I’m planning a trip from Thailand to Latin America (Central and South America). I know it’s a long and expensive journey, and yes—I’ve already checked and compared routes via Europe (London, Barcelona, Lisbon, etc.), which are generally cheaper and quicker.

 

But I’m specifically looking for advice from people who’ve actually done this route *from Thailand*. Any tips, tricks, or things to watch out for?

– Which airlines or routes worked best for you?
– Did you stop over in the Middle East, US, or Europe?
– How did you prep for the trip? Vaccines, visas, cash/cards?
– Did you learn Spanish or just wing it?
– Any culture shocks or travel hacks you wish you knew before?

Appreciate any insights from people who’ve made this kind of journey.

Trolling post removed

South America is big, where is your destination?

 

From here it looks like a nightmare I checked Brazil since Thai do not need visa for a few years ago

 

 

I would fly to the US and fly from the US to SA. 

 

 

 

 

Madrid and then in to wherever 

2 minutes ago, swbaggies said:

Madrid and then in to wherever 

Is Madrid in South America? 

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

Is Madrid in South America? 

Star Member

Yellowtail

Posted 14 minutes ago

I would fly to the US and fly from the US to SA. 

 

Is the US, you ejit? 

I know a few colleagues who flew from Bangkok to Rio on ITA airlines (the Italian airline). There was only one stop with a decent 2-3 hour layover at Rome's airport FCO. I'm pretty sure there is a South American airline that crosses the South Pacific but can't recall which carrier and maybe no longer. Qantas might be another option.

46 minutes ago, Hummin said:

South America is big, where is your destination?

 

From here it looks like a nightmare I checked Brazil since Thai do not need visa for a few years ago

 

 

Yeah, I was first looking at the 7 countries in Central America, then started adding a bunch more in South America—maybe around 12 now, including French Guiana. Probably going to split it into a couple of trips over a few years. Hoping to spend 1–2 months in each place. Might skip countries like Nicaragua though—too many warnings about safety.

Unless you're American, best to avoid going through the States given all the nonsense the US border guards are putting people though (and you probably do need to clear immigration and customs before the next international flight). Why tempt fate and potential hassle or worse.

19 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

I know a few colleagues who flew from Bangkok to Rio on ITA airlines (the Italian airline). There was only one stop with a decent 2-3 hour layover at Rome's airport FCO. I'm pretty sure there is a South American airline that crosses the South Pacific but can't recall which carrier and maybe no longer. Qantas might be another option.

Thanks, that’s useful. I’ll check out ITA—hadn’t considered them before. A Rome layover sounds manageable. 

3 minutes ago, ronnie50 said:

Unless you're American, best to avoid going through the States given all the nonsense the US border guards are putting people though (and you probably do need to clear immigration and customs before the next international flight). Why tempt fate and potential hassle or worse.

Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I was leaning towards going via Europe instead. Just seems like less drama and fewer chances of getting caught up in some pointless hassle.

1 minute ago, falangUK said:

Thanks, that’s useful. I’ll check out ITA—hadn’t considered them before. A Rome layover sounds manageable. 

Yeah, the Italians are big on South America. Probably due to the cultural/migration connections with Argentina. Dunno.

1 minute ago, ronnie50 said:

Unless you're American, best to avoid going through the States given all the nonsense the US border guards are putting people though (and you probably do need to clear immigration and customs before the next international flight). Why tempt fate and potential hassle or worse.

What nonsense are the "US border guards" putting people through? Unless you're in the country illegally, or beating up Jews, you have nothing to worry about. 

4 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

4 hours ago, swbaggies said:

Madrid and then in to wherever 

Is Madrid in South America? 

 

Makes sense to me; probably a good number of flights to different destinations in South America.

3 hours ago, falangUK said:

Yeah, I was first looking at the 7 countries in Central America, then started adding a bunch more in South America—maybe around 12 now, including French Guiana. Probably going to split it into a couple of trips over a few years. Hoping to spend 1–2 months in each place. Might skip countries like Nicaragua though—too many warnings about safety.

 

Nicaragua is relatively safe.    Guatemala (parts....most) and Honduras not.     I'd skip Venezuela too.

 

French Guyana is easily accessible from Paris.

13 hours ago, falangUK said:

Did you learn Spanish or just wing it?

 

Definitely worthwhile if you plan to be there for a while. Latin American Spanish is easier to pronounce and understand than the way it's used in Spain. A lot of vocab is similar to other southern European languages too, so if you already know some French for example it's quite easy to pick up. I studied a couple of months before a trip to South America in the 1990's and never regretted it. 

20 hours ago, falangUK said:

Yeah, I was first looking at the 7 countries in Central America, then started adding a bunch more in South America—maybe around 12 now, including French Guiana. Probably going to split it into a couple of trips over a few years. Hoping to spend 1–2 months in each place. Might skip countries like Nicaragua though—too many warnings about safety.

Probably the two safest countries are Costa Rica (near the above paces) and Uruguay ( a bit far down for you, in southern South America but I hear Montevideo is great). Always wanted to do what you're doing. Argentina would be high on my bucket list. Have relatives in Chile so would go there too from Argentina)

Don't date hot chix off dating apps in Medellin...I hear that is one tip.

Be prepared for a huge crime rate in most Latin American countries.  Most places are rather dangerous.

On 6/1/2025 at 2:24 PM, ronnie50 said:

Probably the two safest countries are Costa Rica (near the above paces) and Uruguay ( a bit far down for you, in southern South America but I hear Montevideo is great). Always wanted to do what you're doing. Argentina would be high on my bucket list. Have relatives in Chile so would go there too from Argentina)

I think once I actually get to Central or South America, it should be fairly straightforward. It’s just that first leg from Thailand that’s a real haul. But yeah—Uruguay and Montevideo sound interesting, and I’ve heard good things about Argentina and Chile too.

