset from the terrace before heading back to civilization. 

We especially appreciated Colonia del Sacramento after a hectic ten days in Iguazu Falls in Buenos Aires. I’d recommend Colonia as your down time in the rhythm of your trip. I would also only recommend a historic house such as the one we visited- Colonia’s charms are lost if you stick to the Radisson.

Have you visited Colonia? What did you think? I’d love to hear your stories in the comments.

Two Travel Apps I Rely On Failed Me in South America

Much of South America- at least Chile and Argentina- felt first world to us. We could drink tap water, find clean public toilets, use our smartphones and generally not worry about creature comforts. That said, two travel apps I use everyday absolutely failed in South America. I’m curious to hear if it was just our bad luck or if the same has happened to any of you. 

Travel Apps Fail: Google Maps

Google Maps didn’t just fail us in Chile- it failed in spectacular fashion. Even in modern cities like Vina del Mar Google Maps couldn’t distinguish between a paved road and a mud track. It defaulted to the “fastest” route: not taking into account the difference between a main road and streets going off in 45 degree angles. 

Once we left the main cities it was even worse. Our favorite fail occurred when we got lost (thanks to Google Maps) in Zapillar, a coastal town about an hour north of Vina. We were facing the Pacific Ocean in this spot:

Google Maps’ helpful direction?

“Head West”

Ok…Thanks, Google Maps!

Travel App Fail: Weather

Every single Weather app and website we tried was useless in South America. “Sunny” forecasts would end up pouring rain, “foggy” days became sunny by 8AM and so on. I can’t think of a single day in five weeks that a weather prediction matched the actual weather. Most days it wasn’t even close.

Part of this may be geography: mountain ranges stopped rain clouds in their tracks and the Pacific breezes came and went by the minute. However, most modern weather forecasts in the northern hemisphere can predict hourly weather down to the zip code. In Chile and Argentina we stopped trusting the forecasts by week 2 and planned our days by looking up. 

Have you had similar travel apps failures either in South America or anywhere else? I’m curious to hear about your experiences.

Long Term Family Travel is Not all Sunshine and Rainbows

True Deal Mommy Confession: I threw the Deal Kids’ soccer ball into a ravine. To be fair they were warned. Still, it’s not my finest parenting moment. But it did get me thinking. Just like nobody shows their B side on Facebook, nobody tells the truth about long term family travel. 

Long Term Family Travel Sucks Sometimes.

It doesn’t suck much more than it does, but I try to keep it real here. And there are times long term family travel sucks. Not in the needing a hospital kind of way but in the “if these kids don’t shut up I’m gonna throw their soccer ball off of a cliff” kind of way. The Deal Kids are 10 and 13 but it’s been the same since our first Camp Mom four years ago : they get on each other’s nerves constantly, which means collectively they get on mine. 

When I feel my own temperature rising I try really hard to remember one thing:

It’s Not (Usually) The Kids’ Fault

Let’s face it: 24 hours a day together for five weeks is a lot even for most married couples. And they chose each other. Siblings didn’t. The two Deal Kids are each spectacular people individually. I love spending time with each of them. 

That said, they are two differently spectacular people. They engage with the world in a much different manner.

For Deal Girl everything really IS awesome. Her excitement meter goes to 11 and she wants the world to know it! I so admire her boundless confidence and absolute fearlessness.

Deal Kid is much more contemplative. He holds his emotion cards close to the vest. If you get a “pretty good” from him the item in question must be a 10. Deal Kid is actually much better on press trips because he has an unbiased eye. He’s hilarious, thoughtful and engaging, but in a much more analytical way. 

As you might imagine the cheerleader in Deal Girl drives Deal Kid crazy because she just won’t calm down.  And Deal Girl is constantly wondering why Deal Kid is such a jerk. They’re both right, and they’re both wrong. It’s my job to understand that and navigate the chasm between them. My progress report is decidedly mixed. 

How I Keep the Pressure Cooker from Exploding

Over the last four years I’ve developed some coping strategies for when it just gets too much. I’m sharing these with you in the hopes you can better manage your own long term family travels. I’d love to hear your tips as well because I have two more weeks of travel!

Space Saver

I’ve mentioned before that we’ve moved from hotels to vacation rentals  where possible. I’ve gone a step further and started searching for properties that give the kids each their own bedroom. The cost is marginal compared to the sanity savings. 

Give Each Kid Time When You Can

Nature is giving me a break here. Deal Girl wakes up earlier than Deal Kid and Deal Kid stays up later. I try to engage with both of them on the edges of the day as it’s solo time I can’t give them otherwise. 

As I type this Deal Girl is coloring next to me. Deal Kid is still sleeping so she’s talking a mile a minute about everything and nothing. Last night Deal Girl fell asleep in the car on the way back from star-gazing so Deal Kid and I joked for an hour in the car. He even let a nugget drop: there’s a girl back home he can’t wait to see…

Lean In But Don’t Surrender Entirely

The upside to having five weeks to travel is that you can take things at a more leisurely pace. This works especially well in countries where the pace of life is part of the appeal.  I aim for one “enriching” activity daily. The Kids and I have developed a rhythm that works most of the time.

