Travel
A journey beyond travel: experiencing South America with my parents
A family trip through South America proved to be a must-do bonding experience for Citro’s Managing Director, Ash Frenken, and his parents Harry and Corinne.
By Ash Frenken
When my parents, Harry and Corinne, agreed to join me on a trip through South America, I didn’t anticipate just how impactful it would be for all of us. We hadn’t taken a family holiday since I was a kid, so we were all a little unsure what to expect from spending an extended period of time together as adults. However it proved to be the best thing we’ve done for our relationship – not just as parents and child, but, just as importantly, as good friends.
From bustling cities to remote landscapes, we experienced unforgettable moments that deepened our family bond along the way. Here’s why the trip mattered so much to us and our tips for travelling as a family as adults.
Why South America?
I’ve always been drawn to South America’s diversity, culture and energy and in recent years have been lucky enough to travel to South American countries several times. In contrast, my parents hadn’t really seriously considered travelling there until we talked about it last year.
While Harry and Corinne have travelled through Europe, Asia and the US – as well as plenty of local travel here in Australia – they were intrigued by my stories of South America. I was always full of enthusiasm after returning from my many trips to Brazil, Peru and Colombia, where the people, culture and incredible landscape had all captured my heart.
While still many years away, part of my long-term retirement plan is to spend more time in Brazil. It’s a country I’ve long felt an affinity with and I thought this trip would show them why I loved it so much. “I think you’ve matured enough now to realise we’re not going to be around forever,” my mum told me. She saw this as her opportunity to see the kind of lifestyle I would be living when I moved there in later years.
Sharing a love for classic cars, Dad and I have long talked about how amazing it would be to visit Cuba. And the time had finally come where we decided it was “now or never” to live out our shared dream, and step into what Dad called a “living retro museum.”
From the day we decided to make this trip a reality, seeing my parents’ excitement, I was thrilled to plan this journey with them.
Chile’s heart-stealing mountains
While I was already in Brazil, my parents began their trip in Chile. “As we always do, when we go somewhere we don’t just go to one city or one country, we tend to make the most of the trip,” Corinne explained.
Flying in, Harry couldn’t stop marvelling at the snow-capped mountains. “Harry’s in love with the Andes,” Corinne laughed.
“When the plane comes into Santiago, it follows the ridgeline, so you can see peaks and the whole landscape for a long distance as you fly in,” Harry explained. There was something particularly moving about seeing the huge towering peaks covered in snow while it was “stinking hot” in Santiago.
Touring around Santiago was a vibrant experience with the city’s flowers, murals, sculptures and houses all melding into a rainbow of colour. A particular highlight was the incredible view of all of it from SkyCostanera – the tallest building in South America.
“We’d go back to Chile in a heartbeat,” Corinne said.
Peru sans Machu Picchu
Onwards to Lima, Peru where the pair took a private tour to ensure they hit all the sights, including a visit to the bohemian neighbourhood of Barranco, a stroll by the stunning architecture around the Plaza de Armas, a walk along the El Malecon which hugs the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean and a night-time visit to Catacumbas de Lima.
Next, it was onwards to Cusco to visit Peru’s must-see UNESCO World Heritage Site Machu Picchu, perched 2,430m above sea level – Harry and Corinne were both straight into the altitude sickness meds (highly recommended). “And whilst we were able to keep the altitude sickness at bay we had a very real reminder that travel doesn’t always go as planned,” Corinne said.
Basically, you buy tickets to the famous sanctuary a day ahead of time, and unfortunately, due to a train delay they missed the office opening hours and couldn’t get tickets for the next day. Their tight schedule meant they couldn’t stay an extra day in Cusco, so they missed visiting the famed Inca site altogether.
“I was so disappointed,” said Corinne. “I’d planned the whole trip to Cusco to visit this place and it was a really big deal to not be able to go.”
However, like true explorers, they quickly pivoted and made the best of it by exploring the rest of Cusco instead. “The whole of Cusco, and even in Lima, are Inca sites anyway,” noted Harry, who was actually pretty happy to dodge the queues to get on the bus to Machu Picchu. “It was about a kilometre long,” he said. “All the way up the hill.”
“He does not wait well in queues,” noted Corinne with a wry smile.
On another positive note, they found there were still plenty of ancient ruins to visit and “they all look the same after a while,” laughed Harry. In many ways, they were excited to see parts of the area they might have overlooked otherwise. And the silver lining is “we have another excuse to return," Corinne said.
Google Translate to the rescue
Through all of these ups and downs, something Harry and Corinne couldn’t have done without was the Google Translate app.
“It’s one of the best apps in the world,” said Harry. “It was an absolute game changer.”
The app meant that throughout their trip they were able to translate conversations, ask for directions, read the menu and labels on groceries; even work out how to use the washing machine in their Airbnb in Peru.
“Talking with people when we’re travelling is so important to us,” said Corinne. “You learn so much more from everyday people than any tour or brochure can tell you.”
People were patient with them while they used the app and they found that between Google Translate and the decent English of some locals, communicating was smooth.
