BRIEFING

Good evening! How is everybody doing today? Fantastic! First and foremost, I want to
thank you all for being here. I guess it has been a long journey to get here. On behalf of
Gate 1 Travel, I would like to welcome you all to South America and the city of Rio de
Janeiro. Whether is your first trip with us or is a repeat visit, we want to let you know
that in Gate 1 we do consider you to be part of our family.

My name is Lucas and I will be your TM for the next 14 days. We will have some
adventurous and beautiful places to visit but also the opportunity to meet each other
for the next days and thus make new friends who will also be part of your family. Sounds
good?
Speaking of our family, I do have one back at home. I love them very much and I am
missing them now probably like you might be missing some of your family members. My
family and I do live in Iguazu, I was born and raised there. I flew yesterday to here
leaving my family behind to be here with you. I do have a wife, her name is Mainqué, we
also have 2 Daschunds, 1 brother and 1 sister.

This is my third-year tour guiding and my second-year tour directing. I must say, honestly
and truly, that I love this job and I enjoy a lot escorting tours. So that was a little bit
about me, my family at home and my history as tour manager and guide. What about
you guys?
A. What is your name?
B. Where are you from?
C. Did you travel with GATE 1 before?
D. If you have to choose your favorite trip, what would it be?

Welcome to all of you. Let´s start with this welcome meeting. Everyone has received this
lanyard and name badge with your names. It is mandatory to use it during group
activities. For instance, by using your name badge the driver or the local guide will be
able to locate you in the distance if they need to find you out.
Before we dive into our adventure, I'd like to share a few important points:
 ITINERARY: This session is not to review the itinerary. It is to get to know one
another and become a family. But I will spend 5 minutes to briefly check our
program…. MOSTRAR MAPA Y RECORRIDOS
If you don´t know what to do on your spare time, you have these optional tours:
REPASAR OPCIONALES PERO ACLARAR QUE MAÑANA LO CERRAMOS.
Hotels: the hotels chosen by Gate 1 stand out by their location. They are not top
notch but good enough to spend a couple of nights.
 Meals: breakfast is always included. Lunches are normally light (sometimes on the
run) and dinners are usually included or taken as a group if you are in the mood
for it. You will always have a suggested restaurants list next to the bulletin board
that I wrote myself. I have chosen those restaurants through my own experience
or good recommendations from other TMs
 SAFETY FIRTS: We want to bring you back safe and sound so your safety is
something that we take seriously. Your safety is of the utmost importance to
us. So here are some common-sense precautions we’d like you to take in order to
reduce the likelihood of having unpleasant experiences:
Theft is not that common and traveling in a group lowers the risk of that
happening
Most thieves are opportunistic; your belongings are grabbed or pick pocketed. So,
one suggestion would be carrying your belongings in front of you where you can
see them at all times
When you’re touring, I highly recommend you only take a small amount of cash
and a photo copy of your passport. Everything else of value should remain back in
your hotel room safe (objects and official documents are safer there)
Never wear valuable accessories; I’m especially talking about watches, and
necklaces. If you do decide to carry valuables, it will be at your own risk. Be
particularly careful in crowded places and in a public vehicle
Never place your bag over the back of a chair at an eatery
When exploring independently, especially at night, avoid dark or isolated areas
and make sure to travel in pairs
We can only suggest the following from our experience, we understand if you
have no other choice, but we highly suggest you don’t take taxis in the street,
instead, UBER is a very good option. You must report theft, lost, injury, illness or
even crime immediately to me, that will allow me to assist in advising the
necessarily official and follow up on your reports.

 WATER: You will receive a water bottle daily. I strongly suggest that you do not
drink tap water. Drink bottled water as much as you can. I add one more thing:
avoid purchasing food from street vendors.
 Traffic: Keep in mind that pedestrians come last here, not first, so please regard
the very busy traffic, they will not stop for you, it’s as simple as that.
 Health Precautions: Drink plenty of water, use sunscreen, and take necessary
precautions against insects, in the case of an unprovable mishap or injury where
you need medical assistance, do not suffer in silence and be shy about letting me
know neither. We can well assist you getting in touch with your health insurance,
that way you will receive a case number. But you must contact them yourselves
before you can receive assistance from us.
 HOTELS: The hotels chosen by Gate 1 stand out by their location. They are not top
notch but good enough to spend a couple of nights.
 MEALS: Breakfast is always included. Lunches are normally light (sometimes on
the run) and dinners are usually included or taken as a group if you are in the
mood for it. You will always have a suggested restaurants list next to the bulletin
board that I wrote myself. I have chosen those restaurants through my own
experience or good recommendations from other TMs.
 SEAT ROTATION: It is a practice on tours in which passengers are moved from seat
to seat so as to give all travelers equal access to the "good seats." Sit rotation is
mandatory and no negotiable. All of you agree our Terms & Conditions prior to
purchasing this tour and they include strong wording regarding this subject.
Everyone wants to sit in the front seats. I will manage a fair rotation of seats
through a chart ensuring equal seating time in front of the bus. Each morning, I
will place the chart visibly at the entrance of the bus and this will be valid for
entire day.
 CURRENCY/EXCHANGE: The local currencies are REALES, ARGENTINIAN PESOS,
AND CHILEAN PESOS, and here you have the rate at which the money changer will
buy your dollars. It is good idea to hang on local currency for small things like
water, tipping, etc.
Avoid also having lots of reales or pesos left over. These are accepted at the duty-
free shop in airports but once outside the country it is hard to exchange them.

 TIPPING: Tipping is part of the Latin American culture, like in US. It is a normal
practice to tip anyone who provides a service including waiters, drivers, guides,
porters and room service. In restaurants the general rule of thumb is to leave
10%. I’d like to point out that some of the tips will be included such as waiters or
waitresses at restaurants Local guides and drivers rely on their tips as significant
portion of their income. Most people tip them according to their level of
satisfaction with the service. Please refer to the Gate 1 guideline (it is on the
website) to know how much a fare tip is for them. Usually, the driver expects a
lower percentage than the guide. In addition, be at ease, I will inform you when
it’s the last time we see our local guide and driver, there will be no secrets.
 LUGGAGE: The baggage allowance is determined solely by the airline, in Brazil,
the allowance is 50 pounds and in Argentina is 33 pounds. If you have excess
luggage you must pay for it yourself. All domestic flights allow one piece of
luggage per person, plus carry-on bag.
On a hotel departure day, please leave the bags outside your doors early enough
to be able to check before breakfast if any bag were not put out.
Only I will do your on-line check-in for domestic flights and your flights home. So,
I will deliver them to you on the way to the airports or at the hotel a couple of
 hours before the departure time. The airlines are great. They are great when they
are in the air. The majority of the flights run smoothly but you should be prepared
for the possibility of delays, cancellations or rescheduling.
I have not influence or control over seat allocation. My job is to take you from the
point A to B, not seat assignment.
 GROUP HARMONY - PUNCTUALLITY AND RESPECT: Beware who you are
travelling with: a group of people here to have fun. Punctuality is very important
in order to use everyone’s time to the best of their advantage. If anyone don´t
come at the designated time I will understand that you have other plans and will
leave. It’s as simple as that. I am not flexible in terms of punctuality.
Meeting time written in the bulletin board or given in the bus is the time we
leave, not the time at which you should be ready. Be cautious and be ready 5 or
10 minutes before that time.
We ask that you all respect each other at all times, we are all adults, and we need
to get along for the good of the group. Please look after each other.

Thank you for your attention, and let's make this an unforgettable journey!
If you have any questions now or at any time during the trip, please feel free to ask.
Enjoy your evening, and see you all at dinner!