Uber and other ride sharing services has lightened the load on travellers when it comes to getting from point A to point B. No more haggling with taxi drivers at the airport or wondering if you’ve got ripped off because of a language barrier.

Getting your fare upfront, not dealing with cash, being able to see your pre-planned route, and the ability to share your ride status with a friend makes Uber a safer alternative to other transportation options.

Here are some tips to get even more out of Uber while you’re travelling around the world.

No SIM? No Problem.

You don’t need a sim card to use Uber in other countries. All you need is WIFI access to set up your ride. The trip will be completed properly regardless if you have cellular data access or not.

If you are using a local SIM, keep in mind that the driver will not be able to call you. Unless you update your phone number in the uber app to your local one, uber will be ringing your home number instead.

Local Currency, Don’t Freak Out

Uber shows you fare estimates in the local currency, keep this in mind. Always check for the currency code (eg: COP, MXN) or the currency symbol (eg: $, £) before the value.

In the example above, a ride from the airport to a hotel in Colombia is estimated to be $59,528COP or $27CAD.

The fare estimate is just that. If your route is via a toll road, or you need to pay a fee for airport pick-up or drop-off, this may be added to your bill after the trip completes. 

If you have a credit card that has a better foreign exchange rate than another, be sure to set up that additional card in your uber account and use it while travelling. 

Arví Park or Parque Arví?

I always like to use place names instead of addresses as it is quicker and easier to to use when setting up your destination in the app.

Its easier on the driver if you put the destination in their local language, if possible. That will avoid any confusion when the driver confirms your destination and it will ensure that their navigation software (such as Waze) will be able to locate your final stop.

Backseat Drivers?

Some Uber drivers prefer that you sit in the front seat if you are travelling alone. It varies from city to city, but the main reason is to draw less attention to the vehicle as an Uber.

Incumbent companies like taxis may still have issues with the ride sharing service. Sitting in the front seat helps avoid targeting the Uber driver.

Habla Inglés? 

Uber also offers the ability, in certain cities, to request a driver in English (possibly other languages too) for an additional cost. 

I considered this on a 45 min trip from the Airport to the Hotel. Spending almost an hour in a car in silence (since I don’t speak a lot of Spanish) seemed painful.

Conclusion

Overall my experiences with Uber while travelling have been positive. Drivers have been polite and are generally interested in why you want to visit your country. 

If you haven’t read part one of this story yet, you should head over there now.

We arrive at the hotel and José (Karin’s Manager friend) welcomes us warm heartedly with some drinks and a sympathetic ear to our situation.

“Let me see what I can do!” He replies. 

In the meantime, Karin and I head downstairs where we get changed into our swimwear and slip into the hot tub. Beers in hand, we start chatting (en Español of course) to another Colombian couple, and a couple from the United States and Spain. I’m working hard to understand what they are trying to say and interject with good commentary in English every once and awhile. 

The beers aren’t helping.

After about an hour or so, José comes back with some news.

“Good news you two! I have one room left for $200GTQ.”

I do the quick currency conversion in my head, and reply: “That’s perfect! Does it only have one bed, or are there two?”.

A smile opens up on José’s face: “There is only one bed in the room”. We both look over at Karin to see her reaction.

“It’s up to you, I have no issues sharing a bed”. I say in her direction.

What seemed like an eternity of awkward silence passed before José started laughing.

“Hahaha! I just wanted to see the look on Karin’s face. Don’t worry you two, its a double suite”. 

Awesome! Now we can relax. I order a few more beers and we melt into the hot tub. Time passes and people come and go. Karin and I are having a blast under the stars when I see a tall blonde looking over at us.

She has that “I want to go into the hot tub, but don’t want to interrupt anything / be the third wheel” look on her face. I reach out first with a friendly “Hola!” and invite her to join us.

With fresh blood in the tub, the three of us chat for a few more hours while munching on pizza. 

Bellies full and with wrinkled skin, we make our way to the room to retire for the night.

We get up the next morning early and hop on the boat back to Panajachel, where our car is waiting for us. 

The lot attendant instantly recognizes us from afar and starts yelling in Spanish to us. Oh no. He’s pissed!

Karin sorts out the situation and explains to me later that the attendants waited for us until 7:30pm or so last night. She explained to them that we didn’t have a phone number to call to let them know that we weren’t going to show up. 

The kicker? The phone number was on the receipt they gave us yesterday! Whoops! I pay the extra fee for keeping the car overnight and the two of us pile in for the ride home.

With our silly adventure behind us, I drop Karin off at her place and we say our goodbyes.

