Exciting news! I’ve been planning this for a while, but I wanted to be sure everything’s working out before I tell you: I’M MOVING TO CHILE FOR A YEAR!
Anyone else excited about this?
End of January 2018 I will move to Chile to live there for a year and explore something of South America in the process! It still felt so far away until recently, but now that I have actually started applying for visas and checking out flight options, it dawns on me that it is, in fact, only about two months away. Can you believe it?
The plan so far
I’ll start by staying in Santiago de Chile for a while. After that, I’ll move on to other areas of the country. To be honest, I haven’t really worked it out much yet, beyond starting in Santiago. I like to be flexible and simply see where life takes me.
That’s the whole point of this, after all. Being flexible. Location independent, as it is called these days. Being able to travel was one of the reasons I started working as a freelancer in the first place. It’s something I can do from Chile just as well as from Germany.
Although, since I’m on a working holiday visa (hopefully, the application process is still ongoing), I can also work in Chile should the chance – or the need – arise. I’m currently contemplating if volunteering might be an option for some of the time I’ll be there. Anyone who has experience with that and can give some advice? I’m still somewhat undecided.
Preparing for Chile
In any case, I’ve already been busy brushing up my Spanish. I have studied some at university, but it’s pretty basic. I’m using some language apps to at least learn enough to survive, and hope the rest will come once I’m there.
I’m also reading all the blog posts and articles I can find on Chile and Latin America in general. About places to go, customs to pay attention to, packing lists, practical tips, culinary recommendations… Anything that might come in handy. What can I say, I like to be prepared. Only because I want to be spontaneous once I’m there, doesn’t mean I can’t explore all the options beforehand, right?
So, let me hear it. I’m sure some of you must have been in Chile already, or other South American countries. What are the sites I cannot miss? What were your highlights? Any insider tips? Tell me in the comments!
Great article, thanks for the tips! Indeed, Chile is one of the most interesting countries in South America, with its diverse, pristine landscape second to none! However, the country is also afflicted by tourist targeted scams and crime.
Do be wary of the bird poo/mustard scam, poor student scam, border crossing scam, drink spiking, pickpocketing, robberies, muggings, pirate taxis, airport fake taxis, taxis with two occupants, carjackings, snatch thefts, flat tire scam and many more!
Wow, that’s a lot to look out for… Luckily, I haven’t even heard of most of these, let alone encountered them. I think as long as you keep your head and a healthy dose of common sense, you’re usually fine. But it’s always good to look out for your fellow travellers 🙂