You will fly into Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ministro Pistarini (Ezeiza) International Airport (code EZE) in time for the first session of the conference that begins at 5 pm on Friday October 7.

You will fly home FROM Montevideo, Uruguay’s Carrasco Airport (code MVD). Please reserve your flight for a departure time after 1pm local time on Friday, October 14. We will provide transportation to the airport that will arrive there before 11 am.

Rather than buying a round-trip ticket, you will buy a “multi-destination” ticket. Check the internet flight service you use to find the “multi-destination” option.

Questions?  Please e-mail Argentina@heartscenter.org or call 312-253-7600

 

Buenos Aires

Friday, October 7–Sunday, October 10
A block of rooms is reserved for The Hearts Center group at the Lafayette Hotel. The group rate is also available for October 6 if you decide to arrive one day early. You will make your own reservation and payment for your room. Mention The Hearts Center to receive the group rate. The rooms with the special group rate price will be held until September 6, so please make your hotel reservation before September 6.

Lafayette Hotel
Reconquista 546
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel. (54 11) 4393.9081
email info@lafayettehotel.com.ar
www.lafayettehotel.com.ar
Breakfast is included. Mention The Hearts Center when making your group- rate reservation.
Group-Rate Options (for all four nights, taxes included, per person)
Single room $403
Double room $222
3 people share $175 (3 twin beds)
3 people share $161 (2 twins, 1 fold-out)

We can assist with roommates. Email Argentina@heartscenter.org

Lodging at the Centro Emmanuel Retreat Center or at Casona de la Paz in Uruguay for the 3-Day International Congress is included in your conference fee.
 

There are a several hotels near the conference location with affordable rooms where you can make a reservation for your stay from October 7 – 10, 2016. The conference will take place at:

Lafayette Hotel
Reconquista 546
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Nearby hotels with affordable rates are:

The Hotel Carsson
Viamonte 650 C1053ABN, Buenos Aires; telephone: +54 11 4131-3800
www.hotelcarsson.com.ar
email: info@hotelcarsson.com.ar

Hotel Concorde
25 de Mayo 630-1002, Buenos Aires; telephone: +54 11 4313-2018
www.concordehotel.com.ar
email: reservas@concordehotel.com.ar

Grand King Hotel
Lavalle 560, C1047AAL Buenos Aires; telephone: +54 11 4393-4012
www.grandking.com.ar
email: reservas@grandking.com.ar

Hotel Conquistador
Suipacha 948, 1008 Buenos Aires; telephone: +54 11 4328-3012
www.elconquistador.com.ar
email: mailreservas@elconquistador.com.ar

You may find additional hotels near the conference site that suit your budget

Lodging in Uruguay
Lodging at the Centro Emmanuel Retreat Center or at Casona de la Paz in Uruguay for the 3-Day International Congress is included in your conference fee. We will provide your room assignment at a later date.

Visas
No visas are required for U.S. citizens to travel to Argentina or Uruguay. Citizens from other countries may check this web site.  For U.S. citizens, the formerly required reciprocity fee of $160 was waived in March 2016 for those visiting for fewer than 90 days. It’s possible that this fee could be reinstated, so we will continue to monitor this. Canadian citizens should check the status of the reciprocity fee with the Embassy of Argentina in Canada.

For those traveling from South and Central America, check the visa requirements for entering Argentina from your country. 

Passports
Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months past the completion of your trip. Have at least one blank Visa page for each country you are entering--in this case, Argentina and Uruguay.

Photocopy the opening pages of your passport that show name and number, passport pages with visas, and airline tickets. It will make their replacement easier if you lose them en route. You may also wish to carry a photocopy of your driver’s license and/or birth certificate. These can also speed up passport replacement formalities. 

Keep the copies in a place separate from the originals. It is useful to carry spare passport photos, too. You may wish to scan your passport, airline tickets and travelers check numbers, and have them as attachments to your own email address. In case of loss, you can download copies to assist replacement.

Please remember to fill out the “Emergency Next of Kin” section in your passport in pencil in case you have to change the contact address details before your passport expires.

 

On this trip you will require spending money for meals and entrance fees not already included, such as beverages, gratuities, shopping, and incidental expenses. As a general guideline, aim to bring a variety of means to “pay your way” for your own convenience, and also in case you have difficulties with your preferred method of payment.  

Major credit cards are widely accepted, but some shops and restaurants require a minimum purchase amount when using them, so they are not appropriate for incidentals such as snacks. Consider bringing more than one card, as some outlets may not accept all types. Due to increasing credit card fraud worldwide, be prepared to show identification (i.e. your passport) when making a transaction with your credit card.

For the best available exchange rate, you will find ATM cards indispensable. The Plus and Cirrus logos are now displayed at many ATM locations worldwide. The usual care should be exercised when using ATMs.