This is what travelling is all about: The spontaneity, adventure, and the people. I finally feel like I’ve gotten into the “travellers groove” of giving zero-fucks and rolling with the punches. If this little two day adventure is a foreshadow of things to come, then I can’t wait to see what the next ten months will deliver.

The conversation started because she thought we were gay.

I was sitting at a bar chatting with a cute American girl that was getting drunk after 30 days of being sober on a yoga retreat. The two of us were sharing mint margaritas, which was a wise decision considering we were taking advantage of the two-for-one special.

An American gent approached and sat on the opposite end of the bar, menu in hand. Sensing competition, my alpha male instincts immediately kicked in and I asked her if she wanted to move the conversation to someplace else. We finished our drinks and after some serious consideration, she decided it was best for her to turn in and do some drunk packing instead.

“Nice try buddy”. The yank yelled from across the bar.
“She was too young anyway”. I replied.

We continued the small talk until Karin, a local Guatemalan, stood in between us and exclaimed:

“Why are you two sitting so far apart?!”. 

Drunk, she proceeded to introduce herself to us and ask where we are from.

Her eyes immediately lit up when I told her I was Canadian. She responded in French and we continued the conversation in a language the American couldn’t understand. Boom! I’ve got this one in the bag.

I learned that she spent seven months living in Montreal and that she wanted someone to practice French with. Knowing I already had plans tomorrow, I agreed to have a coffee date with her to continue the language lesson. We exchanged numbers and parted ways.

“She was drunk. There is no way she is going to remember our conversation, let alone want to meet for coffee”, I thought to my self. Sticking to my original plan, I packed up my stuff for the day trip to Lake Atitlán. It wasn’t until 15 minutes outside of town did I get a text message from Karin. She wants to have that coffee date!

I explained the situation to her and asked if she wanted to join me on the road trip to the lake. We could practice speaking French in the car. In exchange she could be my tour guide.

Turns out San Pedro is one of her favourite places and I didn’t need to twist her arm. She agreed and I turned the car around to pick her up.

The tensions eased up quickly during the two hour drive to the lake. We got to know each other and laughed all the way to Panajachel, where we parked the car.

“Let me do the talking” Karin suggested. She was trying to avoid us having to pay Gringo prices.

I promised her that we would be back in Antigua around 7 or 8pm, so we both agreed that we would return to the car before the lot closed at 5:30pm. I payed the $25GTQ and got a receipt in return. 

I was excited to see a new part of Guatemala and Karin was excited to return to one of her favourite places. We hop on the boat and head west along the lake to San Pedro.

We had a great time in San Pedro. Karins awesome personality and great sense of humour made her the best tour guide I could find in Guatemala. We walked up to a lookout point where I was able to get an amazing view of the lake.

Feeling the time pressure to get back to the boat in time, we order a burger to go and pound back some beers. Eating on the run we make our way to the dock where Karin asks someone in Spanish when the next boat departed for Panajachel.

I see the look on her face go from happy and excitable to horror and worry.

“What’s going on?” I ask.
She pulls me aside and says: “The next boat isn’t until 5:30, after the parking lot closes!”. 
I can see panic on her face. I quickly put on the charm and reply: “Don’t worry! Let your friends know about the situation and that you’re ok”.

We chatted about our possible options, all of which included spending an unplanned night at the lake. After the situation had time to soak, her face lit up again and she said: “I have a friend who works at a hotel here in San Pedro. Maybe he can help us out!”.

Hmm.. did she plan this all along? Always one for an an adventure I agreed to heading over to the hotel to see what we can do about tonights accommodation. After all, this place did have a hot tub that we could use…

For the second half of my time in Mexico City, I moved north to the Guerrero neighbourhood. Again, in a pretty kick-ass AirBnB ($30CAD a night for a whole apartment? Yes Please!).

My apartment was within walking distance of some of the best attractions of the city, including the Museo del Tequila y el Mezcal. The museum is small and wont take you more than 45 minutes to enjoy the exhibits. Your ticket includes a shot of tequila on the rooftop restaurant. I passed, instead opting for a delicious lunch of empanadas and beer. 

If you love craft beer, and great burgers, then you have to hit up Kitchen 6 in La Condesa. The Pub Burger is amazing! Cheese, beef, and pulled pork all on a delicious brioche. I paired the meal with two Mexican craft beers. A Helles style brew called Jbalí and a Brown Ale known as Cucapá Obscura. Both great!

If you’re looking for amazing tacos, check out the street vendor on the corner of 2 de Abril and Avenida Hidalgo (near The Bellas Artes metro entrance). He offers 5 tacos for $30MXN. 