“We generally found many people spoke English and we're happy to, especially in Peru and Chile. They were pretty good there,” said Corinne. “However, as soon as we arrived in Brazil it became a little more challenging.”
Not that it mattered too much because after a few days in São Paulo and Abraão, it was time for us to meet up in Rio de Janeiro – and fortunately I’ve managed to learn to speak basic Portuguese, at least enough to make myself understood in day-to-day life in Brazil.
Flying high in Rio de Janeiro
Travelling together was surprisingly smooth. We each had our own interests, but we respected each others’ space. For example, I’d join my parents for dinner, but if they wanted to explore a botanical garden (or anything else that was a little slower paced), I’d skip it and catch up later. We let each other do our own thing, and that mutual respect made the trip stress-free.
As a Father’s Day treat I booked the 3 of us a helicopter tour over Rio de Janeiro and my dad’s love for flying made it an incredible moment for all of us. Taking off from just south of Barra da Tijuca (about a 1 hour Uber drive from where we were staying in Ipanema), we travelled up the majestic coastline, and soared over Christ the Redeemer (Christo Redentor) and Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar), taking in views you can’t experience from the ground – “it was totally amazing,” confirmed Harry.
I didn’t want Corinne to feel left out, so I arranged for a long-time Carioca (person who is from Rio) friend of mine to whisk her away to his salon, Maison W, for a day of luxury pampering. I’m pretty sure it felt just as good to treat Mum to something special like this as it did for her to receive the treatments.
While I finished up some work, Harry and Corinne enjoyed exploring the city, with a trip on the cable car up to Pão de Açúcar (Sugarloaf Mountain) a highlight. It was either the stunning 360 degree views of Rio that caught Corinne’s attention, or perhaps the abundance of tiny monkeys, common marmosets.
Getting around and staying safe
One of the most common questions I’m asked about travelling to Brazil, is “is it safe”? Based on my experience, I would say, generally yes. While it’s important to always exercise a degree of caution, I've found that there are a couple of general rules that if you stick to you can feel reasonably confident about your safety.
Stay safe tip 1
Don’t wear expensive watches, jewellery, flash around your mobile phone in public or leave any personal items unattended – ever. This can make you an easy target.
Stay safe tip 2
Never walk alone at night. Whilst it's magical and I’ve always found it very safe to walk along the beach or main streets during the day, avoid moving around at night. Uber’s are both readily available and very inexpensive, and are a far safer option. A 15-20 minute trip in an Uber typically only costs a few dollars.
Stay safe tip 3
Unlike how you might in Australia, avoid leaving your handbag at your feet, or mobile phone on the table when at cafes, bars and restaurants.
Colombian soundtrack
After 6 days together in Rio de Janeiro, it was time to venture onward to Colombia. Our first stop was Medellin – Colombia’s second-largest city, known for its beautiful weather, majestic landscape and reggaeton.
“Medellin is a beautiful city, beautiful,” said Corinne. “I did some research because Ash had not been there before, however he had plenty of were friends in from Colombia who said ‘you simply have to go!’”
While Corinne and Harry took in the sights, I set out to search for a reggaeton vinyl to see what gold I could unearth. If you know, you know.
On day 2 we decided to take an adventurous tour to El Peñón de Guatapé (Rock of Guatapé) located a little over 2 hours from the city of Medelling, which offered stunning views across the region – this is a truly breathtaking place. Guatapé itself is full of colour and life and definitely worth a visit on its own.
After a couple of days enjoying this region, we flew out to Cartagena, located on the most northern coastline of Colombia, about 700km north of Medellin, or just a short 1 hour domestic flight.
In Cartagena the Old Town architecture is absolutely breathtaking and we happily meandered around, taking in the sights and wilfully ignoring the humidity. Fortunately the heat was soon made tolerable with an ice cold beverage, a plate of nachos and roof top views, where we stayed to take in the sunset.
Cartagena is often overlooked for the bigger Colombian cities like Bogota and Medellin, but it’s definitely worth putting on your list. It’s a beachside city of colour, history and music (and nothing gets your spirits up like a Colombian cumbia drifting through the streets).
The Old Town is beautifully preserved and there’s no more romantic way to see it than by horse-drawn carriage. Not a high priority when you’re with your parents, but worth noting.
Other places to wander are around Getsamani – particularly around Plaza de la Trinidad and Plaza de la Sangre – and Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
We also took a boat tour to the Five Rosario Islands, including a drive-by (or should that be float-by?) of Palbo Escabar’s now-abandoned mansion. This archipelago sits on the world's third-largest barrier reef, so if you’re into snorkelling don’t miss this day trip.
A special night for us all in Cartagena was at Restaurante Candé. The food, wine and service were all exceptional and the music and dancing added extra magic.
Cuban time travel
It was hard to say goodbye to picturesque Cartagena, but knowing we were flying onto Cuba made it easier. Cuba is somewhere Harry had long wanted to go to, being fascinated by the vintage cars and “time capsule” vibe of Havana. A love of all things retro is something we share, so this was a trip we were both looking forward to.
