{"id":41543,"date":"2016-02-24T00:00:39","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T14:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/?p=41543"},"modified":"2018-05-14T06:19:32","modified_gmt":"2018-05-13T20:19:32","slug":"travelling-to-argentina-heres-7-last-minute-travel-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lastminute.com.au\/vc\/blog\/travelling-to-argentina-heres-7-last-minute-travel-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Travelling to Argentina? Here\u2019s 7 last minute travel tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

You could say that my decision to go to\u00a0Argentina<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0the country known for the Tango<\/a>, was a quick one. I was already booked to go on an Antarctic cruise which left from Ushuaia<\/a> but had no plans to stay there long. I can definitely say now that i\u2019m really glad I decided to extend my trip, even if it was at the last minute!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Here’s what I learnt:<\/h3>\n

1. One of the first things I\u00a0learnt is that Argentine’s love their meat! It\u2019s a staple on every menu at every restaurant. If you are vegan or vegetarian or even a fussy eater like me, you will have a hard time. The good news is, they have amazing desserts, chocolates and icecream! <\/span>Dulce de leche<\/span><\/i>\u00a0basically translates to caramel, so you know you\u2019re going to have a good time \ud83d\ude09\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\"Argentina<\/a>\n

2. I learnt very quickly that I don\u2019t know enough Spanish. So the most basic thing like reading a menu or map proved to be very difficult. Luckily I met some awesome travelers at The Antarctica Hostel<\/i> who put me onto the app that saved my sanity – Spanish Dictionary<\/i><\/a>.<\/i> You can enter a word in Spanish or english and it will translate it for you and also sound out the pronunciation. The most common (and important!) words you need are:<\/p>\n

Cerveza = beer
\n<\/b><\/b>Jam\u00f3n y queso = ham and cheese
\n<\/b>Papas fritas = fries
\n<\/b>Aeropuerto = airport<\/b><\/p>\n

3. Here in Australia, it\u2019s normal for us to flush toilet paper down the toilet. A LOT of places in Argentina<\/a> ask you to put the toilet paper in the bin next to the toilet due to the poor sewerage systems they have. \u00a0This took me a long time to get used to, even with the signs reminding you on the back of the toilet door.<\/p>\n

4. They have <\/span>a lot<\/span><\/i> of glaciers! 48 in total which are <\/span>part of the <\/span>Southern Patagonian Ice Field<\/span><\/a> in the <\/span>Andes<\/span><\/a> which is also shared with Chile<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Argentino Lake\/Lago Argentino is glacier fed and you\u2019ll often see some bergy bits floating around!<\/p><\/div>\n

I didn\u2019t have anything planned for one of the days in El Calafate<\/a> so I booked a quick day trip to see the\u00a0Perito Moreno Glacier <\/a>which is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water, it\u2019s huge! You can get really close to the mouth of the glacier from the lookout points, and you’ll probably see the glacier calve (bits breaking away) as well, which is so cool! If you want to get even closer, boat trips are also available.<\/p>\n

\"Perito<\/a>

Perito Moreno Glacier – 60m high and 30km wide!<\/p><\/div>\n

5. If you are in southern Argentina<\/a> around El Calafate<\/a> or especially Ushuaia<\/a>, you will bump into lots of Antarctica travellers. Stop and talk to them! They have the most amazing stories about what they\u2019ve seen and what they did down there. Everyone in town will be talking about the trip and there will be such a buzz in the air. If you want to read about my trip –<\/span> click here<\/strong>.<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n

Finally going through my photos from Antarctica! #antarctica #expedition #photographer <\/a><\/p>\n

A photo posted by Bel Scott (@_belindakate) on