Travelling Brazil:

"Belo país" a phrase to become familiar with when travelling to Brazil and it speaks volumes about the country reading "beautiful country". Brazilians take pride in the extrodinary beauty of their country, plastering this phrase in their native lanuage Porteguese all over the cities. Brazil covers half of South America, and has capitivated travellers for at least 500 years; attracting an annual 9 million tourists with numbers rising. Covering the coastline you see powedery white sand beachs, music-filled metropolies, colonioal towns and tropical islands. Inland you are are offered mesmerizing sights of different a flavour: crystal clear rivers, red-rock canyons, lush rainforest and beautiful waterfalls. Its larger and more famous attractions are the Amazon Rainforest and the Pantanal wetlands. With such diverse landscape it offers a plethora of possibilites; especially to young travelers.

Before any trip your most important and sometimes hardest task is to find an accommodation to your liking. In my previous post you can look at more abstract ways of accommodation whilst travelling that give you a more cultural experience and give you more leisurely money to spend (as you are saving!)  such as CouchSurfing and WWOOFing (to see the post click here) . However, for those looking for the more traditional accommodation it is easy to find hotels and motels located in your destination of choice. Brazil's high season is from December to March, this is when the country fills with foreign tourists and vacationing Brazilian families; so finding an accommodation on short notice will be very difficult (and the prices also rise during this time!). However, the weather in Brazil is pretty consistent so travelling during the low season May - September is ideal for backpackers and young travelers trying to avoid pesky foreign tourists and prices go down quite dramatically. Brazil has a wide selection of high end resorts (for the less adventurousness) and hotels and motels across the beaches, and of course in the big cities such as Rio De Janeiro. Booking a hotel/resort is very easy and can be mostly done over the internet or telephone. However, for those seeking hostels or smaller cheap motels you are more then likely expected to go to them while you are in the country. Hostels are very popular throughout Brazil and for a complete list of locations and names click here.

Once you have settled into the country, your adventure begins! Brazil has a plethora of diverse activities; for the food-loving, culture hungry, thrill seekers and nature lovers alike. The possibilities are pretty much endless when it comes to things to do as Brazil's landscape has something for everyone. For those interested in the natural aspect of Brazil you can become mesmerized by the Amazon rain forest that covers a major area of Brazil, one of the worlds most beautiful and largest waterfalls; Igauazu falls that borders between Brazil and Argentina and lastly the Panataal wetlands also offer a variety of activities and tours. In between these world-known natural beauties you are offered a variety of amazing landscapes full of different activities (and a lot are directed toward young, adventurous youth example: bungee jumping or para sailing!).

 For the food loving, you can visit the endless restaurants inside the cities and smaller towns. Brazilian cuisine is particularly distinct, much like its accompanying South American countries and it varies by region with different flavors and types of dishes. A lot of the food is influenced by the Portuguese heritage and the European immigrants that introduced dairy products, wheat based dishes, wine and leaf vegetables. Part of the beauty of travel is trying new things so going into a country with an open mind is part of the fun.For an incredibly well put together list of things to do in Brazil visit this lonleyplanet created list of the things to do, here you have thousands of diverse activities, restaurants, sights, entertainment, shopping, tours and hotels worth visiting that come with reviews from past travelers, a little blurb of what it is and a map of where it is. You can sit down with your travel companions and map out the different places you would like to see.

Brazil needs travel dedication and time to really soak up the atmosphere and culture. For those going for only a short time I recommend checking out the world famous city Rio De Janeiro (where the famous Christ Redeemer Statute stands) and with that go to Rio during the annual Carnival. Carnival is a great festival held 46 days before Easter. It is comparable to a six-day city wide party with parades, dancing, music and food where you experience Brazilian culture at its finest whilst meeting hundreds of new people. It is the perfect time for young people to come out and experience Brazil.

Brazil is known for its export of models, their passion futebol (soccer) and their year long golden tan, however, with exploration you can see how much more there is so much more to Brazil. Its culture radiates throughout the country's borders, it has extraordinary natural aspects, historically influenced cuisine and activities and accommodation directed towards young travelers (like you!). No journalist article, blog or magazine could really give you the actual picture of what Brazil is without you first experiencing it. And it is worth the absolutely worth it. Travel while you are young, travel while you are old but always travel. As St Augustine said "The world is a book and those who do not travel, read only one page."