Ending my trip to Mexico city with the above mentioned taco stand put things into perspective. Mexican cuisine is simple and easy. Five to seven ingredients on a platform made of the all-mighty corn. The tortilla is the foundation of Mexican dishes. Whether they be a taco, burrito, enchilada, nachos, or quesadilla.

Looking forward to eating food that is not wrapped in a corn blanket, I board the plane for the quick flight to Guatemala City.

I had to visit the Brazil Embassy in Bogotá to submit my Canadian passport for a tourist visa. The process was relatively painless, however some “lost in translation” instructions made things a little more difficult than they needed to be.

So, in English, here is the exact process if you need to do something similar. Of course, the official word on what you need and costs can be found on the Consulate General website.

Collect Your Documents

You will need to submit the following documents in order to get your visa. 

1. A print out of the form given to you after you fill out the necessary details online.
2. A copy of your receipt/itinerary from an airline showing your inbound and outbound flights into and out of the country. 
3. A bank statement showing “sufficient funds” during your stay in the country.
4. Your passport with an empty page free of any stamps or visas.
5. A passport photo.

You will need to bring the following in order to process your application.

1. A form of ID (drivers licence, identity card) as collateral in exchange for a keycard to enter the building.
2. Sufficient cash in Colombian Pesos for the application fee. For Canadians, that’s $308,000COP.  

The Embassy

The embassy is located on the 8th floor of a commercial office building. It is only open from 9am – 12pm for visa applications and 2pm – 4pm for document retrieval. So plan your trip accordingly. To enter the building, find the entrance located off of Calle 93.  It will be the eastern most entrance on this street.

When you enter, let the receptionist know you want to head to the embassy. She will ask you for a form of ID (don’t give her your passport) and in return you will get a keycard to go through the security gate. 

Use the card to enter the building, and use the elevators to get to the 8th floor. The elevator will dump you right into the embassy lobby. Let the receptionist behind the bullet proof glass know that you are here for a visa application. She will record your passport details and photo as an entry log.

Go through the metal detector and the steel doors to the waiting area. Before sitting down, find the kiosk where you can grab a number. Be sure to press the “non-brazilian” button to get your number. 

The Process

Once your number is called, hand in all your documentation and your passport. If you require the use of your passport during this time, ask the official for a letter and a copy of your passport photo page. These two items can be used for domestic travel within the country. The official will file everything into a folder and give you a deposit slip for the Banco de Occidente around the corner.

Take this slip and head back to the elevators. 

Use the same keycard to exit the security gate on the main floor and keep it. You will be coming back.

Exit the building, turn right and head towards Carrera 15, then make another right. You are now walking north. Cross Calle 93a and on the right hand side you will see the bank (Banco de Occidente). You will have to write your name, telephone number, and passport number on the deposit slip before handing it over.

Give the teller the completed slip and money. She will deposit the cash, give you your change, and give you a receipt. 

Time to head back to the embassy! Go back the way you came and back up to the 8th floor. It wasn’t busy when I arrived, so I went straight back to the same wicket that I handed all my information to and gave the official the deposit receipt.

He then gave me a card with a number on it. Keep it safe! This is how you retrieve your passport and visa in 10 days. 

Return downstairs and give the keycard to the receptionist to get your identification back. 

Take every stereotype you have of Mexicans and throw them out of the window: That’s México City.

My previous encounters with the country have only been in the Yucatan peninsula. You know: Cancún and Playa Del Carmen, the typical resort and tourist towns of eastern México.

México City, Distrito Federal (DF), CDMX, or whatever you want to call it, is a modern and vibrant city that is full of energy.

Every Mexican that I encountered tried so hard to prove to me that they are a hardworking people. Trying desperately to break the stereotypes of the drunk and lazy Mexican wearing a sombrero.

Cities in Canada and the United States can learn a few things from the largest city in North America. Mexico City is safe, very safe. Not once did I not feel that my personal security was at risk.

For the first half of my visit, I was staying in an amazing AirBnB in a neighbourhood called La Condesa. It’s been described to me as a “hipster” neighbourhood with coffee shops and “artisanal” restaurants (read: a restaurant that serves non-mexican food).

Suffering from a brutal cold, I had to get a decongestant to help me breathe. A simple task considering there are pharmacies (Farmacias en Español) on every street corner.

I explained my symptoms to the clerk in broken Spanish and she gave me a box of pills for $15MXN. I get back to my apartment and look up the ingredients before popping a pill.

