Until mid March, Brazil required that all US Citizens visiting Brazil--even those visiting less than 90 days--obtain a visa that required both money and time to get. In 2018 Brazil made it easier to obtain by giving us the option to process the visa online and dropped the price from $160 to $40.

As of June 17, 2019, all US citizens can visit Brazil for up to 90 days for free without any official documents aside from a passport. Brazil's new president Jair Bolsonaro made the move to drop visa requirements before visiting the US earlier in March.

Hey MileValue readers!

I've been experiencing a rough patch over the last month with my health that I would like to dive into with you guys when I'm ready. That moment isn't now, but it will come. And as I'm sure many of you can relate to, I've been sick while traveling. While I've had gorgeous environments to relax in and am not complaining about that, it's ultimately been stressful to be unsettled away from home. But life happens, and sometimes you just have to adjust.

With 42 options to choose from, Florianópolis, Brazil is a beach mecca so beautiful that locals call it the Magic Island. Most of the city is a 33 mile long island called Santa Catarina, with just a tiny portion of the city spreading to mainland Brazil.

The only dense parts of the "city" are the small sections on either sides of the bridge connecting the mainland to the island.

I recently spent two weeks in Buzios, Brazil. Only a 3ish hour drive from Rio de Janeiro, Buzios is an easy and enjoyable side trip if you're planning a vacation in Rio.

Buzios is a resort town nestled into a hilly peninsula with over 20 beaches. The water is a beautiful shade of dark turquoise and green, and the beaches are sandy and often lined with jungle covered hills. It's a popular spot for Brazilian and Argentine tourists, so if you don't want to share the beaches with lots of people, avoid the end of December through February.

Let's start your week off with a little travel inspiration to help fight the Monday blues.

Below are three destinations with astounding beauty I can attest to as I've personally traveled to all of them.

Update 3/16/17: Looks like TAP made a mistake and is now in the process of retracting their fuel surcharges. I believe the ban on fuel surcharges in Brazil is actually still in place, check out this post written by a lawyer, blogger, and travel consultant for more info (it's in Portuguese so just use a translator).  

The Brazilian government has decided to once again allow fuel surcharges on flights originating in Brazil.

I spent the previous two weeks in the Bahia state of Brazil, an incredible region rich in Brazilian culture lined with endless beautiful beaches. The first week I stayed in Itacaré, a small fishing and surfing village with some of the best Brazilian food I’ve ever tasted. I wrote a trip report about my experience in Itacaré earlier this week. The second week I stayed about a 45 minute drive north of Itacaré on the Maraú peninsula, at a beach called Taipú do Fora that’s known for excellent snorkeling.

I spent the past two weeks in the Bahia state of Brazil, an incredible region rich in Brazilian culture lined with endless beautiful beaches. The first week I stayed in Itacaré, a small fishing and surfing village with some of the best Brazilian food I've ever tasted. In this post I'll tell you about my experience there and share some pointers I picked up along the way.