In this guide

1. Entry & Borders
2. Money
3. Staying Connected
4. Getting Around
5. Where to Land First
6. Country Guides

Entry & Borders

United States.

Visa Waiver Program travelers need an ESTA before flying: $40.62 from 16 October 2026, valid two years or until your passport expires, up to 90 days per visit. Apply only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, at least 72 hours before departure. Everyone else needs a visa in advance.

Canada.

Visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to or transiting through Canada need an eTA: CAD $7, valid up to five years or until your passport expires, multiple entries, stays up to six months. Apply at canada.ca — approval usually lands within minutes. US citizens are exempt.

Mexico.

The tourist card (FMM) is issued for up to 180 days at the officer's discretion — 180 days is a maximum, not a guarantee. The 2026 fee is 983 pesos (roughly $53–54); stays of seven days or fewer are free, and the fee is included in your airfare when you fly in. Paper FMMs are phased out at airports (digital FMMD); at land and sea crossings you still get a paper form and must stop at the INM office. The border free zone (roughly 20–30 km / about 12 miles, up to 6–7 days) needs no permit and no fee. A passport book is required for air arrivals; carry your passport and FMM originals.

South America.

There is no blanket rule — check the country, not the continent. For US, UK, Canadian, and Australian visitors, roughly 90 days visa-free is the norm in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Brazil is the big exception: US, Canadian, and Australian visitors need an e-Visa (about $81, apply online in advance, typically valid 10 years for US citizens, multiple entries, 90 days per visit, max 180 days in 12 months) — UK and most EU visitors do not. Suriname requires an e-Visa. Colombia also requires the free online Check-Mig form before arrival. Venezuela is a special case: sources conflict on whether a tourist visa is required, so check the current advisory and the consulate before booking — this hub prints no definitive claim.

Caribbean.

US citizens need no visa for most islands, typically 30–90 days. Cuba requires a tourist card/visa. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands need no passport for US citizens (a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or government photo ID does it). The Dominican Republic requires a valid passport plus the free digital E-Ticket before your flight. On closed-loop cruises that leave from and return to the same US port, a birth certificate plus government photo ID is enough — no passport.

Money

Every country has its own currency: US dollars (US, Ecuador, El Salvador, Panama, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and more), Canadian dollars, Mexican pesos, Brazilian reais, Argentine pesos, Chilean pesos, Colombian pesos, Peruvian soles, and the rest. Exchange rates move daily, so check the rate before you budget — this hub prints none.

Cards are widely accepted in cities, hotels, and larger restaurants. Cash is for markets, street food, small towns, taxis, and tips. Get local currency from a bank ATM, not an exchange booth, and always choose to be charged in the local currency when the machine or terminal offers your home currency — the conversion it offers is never in your favor. Carry small bills; nobody has change for the big ones.

Tipping.

The US and Canada tip like the US and Canada: restaurants 18–20% in the US and 15–20% on the pre-tax total in Canada; taxis 15–20% in the US, 10–15% in Canada. Mexico runs 10–15% (up to 20% in tourist areas, per one source). In the Caribbean, a 10–15% service charge is often already on the bill — check before adding more. In South America, a 10% service charge is often included in Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica, with roughly 5% extra appreciated if you tip on top; in Argentina and Peru, service charges are more frequently included, with 15–20% extra if you tip directly. Where a charge is included, tipping extra is a thank-you, not an obligation.

Staying Connected

eSIM before landing

is the low-friction move: buy and install the profile at home, enable it after you touch down. A foreign-issued travel eSIM attaches as inbound roaming, so it sidesteps local registration rules. US eSIMs need no passport or ID — email and payment only (single source).

Local prepaid SIMs

vary by country. In the US, a prepaid SIM needs no passport or ID. In Mexico, since 9 January 2026 every line holder must be identified with valid official photo ID — for foreign nationals, that is your passport — at Telcel, AT&T México, and Movistar, including Telcel's tourist eSIM. Older guides saying Mexico needs no ID are outdated. In Brazil, the hurdle is the CPF (tax ID): TIM is the only major carrier that consistently sells tourist SIMs on a passport alone, no CPF; Vivo is the strictest, Claro is store-dependent, and official Vivo stores can manually register with a passport. WhatsApp is the default messaging app across much of Latin America — worth having installed before you land.

Roaming.

Check your home carrier's roaming before you fly — US carrier roaming is often included or an add-on. If you run an eSIM, turn off data roaming on your home profile so the eSIM carries the traffic and your home carrier does not.

Getting Around

Domestic flights.

Distances are continental, so flights are the default for long hops. Major regional carriers are LATAM, Avianca, and Copa; low-cost options include Volaris and VivaAerobus in Mexico, JetSMART in Chile and Argentina, and Gol and Azul in Brazil. Flights between Latin American countries can be hard to find cheap; within-country flights are often much easier. Read the baggage rules — low-cost carriers usually charge separately for bags.

Buses.

Long-distance buses are the backbone of overland travel across Central and South America, from local minibuses to high-comfort overnight coaches with reclining seats and meals. Not all tickets can be bought online, especially local buses.

Trains.

Unlike Europe, trains are limited here — mainly tourist-oriented routes, plus Amtrak in the US and VIA Rail in Canada covering select corridors rather than a European-style network. Plan around buses and flights, not rail.

Rideshares and taxis.

Uber, InDriver, and Cabify are widely available in cities. Avoid airport taxis where possible — use a ride-hailing app or arrange a transfer through your accommodation. In smaller towns and on islands, collectivos (shared taxis) fill the gaps, often departing when full rather than on a schedule.

City transit.

Big cities have real systems — Buenos Aires and Santiago have efficient metro and bus networks, and most major US and Canadian cities have transit from the airport. Each city guide covers its own transit in detail.

Where to Land First

• Mexico City — One of the world's great food cities, with Aztec and colonial history layered under a modern capital.
• Cancún — The easiest Caribbean-beach landing in the Americas: direct flights, an airport bus to the Hotel Zone, and Maya ruins in the same trip.
• Guanajuato — A walkable colonial center in a mountain bowl: alleyways, tunnels, and rooftop sunsets.
• Buenos Aires — European-scale boulevards, steakhouse culture, and late-night everything — a soft landing into South America.
• Lima — Peru's culinary capital and the natural gateway to Machu Picchu and the Andes.
• Bogotá — A high-altitude Andean capital with museums and coffee culture, and the hub for Colombia.
• Cartagena — A walled Caribbean old town: walkable, warm, and the classic first taste of South America.
• New York City — The densest first landing in the US, with transit from the airport straight into the grid.
• Los Angeles — Beaches, studios, and the classic West Coast arrival — a car or rideshare city from the first hour.
• Rio de Janeiro — Beach, mountain, and city in one landing: Copacabana, Sugarloaf, and samba in the same first day.

Country Guides

Country hubs are coming — Landing in Mexico, Landing in Brazil, Landing in Colombia, and the rest will sit between this page and the city guides, with each country's entry rules, money, SIM, and transport in one place. Until they exist, the city guides above carry the detail.