9 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Solo Traveling To Brazil

Every time we travel to a new country, there are adventures to be had and lessons to be learned. Brazil overall required taking the same precautions I always take on a solo adventure, i.e. don’t go out after dark, stay vigilant always, always leave my passport in a safe, and keep one credit card hidden incase I’m to get robbed, but there were a few other factors that would have been helpful to know beforehand. Here are my top 9 takeaways for those who are curious to know before traveling to Brazil, especially solo.

Pro-Tip: A great way to meet people when solo traveling is to book a tour. This day tour in Rio hits all of the major hotspots (and you might make a friend or two!).

1. ATMs Won’t Always Read Foreign Cards

While the majority of places in Brazil that I visited took card, I still found it necessary to carry cash on me just in case I was in a situation that required it. When I first got to Brazil, I was able to withdraw cash from an ATM in Rio de Janeiro’s centro district with no problem at all. However, a few days later, I needed cash yet again, and when I tried to withdraw money from an ATM in Copacabana, it would not read my card. I moved on to try six different ATMs, including Santander, which I have used all over the globe, and it refused to read my Bank of America card. I was able to exchange US dollars for Brazilian reals at Hotel Bandeirantes, where I was staying, but the rate was much worst than had I gotten it from an ATM.

Later, when I was in Foz do Iguaçu, I tried withdrawing cash from the ATM at a grocery store, and ran into the same issue. Luckily, I had 40 USD on me, and was able to exchange with the Central Flats Iguassu, where I was staying, but similarly to my situation in Rio, it was for a worst exchange rate.

Two lessons to be learnt here: use the ATM at the airports, because they are more likely to work, and always have extra cash handy (even if it’s USD).

2. It’s Not As Unsafe As I’ve Been Told (In My Experience)

There are three places that the masses have warned me about solo traveling to: India, Egypt, and Brazil. While I am, overall, an experienced traveler, there’s a reason I put Brazil off as long as I did. I’ve heard horror stories of people being robbed, mugged, and worse. I landed in Rio de Janeiro late at night (which I do not recommend: if this can be avoided, then choose an earlier flight), and when I woke up my first morning there, I was ready to see what the big fuss was all about.

I immediately prepared to be catcalled, harassed, bothered, you name it, similarly to how I have been in many places around the globe. I was pleasantly surprised to find this was not an issue for me in Rio de Janeiro. I walked around for hours my first day there, and I might as well have been invisible. Not a single person bothered me, I didn’t feel the awkward gawks that I typically feel when walking around most places (even my home of NYC). I texted one of my friends, “Rio is safer than New York!” This pleasant streak continued on for the duration of my trip to Brazil.

Perhaps I just got lucky. Many other travelers I met while there warned me to be careful with exposing my phone, hiding my wallet deep in my bag so it would be a difficult pickpocket, and to overall, stay vigilant. While I did take safety precautions such as minimizing public phone use, hiding an extra credit card in the safe in my hotel room, and more, overall, I had zero safety issues in Brazil.

3. It’s Extremely Affordable (But Easy To Get Ripped Off)

Brazil is overall an affordable destination by Western standards. With that being said, locals know this, and will take full advantage if they can. Yellow cabs, which can be easily hailed all over major cities, won’t run a meter and will just arbitrarily choose a monetary amount to charge. I only took one yellow cab in Rio de Janeiro, and it was 5x the cost of an Uber. Granted, it was still only about $10, but the price was still inflated. It’s pretty easy to spot a tourist, so do some research ahead of time on what things should cost, and try to avoid buying things without a sticker price on them.

4. It’s PACKED in January

I ran on Instagram poll on my stories in late December 2022: “Should I go to Brazil next week, or should I go when it’s not high season?” I was surprised to see that it was almost a 50/50 split, and that many people advised I wait until it’s not high season. I was very disappointed in my following, I thought I raised them more irresponsibly than that! Of course, I went with the 50% that I agreed with, and went in January anyway. Well, let me tell ya something.. January is an absolute madhouse in Brazil. Think Rome, Italy in the summertime.

It was so busy that I arrived at Christ the Redeemer right at opening hours, and was told it was already sold out until almost 3PM. Major tourist spots were crowded, Iguazu Falls should have had a cap on how many people were let in: I couldn’t even walk! Aside from this, nightly hotel prices were jacked up. What’s nice about Brazil is the weather is pretty moderate year-round (typically hot, but it doesn’t get too cold), so if you can avoid January, learn from my mistake, and choose a different month.

