We’ve been featuring Central and South America over on The Travelers Way this month, and it’s gotten me thinking about the warm weather south of the border.  I’ve enjoyed my visits to Central and South America and count Costa Rica, Panama, and Cartagena, Columbia as some of my most memorable trips.

But I know that language differences, combined with a different culture, cuisine, and lifestyle, can make Central and South America a bit intimidating to travelers.  If you can’t go it alone, don’t write off the destination, just find a tour that takes care of all the details while still leaving you independent enough to enjoy what you want to see and do.

For some time now I’ve been following information about tours offered by Friendly Planet Travel.  While I have not taken one of their tours. . . yet. . . I’ve been impressed with the high quality, affordable vacation packages they offer to some of the most exotic destinations around the world.  Some destinations that you might think aren’t affordable may be well within your budget with these tours.

Friendly Planet Travel is offering three new tours to South America that give you an opportunity to see the best of the sites, sample some great food, and enjoy an exotic part of the world.  Take a look at what’s in store and see if any might be just what you’re interested in.

Marvelous Rio de Janeiro – With the famous Christ the Redeemer statue over looking the city from atop Corcovado Mountain, Rio embraces visitors with its joyous culture.  This tour includes a visit to Corcovado, a tour of Rio, and an excursion to the Hippie Fair and Craft Market in Ipanema.  Optional tours are available, including a jeep tour of the Tijuca Forest, the largest urban forest in the world, and a tour of Sugarloaf Mountain.  While you’re in Rio, be sure to check out a churrasco, a traditional all-you-can-eat Brazilian barbecue.  Seven day tours start at $1,399 per person, double occupancy, and include round trip air far from Miami to Rio, arrival and departure transfers, guided touring, accommodations in a first class hotel, and daily breakfast.

Spectacular Rio & Iguazu Falls – This tours continues from where the previous one left off.  From Rio, this tour heads to Iguaza Falls, the world’s largest waterfall, that straddles the border of Brazil and Argentina.  The falls can be visited from both countries, and great debate goes on about which country’s view is the best.  Nine day tours start at $1,899 per person, double occupancy, and include round trip air far from Miami to Rio, arrival and departure transfers, guided touring, accommodations in a first class hotel, and daily breakfast.

Best of South America – If neither of the previous tours give you enough time in country,extend your stay with this tour that includes a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Often called the “Paris of the south,” you’ll have a chance to soak up the French influence on this South American city.  In addition to what the previous two tours include, this one also includes a tour of Buenos Aires. 11 day tours start at $2,599 per person, double occupancy, and include round trip air far from Miami to Rio, all land transportation and transfers, intra-South America flights, guided touring, accommodations in a first class hotel, and daily breakfast.

There are a few things that the tour price doesn’t include – taxes and security fees (approximately $95) and a required visa for Brazil ($160 from a consulate, approximately $250 from visa service agency).

If you’ve been nervous about visiting South America independently, these value-priced tours may be just what you’re looking for.  And if you price out the airfare, you’ll realize how really great these prices are.

OK now, who wants to go?

Photo credit:  bellman via wikimedia

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If travel, just for the sake of travel, seems too decadent for you, how about this excuse:  I have to pop down to Argentina to visit my vineyard and check on my wine. OK, I might be overstating things just a bit, but with the Algodon Wine Estates Barrel Ownership program you can combine your love of travel with your love of wine.

Algodon Wine Estates is located in Mendoza, Argentina, an area known as the Napa Valley of South America, and home for production of some top wines.  Now, you can get a barrel of your own.  Purchase it solo, or get together a group of friends, then choose your grape or varietal preference:  malbec, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, bonarda, or chardonnay.

Here’s how it works —

You choose your grape or varietal, and then choose a  French or American Oak wine barrel.  Both are middle toasted to yield a medium oak flavor on the wine.  A winemaker is available for guidance and advice, but ultimately it will be up to you to decide when the wine has aged long enough and it’s time to be bottled.  Of course, you can taste the wine at any time, or many times, during the aging process. The wine will be bottled and branded with a personalized label.

A barrel will yield about 290 bottles of wine and can be used up to three times.  Generally, the second use yields the highest quality wine.

Now, for the travel part!

Each barrel owner gets a complimentary 2-night stay for up to two people at a local resort in order to taste the wine at the end of its first aging period.  Additional stays for tasting will be at your own expense.  What a perfect excuse for an annual trip to Argentina!

Prices for this personal wine barrel ownership start at around $4,500 for the first year, depending on the type of grape(s) and barrel.  This price includes the barrel, wine, labor, bottling, and labeling, but does not include US tax and shipping (estimated at another $1,500).  Barrel refills are currently priced at $2,600, bringing prices down considerably in subsequent years.

Algodon can accommodate barrel partnerships or groups, so if you want to go into partnership with your friends on a barrel, you’ll just have to decide who gets the taste testing trip!  21 and older only.

What a delicious reason to plan a trip to Argentina!

Photo credit:  SXC

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Countdown to Christmas, and still there’s lots to read about travel everywhere!  I take that as a very good sign that maybe a travel gift will be beneath your Christmas tree, in your stocking, whatever is in keeping with your holiday practices and traditions.

And if you just don’t feel in the travel spirit, maybe these travel posts will get you in the mood!

• Global Traveler asks for help in deciding what gadgets and tools to send off with her daughter who is off to spend a few months traveling in Europe.
• The Trends suggests some luxurious solutions on what to get your favorite traveler.
• PlanetEye Traveler – Disney has some great tips on how to avoid the flu when traveling to Disney Parks.  This info is great no matter where you’ll be traveling.
• Gadling offers a few practical phrases that you need to know when you’re traveling somewhere that your native language isn’t spoken.  If you can’t memorize these phrases, write them down and keep them
• Up, Up & Gay, a Flight Attendant blog, explains the reason why we cut to the front of the security line.  It never fails to irk passengers, but this is a good explanation of why we’re granted this perk.
• Consumer Traveler has a photo essay of some of the world’s subways.  These are some pretty impressive public transportation systems.
• Sharing Travel Experiences gives us a glimpse of Tanzania and Zanzibar, two exotic and beautiful locales.
• PlanetEye Traveler – St. Petersburg tells about the return of the painting “Harem Pool,” again on exhibit at the Hermitage after being stolen in 2001.
• NY Times Travel tempts our palate with roadside foods in Bali, with tips on how to eat well, cheaply, and safely.
• Nancy the Gnomette takes her first bike tour of Argentina’s wine country and celebrates finishing up her Masters Degree in Music.  I’m not a skilled rider, but she makes me want to do this!
• PlanetEye Traveler – Edinburgh has instructions on how to make the perfect cup of tea.  When I’m traveling my tea making skills are pretty abysmal, but this is great inspiration for when I’m at home.
• Tripbase hates New Year’s Eve celebrations and finds some out of the way places to spend the night in solitude.

It’s a good looking group of travel blog posts for the week, so please take the time to go read something that piqued your curiosity.  And don’t forget to tell them that MJ sent you!

Photo credit:  Mary Jo Manzanares

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