Iguazú Falls
Aug. 12 – Aug. 16 and Sep. 22 – Sep. 26
This 5-day trip includes round trip night bus fare, 2 nights in a shared room with breakfast, and a tour of the falls. Take advantage of this tour package to see one of South America’s most beautiful natural wonders in the tropical northeast Argentina!

Estancia Day Trip
Aug. 21 and Sep. 18
Take a 1-day trip to one of Argentina’s famous ranch’s and experience the life of a gaucho! The price includes transportation to the ranch from city center, an arrival reception with empanadas, and then enjoy free time to walk the grounds, ride horses and other activities. Then gather at lunchtime for a real Argentine barbecue followed  by a folkloric show.

Puerto Madryn
Sep. 1-5
This 5-day trip includes round trip overnight bus far, 2 nights in a shared room with breakfast, a excursion to Peninsula Valdes with whale watching. This beautiful city in the northern part of Patagonia is a must-see for it’s amazing sights- including whales and penguins.

Consult for prices!!

Also, be on the look out in October for all the same great trips PLUS a trip to Mendoza’s wine country.

1. Submarino
This variation of the traditional hot chocolate will warm you up from the inside out. The traditional submarino consists of a steamy cup of hot milk accompanied by a bar of chocolate. Slowly swirl your bar of hot chocolate into the milk and watch the sweet chocolate slowly melt into the milk and make it as strong or as weak as you’d like! Find it at many of the historic notable bars of Buenos Aires.

2. It’s always summer in the Subte
If you’re walking the streets of Buenos Aires and freezing, pop down into the nearest Subte stop and take it to your destination. The Subte is where you can find eternal summer. The packed trains, especially during rush hour, are always hot. Five minutes on the train and you will be dying to peel off your layers (if you have enough room to do so).

3. Locro
This hearty stew from that originated in the northern provinces of Buenos Aires is a steaming bowl of goodness. A mix of white corn, white beans, chorizo, pork, potatoes, carrots, squash and whatever else is in the kitchen is cooked for hours making for a very thick stew. Locro will warm you right to your bones and for extra heat, ask for a spicy sauce to top it off. Our favorite locro in town, located conveniently close to the Road2Argentina office, is La Cocina.

4. Dance up a sweat
It may be cold outside but Buenos Aires nights are always hot thanks to the many dance options available. For a hot hot salsa, to a sensual tango, or to a jam-packed vibrating nightclub, you are bound to find a way to heat up your nights. For salsa dancing check out La Salsera or La Viruta for salsa and tango dancing. For nightclubs the options are endless, try mega club Crobar or try Sugar’s hot hip-hop Wednesdays.

5.  Piping-hot mate
Argentina’s favorite drink and pastime, mate, served piping hot will provide you with endless warmth. Sipping mate is acceptable at pretty much all occasions so keep your mate going all day long. Hint- holding your mate cup tight is a great way to keep  your hands warm too. Just don’t forget to share with your friends!

6. Cucharita
The ever-affectionate Argentines know the best way to keep warm is to keep close to someone else! Snuggling up with a loved one in the “cucharita” or “little spoon” might be the very best way to pass these cold winter months.

7. Sport a poncho- the original Snuggie
The poncho originated from the Andes region and is a heavy woven piece of cloth with a hole cut out in the center for your head. Throw it on over your clothes for an authentic look and a unique way to  keep warm. Pair this portable, wearable blanket with your mate and you’ll look ready to ride off into the Pampa!

8. Panqueques de dulce de leche
Any typical dessert of Argentina wouldn’t be complete without a good heaping of dulce de leche. Similar to the French crepe, these warm thin pancakes are covered in a layer of dulce de leche and then rolled up and sometimes topped off with sugar. Eat a few of these and then be lulled off into a winter hibernation.

