MileValue is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.
Note: Some of the offers mentioned below may have changed or are no longer be available. You can view current offers here.
Last week, I flew from Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos, Argentina with no intention of going to Rio Gallegos, Argentina. Instead, my plan was to walk out of the airport, stick my thumb out, and try to get a ride to Puerto Natales, Chile, where I met my friend to hike Torres del Paine National Park.
Why hitchhike last week?
- It was a goal of mine to try hitchhiking once in my life.
- Rio Gallegos airport is 3:22 driving from Puerto Natales, Chile. The nearest airport in Chile, Punta Arenas is 2:45 driving, only 37 minutes closer.
However, to fly to Punta Arenas one way from Buenos Aires, the ticket was $750 with a connection in Santiago. No award space was available. To fly to Rio Gallegos was 12,500 Delta miles + $3.50 on a direct Aerolineas Argentinas flight. - From some online research, it looked like many people successfully hitchhike in Patagonia. The consensus is that it is an easy, safe place to hitchhike.
So I stayed up all night and took an Uber to Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) at 3:45 AM last Friday to catch my flight south.
Here’s what happened next:
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
The comments section below is not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all questions are answered.
Awesome video and the highlight of my day so far. I think you should do more of these during your travels!
Thanks, will keep that in mind.
GREAT video. Thanks for posting
love it
That was fun to watch! I’d love to hitchhike as well. Do you think it would be safe for a woman by herself or only with someone else?
I don’t feel qualified to guess.
Nice video – I would love to see OMAAT try and do this 😉
Recien duchado – good tip!
Safe travels
LOL- Can’t wait for the OMATT trip report!
Recien duchado in an A380 shower
Excellent video, glad you made it!
Did you contribute money for gas? Is there a going rate? I bet you remember this journey more than some of the first class flights! Stay safe.
No, the going rate in this area is zero. In some area I think it is common to pitch in for gas. I’m not sure if hitchwiki.org–which I found to have some good info–has that info.
Nice job! That “Here’s what happened next” sounded ominous, but I’m glad it worked out. And it sounds like it makes sense to go the hitchhiking route when there’s no bus service. You’ve made me slightly more likely to try it in the future!
Tell me your results if you do
Well done! It’s hard to make something like this watchable, entertaining and informative. A nice compliment to the other content you provide.
Thanks!
That’s dope! I hitchhiked from El Calafate to Puerto Natalie’s after I missed my bus that was supposed to take me that route onto Torres del Paine; my path was a pretty common route for travelers to take so I definitely had a much easier go than you but I too would not mind hitchhiking again down there.
New Zealand’s another great place for hitchhiking too.
My new Spanish friend was hitching that route. Eazy peazy.
[…] couches, see Everything You Need to Know about CouchSurfing), but I didn’t in 2016. I did hitchhike though, so I am still a filthy […]