Enjoy, You’re Not Going Back

There are some places you know you will return to someday, and others you know you will never be there again.

For the places that are literally once in a lifetime, do it and do it right.

This came up when I was talking with someone about an excursion to Iguazu Falls before a cruise she was planning. Chances are, she will never make the effort to go to Iguazu a second time, so I recommended she do it right the first time.

I did this excursion a few years ago and back then, someone I respected in the travel industry told me to stay at a certain hotel (which was expensive but within the park on the Argentina side) and see the falls from both the Argentina and Brazil sides, which at the time required an expensive Brazil visa.

I kicked back a bit, asking if it was really worth the extra cost for the hotel and for the visa. The visa also required an extensive application process and sending my passport away, which seemed like a lot of effort for a five-hour excursion just to see Iguazu Falls from a different perspective.

She said, “Tiffani, I never tell you what to do, and now I’m telling you what to do. Stay at the hotel and get the Brazil visa.” I kicked back a bit more and she responded with the same thing, with a bit more emphatic tone of voice.

“Tiffani, I never tell you what to do, and now I’m telling you what to do. Stay at the hotel and get the Brazil visa.”

I took her advice and boy was she right. Staying at the hotel within the park on the Argentina side of the falls was amazing because we could just walk out of the hotel and be on the trails to the Falls in a matter of minutes.

We could also see the sun set over the falls from the hotel terrace.

The Brazil side of the falls was unforgettable because we were able to walk under the spray, see how vast the area was, and take a helicopter ride over the falls, which was not allowed on the Argentina side.

I’m so glad I paid the extra money and made the effort to do this adventure the right way. I don’t feel like I missed anything and I don’t need to go back. Yes, I spent a bit more money than I wanted to and had to apply for a visa, but it was so worth it.

I gave my friend the same advice. She clapped back just like I did with my friend a few years ago. Hopefully, if she takes my advice, she will feel the same way I did about the adventure to Iguazu. She’s also lucky since she will not need a Brazil visa because the country eased those restrictions in mid-2019.

What are your thoughts about once-in-a-lifetime excursions?