9. Pamper yourself with heat
If it’s too cold to spend a Saturday exploring the streets of the city, take the day off to pamper yourself at one of Buenos Aires many spas. Oftentimes spas offer full or half day packages that include use of the sauna, hot baths, and massage (try a hot stone massage). A great way to warm up and relax. Some good places to try; Home Hotel, Zen Suites, and for men only Markus Day Spa. Search more options here.

10. Warm up with wine
A glass or two of a nice Argentine malbec wine can go a long way to warm you up. The shining star of Argentine wines, malbec, goes great with locro and empanadas and is perfect for a cold winter day. Do Road2Argentina’s 2-session wine tasting course to learn all about Argentine wines and try a wide variety of local vinos!

What are your favorite ways to keep warm?

We all know the stress that can  go into buying a plane ticket; the constant fare watching, trying to predict price fluctuations, deciding when to pull the trigger and buy, and then helplessly watching the prices drop just after we purchase.  The stakes are also much higher when you are booking to Argentina, you could be gambling with a few hundred dollars in price difference.  The truth of the matter is buying a plane ticket is much like walking into a casino, there is no perfect equation of how to get the cheapest fare, but there are some tricks of the trade.

In no way do I claim that I have this figured out, I just have a few tricks that have helped me in the past when buying tickets back and forth from USA to Argentina. Here are a few of my tips but if you have other suggestions feel free to comment!!

1. Intensive research
I start casually researching ticket prices about 5 months before a trip (in actuality I am almost always “casually” researching tickets) then about 4 months before a trip I start checking prices almost daily. My favorite sites to look at are Kayak.com and Vayama.com. Also, don’t forget looking directly on airline websites for their own promotions. American Airlines’ recent dispute with websites such as Orbitz have caused them to take their fares off many of those websites and promote buying directly with them. LAN has also been known to have a good deal or two, but look often because these deals go fast!!

2. Be flexible with your dates
Be as flexible as possible with your dates. Avoid traveling on Thursdays-Sundays whenever you can. Waiting to travel on Tuesday or Wednesday could save you some serious money.

3. Buy tickets on Tuesdays
I’ve read this on several websites and recently I found it to be true. It seems that many airlines purge their systems of all “held” tickets on Tuesday mornings, so Tuesday afternoons prices drop and then steadily rise again all week long only to drop again on Tuesday morning.

4. Find the sweet spot
Buy too far ahead of time and you’ll be buying at the prices airlines hope to sell their tickets at. Buy too close to your trip and there might not be that many available seats left causing prices to rise. There is a sweet spot in between where prices are at their lowest. In flying to and from Buenos Aires I’ve found a little less than 3 months out is a good time. If you’re feeling really lucky, you can gamble and hold out even longer to get a last minute cheap fare. But be forewarned, with long-haul international flights this waiting game has only two outcomes- really good, or really bad.

5. Frequent flier miles
Pick one airline or airline company group (like Oneworld Alliance, which encompasses LAN, American, and many others) and stick with them! The number of miles you can accumulate flying back and forth to Argentina can be pretty impressive and it’s only logical that you start accumulatin miles to count towards your next trip. Keep this in mind when comparing fares between two companies. If there is not a big difference in price it might be worth it to chose a company you can bank miles with- it could help you in the long run!

6. Don’t look back
Once you buy your ticket, don’t look back! You will only fill yourself with self-hatred should the price of the flight drop and chances are, there is not much you can do about it anyways. Most airlines charge about US$200 for a change/cancellation, so unless the prices drop more than $200 you’re out of luck. Just start looking forward to your trip!

Happy (and cheap) travels!!

We are pleased to announce an AMAZING Facebook contest! If you have been considering taking a trip to Buenos Aires there is no better time to do so than now. If you participate in our Facebook contest you have the chance to win:

- 4 weeks of Spanish Class
- 4 weeks of cultural activities
- Wine tasting course

*Total prize valued at US$ 765

It is easy to win!! All you have to do is post to the Road2Argentina Facebook wall a photo of yourself and something, anything, Argentine. It could be the Argentine flag, a tango pose, or a photo of a famous Argentine- be creative! Then get all your friends to like the Road2Argentina fan page and then to like your photo. The person who has the most likes on their photo will win!!

