Rio - Security

sportsfan90

Hi All - I'll be heading to South America for a few weeks and I'm just looking for peoples advice regarding money and security in the cities.
I'll be flying into Brazil and home from Buenos Aires.

First of all, does anyone know where I can get some of the Brazilian currency (BRL) before I go? I've tried my local Bank branches but they don't have it. Would it be available in Dublin / Gatwick airports?

Also what are other peoples advice on carrying money or a phone around in Rio? It would be ideal to be able to use Apple Pay or a debit card so I would only have to carry small amounts of cash at any one time. But reading reviews online, many say to leave your phone back in the safe in the hostel due to muggings - and as a solo traveler for some of the trip, I guess I'll be high risk in that regard.

Of course I'll be careful and I'm staying in some of the nicer areas with less crime, but I'd still like to bring my phone around with me while exploring the city to use google maps, take a few pictures, know which bus routes to take, etc.

If anyone has any experiences or advice they'd like to share that would be great.

Credit Checker Moose

Just use your debit card on arrival to obtain Real.

theguzman

I was in Rio last Autumn, yes it is dangerous, but so is parts of Dublin. Waving around an iPhone worth 3 months salary in Brazil is asking for trouble, especially in Rio de Janeiro. You can buy Real in Dublin Airport, there is huge amounts of Brazilian students here learning English and it is a supported currency in the airport, not in any banks here however.

Apple pay forget it, best advice I can give is to get a Physical Revolut card, I used this in Brazil but I took Euros and changed them locally for Real, at almost identical rates to the interbank rate. I was staying in a private apartment from airbnb so this was ok for me, but if your staying in hostels or moving around alot then you don't want to be carrying around like €1-2K cash either.

I was based in Rio for 3 weeks so it was perfect for my situation. Buy maybe like an older iPhone 5S or 6 or a cheaper android, something you could afford to potentially lose if you were robbed. Getting a simcard is difficult in Brazil as you need a CPF (PPS number equivalent) but I got it registered to a Brasilera friend, I used the Vivo network and they had excellent coverage, very cheap too.

Brazil is great, wear your sensible hat, take Ubers alot, and don't be out acting like a typical Irish drunk clown and you shouldn't have any trouble. Avoid the Copacabana at very busy times like a Sunday with good weather as the scum from the favelas will do a Arrastao, this happened me and it was the worst experience in my trip, I didn't lose any possessions thanks to situational awareness and my ability to get the hell across the street on time before the dragnet closed in. Google "Arrastao" to see what I mean.

Any Q's let me know.

sportsfan90

Great advice there, thanks for that.

all the bais

I've visited a few times, and have always used my N26 card to withdraw cash locally. Just be careful as the ATM's I tried at the Airport in Rio were trying to charge a ridiculous fee for usuage. I just used the Bradesco vestibules for the remainder of the trip as they didn't charge a fee & there is an armed guard inside I was able to buy some Real in Dublin the last time.

A travel tip i'd recommend is dress causually i.e. haviannas, shorts and Tshirt - avoid expensive watches or really anything that draws attention to you. This is what I've done and have never had any bother, and the locals would describe me as a poster-boy gringo - white skin & red hair.

Boa sorté!

rossie1977

You should have no issue re: phone/money as long as you take normal precautions like in any big city.

Ipanema and Leblon are usually very safe to walk around, Copacabana had major military presence on the street when I was there but there was no sign of trouble.

If you want to draw out money there are lots of ATMs inside banks in Ipanema/leblon. Banks have security inside and out during opening hours.

fletch

I brought a running belt with me with a zip and kept it under my clothes with my phone/money in it or sometimes I just stuffed them into my boxers. Revolut didn't work for me there at all, I think N26 is a lot more popular over there. I struggled to withdraw money using my AIB card in Rio. Bizarrely my friends AIB student card worked. Get ubers wherever you want to go, they are incredibly cheap. Know where you are going before you leave your accommodation and if not look like you know where you are going. I got a TIM simcard and it was great, ~€5 for 2 weeks with 2GB of data and unlimited Facebook/WhatsApp etc. It worked everywhere and 4G was fast.

sportsfan90

Thanks everyone for the replies.

fletch wrote: »

I got a TIM simcard and it was great, ~€5 for 2 weeks with 2GB of data and unlimited Facebook/WhatsApp etc. It worked everywhere and 4G was fast.

Fletch, just wondering did you also need a Brazilian PPS equivalent to be allowed register the simcard in your name as theguzman did with his chosen network?

theguzman

sportsfan90 wrote: »

Thanks everyone for the replies.



Fletch, just wondering did you also need a Brazilian PPS equivalent to be allowed register the simcard in your name as theguzman did with his chosen network?

Claro and Tim networks both waive the CPF requirement I believe, but Vivo is the market leader with best rates, coverage and speed so Claro or Tim maybe the best bet without getting bogged down in the CPF requirement.

For Revolut I only used it a few times, at McDonalds twice, I used Revolut with my Uber account and I also used it at a restaurant. The tap facility does not work but I never used Revolut to physically withdraw money from an ATM.

https://goo.gl/maps/2qd9cfmH1VZShdzz8

This is the Bureau de Change I used during my trip, they were very close to the xe.com interbank rate, terrible rates to buyback Real for Euro after if you have any leftover however.

theguzman

Also to note is that Brazil uses a mix of 110 and 220v but in Rio de Janeiro it is 110v.

The Brazilain plug and socket is similar to the Euro 2 pin plug.
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/06/58/a4/89/hotel-astoria-copacabana.jpg

https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/81/79/91/filename-dscf0378-jpg.jpg

However your typical Irish/Euro plug adapter like this will not work as the pins wont reach as the Brazilain style socket is always recessed into the wall.

https://bit.ly/2KKBDH7 Typical Irish-Euro plug adapter will not work in Brazil.

I bought an adapter locally for 10Real but even then it was Brazilian to US two pin only and I had to plug two separate adapters together. Brazil to US and US to UK.

The attachment below is what you need and they can be got on ebay or aliexpress for less than €5.

fletch

theguzman wrote: »

I bought an adapter locally for 10Real but even then it was Brazilian to US two pin only and I had to plug two separate adapters together. Brazil to US and US to UK.

The only things I had with me were charged by USB so I picked up a double USB wall charger over there for cheap. Very handy and no messing with adaptors then.

theguzman wrote: »

Claro and Tim networks both waive the CPF requirement I believe, but Vivo is the market leader with best rates, coverage and speed so Claro or Tim maybe the best bet without getting bogged down in the CPF requirement.

The reception/Internet speed on the TIM network was fantastic and I traveled around a good bit. Even on remote islands/beaches, I nearly always had Internet.