Archive for the ‘How To’ Category

One of the most frequent questions I receive in the T2T inbox is how I meet and befriend locals while traveling and living abroad. The entire concept of this site focuses on that interaction and I base the success of each adventure on the friends I’ve made and authentic moments I’ve shared with locals. I’m not saying you can’t have the same experiences following the backpacker trail or hanging out in tourist bars, but I do think that while traveling, everyone should make some effort to understand a place and culture through the people who define it. The moments I cherish most while traveling and living abroad are those when taking photos seems inappropriate and an explanation of the scene always falls short of the feeling. They are the times when you feel comfortable being part of something completely foreign. It’s for this reason I’ve gone into every South American …

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Some of the best views in the world are captured from inside the classy hotels and lavish apartment complexes that many of us will never have the opportunity to see. I don’t like that idea. I want to see how the other half lives and I don’t want to wait until I’m a stuffy-old man before I do so. Also, besides just the views, I have a secret obsession with architecture and the interior design of upscale hotels and condo high-rises (lofts especially).

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When I started out on this T2T project one of first things I told myself was to avoid guided tours at all costs. I thought there was no way I could submerge myself into a new culture while being herded around like sheep (dressed in tropical shirts and socks with sandals). The truth is however, tours aren’t all bad. Sometimes they’re the best (or only) way to see a bunch of stuff in a limited time. Over the past few years I’ve done bus tours in London, bike tours in Mendoza, walking tours in Rome, island hoping tours in Greece and tours South America. Some were better than others but all could’ve been maximized if I’d followed a few simple ideas. Below is a list of 5 things that I laid out after my most recent tour in South America that I think could help make any tour experience great. …

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Before I could hold a decent conversation in Spanish, I had to come up with a few tactics to act like I knew a lot more than I really did. I dove in head first when I arrived in Buenos Aires, trying to learn the language as fast as possible, but the fact is it takes time. So what do you do until that point? I scored the bartending gig right away, but working with all Argentines made it difficult for me to communicate even at the most basic level. Why fake it? Well, if I didn’t pretend to know more than I really did, eventually people would stop talking to me. If you say “I don’t know” or “I don’t understand” enough times people are going to just start asking somebody else. Especially when it’s a waiter needing a drink or a customer wanting some food. Below is a list …

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After being in Northern Argentina for a few days we started noticing everyone with big cheek-fuls of coca leaves.  Most of the men in the area looked like old-time baseball players or chipmunks packing away nuts for the winter. Chewing coca leaves is a big part of the culture here in Northern Argentina as well as in many other indigenous communities across the central Andean region in South America. Particularly in places like the highlands of Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. Many people believe chewing the leaves (really more like sucking on them) will extract chemicals to help with living in such high altitudes. It is said that when chewed, coca acts as a mild stimulant and suppresses hunger, thirst, pain, and fatigue. However, it doesn’t cause the euphoric and psychoactive effects associated with use of the drug version – cocaine. I’l let you decide if that’s good or bad. …

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Greeting like an Argentine is a vital part in the path to becoming a townie. I decided to create this instructional video one day at work to demonstrate the do’s and dont’s of giving a good salutation here in Buenos Aires. I also explain some of the mistakes I have made and some things you need to remember when smooching acquaintances. You also get to meet some of the people I work with at Buller so it’s a win win. Below is a list of the 7 different types of greetings I discuss in the video. All of which I have personally experience first hand. The Standard: A simple kiss (beso) on the right cheek for both men and women. This is done when saying hello and goodbye. Usually hands are position on the shoulders, arm, or back. If you know the person better a hand on the waste or …

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I decided to take a page out of Kate Hudson’s book and create a “How To” guide for Argentina football fans who want to attend a match here in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This is the first of many “T2T How To Guides” about traveling to Buenos Aires. Hopefully it will be a good travel resource & entertaining guide for those looking to attend a Football Match in Argentina. Please pardon any shaky images, for most of the day we were either really excited, jumping up and down or trying to hide the camera from being called out by the Barra Brava at the game. The footage is from my first ever Argentine Football match – Velez vs River, that some friends and I attended on December 6th as part of the first tournament (season) here in Buenos Aires – Apertura 2009. We learned the songs, bought the gear and didn’t get …

