Whether you are traveling with a group or independently, you will get more out of your visit to Brazil if you do a bit of advance planning. One thing would be to learn a few basic sentences in Portuguese. Remember, that is the official language of Brazil is Portuguese, not Spanish as in most other South American countries. A phrase book or phone app would be a wise investment. At least become familiar with some aspects of the country, emergency contact numbers, etc. Here are a few basic tips to help you prepare:
- Emergency phone numbers……medical: 192 fire: 193 police: 197
- For Mass times and locations try the website Horario da Misa. It is in Portuguese, so use google translate or some other method.
- Be sure to check in at the main World Youth Day website..Lots of great info.
- Follow the Cross app lets you follow the Cross and Icon of the Virgin Mary throughout Brazil. For iphone and ipad click here & for Android users click here.
- There is also an app for Australians, but we don’t have final information on that yet.