Before traveling be sure to

• Activate ATM and/or credit card
   
• Bring your PIN code(s), consisting of numbers NOT letters, to facilitate use of both ATM and credit card(s). This becomes increasingly important with new “chip & pin” technology.
   
• Check with your bank to ensure you are able to withdraw cash on your cards abroad.
   
• Advise your bank that you will be traveling abroad and plan to use your card(s) for shopping, etc. To avoid fraud they may refuse charges made overseas unless they know they are being made by the card owner.
   
• Check also that cards are valid for at least 30 days beyond completion of your vacation.
   
• Ask your credit card companies for emergency numbers suitable for international access, not those starting with 0800, to report loss. Always keep these numbers with you while traveling, but separate from cards and checks.
   
• There is always a fee involved in any exchange transaction; sometimes it is built in to the published rate. In other places, it can be a percentage fee or a separate fixed-rate commission charge, in which case you receive better value for money if you exchange larger, rather than smaller amounts.  
   

For the most up-to-date currency exchange rate for your planning purposes, please visit GlobusFamily.com/Currency

It is highly recommended that you take out travel protection and baggage insurance. Foreign doctors and hospitals often require payment in cash prior to providing services, and medical evacuation can be expensive. Options are available at www.insuremytrip.com, AAA, American Express, and airline companies.

Luggage
Check with your airline carrier to determine the number of bags allowed and applicable weight limits. Traveling lightly is recommended. You may have to maneuver your own luggage in some places, for example when we board the ferry to go to Uruguay.

Carry-On
We recommend that your daypack or carry-on contain at least one change of clothes in case your luggage arrives sometime after you do. Also, pack anything you cannot live without (i.e. prescription meds) in your carry-on. Everything else should fit inside your main, checked suitcase, preferably a roller bag.

Mark your bags clearly with your name and contact information, both inside and out. Put your business card or contact information inside every bag including your camera case and backpack. It is also a good idea to put your destination hotel information on or in checked baggage.

Weather
Buenos Aires has a warm, humid, temperate climate with hot summers and no dry season. October and November are springtime months leading to summer that starts in December. October is characterized by rising daily temperatures, with daily highs ranging from 66° F to 72° F over the course of the month.

On October 16, a representative day, the sky is clear, or mostly clear, 35% of the time, partly cloudy 11% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 28% of the time. The median cloud cover is 47% (partly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.

The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 34%, with little variation over the course of the month. Given this report, it would be a good idea to pack a light rain jacket. The temperatures will be moderate and comfortable for outside activities.

Packing
Again, travel light. Research has shown that less than a third of vacation travelers wear everything they pack on a trip. The best advice is, “If in doubt, leave it out.” 

Essential Packing Quick Checklist

• Passport, travel protection/insurance, flight ticket and other necessary documents, including a print-out of this travel info
• Money belt, credit cards/pin codes, and spending money (see "Money and Budgeting" below)
• Electrical converter(s)/adapters, travel alarm clock
• Personal medicines/prescriptions
• Sunhat, moisturizing cream, chapstick, insect repellent
• Easy-care creaseless layered clothing
• Comfortable tried-and-tested walking shoes
• Toiletries, tissues, antibacterial wipes
• Camera/video equipment, extra film/memory cards/batteries, etc.
• Small folding umbrella and/or fold-up poncho

Toiletries, Medicines, Sundries
Make sure you’ve included a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, razor, shaving cream (not the pressure-can type that can burst in a depressurized aircraft), plenty of tissues, some antibacterial wipes, lady’s necessities, and plastic bags for damp laundry. It is a good idea to carry toiletries in plastic bags to protect against leakage. Bring small trial sizes of toiletries to reduce luggage weight.

Pack an ample supply of any medicines you are taking, copies of your prescriptions, and the telephone/fax number of your doctor.  Because of strict drug laws in some countries, drugs you take on doctor’s orders should be carried in their original container showing the prescription label. Tell your tour director if you are currently under medical treatment. Always keep medicines safely in your hand luggage, as your suitcase may not easily be accessible while traveling and touring. This also avoids additional problems should your suitcase get lost, damaged, or delayed.

If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair and/or a copy of your prescription. If you wear contact lenses, remember to pack eye drops. If you use a hearing aid, bring a set of spare batteries. It may be time consuming to find new batteries abroad.

Other items you may wish to bring are earplugs for sleeping, a small flashlight, manicure set, and a mending kit. Remember, for airline security reasons, pack these in your suitcase, not in your hand luggage during flights.

Communication with Home
Communication with home is very easy from Argentina either by telephone or Internet. If you are planning on taking your cell phone, check with your service provider about international service and per-minute charges. Some providers will have to make a change to your service to accommodate international calls. The hotels in Buenos Aires have very good internet connections. The venues where we will stay in Uruguay have less reliable internet connections.