South America cradles several wonders of the world. In this continent lie five of the most popular vacation destinations: the Patagonia, Salar de Uyuni, Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, and the Galapagos Islands. Travel buffs from all over the world flock to see these South American tourist spots – and they have good reason.We all hear the unpleasant stories and South America has a fame of being dangerous. I traveled thousands of miles traversing cities, jungles, islands and mountains. I survived 6 weeks in a street child care center in the favelas of Salvador da Bahía (Brazil) and had the party of a lifetime during carnival.

The surest way to waste money is to use credit cards. First of all, you’ll pay an extra percentage to use them in most South American countries (usually about 3%). Secondly, many places don’t accept them. Travelers checks are also exchanged (for an extra cost) in just a few places. Running out of money is another problem. If you have to have someone wire your money you’ll blow a big wad of cash!There are so many places and so many memorable moments; it’s a huge and wildly colorful and fascinating continent, with an overload of spectacular places to experience. Over 25 years I’ve had the great fortune to travel extensively across Latin America: from Mexico to Cuba and the Caribbean coast of Colombia all the way down to Patagonia and back up to the northeast coast of Brazil.

Soccer and Latin America are virtually synonymous. The beautiful game is revered everywhere from the buzzing streets of the continent’s cities to the most remote outposts in the distant wilderness. And of all the soccer tournaments in South America, it is the Copa de Libertadores that draws the most attention and passion.Such a wonderful trip takes 103 days to complete, and it is a guided tour from 1 to 16 persons that includes some meals but not most of them, all accommodation during the trip and all means of transport except the inbound and outbound flights to the departure in Ecuador.South America has a rich selection of travel wonders and experiences from superb natural settings of forests, glaciers and waterfalls to culturally-rich and expressive cities. Travel with an open mind and enjoy this fascinating and diverse continent.