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  Take 2 guys who’ve ridden a horse maybe 5 times in their life (combined). Add a ranch, some malets, fake Polo Jerseys, a keg and a group of entertained-Argentine-spectators and you’ve got yourself a great day of Polo Lessons in Buenos Aires. Jed from LandingpadBA.com set us up with an awesome guy named Fernando from Poloelite.com who took us out to his ‘club’ for the day. We met up at the Millhouse Hostel at 12:30 this afternoon. And may I just say, if you’re coming to Buenos Aires you need to stay at this hostel. It’s incredible. Honestly, the coolest looking hostel I’ve ever seen. Anyway, We jumped in Fernando’s car and took a 45 minute ride into the country. We pelted him with every question we could think of on the way, from “how’d you get started in Polo?” to “Do you laugh when girls fall off horses?” When we got to …

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Motorcycle Diaries eat your heart out. We weren’t curing Polio or anything but man was it fun feeling the wind in your face and a good friend clinging to your back. Just a couple of macho guys, drinking beers, picking up chicks and cruising around Colonia, Uruguay on scooters with pearl colored helmets. Today my buddy Greco & I took the Buquebus over to Colonia, Uruguay to peep the scene, renew my tourist visa and chase some tail. I started off the morning by almost ruining our entire trip. We got to the Buquebus terminal in plenty of time for our 9:30 trip and started asking around for guidance on the check-in procedure. After some broken conversations we waited for the monitors above each check-in kiosk to say “Colonia”. I figured that would make sense. However, it never happened. So finally, at about 9:15 I asked another lady for help and she …

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On Thursday night one of my best friends from college, Nick Greco, will be flying into Buenos Aires to visit for 2 weeks. I figure it’s gotta be a step in the right direction of becoming a “townie” if I show people around my city. He’s an excellent karaoke singer and proven wing-man so things should get pretty interesting. We plan on documenting the entire most of the trip so everyone should expect some great stuff around the holidays. We’ve been corresponding via email lately to get everything planned out. Here’s a list of questions (with answers) he sent over this morning to give you an idea of where we’re at… Is there anything I need to do before I get on the plane? (besides have my passport) – Buy TSA approved locks for your bags. I guess they get “checked” sometimes in Mexico City. – Make sure you keep all your tech stuff with your carry-on. …

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My biggest concern over the last few weeks has been actually passing customs and getting into Argentina (legally). Argentina is relatively liberal towards American tourists but there are still rules and regulations that I need to be aware of before the trip. Because I only purchased a one-way ticket into Buenos Aires I’m afraid they won’t let me in because I don’t have “proof of departure” plans. After calling the Argentina Consulate the first time last week the nice lady (Monica) made it very clear that “I need to show proof of coming in and out of the country within 90 days”. (90 days is the allotted time for American Citizens to travel into Argentina without a proper visa). So instead of buying a second plane ticket back into the US, which would be very expensive I decided to book a ferry to Uruguay in mid-December. Which I am told by the …

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Why Buenos Aires? Wonderful Question… the simple answer is, I have no idea, Buenos Aires just popped in my head one day and wouldn’t get out. I saw Buenos Aires on the cover of Yahoo’s homepage during a time when I was thinking about branching out from work. After this I started seeing Buenos Aires and Argentina everywhere. From Painters in Art Galleries and news articles to athletes. Omens I guess. Upon more thought, Buenos Aires started to make sense. So, I came up with a ‘why Buenos Aires’ list because my mom said ‘why not’ isn’t good enough. Here it is… 1. I figure I’m relatively young with no strings attached. I might as well take this opportunity to conquer 2 of my major life goals. A. Live in a big city (whose primary language isn’t English) and B. become fluent in a second language. 2. Argentina is cheap compared …

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