What information would have made your first South American journey easier?

I'd love to hear from travellers and tourism professionals, because that question is exactly what I'm trying to answer.

I'm building the VisaAdvisor South America Travel Planning Index — an honest, source-led resource that helps people understand the continent before trying to cross it. Not another list telling everyone to visit the same famous places.

The continent is enormous. A journey that looks short on a screen can take an entire day. Beautiful places and welcoming communities get overlooked because travellers can't find clear information about distances, connections and realistic routes. I'm currently based in Brazil and continuing to develop the project, which you can find at the link below:

visaadvisor.ai/south-america-travel-planning-index-2026/

I'd love your feedback: is it clear and useful, and what other information would you add?

A personal story — South America has never felt like pins on a map to me. I'm originally from Argentina and have travelled widely across it and Brazil — but what stays with me is the people. Once in Buenos Aires, lost and struggling to explain what I needed, I asked a hurried stranger for directions. Instead of just pointing, he walked me to the government office, translated, showed me how to use a SUBE card, and stayed until he knew I could manage on my own. That kindness reminded me that a place stays in your heart not because of its landmarks or rankings, but because someone refused to leave you lost. That's the South America I want more people to discover.