Not a single decongestant was to be found! Damn. I hit up another pharmacy, and asked for a specific drug: Pseudoephedrine. No dice. You need a prescription for them to sell anything that’s an amphetamine. She did give me something else and promised me that it would help my situation.

Drugs in hand, I was now able to conquer this amazing city.

First Stop: The National Museum of Anthropology. As soon as you walk through the front doors, you’re blown away by the way the place is set up. You step into the courtyard, which contains a huge concrete umbrella that is supported by a single large pillar. To visit the exhibits, you enter and exit rooms that form a ring around the outside of the courtyard.

The museum focuses on Aztec and other rarities from México’s past. However, a small section includes information and artifacts about how humans evolved from all around the world. If you are interested in how we lived thousands of years ago, this is the place to visit. 

After spending a few hours in the museum, I decided to walk the city. There is a lot to see within an hours walk of the Museum and I recommend strolling through Chapultepec park then head north-east along Paseo de la Reforma to visit the Angel of Independence. 

Along this route you will stop by a monument commemorating the Niños Héros. These Boy Soldiers stopped Chapultapec Castle from falling into American hands during the Mexican-American war in 1847. 

 

No visit to Mexico City would be without seeing the Angel Of Independence. The 7 tonne, 24 karat gold statue of Nike (the Greek goddess of victory) sits atop a 36 m tall column commemorating the centennial of the beginning of Mexico’s War of Independence. Crossing the insanely busy traffic circle to get up close and personal with the statue can be a challenge, but is worth it. 

Sybil hooked us up with a sweet AirBnB close to all the action. It was walking distance from the bus station as well as the infamous 5th avenue.

This was a party town and it was confirmed within the first five minutes of us walking the strip.

“Weed, Molly, Blow?” I hear someone whisper to me.

We keep on walking.

“Coke, blow, coke you want?!”. Someone else says in broken English.

Damn. The drug dealers were not subtle at all down here. If you’re looking to score, it shouldn’t take you more than a five minute walk down 5th avenue.

This continued the entire length of the street as we darted in and out of shops.

Earlier in the day I had been swiping around on Bumble to see if I could find a date for New Years eve, when I matched with someone oddly familiar.

She sends me a message:

“You’re in Playa too?! If you wanna come for drinks we’re at Abolengo on 12th!”

Last September, Alana and I went on a date back in Toronto!

The three of us met up with her crew and had a few drinks at Abolengo Bartina. If you’re looking for a fun, cheap place to dance and drink. This is the place to be.

The town was hopping. All the bars and clubs were packed and overflowing into the street. Confirmed: This is the place to be on new years eve.

We didn’t want to go too hard tonight as we were saving our selves for New Years Eve at The Blue Parrot.

San Pedro attracts a lot of Americans. So much so, a lot of the bars and restaurants cater to them directly. Wings, American Beers, and Football.

Carlo & Ernie’s runway bar is one such place that Vivien and I hit up to soothe our hungry souls. We plopped down and ordered some drinks while fat Americans yelled at the TV screens. 

I wanted to go to this place for its proximity to San Pedro airport. It’s literally a stones throw away from the runway. I was only able to catch one or two aircraft taxiing around before feeling guilty for leaving Vivien alone at the bar. 

Belekin in hand, we came up with theories as to why this place was so popular amongst Americans. Was it because it’s the only English speaking country in Central America? Or because it was close to the USA? Unsure, we continued to sip on our drinks.

After fifteen minutes or so my heart-stopping burger arrived. 

The food was delicious! If you’re looking for good pub food in San Pedro, then hit up Carlo and Earnie’s.

If you are looking for a more healthier option in town, Syb and I hit up Wild Mangos at the end of Barrier Reef Drive. Smoothies, salads, and fresh ceviche. The chicken burger with side salad that I ordered was amazing.

Vivien and I inhaled our meal then headed out for a evening ride in our golf cart….

Yes… golf cart.

Most everyone in this town gets around on a golf cart. I’ve been unable to find any details as to when this trend started. But here we are, in our basic Club Car cart with a foldable back (to store luggage). It wasn’t the most luxurious of rides, but it got us around quickly.

This portion of the trip had no itinerary. The plan was to stay here for a few days, unwind, hit the beach, and recharge before the big New Years Eve party in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

So we spent lazy days on the beach, where I took some amazing shots of both Sybil and Vivien. Sometimes I really miss lugging around my (old school) Nikon D70. Maybe I’ll get back into photography again?!