The contest is open until May 25 (an important Argentine holiday).

Your trip to Buenos Aires has never been so close. Become a fan of our Facebook page and participate today!

Well the change of seasons is upon us and with that change comes the inevitable sniffly nose, headaches, fatigue and scratchy throat that we all know so well as the common cold. Feeling sick and being far from home can be an unpleasant experience for even the most hardened of travelers.

When you don’t have home or mom within arms reach there are a few Argentine home remedies that you may be able to find some comfort in.

1. Put freezing cold towels on your head- A pretty basic trick to help bring down a fever

2. Put thyme on your chest- Apparently the aromatics of thyme will help to alliviate chest congestion

3.  Locro o guiso de lentejas- A hearty warm soup full of lentils, beans, and all the good stuff your body needs to recuperate.

4. Scarf around neck-  It is a common belief that a cold neck will give you a cold, so keep those scarfs on!

6. Avoid cold beverages-  If you have a soar throat don’t even thinking of taking a sip of a nice cold beverage, stick only to the hot stuff!!

7. Vibaparu (Vick’s Vapor Rub)- Most of you are familiar with the good ol’ scent and relief provided by Vick’s Vapor Rub. But if you’re going to want to ask an Argentine for it, you’re going to need to pronounce it the Argentine way “Vi-ba-parU”

You may have heard the buzz “BAFICI is here” and you  might be thinking what the heck is BAFICI. Well it’s time to get inside the loop- BAFICI stands for the Buenos Aires Festival de Cine Internacional (The International Buenos Aires Film Festival). This prestigious film festival started in 1999 and has grown exponentially since then. Last year alone ticket sales increased to over 200,000. Films from Argentina, Latin America, and from all over the world are featured.

Here are a few movies that already have a lot of buzz:

El Estudiante (Argentina): At first sight, this could be a tale of initiation: Roque, a young man from the interior, comes to Buenos Aires to attend college; and right when he seemed only interested in meeting girls, he starts to get involved with politics and gets ahead in his career as a student representative. But, while focusing in the sole viewpoint of its lead character Roque, the film starts to unfold a vibrant story that opens up to different directions: utilitarian relationships, the pendular oscillation between ethics and betrayal, politics as a generational issue, the youthful urge for getting quickly ahead, the perspective of a future that could either reproduce a rancid and corrupt past or imagine a different future. Santiago Mitre has not only made a film that looks into the world of college –a place rarely visited by Argentine cinema, except for maybe Dar la cara–, he has also presented university as a mirror capable of reflecting social tensions by drawing a plot with a lucid and tireless drive for narrating Argentina. If the so-called New Argentine Cinema was ever defined as non-political, El estudiante is the most brutal and brilliant rebuttal to that fallacy: it’s not only new, but also indispensable. (BAFICI website)

Blue Valentine (USA): A couple’s weekend; their daughter is in her grandfather’s house; they have a free reservation pending in the town’s themed-hotel (the “futuristic” room appears to be the most tempting one). Due to those stupidly logic circumstances of marriage, Dean and Cindy’s future as a couple seems to be reduced to yet another night under the same roof. Derek Cianfrance builds his story of rusty love around that definitive situation, going through the recent decades of indie cinema all the way up to coming across the ghost of John Cassavetes. With a structure that challenges the typical linearity of stories about couples-who-are-not-in-love-with-each-other-but-stay-together-for-their-kids, the action in Blue Valentine goes back and forth through time, alternating different time lines to contrast all those dreams and promises that never come true. The surprising thing about it is that all these original narrative features seem tiny compared to the lead actors’ performances, which kind of reinforce the Cassavetian style. (BAFICI website)

