Once you’ve made the decision to travel to Argentina, it’s time to prepare for your trip! Unfortunately, there is often so much to do that it can be difficult knowing where to begin. We have conveniently broken it down into five easy steps to help you prepare the trip of your life!

1. Make sure your passport is up-to-date. You won’t be going anywhere if it isn’t, so double check. Citizens of the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa only need a passport to enter the country for stays under 3 months. As of 2009, there is an entry tax for individuals from the US, Canada, and Australia so please check beforehand what fees may apply to you.

2. Book your flight well in advance to get the best price possible. Research has shown that the cheapest times to book a flight are Tuesday through Thursday, and try to avoid flying on weekends. They tend to be more expensive. In addition, delete the cookies on your computer. Some travel sites save this information and increase the price each time you search for a specific route.

Buenos Aires is a lot more livable than most other big cities I´ve been to, but sometimes you still just need to get out of town. I realized as much last month when the heavy urbanity of the capital started to really weigh on me. Now, I´m a city girl and have only lived in cities. But for me, sane city dwelling must be interjected by quick jaunts to clean air and open skies. And so it was last weekend that I found myself at Retiro station boarding a bus headed for San Antonio de Areco.

It’s a two hour journey to Areco, which is just enough time to watch the scenery turn from concrete urban density to the classically flat green lushness of the Argentine campo. When my husband and I got off the bus, we instantly felt at peace. Walking the few blocks from the bus station to the center we were so pleased to breathe the clear air, and our pace slowed as we released the city rush and accomodated to the much slower rhythm of the pampas.