One of the scariest things when you’re visiting another country is to get lost. Imagine yourself in a place where you can’t communicate in your native language and you’re lost, that’s not a good picture.

Even worse if one of your kids get lost, unfortunately I won’t talk about kids in this article perhaps in a future one.

If you get lost in Brazil it won’t be different from any other country. The best way to find out how to get back to your hotel is to look for help. You can start asking questions to people on the street.

Some precautions before you get lost

Here are some precautions you should take when traveling overseas:

• Always have some cash in case of emergency;
• Get an unlocked cellphone that works with GSM 850, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900 at least. Buy credits to your cellphone (It’s obvious but some people forget to do that);
• Get the hotel address and telephone number;
• Get your country embassy address and telephone number;
• Get a telephone number of the taxi company suggested by the hotel;
• Get a phone card in case of the cellphone doesn’t work;
• Get a pocket dictionary with you all the time;
• Get a map of the city you’re visiting;
• If you’re driving, you must get a GPS;

How to start a conversation if you’re lost

I made up a conversation between a tourist that is lost and a native person. I colored the talk to make it easier to understand. If the person don’t want to help you don’t bother and look for somebody else.

- Excuse me, can I talk to you?
Com licenca, posso falar com você ?

- Yes. Do you need something?
Sim. Você precisa de alguma coisa?

- Yes. I’m lost I don’t know how to go back to the hotel. Can you please help me?
Sim. Eu estou perdido e não sei voltar para o hotel. Você pode me ajudar por favor?

- Do you have the hotel address?
Voce tem o endereço do hotel?

- Yes I do. I have the hotel’s business card.
Sim. Eu tenho o cartão do hotel.

- I think you should get a taxi. It’d be the easier and safer way to get there.
Eu acho que você deveria pegar um taxi. É a maneira mais fácil e segura de chegar lá.

- I don’t have any taxi company phone number.
Eu não tenho nenhum número de empresa de táxi.

- Then you should call the hotel and ask them to call the taxi company for you.
Então você deveria chamar para o hotel e pedir para eles perdirem um táxi para você.

- But I don’t know where I’m right now.
Mas eu não sei onde eu estou.

- Can you see the intersection there?
Consegue ver aquele cruzamento?

- yes
Sim

- OK. We’re between Joaquim pereira street and Antonio Grosso street.
OK. Nós estamos entre a Rua Joaquim Pereira e a Rua Antonio grosso

- Thank you very much
Muito obrigado

- You are welcome.
Não há de quê.

If you didn’t understand the way he/she explained to you, then you should try to talk to someone else on the street and if possible write down the name of the street you’re located, so you can let the hotel’s receptionist know where you are and she/he can call the taxi for you.

Finally, back at the hotel

Hopefully you will be able to talk to the hotel receptionist and she/he will call a taxi for you. If not, you should look for any police officer and ask him for help.
By the way, the police phone number in Brazil is 190. You can call the police office from any public telephone on the street.

I know many people who read this article don’t pretend to spend time learning this conversation, but if you get lost one day you’ll remember that you should’ve learned it.

I’m pretty sure if you follow all the instructions I mentioned in this article you’ll be safer than never if you get lost in Brazil.