One thing I’ve learned is that “enrichment” comes in many forms. Take the photo above, for example. Yes, the kids spent 30 minutes playing a video game found at a department store. But I made them get their own change, in Spanish. Deal Kid also found a great deal on $3 T-shirts- meaning he’s figuring out the currency. And Deal Girl ordered lunch on her own at the store snack bar. Baby steps. 

Carry Entertainment

Meals take a looooong time in many countries so I always carry a deck of cards. When the kids were younger I relied on Mad Libs.  A few days ago I resorted to an ad hoc science experiment: each kid put a load of mentos in his mouth and took a swig of diet coke. Hilarity ensued. 

Yesterday we had an hour to kill in the small town of Vicuna before our stargazing tour. I popped into the grocery store and bought two balls. That they had Peppa Pig on them was neither here nor there. We played dodgeball on the town square for an hour before giving the balls away. $4 well spent. 

“It’s totally worth it” isn’t just a platitude

I don’t want to dissuade anyone from long term family travel. I just want you to go in with a clear head. And from time to time the kids surprise you with their team work and their ability to figure it out.

San Pedro de Atacama with Kids: What You Need to Know

There’s a lot not to like about visiting San Pedro de Atacama with kids.

First and foremost, it’s completely isolated even from the rest of Chile. It’s a two hour flight from Santiago or 90 minutes to La Serena then an hour bus ride to even get there. 

Moreover, Caracoles, the main drag, is an adobe version of Bangkok’s Khao San Road. The entire street reeks of patchouli oil and other herbal substances. If you need to stock up on ponchos, woven water bottle holders or llama shaped tchotkes, this is your place.

It’s also exorbitantly expensive. Our very basic room- three beds, a bathroom, and a space heater- cost $120. It is also located next door to a disco. Fortunately they’re closed on Sundays so last night we slept. However, It’s fairly priced. If you want a “real” hotel room it’s $300+. If you want 5 stars it gets into four digits very quickly.

To make it worse, bus tours (ugh) are the only way to visit the sights unless you spend $$$ to hire a driver. You really need someone to take you to the right spots, most of which are down dirt and rock roads that I wouldn’t attempt in a monster truck. I imagine they find dried out skeletons of folks who break down up here.

San Pedro also took our breath away. Literally.

Coming straight from sea level was a mistake but we would have felt the 8000 ft altitude either way. Yesterday we were up to almost 16,000 feet in the Andes. I have no idea how these backpackers are partying up here. I’m staying away from alcohol and even limiting my caffeine.

Deal Girl, having the smallest lungs, felt it the worst but I and even iron lunged Deal Kid struggled that high up. Two reputable tour companies flatly refused to take kids to one of the main attractions, the Geyers of Taino, because they had seen too many kids get sick with no way to get help besides being carried. I was fortunate to get some on the ground intel because many companies will sell that tour to kids- in fact I had one reserved until I heard from the experts.

In addition to the altitude San Pedro is also the absolute driest place on earth- take that Sahara Desert. The ANNUAL rainfall is 1/12 inch. Or as Deal Kid put it, 1/2 a shower a year. Even my eyeballs itch from the dryness and dust.

Even with all the physical and social irritants I would urge you to come to San Pedro de Atacama in a (rapid) heartbeat. Wait till the kids are older- I’m not sure I’d bring a 10 year old again even though I’ve seen babies. (I have no idea what those people are thinking!)

In the space of 36 hours we:

Visited landscapes that deserve their names: Valley of the Moon and Valley of Death.

Hiked up a volcanic canyon and sprinted down a 500 ft high sand dune.

Tasted salt that sprung from the ground like snow and saw entire salt covered valleys that in photos look snow dusted.

Drove straight up into the Andes and had breakfast on a frozen lake.

Saw ice crystallize into fantastic sculptures like those you see at a natural history museum.

Found a shade of blue I’ve never seen in a crayon box.

Watched wild flamingos on a (G-rated) “date” and even saw one fly.

Sampled Chile’s favorite snack and tasted native fruits from the tree with A Bite of Atacama.

And that’s just off the top of my head.

If you want to hack San Pedro de Atacama, good luck!

To start, I used a booking.com promo which helped a bit on the room. You could use the CSR portal if you wanted to stay in an expensive room to redeem 1.5 dollars per point. You could also CSR the tours but you’ll save much more here at the agencies. Booking airfare in Spanish saves money as well-try LAN’s Chilean site. I ended up buying round trip tickets to Santiago because it was 75% cheaper than one way. Therefore, Capital One points may be your best/only play.

Have any of you made the trek to San Pedro de Atacama? Had you even heard of such a place? Please share any thoughts or questions in the comments.