Latin America is the first part of my RTW trip. I spent approximately 10 months backpacking there, 4 months longer than I originally planned. Below is a summary of my trip.

299 Days, 14 Countries, 75+ Cities

Mexico

1. Cancun
2. Playa del Carmen
3. Tulum

Belize

1. Caye Caulker
2. San Ignacio

Guatemala

1. Flores
2. Tikal
3. Antigua
4. Lake Atitlan
5. Quetzaltenango (Xela)

Honduras

1. Copan
2. La Ceiba
3. Roatan
4. Utila
5. Tegucigalpa

Nicaragua

1. Managua
2. Granada
3. Isla de Ometepe
4. Leon
5. Big Corn Island
6. Little Corn Island

Costa Rica

1. San Jose

Panama

1. Panama City
2. Boquete
3. Bocas del Toro
4. Portobelo
5. San Blas Islands

Colombia

1. Cartagena
2. Medellin
3. Manizales
4. Armenia
5. Salento
6. Cocora Valley
7. Cali
8. Popayan
9. San Agustin
10. Ipiales

Ecuador

1. Otavalo
2. Cotacachi
3. Quito
4. Tena
5. Banos
6. Guayaquil
7. Montanita
8. Puerto Lopez
9. Cuenca
10. Loja

Peru

1. Piura
2. Lima
3. Arequipa
4. Cusco
5. Ollantaytambo
6. Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu
7. Puno

Bolivia

1. Copacabana
2. La Paz
3. Sucre
4. Potosi
5. Tupiza
6. Uyuni

Chile

1. San Pedro de Atacama
2. La Serena
3. Valparaiso
4. Vina del Mar
5. Santiago

Argentina

1. Mendoza
2. Cordoba
3. Salta
4. Buenos Aires
5. Puerto Iguazu

Brazil

1. Foz do Iguacu
2. Florianopolis
3. Paraty
4. Ilha Grande
5. Rio de Janeiro

Highlights

• Learning Spanish in Guatemala
• Climbing an Active Volcano in Guatemala
• Trekking with Quetzaltrekkers from Quetzaltenango to Lake Atitlan (Guatemala)
• Visiting the Ruins of Tikal (Guatemala)
• Doing Absolutely Nothing in Caye Caulker, Belize
• Learning to Scuba Dive in Utila, Honduras
• Volcano Boarding in Leon, Nicaragua
• First Night Dive in Little Corn Island, Nicaragua
• Sailing from Panama to Colombia
• Hiking the Beautiful Cocora Valley near Salento, Colombia
• Machu Picchu (Peru)
• Living in Sucre, Bolivia
• Touring the Mines of Potosi, Bolivia
• Touring the Salt Flats of Uyuni, Bolivia in 4 Days
• Living in Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Iguazu Falls (Argentina and Brazil)
• Partying in Brazil
• …and a few other things I probably shouldn't write about here

Travelers Met

I've met travelers from over 35 different countries. I'd say a lot of them are Dutch, Canadians, Australians, and English.

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, Scotland, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States, Venezuela

Expenses

I kept track of all my expenses on a Google Docs spreadsheet. I tried to be as precise as possible but there were times when I couldn't remember the exact amount so I just rounded them (usually on the higher side as I'd rather overestimate so there are no surprises when I look at my bank account).

Summary

Total Expenses: $14,983.23

• Food: $3,756.26
• Transportation: $2,749.56
• Accommodation: $3,876.65
• Activities: $2,812.52
• Medical: $329.15
• Insurance (World Nomads, includes medical coverage): $708.18
• Miscellaneous: $750.91

By Country (Accommodation, Food, Activities)

Mexico (5 Days)

• Accommodation: $61.00 ($12.20/day)
• Food: $44.90 ($8.98/day)
• Activities: $80.00
• Total: $185.90

Belize (6 Days)

• Accommodation: $40.00 ($6.67/day)
• Food: $60.00 ($10/day)
• Activities: $62.00
• Total: $162.00

Guatemala (36 Days)

• Accommodation: $345.12 ($9.59/day)
• Food: $441.84 ($12.27/day)
• Activities: $446.08
• Total: $1,233.04

Honduras (21 Days)

• Accommodation: $200.74 ($9.56/day)
• Food: $314.68 ($15/day)
• Activities: $339.00
• Total: $854.42

Nicaragua (26 Days)

• Accommodation: $314.00 ($12/day)
• Food: $380.87 ($14.65/day)
• Activities: $180.91
• Total: $875.78

Costa Rica (1 Day)

• Accommodation: $28.00 ($28/day)
• Food: $15.50 ($15.50/day)
• Activities: $0.00
• Total: $43.50

Panama (17 Days)

• Accommodation: $161.00 ($9.47/day)
• Food: $168.50 ($9.91/day)
• Activities: $512.00
• Total: $841.50

