South America Adventure Planner

South America Adventure Planner

What, Where, When and How Much

The purpose of the Adventure Planner

We’re here to help you have an outstanding adventure experience. To do so, we tailor every aspect of your trip to your specific interests, expectations, style of travel and budget.

Planning a trip to South America on your own can be daunting, especially with so many cities, regions, hotels and activities to choose from. This planner is meant as an impetus for outlining your expectations and a way for us to get to know you. We’ll guide you through this process so you not only get the trip of your dreams, but so you also find the planning process an enjoyable experience.

Working with Global Sojourns

As a small company passionate about helping clients have outstanding travel experiences, we’re also committed to providing a high level of personal service and exceptional value. Our experience in South America is extensive— over the years we have established relationships with suppliers who provide incredible adventure and cultural experiences, knowledgeable guides and unique opportunities to connect with educational and volunteer opportunities as well as development projects.

The Process

  • We learn what you want from your trip (through the form below or a conversation)
  • We brainstorm with you to help you determine your preferred destinations, budget, mode(s) of transportation, lodgings and activities.
  • We confer with our partners and suppliers to create a trip that fulfills your needs.
  • We create a preliminary itinerary, which you may review and modify until it matches your desires.
  • After reviewing and fine-tuning your itinerary, we develop a final trip plan and itinerary and make payment arrangements.
  • You send in a non-refundable deposit to confirm the bookings along with a booking form and waivers.
  • We send you travel information about the areas you’re visiting along with medical, visa, travel insurance and other important information to help you prepare for the trip.
  • You send in a final payment 60 days before your trip.
  • We send you a summarized itinerary with contacts to carry with you and share with family and friends along with some travel tips before you depart.
  • And…we’re available to address any questions you might have about your trip and the areas you’re visiting, throughout the process.

Creating Your Itinerary

What helps tremendously in designing a great itinerary is for you to communicate the following:

  • Your expectations and interests
  • Your budget
  • Trip length and dates
  • Preferred accommodation style

South America Adventure Planner

1. Expectations/ Desires/ Interests

Think of a few paragraphs or a stream of consciousness that includes the following:
b. What is of most / somewhat / and of least interest in terms of geographic regions, historical locations, archeological sites, flora and fauna, urban areas and culture? Are there any specific places or activities that you wish to include in your itinerary?

2. Trip Length/ Time of Year

There is no perfect time to visit South America- each season has its advantages and seasons vary by region. Many factors are involved— above all, go when you can. Planning your trip far in advance of your travel dates is key. If you’re planning to travel during the high season, aim to make bookings at least one year in advance of your travel dates.

3. Accommodation Style

There is a range of accommodation options to consider depending on your comfort level and style preference:

4. Budget

This is one of the most important decisions to make when planning your adventure and key for us to make recommendations and design an itinerary that is appropriate for you.

Some things to keep in mind: the more cities/regions you wish to visit, and the more air travel involved, the more remote your destination, the more your price will increase. Seasonality can have significant impact on overall cost – for example, summertime in South America (our wintertime) will be more expensive that traveling during the winter months (our summertime). Eco lodges/resorts and high impact adventure activities can drive up price significantly.

Our philosophy is to invest in a great experience and if you need to watch your budget, cut back in the urban areas.

Determine what you can realistically spend on your trip and remember, as with most everything, you get what you pay for.

Other factors that can impact the cost include:

  • which country/regions you visit
  • # of countries/regions you visit
  • when you travel (high/low season)
  • level of luxury
  • privacy/size of hotels/lodges/boats
  • remoteness
  • choosing to travel by air or land
  • time spent in urban areas vs. rural areas
  • length of trip

Global Sojourns is committed to recommending camps that offer the best value whether your price is mid-range or high. Also, unlike a number of operators/ consultants, we are completely independent in what we recommend to our clients. While cost will always vary depending on locations, seasons, accommodations, etc., we will always make every effort to provide you with an outstanding itinerary while staying within your budget.

5. Etcetera

We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for helping us to design the best trip for you.