Safety of Travel to Brazil? (Sao Paolo)

Parent Cafe
1

<p>My business partner and I are going to be traveling to Brazil for business (we are doing work with a client company’s Brazil office, which is in or near Sao Paolo). We’re beginning the visa process.</p>

<p>I’ve heard mutterings that it’s so dangerous that we need to have a driver set up ahead of time to take us from the airport to the hotel and then to our destination the next day, and that we cannot go sightseeing at all. The warnings seem a bit over the top, IMO, but maybe I’m naive. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any experience? Also, since my client will be paying for this, what is reasonable to expect them to provide? (I mean, if it’s perfectly fine to take a taxi from airport to hotel, I’ll do that – but if it’s taking my life in my hands, I’ll arrange a driver.) I don’t want to appear either too greedy on one side or too naive on the other.</p>

<p>I was also told to dress down – not that I’m dripping with any diamonds – but is that more necessary for Brazil versus normal “don’t look rich” precautions any traveler would take?</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>A colleague of my H has had to travel to Brazil several times in the past couple of years because the company she works with has operations there. It reached the point this summer that she has now refused to go back, even though she had a driver and bodyguard with her at all times. A business associate of hers was the victim of what the Brazilian police call an express kidnapping the last time she was there, and another experienced an armed robbery. </p>

<p>I’d recommend that you check the State Dept. website and see what they’re currently saying about Brazil. It’s a dangerous country. If I recall correctly, the murder rate there is multiples of that in the U.S., and that’s saying something.</p>

3

<p>Definitely go the safest route–driver, no random taxi, top hotel, total caution. Brazil has gotten better than it was, but SP is still a scary place. Any reasonable client will expect to pay for this at the least–bodyguards are common for foreign business people. With one you can get out and see the city. If you have a weekend, visit one of the great resorts–they are a whole different story and you see the real Brazil. A beautiful country with lots of problems.</p>

4

<p>Wow, I am glad that I didn’t read this a couple of years ago when my son was on his way to Brazil! He visited Rio for two weeks with a friend, both high school sophomores. His friend’s father is an engineer and has been there for 2 years. S did say that there are some bad parts but they went to the beach by themselves and did several tours. I guess it helped that they didn’t look wealthy, just a couple of grungy teens. Friend’s mother lives here but travels to Rio to visit every few months. Is Sao Paolo considered to be more dangerous than Rio?</p>

5

<p>Be very careful in Sao Paolo. A company driver was taking H from the airport to company offices (on a multi-lane highway) when they got stopped in traffic. A highway bandit on a motorcycle rode up to H’s window and the driver rolled the window down. The bandit stuck a gun to my H’s head and robbed him. We suspected the company driver was somehow involved, but nothing was ever proven.</p>

<p>I’ve never seen H so shaken up. He refuses to travel to SP now.</p>

6

<p>Yes, I believe San Paulo is more dangerous than Rio, but I don’t know a lot about either. I know that when DH goes to SP his company provides a driver and DH is not allowed to walk 50 yards to a nearby building.</p>

7

<p>I’ve been to San Paulo - the company arranged a bodyguard / driver who was with me at all times - and yes he had a pistol in a shoulder holster.</p>

<p>Before the trip, I had to send a photo to SP - and was told not to leave the terminal until the driver met me and presented me with the photo. Apparently someone had been kidnapped recently be someone showing up at the airport and claiming to be someone’s driver.</p>

<p>The driver stayed in the hotel room next to mine - and whenever I wanted to go out, I simply called him. He would then come through the connecting door and we would go out together. VERY Strange trip. I was happy to get on a plane back home.</p>

<p>Definitely dress down- I took the minimal things with me - and wore a timex watch that I bought for $9.99 which was very understated. iPhone stayed home - I carried a cheapy pre paid phone.</p>

8

<p>Yikes!</p>

<p>At this point might it be possible for the client to come here to meet with you?</p>

9

<p>Crap. Brazil seems like such a nice place to visit, especially Rio.</p>

10

<p>Wow - sounds like the people who were telling me this weren’t being paranoid.</p>

<p>No, unfortunately it’s not possible for the Brazilian client to come here (as it’s about 25-30 of them).</p>

<p>It is me and my business partner (both female) coming from Chicago, and then my US-based client (male) coming from the East Coast. I’m wondering if we shouldn’t fly out there to meet him and then all 3 of us come down together, for safety purposes. The company is a huge multinational, so I’m going to ask their travel department to secure us all.</p>

<p>Any recommendations on reputable hotels that are used to dealing with safety concerns?</p>

11

<p>S1 has been living in Rio since June (no problems, but says many tourists do get robbed). H just got back from a 10-day visit to Rio to see S (also no problems). H traveled by public bus most of the time, walked, and a few taxis. He felt a little unsafe at a soccer game with lots of young rowdy fans (S1 thought it was fine), but generally enjoyed the city and felt safe going out on his own when S was at work or school. S also spent a summer in northern Brazil a year ago (Maceo) and found it very safe there. </p>

