Top 10 Travel Essentials For South America

You’ll need a lot of things on your trip to South America. Clothes, cash and clean underwear is definitely a good place to start. But here are some lesser-known travel essentials that might prove a lifesaver later on:
1. Foolproof Backpack
Leave your Prada handbag at home. To elude all those crafty pickpockets you’ll need an even craftier bag. Osprey along with several other outdoor providers sell such things as backpacks with zips placed under the straps, impossible to open while wearing. It’s genius!
2. Raincoat
Weather can be very weird. You’ll get cold days, you’ll get hot days and then suddenly it’ll start raining. Whether you’re heading to some tropical city just off  the equator, icy Patagonia or the heart of rainforest, you’ll need a raincoat. (Hint: rain-forest)
3. Cheap Phone
Phones, along with anything imported, tend to be expensive in South America. Save the bucks by buying one for a fiver at home, that way, if you ever lose yours, you won’t have to spend forty dollars on some second-hand brick phone. You can even use it as a spare you don’t mind losing on nights out.
4. Water Purifying Bottle
Ah, free filtered water. Not in South America. Although tap water is fine in some cities, water needs to be bought bottled or filtered in most of the continent. The LIFESAVER bottle 4000UF will provide you with up to 4000 litres of purified water. That’s three years and seven months you don’t need to buy a bottle of water for.
5. Malaria Tablets
Malaria is a very region-specific disease, and that tablets are only really necessary in certain areas. Consult your doctor before leaving, as to whether you need to buy malaria tablets. Often when there, you’ll realise most people don’t take them, but better safe than sorry.
6. Dictionary or Phrasebook
People in South America speak Spanish. Unless you’re in Brazil, where they speak Portuguese. So if you haven’t studied it since GCSE, better bring a phrasebook so you can get around by yourself and communicate with locals. Don’t rely on everyone knowing English! Some people don’t even speak Spanish, but the indigenous languages of Quechua or Aymara.
7. Altitude Pills
Everyone reacts differently to altitude, so however fit you are, bring altitude pills. No one wants to be stuck in Cuzco with a migraine and severe diarrhoea while your buddies are up hiking Macchu Picchu. Local pharmacies will sell medicines that treat the symptoms, but the best cure is gradual adjustment, although coca leaves, which can be bought for cheap all over the Andes (no, it’s not cocaine) will work a treat.
8. Hiking Boots
Comfortable shoes are important. Chances are you’ll be wearing them a lot, and would probably enjoy your trip more without bloody feet or blisters. Invest in comfort, not good-looks. Even if you go clubbing in them, chances are people won’t notice it. And the best thing? No backpack-space required. Simply tie them by the laces to the outside. It’s great.
9. Insect Repellent
It’s a general rule that humans don’t like insects. Maybe it’s because they bite us in annoying places, or crawl into our beds at night without permission. Enter insect repellent. Smells pretty nasty, but keeps the crawlies away. Besides protecting us from pesky cockroaches and mosquitos, it’s an important way to play down the risks of malaria or dengue fever.
10. Muchos Dolares
Dollars. A lot of them. Although Ecuador is the only country in South America which uses dollars as the official currency, most other countries will accept payment in green. It’s useful to be able to exchange cash, and in countries like Argentina, you can literally make money off the exchange rate.
Good luck and happy travelling!
By Sarah Morland