Resources

What’s Included Here:

  1. Spending Money

  2. Travel, Cars, Accommodations

  3. Insurance + Healthcare

  4. Phone + Internet

  5. Gear

Spending Money

Living outside the US ourselves, we get a lot of questions from friends and family about spending money while traveling in Latin America, so here’s the rundown.

  • Be careful using ATMs. As a general rule, we stick to ATMs that are inside banks, not freestanding machines out on the street.

  • Pay in the local currency, even if using a card and even if they say they take USD (excluding Cabo, where everything is in dollars). Generally, your bank will give you a better exchange rate when making the purchase than the vendor’s point of sale system.

  • If you need cash, it is generally cheaper to use an ATM and extract in local currency than it is to use a currency exchange!

  • Get yourself a Wise card! For real. We have used ours for about six years (since they were called TransferWise) living abroad, and can’t recommend it enough. The exchange rates are better than offered by our Chase or Schwab accounts, and you can hold multiple currencies at the same time (such as the Mexican peso and Costa Rican colon).

Travel, Cars, and Accommodations

If you’re a regular traveler, you probably have your preferences already as far as getting there and dealing with local transport. But here are a few recommendations anyway!

  • Book Surf Camps - Just as the title says. Great site for finding surf camps all around, not just in Latin America. Has reviews and solid customer service.

  • GetRentacar - Rental car marketplace. The advantage here is that they essentially search across different providers to find you the best option. We’ve used them in quite a few countries here in Central America.

  • Get Transfer - The name again says it all. Get airport transfers easily. Useful for getting between airports and hotels safely and easily.

  • Trip.com - Good for hotels mostly. Also has transfers that tend to be more expensive.

Insurance and Healthcare

We don’t generally recommend every visitor get insurance or know the healthcare situation when they come visit us or travel in the area. But if you’re headed somewhere to surf, it’s a good idea to know your options. Here’s a few tips.

  • Visitors Coverage - Get short-term travel insurance in a ton of different countries. You can even get coverage for multiple countries in one trip if you need.

  • Ask for Prices - In many countries in Latin America (Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, etc.), prices for medical treatment are given up front. Many Americans do not realize this and do not ask, but you can ask a hospital or doctor the cost of everything before agreeing to any treatment. A good idea as some of the more touristy hospitals will charge 10x others (yes, you read that number correctly).

  • Hotel Hospitals - Hotels don’t have hospitals obviously but… If you are staying at a resort, they may have a relationship with a high end tourist hospital in the area. You are likely to get a high level of care at the hospital they recommend, but it is also likely to be the most expensive one in the area. Do what you want with this information, we are not doctors and are not giving any medical advice!

Phone and Internet

Depending on where you are in Latin America, coverage may not be what you are used to back home. We’ve had amazing cell service in most of Costa Rica and Mexico, while parts of Guatemala have seen us without signal all day. Here’s a few things you might do to prepare:

  • Airalo - Just an awesome website to exist. Gives you local cell service in the country you’re visiting, often at a much cheaper rate than roaming rates and always with a better connection. You need a phone that can take an eSim (most newer phones). Essentially, you can get service without having to buy a sim card (and waste the time, energy, and material) super easily and securely. Works in an impressive amount of countries for a super reasonable price.

  • Maps - Download maps for offline use! You can learn how to do this on Google Maps here. Pretty easy, free, and just requires a tiny bit of free space on your phone. When we go somewhere, we often download the maps for offline use. If service isn’t available, you won’t be totally screwed getting around. It’s seriously a must.

  • WiFi - Ask for WiFi anywhere you go. Living in Mexico, we’ve seen visitors hesitate to ask while locals have no problem asking. Use the WiFi at a restaurant, cafe, surf shop, whatever. People are generally happy to share the info, and you’re going to get a much better connection.

Gear

Traveling to surf and need some recommendations on what to bring/buy? We got you covered.

  • Rentals - Surfboard rentals in most places are super affordable. If you’re getting quoted high prices, head to someone else on the same beach or to somewhere slightly less active. We generally go with the place that has boards that are well taken care of and recognizable brands or shapes.

  • Boards - Not super relevant to traveling, but by far the most common question I get asked by friends looking to get into surfing is about what board they should get. Easy. The Wavestorm. It’s been the go-to for learners for a long time for a reason. You may consider a 7’ model if you’re on the shorter side, but the 8’ model is the bread and butter of beginner surfers!

  • Protecting Your Board - Different airlines have different requirements for checking a board. Generally, we wrap ours in a simple surf sock before covering it in bubble wrap and foam wrap (like this). Protect your shit! Also, old yoga mats are a solid extra buffer :) A surf sock is a great thing to have in general. We use this one as it’s super economic, stops the wax from leaking in the heat here, and protects it from the dings and UV light.

  • Clothing - Most places in Latin America have warm enough water that a wetsuit is not necessary. The one exception is on the northern end of Baja California. Rashguards are definitely recommended due to the heat and high UV index, but something thing and not too hot is best.

  • Sunscreen - Read our post Reef-Safe Sunscreen Guide to learn about the effects of sunscreen and find a few brands that are safe for marine life.

IIf you have a specific question about traveling or surfing in Latin America, reach out to us. We won’t sell you anything or bullshit you… We’re here to help!

Affiliate Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. If you’re not familiar, here’s what it means: When you click a link and book something, we get a small percentage. This doesn’t raise the rate you pay; the vendor pays us! This is how we stay afloat :)