Basics - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 36

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Insurance Maps

A typical travel insurance policy provides cover
for the loss of baggage, tickets and - up to a certain
limit - cash, as well as cancellation or curtailment
of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called
dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid:
this category can include scuba diving, white-water
rafting, windsurfing and trekking, though probably
not kayaking or jeep safaris. Many policies can be
changed to exclude coverage you don't need. If you
take medical coverage, ascertain whether benefits
will be paid as treatment proceeds or only after your
return home, and whether there is a 24-hour medical
emergency number. When securing baggage cover,
make sure that the per-article limit will cover your
most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim,
you should keep receipts for medicines and medical
treatment and, in the event you have anything stolen,
you must obtain an o cial statement from the police.

Excellent maps of South America, covering the
region at a scale of 1:5,000,000, are produced by
Canada's International Travel Maps and Topics
( W itmb.com). They also publish individual country
and regional maps. Once in South America the
South America Explorers Club ( W saexplorers.org) is
a good point of reference, and often the only source
of accurate maps is the military - check at the local
tourist o ces on where to purchase them. If you'd
rather be safe than sorry, buy maps at home and
bring them with you.

Money
ATMs are widely available in most large cities, but
in smaller towns and rural areas don't expect to rely
solely on using international debit cards to access
funds. Travellers' cheques are much less widely
accepted than they once were, and you'll often get
a fixed exchange rate: pre-paid currency cards are
an excellent alternative, though these, too, require
access to an ATM. There is still nothing as easy to use
as cash, preferably US dollars, and it makes sense
always to carry at least a few small-denomination
notes for when all else fails.
Credit card fraud is a problem on the continent,
particularly in Brazil and Venezuela; be sure to keep
an eye on your card and to retain your copy of the
transaction slip. In many countries credit cards will
only be accepted in the biggest hotels and shops,
and banks will sometimes refuse to offer cash
advances against them. Payments in plastic may
also incur high surcharges when compared to cash
payments.
When exchanging money , you should use only
authorized bureaux de change, such as banks,
cambios and tourist facilities, rather than deal with
moneychangers on the streets. For details on each
country, consult the “Money and banks” section at
the beginning of each chapter. In remote and rural
areas, and for shopping in local markets and stalls,

Internet

Internet access is now almost ubiquitous in cities
and towns across South America (though it is more
restricted in the Guianas) and only in rural areas is it
di cult to come by. Connection speeds and costs
vary from country to country, and in some cases
from area to area. Wi-fi is now increasingly common
in hostels and hotels, but also in cafés and restau-
rants (especially in the Southern Cone).

Mail
Post o ces in cities and major towns offer a wide
range of services; those in villages are much more
basic, with shorter opening hours and slow service.
It's often quicker and safer to use a courier service -
although you'll pay much more. Hotels in capital cities
may sell stamps and have a postbox - if you are
staying in one, this can be the most convenient way
to send a letter home. Expect airmail to take from a
week to a month to Western Europe and the US.