Pro-Tip: Should you choose to visit in high season, you should book everything ahead of time. Book a tour of the Brazilian side of Iguazu Falls here.

5. Uber Works… and Is A Steal

As mentioned above, yellow taxis will have no problem ripping you off. If you’re wondering what the best way to get around Brazil in general is, Uber works in the country (dependent on the area you’re in), and is a literal steal. Even during “high/busy times,” the maximum an Uber cost me in Rio de Janeiro was around 4 USD. Uber is also somewhat of a safer option for solo travelers, especially when they use a pin to confirm their ride number. With Uber, you can share your location and ride with a trusted family member or friend, so god forbid, if anything goes awry, it will be easy to pinpoint where it happened and with whom.

If for some reason, you don’t want to use Uber, arranging rides ahead of time on Booking.com, especially from the airport, is a great way to ensure you’re all set.

6.The Catcalling is Nearly Nonexistent (In My Experience)

Also as mentioned above, I overall had a pleasant and “safe” experience in Brazil. Safety is subjective, and this was simply my experience. However, sadly, one of the factors that weigh in when I’m determining how “safe” a country is, is how often I get harassed! The joys of being a woman in this world, am I right? In Brazil, I was shocked that I did not get catcalled a single time. That’s right: not ONCE. My daily walks in New York City always guarantee a minimum of 20 catcalls, so for it to not happen once in Brazil was, quite frankly, deafening silence. Of course, everyone’s experience will be different, and I’ve heard many unpleasant stories of women not having a great time in Brazil, but in January 2023, from a solo female traveler’s perspective (me), the catcalling simply did not exist.

7. The Food is Hit Or Miss; But The Fruit is Always Hit

Brazilian cuisine is GOOD–it’s heavy on char-grilled meats, and consists of tons of fresh seafood and produce. I had some great food here, but I also had some not-so-great food here. It was completely hit or miss. However, to guarantee always eating like a Queen, go for fresh fruit. I’ve been to over 80 countries, and never have I ever had fruit as fresh and delicious as the fruit in Brazil. I still kick myself for not eating a minimum of 20 açai bowls a day!

• If you want to experience Brazilian nightlife but are weary as a solo traveler, book a pub and cachaca crawl here to meet people AND be in a group setting.
• Book a Rio Food & Drink food tour here.

8. The Beaches Are Where It’s At

Brazil is a huge country with over 8,000km in coastline, so the options for beaches are plentiful. In fact, Brazil is home to the longest beach in the entire world, Praia do Cassino. While Brazil is much more than its beaches, there’s no doubt that Brazilian beaches are where the real vibes and party are at. I don’t mean “literal party,” although, it wouldn’t be difficult to make it one if that’s what you so choose.

For example, I stayed at Hotel Carioca in the Centro neighborhood for my first few days in Rio de Janeiro, but eventually moved to a hotel on Copacabana. Being by Copacabana beach made me feel like I was in an entirely different city. It was so lively, full of character, and the beach had so many interesting factors: from fresh passion fruit caipirinhas being sold in every single stall, to men walking around with fresh fruit and freshly grilled seafood skewers, to young Brazilian boys playing soccer, to locals tanning in exactly the type of swimwear you’d expect one to wear in Brazil, I was kicking myself for not exploring a Brazilian beach sooner.

Pro-Tip: Brazilian beaches are allegedly a notorious place to get robbed, so if you’re a solo traveler, bring minimal bags and belongings with you. I wore a fanny-pack and lied on my stomach so no one could see it.

9. English Is Not Widely Spoken

It’s always a common question amongst travelers when heading to a new country: how will we be able to communicate with the local communities? While, in my experience, English is widely spoken around the globe, such is not the case in Brazil. You better brush up on a Portuguese phrase or two (even knowing numbers were helpful, in my experience), because very few people speak English. Even at major hotels, restaurants, and transit stations, it might be difficult to communicate if you’re solely relying on English. I spoke Spanish a few times and had no luck with that, either. So, remember folks, you’re in someone else’s home, do your homework ahead of time and don’t expect the locals to cater to you!

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