My Travel Diaries of
Argentina
Summary
Currency: Argentinischer Peso (ARS)
Capital: Buenos Aires
Drink like a local: Mate
Special facts:
- The locals are crazy about their mate tea. Whether children or old people, on the street, in the car, in the shop, or at work, whether road workers, police officers, or office workers – EVERYONE has a thermos, a “calabaza” cup, and a metal “bombilla” straw in their hands.
- The country’s economy is chronically broken. Argentina has experienced several sovereign defaults, the most notorious of which occurred in 2001 and 2020. The 2001 crisis led to a collapse of the financial system and a severe recession. In 2020, Argentina again declared that it could not service its debts and planned a debt restructuring.
- The policy under President Milei is leading to an incredible increase in prices, and when I travel in 2025, Argentina will be the most expensive of all South American countries!
- Argentina is the land of tango! In Buenos Aires, there are many bars where men compete in the most impressive dance moves.
- Argentina boasts impressive natural beauty, and large parts of the country are located in the proverbial pampa. While summer temperatures reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in the north, icebergs float in the fjords in the south.
- The city of Ushuaia is considered a place of longing, the final destination for many Pan-American travelers and a bridgehead for cruises to Antarctica!
Language
Without Spanish, you’re lost in the country. Only in the cities might you find people who speak English. The most important vocabulary:
- Good day – Buenas dias
- Hello – Hola
- Drunk – Borracho
- Steak – Churrasco
- Rain – Lluvia
- Hot – caliente
- Qould you like mate? – Quieres mate?
Currency
In recent years, the peso has lost significant value, leading to high inflation. The current exchange rate (March 2025) is approximately USD 0.00094 for 1 ARS. These economic challenges have led to a decline in circulation of smaller coins like centavos. At one point, gas stations preferred to accept US dollars for half the current ARS value. In Argentina, I was often able to pay by credit card.
My lesson:
Argentina could be such a wonderful country if it weren’t so broken
Travel Diaries
The tango culture in Buenos Aires, the gauchos in the vast Pampas, the wine landscape of Mendoza, the dry Atacama on the Altiplano of the Andes, and whales and icebergs in the southern fjords… what diversity!
For me, Argentina has a special charm.
And what a vastness. The distances in Argentina are enormous.
Unfortunately, the country is so battered and is moving from one economic crisis to the next. This doesn’t make the country particularly cheap; it’s very, very expensive. Argentinians vacation in Brazil and shop in Paraguay because it’s ridiculously cheap for them.
