I was in Brazil, my dream came true 🙂 I travelled to South-Brazil, to the area of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. I can’t express how super excited I was about the trip.

Before travelling I always think about what I will leave at home. The most important things are the passport, boarding pass, money and vaccines (inside my body). Every other thing you can buy there, just need money 😉

I don’t like to buy the thing I already have, so I tried to pack everything I need. My luggage was almost full (17 kg), so nothing was missing. I just had to buy Brazilian bikinis (what I couldn’t find in Hungary) and Havaianas as a souvenir for myself.

What to pack for Brazil?

 

Valid passport + visa (if needed)

My passport is valid! Yesssss! It depends on your country. For me, it can’t be expired till I’ll leave the country. Hungarians don’t need a tourist visa, but if I wanted to work there, I would need a visa.

 

Make copies of your documents

Make a good quality copy of your passport, identification card and carry the copy with you instead of the real one. Your photo should be clean and recognizable.

Brazil is dangerous country, so you can be robbed any time. The situation wasn’t that serious, but it’s good to be ready for the worst situation. Fortunately, we didn’t see any robbery or worst things, of course, we avoided the dangerous parts.

 

Cash

This will sound a bit scary, I apologize in advance… I quote from the website of consulate: You should always have some cash in case of a robbery, so you can hand out your cash.

The other reason is: some places don’t accept card. On the beach you can pay by card in kiosks, but not at the sellers, who go around and around.

 

Vaccines and vaccination book

Make sure to check the required vaccines if you are travelling to a different continent. I get 3 vaccines for my trip: Hepatitis A, Yellow fever and Typhoid. I didn’t visit the jungle, so I didn’t get any vaccine against malaria, but it’s necessary in case you visit the area of Amazonas.

Don’t forget your yellow little notebook (the official name is International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis) at home 😉

 

Mosquito repellent

When I get my vaccines, the doctor recommended me one type: Ben’s. The effect of a mosquito bite can be dangerous.

He said I should use it every day and before I go to bed.

I didn’t use it every time, my first thought after the shower wasn’t to spray myself. So I wasn’t surprised when a mosquito bit me. I always used it for long walks, after sunset (most of the insects arrive after sunset) and at areas close to the forest.

 

Sunscreen

Brazilian summers are very hot and the sunshine is intense. The temperature in Rio de Janeiro can be 50 Celsius degrees. Always use sunscreen against burning down, it’s important to protect your skin from damage.

Apply it every 5-6 hours or more frequently if needed. During summer the sunshine is very strong between 10 am and 4 pm, not recommended to stay in the sun because of the UV rays and the heat.

Drink at least 2 litres of water a day to hydrate yourself.

 

Bikini

The less is the best, as my boyfriend said.

Locals wear tiny bikinis showing lot more skin than usual. So buy a tanga, what I couldn’t buy tanga in Budapest. I didn’t mind, in Brazil, the selection is much bigger in colours and patterns 🙂 I imagined a bikini with pineapples or tropical pattern.

 

Where to buy bikinis?

The most famous and stylish stores are água de coco, Blueman, Cia.Marítima and Lenny Niemeyer. You have to pay a higher price for the quality and style. I had luck because these 4 brand made a collaboration with C&A, so I could choose a stylish tropical Brazilian bikini. It’s not totally tanga, it covers more skin. I was surprised, I thought it will be easy to find tanga, but it’s not that simple.

On Copacabana and Ipanema you can also buy bikinis from sellers going around. I don’t know how they provide an option to try it on 😉

 

Canga

The next must-have for the beach is canga, which is the Brazilian beach towel. Brazilians don’t use normal towels at the beach. Canga is more practical because it’s bigger and lighter than a towel. Available in many colours and patterns, I get one from my boyfriend, so this item is also checked.

In Rio de Janeiro the best place to buy is the beach. They have a big selection in patterns and colours.

In every beach the canga seller guys going around and waiting for you to buy a canga.

 

Light dresses and shorts for summer

The weather is super hot, especially in summer.

Avoid wearing expensive and conspicuous clothes and jewellery (I also read this on the website of consulate). I didn’t care about that, because I like my colourful tropical patterned dresses. A lot of people wear colourful clothes.

 

Raincoat / umbrella

As I said summer is very hot, but it is also the rainy season. This means there are 2-3 hours (or more) long heavy showers during the day. If you’d like to stay dry bring a raincoat or umbrella.

 

Flip-flops /Havaianas

Every Brazilian have Havaianas. I also bought a pair to act like a local. These famous flip-flops can be found across the world, but it’s more special to buy Havaianas in the country of origin. They have a selection in many colours, but it’s also available with patterns like my chosen one.

There are many Havaianas stores, I bought my pair in a supermarket.

 

And so so many things: toothbrush, phone charger, the list is endless 😉

What is the most important thing for you to bring?