
When traveling in South America you can be a “tourist” traveling by or you can really absorb the whole experience.
If you are backpacking there is nothing like learning a little Spanish before the trip. The friendliness and openness of the people is an experience by itself so don’t miss it.
Whenever possible choose options for staying with a local family instead of an hotel or a guest house. Learn as much as you can about the culture and the way of thinking in the places that you’re visiting and try to avoid just staying on the outside.
The way to really communicate with the places you are visiting is by taking the time traveling slow, eating the local food, being in the culture and taking the effort to show interest in the local traditions.
Places can be absorbed by more than the eyes, the deeper the experience the more you gain.
there are some great tips
here that you check out if you planning a trip any time soon.