Rested up and sunburnt, we pack up our stuff and prepare ourselves for the long travel day back up to Mexico. The 90 minute boat ride back to Belize City, then another 8 hours or so on the ADO bus to Playa Del Carmen. 

I was planning my next destination when I learned that I needed to get a travel visa before being able to enter the country. As a holder of a Canadian passport, this is a rare affair and got me thinking: which passport holder would be able to visit the most countries visa-free?

Turns out Henly & Partners, a company that handles residence and citizenship planning, produces an annual Visa Restriction Index for every country. 

Canada ranks as the 6th least restrictive country when it comes to visa-free travel to the rest of the world.

Rank	Visa-Free Countries	Passport Holder’s Country
1	177	Germany
2	176	Sweden
3	175	Finland, France, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom
4	174	Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, United States
5	173	Austria, Japan, Singapore
6	172	Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland
7	171	Greece, New Zealand
8	169	Australia
9	168	Malta
10	167	Czech Republic, Hungary, Iceland

172 out of 212 countries isn’t bad. Data is for 2016. 

The visa application process can be a pain and you need to do some planning ahead of time. My visa application for Brazil will take 10 business days to process. During this time I will be without my passport. 

If you are travelling, with no fixed address, what’s the best way to receive your passport with your newly minted visa in it? This is where you can take advantage of consulates (I’ll discuss the difference between consulates and embassies in another post). 

My next major stop will be in Colombia, which happens to have a Brazilian consulate in Bogotá. I can bring all my paper work, my passport, and the visa application fee to this location for processing.

They will take a look at the all the paper, do the necessary background checks, then use up an entire page in my passport to glue the visa in. So make sure you have a free page available. 

Twelve to fifteen days later, I can return to the consulate to pick up my passport. Phew! In the mean time, I’m stuck in Colombia without a passport.

There is another gotcha that you might run into when trying to enter into another country: reciprocity fees.

In my particular case, Canada requires citizens of Argentina to apply for a tourist visa and pay the necessary fees. Although Argentina doesn’t require Canadian citizens to apply for a tourist visa, they charge a reciprocity fee to enter the country. This fee is the exact same amount Argentine citizens need to pay to apply for their Canadian tourist visa.

These fees can be paid as part of your immigration into the country or online ahead of time. I decided to pay online and print out my receipt, which I will show to the immigration officer when I arrive.

To get a list of which countries you can travel visa free, visit your countries department of foreign affairs or similar. For Canada, you can visit travel.gc.ca. 

If there is only one thing you do in Belize, make sure it’s to visit the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves.

We did the cave tour with Maya Walk ($95USD) and have only the best reviews about the tour company. The guides were knowledgeable and the provided lunch was top notch. We left San Ignacio early in the morning (before 8am) as to ensure that we were one of the first groups to arrive at the caves. Since there are multiple tour companies that provide excursions into the cave, it’s essential to beat the crowd.

It’s hard to describe the feeling you have when you swim into the caves and you are face to face with the actual skeletal remains of a people who lived hundreds of years ago. As you venture deeper into the darkness you start to imagine the types of rituals and activities that happened here by fire-light.

We were lucky enough to have the owner of Maya Walk (Aaron Juan) be our guide into the caves. His extensive knowledge and passion played a really important part in enjoying the history that happened in these caverns. The science nerd in me got really excited when he went above and beyond and demonstrated abiotic fluorescence in the cave walls by using his purple laser pointer to make the rocks glow!

I met a really great French couple (Chloé & Jonathan) who also decided to travel around the world for a year. Their strategy is to work on farms as they make their way around the globe. WWOOFing as it’s called (Working Weekends On Organic Farms) pairs farmers with willing volunteers. You get free room and board while you work on the farm. They have been blogging their experience (In French) at behindthelandscape.com. They have some amazing shots on their Instagram: tdmbio.

We got up early the next day to catch the chicken bus to Belize City. Our destination was San Pedro, Belize, the most southern city on the island of Ambergris Caye.

Wait.. What!?! What the hell is a “Caye”? Allow me to explain:

Caye, can be pronounced both ways: “kee” or “kay” and is not to be confused with quay. It is a sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Another example would be the Florida Keys (yes! another acceptable alternative spelling) or Rama Cay (yup, the third way you can spell it) in Nicaragua.

Whereas a quay (also pronounced like “key”) is a wharf where ships dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.

Anyway, we pay for our round trip tickets ($70BZD) on the San Pedro Belize Express and pile into the boat. I decided to stick to the rear, where it was open to the outside air. The rest were packed in like sardines.

I grab my headphones, press play, and hunker down for the relatively smooth 90 min ride.