Essential Killing (multiple countries): If Four Nights with Anna (2008) could have been regarded as the sporadic comeback of a has been director, its immediate follow-up Essential Killing proved that Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski is back in cinema for good. Awarded many times since its premiere in Venice, including Best Picture in the neighbor festival of Mar del Plata, it’s a pure action film with a contemporary spirit that yet doesn’t prevent it from addressing universal issues and present a different kind of male hero without giving up one bit of the genre’s most attractive element. The action starts in the Afghan mountains, where a Taliban fighter is discovered and captured by Western forces. Tortured and interrogated by the military, he’s taken to a maximum security base the US has in Eastern Europe. The rest of the film narrates the prisoner’s desperate escape through a snowed forest. The lead character is played by an always interesting Vincent Gallo, who takes on the physical and emotional challenge of the captured character, who never speaks and of whom we don’t even know his name. (BAFICI website)

One of the many benefits of living in an international, culture-forward city like Buenos Aires is being able to take advantage of these wonderful festivals and with a price like $12 pesos, it’s a must see. You will also get a chance to be a part of the voting process!

There are multiple screening locations across the city including, Hoyts Abasto, Atlas Santa Fe, Arteplex Belgrano, Complejo Cultural Cine Teatro 25 de Mayo, Teatro San Martin,  and more. There will also be a few outdoor projections in Plaza San Martin de Tours and Pasaje Carlos Gardell.

All tickets are $12 pesos for Adults and $10 pesos for students. You can buy your tickets online or at Casa de la Cultura- Av. De May 575, PB (Mon to Tues 10am to 8pm) or Cine Hoyts Abasto- Av. Corriente 3247 (Mon to Sun, 10am to 8pm).

For more information: http://www.bafici.gov.ar/home11/web/en/index.html

So now that you know that there is a strong Irish presence in Argentina it’s time to go out and celebrate it! There will be a parade complete with Irish music and dancing that starts from Arroyo and Suipacha and culminates at Plaza San Martin between 7pm-8pm. In the streets around San Martin there are a few Irish bars so expect the party to continue into the pubs.  Check out this list for a complete list of all the Irish pubs in the city that will be in full celebration mode!

So deck out in your green gear and go out and celebrate!!

A Recipe for Love in Argentina

* 1 Cup of Chamuyo (sweet talk- Argentine style)
* 1 Pinch of Fiery Jealousy
* 2 tbs Machismo/Chivalry
* 1 Big ‘ol Steak
* 2 Bottles of a Good Malbec wine
* 1 Telo
* A generous sprinkling of Pasión

Mix it all together and you have a recipe for Valentines’ success in Argentina!

If you don’t have those ingredients handy, here are some other tips for the day.

- Head to the Rosedal in Palermo for a lovely stroll among the magnificent roses. The romantic spot thrives in a day made for romance.

- “Te Mataré Ramirez” this aphrodesiac restaurant located in Palermo will get your night going with erotic shows tailored to couples and very suggestive menu items.

- Take a nice romantic stroll along the tranquil waters in Puerto Madero

- Dine al fresco in the garden at Croque Madame at the National Museum of Decorative Art on Libertador 1902

Don’t forget to use a little of your own foreign charm and go out and enjoy the “amor” of Argentina!!

Happy Valentines Day!

The month of February is off and running and we have a great line-up of activities for your month ahead! Please email a R2A coordinator to RSVP or for any questions!

Saturday, February 5th
Excursion to Tigre
Where We’ll Meet: Anchorena 1676
When We’ll Meet: 12 PM

Thursday, February 10th
Road2Argentina Group Dinner
Where We’ll Meet: Road House (Anchorena 1680)
When We’ll Meet: 9 PM

Tuesday, February 15th
Guided Tour of the Argentine National Congress + Café
Where We’ll Meet: Rivadavia 1864
When We’ll Meet: 5 PM

Wednesday, February 23rd
Trivia and Games Night: Argentina Edition
Where We’ll Meet: Road House (Anchorena 1680)
When We’ll Meet: 8 PM