Is it safe to travel alone as a female in Brazil?
Depends a lot on you, the way you behave and what you are looking for. I would suggest Buzios www.buziosonline.com.br Its a beach resort, about 2 hours north of Rio, safe, very nice, great hotels, etc check www.abracadabrapousada.com.br or www.casasbrancas.com both are very nice, and can provide transportation to and from Rio. A week there should be nice or even more and it will give you an idea of how Brazilians are etc. A few days in Rio are nice as well, but being carefull, dont walk around showing eletronics etc... the basics. Choose a less touristy area, such as Leblon. Its close to everything, but not a tourist trap such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Local guides are good and safe, provided they have an EMBRATUR registry. Also use RADIO-TAXI, they are safer, better, and a just a little bit more pricey than yellow cabs. They will give you prices in advance, will pick you up from anywhere, if you call and can have translator services. Its not even close to summer and the city is crowded with young tourists from all over, just yesterday I bumped into 3 girls from Canada in Rio, they were walking from the Botical Gardens into the Jockey Club and asked for directions... They were in their early 20s... But its always more fun to travel with friends...
Can I live comfortably in Brazil with roughly $1000 per month?
I'm going to answer as someone who has lived 22 years in Montenegro, a small city in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul (RS).The population is of 60k people, and we are located 70 km far from Porto Alegre, the capital. This makes us an inexpensive city because we're not as big as Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, etc; and we're not a city far from the urban centers.Considering that US$1000 is worth R$4000 right now, you can live very well.You can rent a house with 2 rooms for about R$450 near the downtown, so you don't need a car/bus ticket to work (if you're lucky to find a nice place to work in the downtown) or go out.Renting a house far from the downtown makes this value go down a little bit, at the cost of 30 minutes of commute every day (a bus ticket is R$3,50, and the gas, if you want a car, is R$3,80/liter).However, there's a warning: don't rent a house near the Caí river! It floods every year, and a lot of families lose all they have:If you are like me, and likes eating at home, sometimes going to restaurants, you're likely to spend R$600. This includes mid-range restaurants for lunching, and some cool pizzas.A house with a high usage of electricity is likely to make the bill cost R$200 nowadays (if you like to have the TV always turned on like me, and perhaps an air conditioner). The water bill is around R$40 (for those who bath all days!). Decent internet connections start at R$80.We don't have popular chain stores here, so you will not easily find cool clothes to wear. A new look will cost about R$200, including shoes, for those who don't care about it.Unfortunately, we don't have many places to go out or party here. However, you can always hit the road to cities close, like Porto Alegre, Novo Hamburgo or São Leopoldo (Porto Alegre being the farther city, 1 hour/car).You can, however, have a nice night with lots of beer with your friends for R$60.Summing up:House rent: R$450Food: R$600Commuting: R$300Electricity: R$200Water: R$40Internet: R$80Clothing: R$200Occasional parties: ~R$150Total: R$2020As you see, you can start investing in something cool (your own house, for example) right away with the rest of the money!Aerial view of the downtown
What does the average one-week vacation trip to Brazil cost?
The average 1 week cost of a trip to Brazil depends on your age, lifestyle and overall vacation goals. For most travelers, you probably want to stay in a nice hotel, see the sights, eat at a nice local restaurant, and go out on the weekends.Keeping this in mind, you’ll need to budget your money in advance so you don’t run out of money during your trip. Here’s a sample daily budget for 1 week in Rio de Janeiro:Roundtrip ticket to Rio from the US: $600Hotel : $30 per dayFood: $5 per dayTransportation: $5 per dayNightlife: $10 per dayTours: $25 to $50 per dayLocal SIM Card & Credit: $2 per dayShopping: $10 per dayYou can easily get by spending around $60 to $70 per day on a short 1 week trip. Add in a $600 roundtrip ticket and you’ll need about $1,200 for the entire week.Of course, I recommend bringing 2x the amount of money you think you’ll need just in case of emergency. You don’t want to be stranded in a foreign country without money.For more information on traveling to Brazil, please visit my website: http://www.expatkings.com
Should i go to brazil or thailand?
Hummmm I am Brazilian so I will tell you to go to Brazil... but I will answered you honestly since I know both countries: Brazil: you can def go there and find a place to stay. But keep in mind that Brazil is a huge country (like the USA) and travelling between other cities and even other states will take lots of time. For instance if you are going to Rio de Janeiro, which is absolutely a beuaitufl city (despite all the midia about the unsafety) and then decide to go to the North of bRasil (must go) it can be about 3 hours by plane or a few days by driving. So keep that in mind. You will probably want to plan your trip if you are planning to visit different areas. Although I think the media plays a bit part of spreading the word that Brasil is a very dangerious country, you must at all time be cautions. Do not wear too much jewelry because "pick pocket" is very common (so are in some cities in Europe). Food is good and water is very safe in most of the big cities but my advise is to always drink bottle water or fresh squeezed juice which can be found everywhere in Brasil. WE do have a problem with mosquitos and the famous mosquitos illness., So please consult with Brazilian embassy near your city to find out if you need to get any shot and also ask for information pamphlets on this mosquitos (dengue). Nightlife is great specially in the big cities. Sao Paulo is known for having one of the most beautiful clubs in the world. Smaller cities don't offer night clubs but there are tons of very "typical" brazilian bars with live brazilian music and near to the beaches. Brazilian economy is doing very well. Prices in Brazil are considered high. If you have dollar you won't find it very expensive but it will not find "too cheap" either like in other places in the world (for instance Thailand). Thailand: Also beautiful beaches and Island. Deinitely visit KoSAmui and Phii Phi island which are absolutely beautiful. When I was there there were no clubs but many outdoors bars and you will be approached by many "transvestis" because they are many in Thailand specially at the tourist areas. The food is amazing of course. Thailand is known for been very cheap. I think $20 to $30 dollars should cover your food and hotel per day (maybe even less depending where you will stay). Hope i was helpful. Good luck.