Lucas
Recently I’ve come back from a business trip to Brazil. As I’ve been there several times so far, I thought that I could share with you what to do and what to avoid to stay safe and make the most of your trip.
Table of Contents
Think in Advance About Vaccinations
If you have never been to any tropical countries before, you should contact Travel Doctor who will advise you which vaccination you should take. The key thing is to go there in advance. As my doctor said, the best is to have a visit between 6 to 8 weeks before the departure.
According to CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site where under “Travelers’ Health” anybody can check the current epidemiological situation in the travel destination, Brazil is the area affected by Yellow Fever – a viral hemorrhagic fever transmitted by mosquitoes. It’s rather not common for travelers to get this but it’s better to be prepared for it as the mortality among people not vaccinated with a severe course of the disease reaches 80%.
If you want to know more, read my article about vaccinations for travelers.
Protect Against Mosquito Bites
If you have read the previous paragraph, you should already know that mosquitos are the biggest enemy on your Business Trip to Brazil.
Therefore, don’t forget to take with you something to protect yourself. I personally use plug-in device in the room before I go to sleep. It’s enough to run it for an hour while having dinner in the restaurant.
During the day I use a mosquito repellent on uncovered body parts like neck, elbows, hands, and head.
Check-in Advance If You Need Visa to Enter Brazil
Most countries in Africa, Middle-East, and South Asia (including China and India) need to obtain the visa in advance. For others, it’s enough to have a valid passport to visit Brazil for up to 90 days. To know you can check the source of below map:
When Flying From Europe – Take the Evening Flights
The time difference between European CET (Central European Time) and Sao Paolo is 4 hours. By taking the evening flight you can sleep a bit longer in a plane and the jetlag will be bearly to notice.
If you want to know more, read my article about how to beat the jet lag.
Sao Paolo and Atibaia
When I go on a business trip to Brazil, I always take a flight to Sao Paolo. It’s close to my destination – Atibaia. I know Brazil mainly thorough this place – with its colorful houses and narrow streets it reminds me Puebla in Mexico.
Safety First
I heard that also from my local friends in Brazil that it’s wise to stay cautious while being in Brazil. In practice, it means:
- staying away from dark streets,
- avoiding crowds (pickpockets),
- hanging your belongings over a chair,
- flaunting your wallet in bars
- walking alone in the night
Keeping the common-sense rules will help you to stay out of trouble on your business trip to Brazil.
Hotel Bourbon
When I’m in Atibaia, I always pick Hotel Bourbon as my place to stay. It’s well guarded, with a good gym and swimming pool – worth recommending.
Take With You the Right Socket Adaptor
All sockets which I could see in Brazil type N and C (see picture below).
I had to use adapter with a small plug:
Winter in Europe is Summer in Brazil
It’s worth remembering for people from the northern hemisphere, that seasons in Brazil are in opposition to the ones which we have for example in Europe. Therefore, if you live in the North, don’t take a bag full of winter sweaters and jackets going there in January as it will be really hot there.
You Can Easily Use Uber in Brazil
You should not worry about taking Uber in Brazil. I did it multiple times and I never had any issues.
Visit Churrascaria
Meeting on a barbecue with friends is one of the most popular ways of spending weekends as Brazil has a lot of great quality meat. Therefore being there, you should visit at least once the Churrascaria – a barbecue restaurant where you can try many different kinds of meats. It’s a perfect place for meat lovers. .
First you start with selection of side dishes. You can pick among different salads, souces or bread. And then waiters are circulating in loops among the tables bringing to your table all the kind of meat.
Side dishes and salats 
You can ask for a slice… … of any kind of meat
The rule is that you pay once and you eat as much as you want. But that could be tricky – it’s better to be careful not to overeat with two first rounds as the best is still to come.
Green is a signal for waiter: “I want more drinks” Red says: “I’m enough”
Desserts
One of the worth to try desserts is Mousse do Maracuja:
I liked also the fried banana:
Regular Lunch
I like Brazilian cuisine because it’s light. For lunch, in canteens, you can have always some rice, beans, and salad. Gelly is also very popular. At least in the Atibaia region.
Best Gifts – Local Specialities
As I always travel just with my carry-on luggage, the space for any gifts is strongly limited. Therefore, I usually buy some local sweets and Brazilian coffee. Coffee is very popular in Brazil and tastes really good.
Easy to carry and able to survive a long-haul flight.
Sao Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport
GRU is the only airport I know in Brazil. Trying to exit the arrival zone, you have to go through all duty-free shops – that was like a labyrinth for me for the first time.
Besides that, it’s well organized and the Star Alliance lounge is comfortable.
Passengers Rights in Brazil – ANAC Resolution 400
Sometimes your flights might be disrupted, then it’s worth knowing that in Brazil, passengers’ rights are guaranteed by the resolution called ANAC resolution 400 which is similar to European EU 261. You can read some more about it in my previous article ANAC resolution 400.
Featured image: Lucas