"The story of my 41-day, tumultuous journey through South America."

South America! A place where the phrase "God made" truly lives up to its name.
This is the story of my 41-day, tumultuous trip to South America, a place where the saying, "You must visit before you die," really comes to life. For those who are afraid of traveling alone, this is the story of my first trip.
30 years of working life.
Retired.
In Korean society, it is a blessing to be able to work until retirement without being suddenly kicked out one day.
Also, since retirement is planned, it is a great advantage to be able to think in advance about how to live after retirement.
If you ask people what they want to do most when they retire, they will definitely say [travel].


However, looking at the seniors after retirement, they seemed to be longing to travel but were unable to easily go on a trip.
At best, you end up going on a package tour once or twice and that's the end of the trip you've been longing for.
Even though I was retired, I wanted to try a new journey.
So, out of the blue, I decided to go backpacking in South America.
South America! A place where the phrase "God made" truly lives up to its name.
This is a place where the saying, "You must visit before you die," really comes to life. For those who are afraid of traveling alone, I'd like to introduce my 41-day itinerary to South America, which I visited first.
Even I, who has only worked for 30 years and is ignorant of the ways of the world, have been there, so you can too.
Let's start dreaming of a vibrant new challenge after retirement.

“Backpacking trip alone”

I thought I was young.
Still full of energy and confidence… .
So I went on a trip.
Loosen your tie (Go), put on your backpack (Go), and go to South America!

30 years of working life.
Retired.
In Korean society, it is a blessing to be able to work until retirement without being suddenly kicked out one day.
Also, since retirement is planned, it is a great advantage to be able to think in advance about how to live after retirement.

If you ask people what they want to do most when they retire, they will definitely say [travel].
However, looking at the seniors after retirement, they seemed to be longing to travel but were unable to easily go on a trip.
At best, you end up going on a package tour once or twice and the trip you longed for comes to an end.
Even though I was retired, I wanted to try a new journey.
So, out of the blue, I decided to go backpacking in South America.


He boasted that he would retire and travel the world with great interest.
So, when I decided to travel around the world, the first thing that caught my eye was South America.
yes….
Let's go to South America.
Carrying a backpack with style.
A trip to South America basically requires a long travel period of at least 30 days.
Because the continent is so large and wide, it takes a considerable amount of time to travel by plane.
The judgment that it would be advantageous to go when I am the youngest in the rest of my life also played a part.
After deciding on South America as my travel destination, I started reading numerous books and blog posts about South America to plan my itinerary.
But there wasn't much that could serve as a helpful compass for me.
Most of them are young people with a lot of energy and travel stories, and they are good at using smartphone apps and the internet.
Moreover, there were many young people who were fluent in English and Spanish.
I can't even speak English, let alone Spanish, and I struggle to install apps on my smartphone without help. Could I possibly travel alone? And with a backpack? To the vast continent of South America? The moment I realized I'd never traveled alone before, I suddenly regretted my bold claim to travel to South America alone.
Why are you acting like you’re so great when you could have just gone on a package tour like everyone else?
The more anxious I become about traveling, the more I become obsessed with information.
I spent a long time researching flights, hotels, and other things for each country in South America, surfing the internet to figure out how to plan my itinerary.


I've read a lot of books and travelogues about South America, but most of them were very long-term trips (at least 90 days or more).
Also, there were so many things to study and learn about each country that it took a lot of time to figure out which country to enter and which country to exit.
As a result, I had no idea how many days I should spend on my trip.
While I was at a loss, I was able to get some really good information from a travel website.
For those who, like me, have difficulty planning their own travel schedules, there are travel agencies that specialize in planning them for them.
Thanks to these travel agencies, even older women can now travel alone to South America, a region known for its dangers.
If you set out according to the schedule set by the travel agency, they will reserve the hotel and local flight for you, and you will be a semi-backpacker who plans and carries out the rest of your local itinerary on your own.

South America! A place where the phrase "God made" truly lives up to its name.

A place where the saying that you must visit before you die really comes true!
For those who are afraid of traveling alone, I introduce my 41-day itinerary in South America.
Even I, who has only worked for 30 years and is ignorant of the ways of the world, have been there, so you can too.
Let's start dreaming of a vibrant new challenge after retirement.

--- From the prologue