Brazil

Brazil's size makes domestic flights the practical way to cover real distances -- LATAM, GOL, and Azul connect every major city.

Long-distance buses are extensive and connect most cities at a much lower cost. Within the Amazon, boats remain a genuine, sometimes necessary way to reach towns with no road access at all.

Within Rio and São Paulo, metro systems cover the main tourist areas well, and rideshare apps are the standard, safer alternative to hailing a taxi.

Brazil's major tourist areas are visited safely by millions of travelers each year, but the country has a genuinely higher rate of urban crime than many other South American destinations, and specific precautions matter more here than in some neighboring countries.

• Robbery and theft, including at knifepoint, are a real risk in specific areas of major cities, particularly Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo -- avoid displaying phones, cameras, and jewelry openly, stick to well-touristed, well-lit areas at night, and take a registered taxi or rideshare rather than walking through unfamiliar neighborhoods after dark.
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• Favelas vary enormously -- some have community-run tourism and are visited safely with a local guide, while others are genuinely unsafe for an independent visitor; never enter one without a specific, vetted local arrangement.
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• Beach safety: keep valuables off the beach entirely (bring only what you need for swimming) since theft from towels and bags is a well-documented, common occurrence on Rio's and other major city beaches.
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• Carnival and other major events bring both huge crowds and elevated petty-crime risk -- extra caution with belongings and sticking to official, well-populated event areas matters even more during these specific windows.
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• Natural hazards: the Amazon and Pantanal both carry real wildlife and remote-travel risk -- always travel with a licensed local guide in these regions rather than independently.
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• Emergency number: 190 for police, 192 for ambulance, 193 for fire.