as much as i love to plan and organize, while on a trip i don’t like managing logistics very much. i think this is why i am a fan of the planned tour. i am a very independent person, but i really like waking up, having breakfast, and being in front of the hotel for a car/van/bus pick-up at a certain time.

although five weeks seems like a lot of time, it really isn’t if you want to see a large country from top to bottom. i started off thinking that i would rent an apartment in Buenos Aires and then travel out from there. ah, but that would involve logistic planning while there, and that takes away from my fun. enter the tour company. for this trip i chose Argentinian Explorer. i actually put out emails to a couple of companies, but this one came back in record time, with a nice trip and a cost effective price. thanks to Laura for putting that together for me.

i opted for a 20 night tour which will show me “Argentina from North to South”. i will see some of the same things i saw on my previous trip, but a lot will be brand new. i do hope there will be penguins again.

after my tour i will stay in Buenos Aires for two weeks. i found an apartment through VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) and so far so good. not knowing the area at all, i contacted a colleague of mine for some help, as i knew he traveled to Argentina quite a bit. he in turn put me in touch with a colleague of his that works and lives in Buenos Aires. how nice was that?! i asked my new Argentinian friend for some recommendations on which district to stay in, shared with him my options, and finally decided on a spot. it’s really nice having a contact in the country you’re going to visit, makes things a lot easier and i am most appreciative!

i have the tour booked, the apartment rented and my flight taken care of. i ended up buying my ticket instead of using miles because it just ended up being worth it time and schedule-wise. using miles is great in theory, but the reality is sometimes impossible.

now the big question is, since i will be SO close to Antarctica should i try and get there so i can say i’ve been to six of the seven continents? visiting all of the continents has never been a goal of mine, but i’m so close, maybe it should be. i think i will investigate a side adventure…..stay tuned for more details.

photo courtesy of sodahead.com