Planning to travel to South America? With the beautiful and breathtaking views, amazing architecture, rainforests, and too many ancient sites, South America is full of travel destinations that people love to explore from across the globe. They have such a variety of travel attractions, sometimes it’s difficult to select one and explore every nook and corner. However, whether you are traveling to South America or any other place, often people make an image of the place and people in their mind either due to travel stories or internet rumors. These stereotypical assumptions often reduce the level of enjoyment and sometimes people hesitate to explore some places due to Stereotypes such is the case in South America. If you are traveling to South American destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Machu Picchu, Costa Rica, Brazil, and more, these are the top 10 stereotypes you need to avoid.
1. Dress for adventures
No doubt South America has rainforests, mountains, and more for adventures like trekking, jungle activities, etc that require activewear, but that’s not all. South America is much more than adventure activities, if you are not an adventure enthusiast and want to explore calm places, you will find many places in South America that do not require you to dress in activewear. Stop wearing cargo shorts and singlets, you can wear other varieties of clothes, they will work just fine considering you are not traveling through the jungle or hiking.
2. They are amazing at football
No! Brazil, Argentina, Peru, and more nations are passionate about football, but that certainly doesn’t mean everybody knows and understands how to play. Generally, tourists traveling to these countries in South America ask people about their football skills. These countries have a loyal football fanbase, but everyone is interested in playing or watching football.
3. Malbec is the wine of South America
The majority of wine lovers traveling to South America believe or heard Malbec is the best wine, but no. Chile and Uruguay have some of the best wines you will ever taste. They are less popular as they are small vineyards and do not have many exports. So, you can expect to taste some good wine in Chile and especially Uruguay.
4. Countries like Brazil are dangerous
Although issues like major crimes in these places cannot be ignored, however, the crimes are horror stories portrayed by the media. Tourist places in Brazil are safe to travel to, although it’s good to take precautions. In some countries, crime rates might be high, but tourist attractions are certainly safe. Moreover, if you take care of a few things, you will be able to enjoy traveling to South America.
5. South Americans are homogeneous
Latin America has a total of 33 countries, and each country has different culture and tradition just like European countries. There are a significant number of South Americans living in the US and speak languages like Spanish, and English similar to those in Mexico or other South American countries. So, it’s a stereotype that South Americans are homogeneous.
6. Many counties are rural and lack infrastructure
People traveling to Peru have this common misconception about Peru being a rural country and lacking infrastructure, but Peru is home to diversity, cultures, lifestyles, and more. Just like many other countries, Peru’s some regions face poverty and lack of infrastructure, but you will find many regions with a good lifestyle, food, travel facilities, healthcare, and more.
7. They do not speak English
South America has diverse cultures, people from different cultures, lifestyles, and religions live in South America and some have traveled from across the globe. They do have their own native languages like Spanish, Mexican, etc but that doesn’t mean they do not understand or speak English. You might strike a better conversation in their native language, but their English proficiency is not that bad.
8. Traveling on a bus is Unsafe
No! You can complain about bus drivers if their speed exceeds a certain limit, you can find bus traveling safe overall and cheap. However, you need to take care of your luggage as sometimes, loss, theft, or fake luggage issues are common. So, you can travel by bus in South America just fine if you take care of your luggage.
9. Latin or South American women are homemakers
Some people believe women are only homemakers and are not part of traditional jobs in South America. Though their percentage is less, you will see many Latin American women working in different field jobs. You will certainly find many women working in South America.
10. They are only known for dances
There’s no doubt South America has some amazing dance forms that travelers must experience, but not only dances, South America organizes various carnivals and festivals such as Tapti festival, Baroque music, Inti Raymi, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. You can enjoy music, horse riding, traditional dances, and more.
To wrap up: These are some of the top stereotypes about South America that you need to break. South America is a beautiful continent with stunning tourist attractions that you can explore with ease. Follow a few precautions and you will make the best of your memories in South America.
