3 Things To Look Forward To When Visiting Chile, South America

Last updated on 25 June 2024

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My next overseas trip is to Chile.

South America has always been a part of my extended family – my grandparents lived there for over 20 years, my mum and her siblings grew up there – so it’s a joy that I can finally head there myself. In September, I’m off to Chile for 2 weeks with my grandfather, and I cannot wait. I’ve even been working on my Spanish (and trying to remember sentences from Year 11).

¿Habla tu Inglés? Yo no hablo español.

We’ll see what a disaster that turns out to be. Thankfully, my granddad is fluent. Phew!

I love travelling, you guys already know this, and heading to Chile is going to be amazing. There are a couple of things in particular that I’m looking forward to, so I thought I’d share those with you today.

Language

I know I just said the language is going to be a disaster, but I’m actually looking forward to spending a good amount of time surrounded by Spanish speakers. According to the internet (thank you, Google), English isn’t widely spoken, however quite a few people will have basic English. While that’s a little daunting, I draw peace of mind from the fact that my grandfather is fluent and I’ll be with him 99% of the time, and that I know a few words here.

My main issue is that I can read the language better than I can understand it being spoken. It’ll be a challenge, but might be a fantastic learning opportunity.

Food

Growing up, one of the main things I heard from my mum about Chile is the food. Ever since I booked tickets it’s all she can talk about. “You’ll have to try this, it’s amazing” and “Make sure he takes you to this amazing cake shop” and “Eat all the empanadas you can!” Um, okay Mum.

But definitely looking forward to trying as many things as possible. Will have to not eat anything for like a week leading up to the trip, and nothing for at least a week afterwards. That seems like a healthy plan.

Culture

The music, the dance, the colour, the people; the culture of South American countries has always excited me, and I can’t wait to be in the middle of it all.

While I suspect I’ll be spending most of my time in Santiago, the capital, the backdrop of the Andes mountains is sure to amaze, even if we don’t end up heading out into the country very much. According to Lonely Planet, “Santiago is a city of syncopated cultural currents, madhouse parties, expansive museums and top-flight restaurants”, so it is all on!

While there are so many more things that I’m looking forward to – seeing my family’s friends, the places where they lived and worked, ticking another country off my bucket list, among others – there are just 3 major things that I’m excited about.

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Have you been to Chile before? Or another South American country? Any tips? What was your favourite thing?