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From the Plan Desk
Mateo Reyes
Senior Editor · Americas
IssueNº 16Spring '26

The Americas are not a continent. They're a vertical line that crosses both poles, every climate, four major civilizational traditions, and a 13,000-foot altitude gradient between breakfast and dinner. Most travel writing tries to flatten that into something digestible. We won't.

What we will do is tell you that December in Patagonia is summer, that tap water is fine in Santiago and a lawsuit in Cancún, and that the bus from Lima to Cusco is twenty-two hours and not worth saving the flight money over. The Americas reward specifics, not generalizations.

This page is the manual we wished existed when we started — every itinerary, every region, every food rule we'd send a friend before their first big trip across the Western Hemisphere. Country-specific guides drill deeper. Two cities a week, max, still applies.

— Mateo
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Chapter 01

Twelve countries, sorted honestly.

The continent's countries by how many guides we have, not by GDP or alphabet. Featured below: the country we send first-timers to. Click any tile for the full sub-atlas.

View all 35
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Read → ))}
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Chapter 02

The continent in five clusters.

Borders are political; weather and food are not. We group the Americas the way travelers actually move through them — by climate, by season, by table.

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Chapter 03

When to go — a real calendar.

Two hemispheres means two opposite seasons. Patagonia in December is the inverse of Quebec in December. Here's the year, region by region.

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Chapter 04

Six itineraries worth stealing.

The plans we'd send to a friend, road-tested and updated each spring. Click for day-by-day.

All 28 itineraries
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Chapter 05

Food & drink, country by country.

One immutable rule per country. Order this, drink that, never make the obvious mistake.

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{f.h4}

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{f.pair.a} · with {f.pair.b}
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); const AmTransport = () => (
Chapter 06

Roads, buses, and short flights.

The Americas are a road-trip and overnight-bus continent. Trains barely exist outside the Northeast Corridor. Here's how to actually get around.

The big rule: rent a car in North America, take the bus in Latin America, fly anything over 6 hours. The continent's distances are so big that the European train logic does not apply — Lima to Cusco is 22 hours by bus and 80 minutes by plane.

Latin America's overnight buses are world-class — ETN and ADO in Mexico, Cruz del Sur in Peru, Andesmar in Argentina. Pay for cama or semi-cama on anything over 8 hours. North American Greyhound is its own kind of experience; Amtrak's Northeast Corridor is the only US train worth using for travel.

Drive vs. fly — the major routes
RouteGroundAir
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Chapter 07

Three budgets, three trips.

What 45, 140, and 380 dollars a day actually buy in 2026. North America stretches every tier 30%; Latin America compresses them all.

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Chapter 08

Five phrases per country.

The four words that move every meal forward, and the one that opens every door. Try them; locals notice.

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); const AmFestivals = () => (
Chapter 09

Festivals worth a detour.

Six dates that bend an itinerary. Carnival, Day of the Dead, Mardi Gras, Inti Raymi, and two more. Book a year ahead for the famous ones.

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Chapter 10

Six neighborhoods we trust.

Stay here. Eat here. Walk for two days before you do anything else.

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); const AmPack = () => (
Chapter 11

What to pack for two hemispheres.

The Americas span every climate. The trick is layering: one bag, one warm layer, one waterproof, and trekking-grade shoes that don't look like trekking shoes.

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Chapter 12

The questions, answered.

The eight questions every reader sends before a first trip across the Americas. Updated April 2026.

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); const AmRelated = () => ( ); const AmSignoff = () => (
— End of Issue Nº 16 · Americas —
HowTo: Travel Edition — Issue Nº 016 — Spring 2026 — Field desk Mexico City — 1,150 contributors strong
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