Should tourists fear to visit Brazil?

Simple answer is no! No matter what being paranoid that you will get robbed can ruin your vacation, and there is no point to come all the way to Rio and feel unsafe. Touring and traveling in Brazil is a memorable experience and chance of a lifetime to sample some of Latin America’s most stunning sites.

But being geek tourist with a money belt hanging on your belly and speaking loudly in a foreign tongue you will not doubt be targeted, including on the stunning beaches of Brazil. That money belt as a camera around your neck is a calling card for being hit indeed.

You can certainly take a other precautions, like staying in Zona Sul while visiting Rio de Janiero. But no matter where you will stay watch over your shoulder, do not linger as if you are lost, do not dress in expensive clothing, wear prominently any jewelry, leave bags unattended even in sidewalk restaurants, walk alone in deserted streets, especially at night and especially near any favelas, Rio de Janeiro’s notorious slums.

When Chicago was not selected and in fact came last, one of the arguments noted were the Chicago city crime statistics. Of course Rio de Janeiro is well known for the very same factor – violence.

Let’s face it, Rio de Janeiro is a metropolis of 6 million inhabitants, and as in any city of this size anywhere else around the world, the tourists in Rio best know where to go and where not to go.

Tourism was reported to have grown in 2008 over 2007 by some 7%. Of that, a third were tourists from other countries. The increase seems at first to be fairly significant but statistics showed that the increase was the lowest of all the major cities in Brazil.

In view of the fact Rio has been awarded the 2016 Olympic games and the planning committees in Rio already started meeting to decide the steps they need to take, curtailing crime is one of the key priorities to lure more tourists into the city, and not just for the games that are six and half years away.

Bottom line, common sense does it, as anywhere. If approached to shell out your money, don’t fight it, hand it out, and that includes to little kids, especially if there are more than one and you are alone. They are poor and have nothing to lose.

To avoid most of these situations as much as possible stay in and move with crowds. Always spread out your valuables, namely cash. Leave some behind in your room. Never carry all your credit cards on you. Nor your cash.

Mellow out and you’ll love in it Rio de Janeiro. People are friendly and cops are all over and the closer to the games, countdown having already started, there is bound to be heavier police presence on the streets.

The perfect time to ask for a break

Everyone wants to save money while traveling, as well as save time. For most people, there has to be a trade-off of sorts, but now more than ever, you can find excellent savings on Miami, New York and chicago flights.

Ask Nicely

You would think the price of fuel going down would have a big impact on prices, but it is actually a decrease in the number of passengers offering travelers the best prices. Not only can you get great savings right now, you can also get bonus frequent flier miles and other amenities thrown in for no extra charge.

Now is the perfect time to ask for a break. Upgrade and switch those coach seats for business class, or check out non-stop flights to chicago instead of the red-eye with that lengthy layover. Be polite, and your customer service rep may be able to work some real magic.

Go the Extra Mile

Big airports offer some of the best deals in the world, but do not be afraid to look at alternatives. You can save hundreds of dollars flying to Tampa instead of Miami, for instance, and renting a car for the drive down.

Don’t have time to rent a car? No problem. O’Hare may be the busiest airport around the globe, but you can still save money on Chicago flights Midway International. Smaller airports in big cities often cater to budget carriers, like AirTran or Sun.

Traveling cheap and traveling fast do not have to be mutually exclusive. You can have both if you hunt around, and there has never been a better time for airline deals than right now. Check out costlessflights for more on flight deals.

The College of the United States

The College of the United States (one of the future colleges in Chicago) will strive to create global leaders of tomorrow capable of fulfilling the vision of our Founding Fathers by becoming successful men and women of principle and action, effective in spreading the benefits of reason and individualism, and the bounty of liberty worldwide through their work and their example.

We believe many students are aware that current influential ideologies do not reflect their values. Epistemological and ethical relativism, big-government mandated economics, entitlement politics and hostility to American values reign in Academia and ‘higher’ culture. These students are looking for alternatives to the typical colleges and universities in Chicago and the College of the United States will make that possible.

In addition to covering all traditional subjects, our curriculum is specifically designed to teach thinking skills, and how to powerfully integrate ideas and information by using the principles of philosophy.

Our graduates will be prepared to excel in their fields of choice due to their training in the comprehensive, integrative power of philosophy, highly developed creative thinking skills, broad knowledge in the humanities and sciences, and extensive real-world experience.

Rarely do schools specifically train and nurture students in thinking skills per se. This is the goal of the College of the United States.

Training for life (and work) is only possible by experiencing an education that enables the individual to continue educating himself. Adaptability is mankind’s greatest survival tool made possible by the reasoning and imaginative mind; preparing the student for all life’s variety and challenge is the sine qua non of education. Visit the College of the United States at http://www.rifinst.org.