Something we quickly learned was that it’s not just the cars in Cuba that are vintage. “It was a country that’s sort-of stalled since the revolution, it hasn’t really progressed much – in fact it’s gone backwards since the revolution happened in 1959,” explained Harry. “So it was interesting to ‘go back in time’ and see how people are living without all the modern conveniences we have now – the things we take for granted.”
Don’t skip the research
A hot travel tip is always do your research about the visa or entry requirements to a country well before you decide to travel. This was something we discovered the hard way, when we learned that since 12 January 2021, if you’re on an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) waiver program for US travel (as most Australians are), if you have travelled to Cuba you are no longer eligible for an ESTA visa, and must apply for a US visa, which will need to be organised several months before you plan to travel. So, with this being the case, we simply avoided travelling home via the USA.
We felt this was worth the extra hassle as Cuba was a place we wanted to experience before things changed for good – and for the sake of the local people, we really do hope things change.
Cuba is worth the challenges
Despite wanting to visit the country for a long time, Harry said he tries not to travel with any expectations. “I tried not to imagine everything what it would be like and instead just discover it and say, ‘that’s the way it is’, right?”
The way it is, is both fascinating and challenging on an everyday level. Take driving, for example. All the gorgeous classic cars that were a delight to see have to get around somehow – and that’s any old how.
“You had to stop in the middle of the freeway to navigate around the potholes,” said Harry. “Our driver was determined to get back before dark or you won’t be able to see them.”
Seeing Cuba with my parents was memorable – we rode horses through the jungle, took a boat tour through majestic underground caves in the Viñales Valley, learned how to roll our own Cuba Cigars at a local tobacco farm, toured in a beautifully restored classic car, and swam in the 28 degree Caribbean ocean.
However, we quickly learned that the lack of internet and reliable banking could make it challenging. This is where Mum’s Citro Card came to the rescue when all our other cards didn’t work due to various banking restrictions from Australian banks – a top tip for travellers!
Overall, the trip to Cuba was an important one for us all. In a way I think experiencing a country like it should be a must for every Australian. You sure learn to appreciate your own way of life very quickly. We enjoyed our time here, but Harry summed it up best when he said: “I'm absolutely glad we went, but I wouldn't go back there in a hurry.”
The power of the Aussie dollar
South America offers an incredibly affordable travel experience, thanks to the favourable conversion rate of the Australian dollar (AUD) into local currencies. Whether you’re seeking a budget-friendly adventure or a luxurious getaway, the region caters to every traveller’s preferences, often at significantly lower costs than comparable trips in Australia or to the US or Europe.
For example, we’re generally not “luxury travellers” and found mid-range accommodation options delivered excellent value. During our travels, we enjoyed stays priced between $120 per night in Colombia and $250 per night in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Ipanema neighbourhood, $250 afforded us a spacious 3-bedroom apartment just one block from the beach – an exceptional deal compared to similar destinations.
South America is also a largely cashless society, particularly in countries like Brazil, where electronic payments are widely accepted. We found little need to carry cash, relying on cards for most transactions. The exception is Cuba, where electronic payment infrastructure is limited. I’d recommend that it’s essential to bring enough US dollars to cover all your expenses during your stay.
Another essential is to notify your bank of your travel plans before you head off. This will help avoid ‘unusual activity’ card blocks and should ensure seamless transactions while you’re in South America.
Secrets to a good family trip when you’re all adults
For anyone considering an extended trip with their adult kids, here’s what worked for us:
- Respect each other’s space: We found that giving each other time to explore solo made everyone feel comfortable. Corinne and Harry took some afternoons to themselves, and I could fit in my own routines, like finding local gyms or catching up on work.
- Divide planning tasks: Sharing responsibilities is key. I handled accommodation in a few places, and Corinne booked other spots. Everyone pitched in, which kept things balanced.
- Go with the flow: Not everything goes as planned, and that’s okay. Missing Machu Picchu could have dampened Harry and Corinne’s spirits, but instead, they took it as a chance to see more of Cusco and had an amazing time.
- Bring practical tools: Google Translate was essential for us when in Spanish-speaking counties. It helped us navigate language barriers, translate menus, and even decode laundry settings in our accommodations. Another great app was Google Lens – if you see something on your travels and want to find out more, upload a picture and you’ll soon have all the information you need.
- Pack for contingencies: Cuba taught us the importance of preparation, as banking restrictions made payments challenging. The Citro Card ended up saving us, so having different payment options can be a game changer.
Looking ahead to our next tripAfter seeing how well this trip went, I’d love to travel with my parents again, maybe to Argentina or even Japan. Corinne and Harry’s openness and adaptability made this an unforgettable experience for all of us. Sharing these once-in-a-lifetime sights and deepening our relationship was more than I could have hoped for.
For families considering a trip together, I can’t recommend it enough – seeing new places as adults brings a whole new level of understanding and connection.
All images by the Frenkens unless otherwise stated.
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