Is it really that bad? It's been on my bucket list for a while (i speak reasonable Portuguese, enjoy Brazilian music, and like a good nightlife, beaches and sociable people that are easy to chat up) but honestly everyone makes it seem like more than half of your time there would be spent worrying about not getting shot, robbed or scammed. Makes me doubt if it's worth it if i can never relax. I understand big cities come with their own set of problems in general but is Rio specifically really that bad?
>>2709805It’s nowhere near as bad as internet retards and the media claim. Go, enjoy yourself, take the same precautions you would in any dangous city in america. Don’t flash valuables/money/phones. Try to embed yourself in with people who vibe with you who you trust.
>>2709805No, as long as you stay in the tourist spots, I've been there like 5 times, I've never had an issue. Just never go to a favela alone, if you want to know one in the first place (something I never understood why there are some people wanting to go there). Tijuca is my favorite part of the city by far.
>>2709805I went there more than 10 years ago so I can't attest what's it's like now, but I never ran into any real trouble. I stayed in a hotel that was actually next to a favela but even I felt okay with it. Santa Teresa was extremely shady however. Downside... weirdly enough I don't think it should be THAT hyped. City itself is kinda boring after you reach the city view peaks. I also found the local vibe to be insular rather than welcoming.
>>2709805Obviously you must take precautions on the street and keep your guard up around people. If you're a typical tourist I imagine you'll want to stay in either Ipanema or Copacabana. If you're European looking you're going to be approached by street vendors, dealers, and scammers a lot. But you might find it really easy to approach cool locals, guys and girls. >>2710210I liked Tijuca, honestly liked any part of the city that was heavily forested. I stayed in Joá and high up in the hills of Gávea before, it's really beautiful and you completely forget you're surrounded by a city of 12 million people.
>>2710215It's insanely beautiful. It's great for a month of beer drinking on the beach. Lots of hikes if you want to get some exercise and explore. Monkeys in the local parks. Cheap and abundant coconut wateridk, man. not my favorite city, but it is pretty kino. I may go back this year
>>2709805As an expat living in rio, it's fine. You have to be careful and you might get something stolen if you're not careful, but you'll be alright. If your phone getting stolen means your holiday's ruined, then idk what to tell you. Brazil is awesome, watch one youtube video about traveling to Rio and you'll be ready for it. if you can speak portuguese well everything gets better.>>2710210still haven't visited Tijuca, why do you like it?
>>2710233Do you run your own business or do you work for an international company? I'm on course to move to Rio at the end of next year, most expats I've talked to seem to have their own thing going on
>>2710233> If your phone getting stolen means your holiday's ruined, then idk what to tell you.Honestly, sounds like a massive fucking pain. And I don't even mean the money but all the services that are tied to your phone number nowadays.
what kind of dumb idiot travels to 3rd world countries without a 2nd shitty smartphone to load their local sim card into so they can take it out and not care if it gets damaged or stolen
10/10One of my favorite cities in the world. Can’t say enough positive things about it, though it is true you find yourself in certain areas (ESPECIALLY CENTRO) past a certain hour and you will feel imminently in danger.
>>2710312This. You can buy an unlocked ZTE phone for $30 on Amazon. It's annoyingly slow, but works fine for basic phone tasks. I used it as my primary phone for six months in Asia.
>>2710312>2024>still using a sim cardISHYGDDT
>>2710328for me, it's Airalo
>>2710269>Honestly, sounds like a massive fucking pain. And I don't even mean the money but all the services that are tied to your phone number nowadays.ya I'm gonna say that having a phone stolen, for me, would be beyond an annoyance.>>2710312>what kind of dumb idiot travels to 3rd world countries without a 2nd shitty smartphone to load their local sim card into so they can take it out and not care if it gets damaged or stolenwhat are you running as a burner phone these days. What would you get if you were to allocate $150-300 to this?
>>2710360>What would you get if you were to allocate $150-300 to this?Oh fuck you could get a samsung galaxy FE or A15 for that. Nowadays phones are so cheap you could get something brand name that runs fine for like 200 usd.Pretty sure every phone store in north America sells an "Alcatel" smartphone for like 100 bucks
>>2710360I have a shitty chinese phone that I got for 50 bucks at a mall in thailand
>>2710312probably the sort of idiot that saves animated frog pics
>>2710233I like taking long walks, also the views you can get of the city are really good, if you enjoy working out ot just wanna relax a little bit then this place might be for you, just have in mind that Tijuca is huge.>>2710220I only stayed at Barra de Tijuca, close to the CBF museum, I searched for pictures of Joá and Gávea and they look comfy, are they expensive?
>>2710360Redmi Note 13 Pro, can be found on aliexpress for $170 and it's a solid phone and nothing you will hate to use.
>>2710546>Barra da TijucaNice, that's where my family lives. Easily my favorite part of the city for everyday life. >JoáYes, generally it's only for the rich. Every neighborhood has multiple private security checkpoints. It has a beautiful private beach that doesn't get too full and a nice hiking trail next to it. During the day getting to Barra can take 10-15 minutes and Zona Sul can be up to 45. It was a great place to stay for my vacation.>GáveaIt's a nice neighborhood but there isn't much to do there. Some really cool airbnbs.
>>2709805Are there any decent bars in zona sul that have a mix of locals and tourists where it's easy to meet someone new and head to a party somewhere else after or something in that vein.Also is Lapa really that bad now from a security standpoint?
>>2710558>Also is Lapa really that bad now from a security standpoint?It was too sketchy and full of crack zombies during the day that I never returned at night to check it out
>>2710576Damn that sucks. Do you guys have any recommendations for meeting either other travelers or locals? Like a place where it's not weird to chat up people (you know there's places where every table sort of sticks to their own and it feels weird to approach anyone). I will be going with 2 friends but ideally id like to meet someone spontaneously for a night out as well.
>>2710632And to add to that. We don't intend to "party" more than once or twice while we're there as we're all in our early 30s (already feel a bit old desu and would prefer bars with music over pure clubs). But that being said are there any cool places open late (2am or later) that aren't those kind of "nightclubs" around copacabana/ipanema/leblon?
>>2710269I have 2 phones when I travel. My personal that I keep locked up in my bag (Moto G Ace) and a social (iPhone 12) that I use whenever I go outside the hotel.
>>2709805bump