<p>So, I would not consider the entire country to be dangerous based on the reputation of one city. But it does sound as if Sao Paulo is pretty scary. It is a much larger city than Rio and has serious traffic problems.</p>

12

<p>The one noticeable thing about my trip to Rio and Brasilia was the children begging at street corners. We were warned not to feel for them or they would rob us. We found that pretty much true on the beaches in Rio. Dont open your purse to give them a coin because they see the bills and will grab them. Yes they are children!</p>

13

<p>First, traveling college students and business people are very different things. No one will target college students unless they are showing wealth.</p>

<p>The vast poverty makes business people targets. The good news is that they are rarely hurt, just robbed. The crime is very organized. Often, for example, cars are stolen and they’ll call you with the price for their return.</p>

<p>Your client company should direct you. </p>

<p>Parents should not worry about kids. </p>

<p>SP, as business headquarters, is the concern for adults. Rio is safer and heavily policed for tourists and the rest of the country has far fewer problems. The beach resorts, IMO, are far superior to much of Hawaii and the Caribbean. It’s an amazing country once you understand the rules.</p>

<p>Not much different than a lot of places with extreme poverty and extreme wealth living side by side.</p>

14

<p>My son has a close friend whose mother is Brazilian and who still has a grandmother and many aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. living in Rio; she visits them regularly, speaks Portuguese, etc. From what I’ve heard, it’s reasonably safe to go out in Rio so long as you don’t show off your money, stay away from known dangerous areas, and so on. Obviously, you don’t want to wander around the favelas at night wearing lots of jewelry! They’re far worse than any slum area in the U.S.</p>

<p>If my son ever went to Rio, he’d go with his friend, and I don’t think I’d worry about him very much at all.</p>

<p>I don’t know much about Sao Paulo, except that I have lots of relatives there (of German Jewish origin; their families emigrated to Brazil rather than Israel or the U.S.A.). It does sound as if the greatest danger is to people traveling there on business who are employed by large corporations assumed to be able to pay ransom, etc.</p>

15

<p>You guys aren’t making me feel too good here :-)</p>

16

<p>I know many who travel to SP regularly and some who’ve spent extensive time there on business. No one has had an incident with proper precautions. Really, no different than many places.</p>

17

<p>OK, so maybe I am the haphazard tourist with a guardian angle - but I have traveled a lot, have lived in NYC and DC and am basically paranoid. So, if danger is out there, I am usually really tuned into it.</p>

<p>I traveled to SP for a conference with my not-yet-18 year old daughter (who is tiny) about 18 months ago and we took a taxi in from the airport and walked around near our hotel with no problem. We did not bring cameras and left the computer locked in the room. We stayed in the Marriott which is near the expensive shopping district. Every store has a guard standing out front, so there are armed guys every couple of store fronts. </p>

<p>I do not look fashionable. I do not wear high heels. I don’t wear a lot of makeup. I do not wear jewelry or carry a purse outside the hotel. We were careful where we walked. We only went out when others were on the street. We chose our routes carefully, wore jeans and sneakers and were sensible. In a larger group we walked to the Park and around it (whatever the large public park is near the Marriott).</p>

<p>Having said that we did this, and that there were other people dressed LIKE US on the street, there were not fashionably dressed women on the street and there were never and I mean never women on the street alone. You will see single women emerge from underground parking with locked doors and rolled up windows. </p>

<p>So, are you going to look like a businesswoman, in heels and a skirt? If so, I’d say, stay off the street except in a large group. If you are much more low key and with others, I would say that in our experience you would be OK in areas near the central business district where the Marriott is.</p>

<p>We had a good time. In general for shopping in the stores near the hotel, you will need a Visa card not an AMEX. There isn’t much that is a really good buy there, so it’s not like you will be carrying lots of packages around. But it is interesting to go to their high end grocery (I forget the name but it’s about 4-5 blocks from the Marriott - I could look it up). The art museum on the main business street (running in front of the Marriott) was very good. It is about 4 blocks away and we went during lunch hours. There were lots of people around. Everyone there eats a ton of meat, so be prepared if you eat out!</p>

<p>We probably looked like you could ransom us for about $10! I didn’t look like a student since I’m too old, but we sure didn’t look affluent either. We often held hands while out so it was conceivable in a multicultural city that we lived there (if you didn’t try to talk to us).</p>

<p>So, bottom line, a lot depends on how you look and where you go.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

18

<p>We won’t be dressed up-- casual for the plane, business casual for client meeting. No skirt/heels type of thing. Is it advisable to register with the state dept? I won’t wear jewelry and I’ll carry a flat cross-the-body purse, but is my passport at risk?</p>

19

<p>can’t you find out if you can teleconference/ videoconference instead of traveling all that way? With new video conferencing abilities, it can be like you are in the same room as your clients.</p>

20

<p>Go, it’s a great country! Your passport should stay in your hotel safe from the time you get there until you depart for airport. As businesswomen, we can dress down, but are still easily identified.</p>

<p>Again, simply get counsel from your client and follow the rules. You’ll have a great time. Amazing food, beautiful people! Highest rate of plastic surgery of any country!</p>