Colombia (24 Days)

• Accommodation: $304.75 ($12.70/day)
• Food: $323.16 ($13.47/day)
• Activities: $45.75
• Total: $583.66

Ecuador (25 Days)

• Accommodation: $272.00 ($10.88/day)
• Food: $241.57 ($9.66/day)
• Activities: $94.40
• Total: $607.97

Peru (17 Days)

• Accommodation: $191.30 ($11.25/day)
• Food: $166.84 ($9.81/day)
• Activities: $119.40
• Total: $477.54

Bolivia (38 Days)

• Accommodation: $321.50 ($8.46/day)
• Food: $293.52 ($7.72/day)
• Activities: $424.32
• Total: $1,039.34

Chile (11 Days)

• Accommodation: $207.15 ($18.83/day)
• Food: $176.92 ($16/day)
• Activities: $19.00
• Total: $403.07

Argentina (50 Days)

• Accommodation: $1,047.19 ($21/day)
• Food: $674.56 ($13.50/day)
• Activities: $240.66
• Total: $1,962.41

Brazil (21 Days)

• Accommodation: $382.90 ($18.23/day)
• Food: $453.40 ($21.59/day)
• Activities: $222.50
• Total: $1,058.80

These expenses are already lower than what my expenses would've been if I was back home, but they could've been much lower if I moved slower. Staying in one place for longer periods of time would've have allowed me to save money on food by buying groceries in bulk and cooking, receive discounts on accommodation, and reduce transportation costs.

Also note that I didn't always stay in hostel dorms or went with the cheapest options. I like to balance things. I splurge once in a while and to me they're worth it.

I found Brazil to be the most expensive country to travel in. Chile and Argentina were quite expensive as well. Pretty much the same cost as in the US. Bolivia was definitely the cheapest. I was renting a studio apartment, though not that nice, for about $7/day (I stayed there for a few weeks so they actually gave me some discount and the price went down to about $6.50/day). You can get a nice meal in Bolivia for less than $3.

For activities, I found that figuring out how to do things on your own instead of booking a tour could save you a lot of money. For example, doing Machu Picchu on my own cost me almost half the price of the tour (plus you don't have to tip). It also let me explore the ruins at my own pace. This is, of course, not always possible as there are things that can only be done through a tour agency.

I posted my numbers here to show that you really don't have to be rich to travel for long periods of time, as many Americans seem to think. You could also work and travel at the same time and I've met other travelers doing just that. Teaching English is always in demand in a lot of non-English speaking countries. You could also work at hostels temporarily, play poker online, do freelance stuff online like writing or web design, etc.

Regrets/Stuff I Missed

Not taking salsa lessons in Colombia or tango lessons in Argentina

10 months in Latin America and I still can't dance. Pretty sad.

Not taking learning Spanish seriously enough

This is probably what I regretted the most. I can have a decent conversation with a local in Spanish but only if he or she speaks slowly. I didn't practice enough, always switching to English if the other person speaks it.

Next time I'm in a Spanish speaking country, I'll find a place where there aren't many tourists or locals who speak English. My teachers even recommended getting a Spanish-speaking girlfriend who doesn't speak English when I was studying. I might do just that for a few months. Heck, it might even be cheaper than taking Spanish lessons, especially if she has her own place, that could be the homestay option.

Galapagos Islands

I skipped this because I thought it was too expensive. I could live off for 2 months for the money I would've spent on a 4-day cruise here. But I'd talked to someone who'd been there and he said it was amazing and can be done cheaper.

Patagonia

I really wanted to do this but I didn't have proper gear with me and I didn't want to buy them just for this. I'll probably come to Chile and do the Torres del Paine circuit here.

Countries I Want to Visit Again

Mexico

I rushed Mexico, only seeing the Yucatan Peninsula area. The country is quite big so I'll probably do this on a separate trip.

Colombia

I really liked Colombia a lot, one of my favorite countries. I found the people to be really nice and friendly. The country also has a lot of beautiful places to visit (with beautiful women). I also felt very safe in the country, nothing like what you hear in the news and people who have never been there about drugs and violence.

Cost of living, while not as low as other Latin American countries, is still much lower than in the US. I'm planning on coming back here in the future and stay in one place for a few months, most likely in Medellin.

Chile

I really wanted to go to the southern portion of Chile, especially Patagonia but skipped it due to the high cost and I wasn't prepared for the cold weather. Will try to come back here and trek the Torres del Paine circuit.

Brazil

I had a lot of fun in Brazil and spent a good 3 weeks here, but the country is so vast that I feel like I didn't even scratch the surface. I want to go back to experience Carnaval and check out the northern portion around Salvador da Bahia.

I also really liked Brazilian people, I found them to be genuinely friendly and fun to hang out with. Oh, and lots of beautiful women as well (check out Florianopolis and Rio de Janeiro to see what I mean).