On 6/2/2025 at 2:40 AM, freedomnow said:

Don't date hot chix off dating apps in Medellin...I hear that is one tip.

Haha, I guess they’re the travestis of Colombia then? Will keep that in mind!

On 6/1/2025 at 6:26 AM, lamyai3 said:

 

Definitely worthwhile if you plan to be there for a while. Latin American Spanish is easier to pronounce and understand than the way it's used in Spain. A lot of vocab is similar to other southern European languages too, so if you already know some French for example it's quite easy to pick up. I studied a couple of months before a trip to South America in the 1990's and never regretted it. 

Nice—any resources you’d recommend? I’ve been messing around with Duolingo and came across Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish too. Curious what worked for you back then.

On 5/31/2025 at 10:09 PM, G Rex said:

French Guyana is easily accessible from Paris.

Didn’t know that—cheers for the tip. Will have a look. Could be handy if it’s cheaper to travel on from French Guiana to other parts of Latin America.
 

On 6/2/2025 at 6:33 AM, K2938 said:

Be prepared for a huge crime rate in most Latin American countries.  Most places are rather dangerous.

Yeah, that’s been a bit of a concern for me too. It’s actually one of the reasons I’ve always avoided most of Africa, apart from a short trip to Morocco.
 

41 minutes ago, falangUK said:

Didn’t know that—cheers for the tip. Will have a look. Could be handy if it’s cheaper to travel on from French Guiana to other parts of Latin America.
 

 

It was 20 years ago when I went....  Air France had regular flights from Paris Orly airport to Cayenne. There were flights from Cayenne to Surinam & Georgetown in (British) Guyana. 

I haven't been to the region in a very long time but before visited Costa Rica, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay very briefly, and Argentina. But I keep a watch on it.

 

Overall as a generality yes crime is more of a concern in Latin America than Thailand.

 

I would suggest not bothering with Costa Rica. It's gotten relatively very expensive for the region, crime is on the increase, and the food is among the most boring in the world. If looking for similar scenery probably Panama or parts of Colombia would be better. 

 

Didn't say purpose of the trip. If it's to scout out retirement and/or long term expat destinations the itinerary should be different than just for tourism. For example, if you're a foodie Peru is a big draw.

 

I do have a very important tip. Research vaccine requirements between Latin American countries very carefully! I don't recall the details but I've seen a number of reports of people not knowing about yellow fever vaccine requirements and not being able to travel to their desired country. You can't just get it last minute. This is about BETWEEN nations there. You won't need it coming from Thailand to any country there. Or you could get the jab before going to the region and then no problem. However not really so safe for older people. 

1 hour ago, falangUK said:

Nice—any resources you’d recommend? I’ve been messing around with Duolingo and came across Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish too. Curious what worked for you back then.

 

I just got one book, Hugo's "Latin American Spanish in 3 months", found it very useful back then. Naturally there'll be many more options available now. 

On 5/31/2025 at 4:19 PM, falangUK said:

I’m planning a trip from Thailand to Latin America (Central and South America). I know it’s a long and expensive journey, and yes—I’ve already checked and compared routes via Europe (London, Barcelona, Lisbon, etc.), which are generally cheaper and quicker.

 

But I’m specifically looking for advice from people who’ve actually done this route *from Thailand*. Any tips, tricks, or things to watch out for?

– Which airlines or routes worked best for you?
– Did you stop over in the Middle East, US, or Europe?
– How did you prep for the trip? Vaccines, visas, cash/cards?
– Did you learn Spanish or just wing it?
– Any culture shocks or travel hacks you wish you knew before?

Appreciate any insights from people who’ve made this kind of journey.

I have done it although I think it was 2006 so not the most up to date advice, but routes are still valid.

I flew to Brasil via London. Bangkok to Heathrow, approx 12 hours on Eva air. Couple of hours change to stretch legs and have a couple of beers, then around 12 hours on Varig to Sao Paolo. A stop in Sao Paolo then a 2-3 hour flight to Iguazu. However the Varig flight was late, it was a horrible old plane, the cargo doors wouldn't open and it took several hours to get our bags so we missed our connection.

The London route is definitely viable as it breaks the journey in to two equal halves. But it was best for me as I could stop off in the UK for a few days on the way back. If I was doing it today I would probably just go with Emirates via Dubai.

I spent about three weeks in Brasil during carnival time, traveling to 5 different cities, and a day hop over the border to Argentina at Iguazu. Best time of my life, highly recommend Brasil as a place to visit. Beautiful country, beautiful people, fun loving people.

 

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How did you prep for the trip? Vaccines, visas, cash/cards?

 

No vaccines. No visa required as a UK citizen. Took some cash and cards, no different than going anywhere else. 

 

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– Did you learn Spanish or just wing it?

 

Winged it. Was easy to get by, and also easy to pick up a few words. And that was before Google translate or anything. 

 

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– Any culture shocks or travel hacks you wish you knew before?

Not really. The culture was just FUN. Be friendly to people and get heaps of friendliness in return. The only thing is we heard so many horror stories (mostly from people who have never been) that when we landed in Rio we thought there was a decent chance of being robbed, so hid cash in one sock, cards in another with just small money in our pockets. Didn't even take a camera out the first couple of days, so I didn't get any photos from up at Christ the Redeemer or anywhere else we went the first couple of days. Then we realised we were being stupid and paranoid so behaved normally after that.

I did get pickpocketed in Salavdor though during the carnival but I was extremely drunk so was an easy target.

In short I would highly recommend it to anyone, I would love to go back one day.