There’s no doubt that the pandemic poured cold water on international travel, and we do have clients that are somewhat reluctant to get back in the saddle. Additionally, some prospective clients are not at all familiar with Uruguay, and have the mistaken impression that Uruguay is a high crime country in the same vein as some notable Latin American countries. Let’s explore these two concerns, of travel and safety, so that prospective clients can be better informed.
In the course of my work, I’ve done a great deal of commercial flights around the world. I fondly remember, as a younger man, when one could get on the plane for your assigned seat, and after take-off you could easily move to the abundant empty seats throughout the aircraft, and take a nap. Clearly, those days are over. In the 1980’s, average annual international travel was on the order of 100 million. Today, that number is closer to 2 billion! It’s no wonder that almost every flight is full.
Today’s Air Travel Realities:
The reality is that flights get delayed, cancelled and luggage lost. It’s not normative, but in our nearly 15 years at San Jose Lodge, we have seen some of all the aforementioned. To be fair, US domestic flights have the same issues and probably to a greater degree, per flight. As a pilot myself, the degree of automation in commercial aviation appears to be limiting the true piloting skills of those on the business end of commercial aircraft. US domestic flights tend to attract the least inexperienced in pilot ranks, which I find personally disconcerting. Contrast that with international flights and there are some stark differences. Based on pilot and stewardess unions, the more senior employees get preference in bidding their routes. International routes tend to attract the more experienced airline employees, as the pay is better and they have to work less days. As such, you probably are in safer hands and better service with international flights as compared to domestic. Personally, I’m encouraged when I see grey hairs in the cockpit.
For many years, American Airlines had a direct flight from Miami to Montevideo. Alas, the pandemic led to the demise of this wonderful, overnight flight. We continue to hope that the same will be resurrected in the future. At the time of this writing, every major US carrier has a connection into one of three major hubs, San Paulo, Santiago, or Lima. Flights tend to depart the US in the evening and arrive their connecting flights late at night. Connections are with partner Latin airlines such as Latam, and all tend to arrive in Montevideo in the early morning. Almost without exception, flights tend to be completely full, regardless of the day of the week. For economics, we recommend you check days of the week for flights as there can be some degree of savings.
In my experience, clients tend to be in one of two camps in their air travel. Some are extremely comfortable with it, can sit straight up in an economy seat and sleep the entire flight like a newborn. The other are people who aren’t real excited about flight and tend to be unable to sleep during the flight. In either case, one has to balance economics with personal comfort. Unquestionably, business class with the fold to bed seats is hard to beat; however, the cost of the same can exceed the cost of your hunting trip. Many clients use their air miles or reward points to mitigate their cost. Another recommended option is to book an economy seat, and immediately get on the business class upgrade list. We have found that the upgrade option can be significantly less expensive than the original business class booking. The other option is of course, economy. While the pricing can be very reasonable, personal comfort is very questionable.
The bottom-line on-air travel is that the same is a necessary evil to endure, in order to experience the world class wing shooting at San Jose Lodge. We’ve yet to have a client that didn’t think the difficulties of air travel outweighed their overall experience at San Jose Lodge. In fact, we have many mature clients, well into their 80’s, that gladly make the trek every year. In short, whatever the airlines take from your soul, you will be completely restored in your first few minutes at the Ranch. We feel confident that if air travel is a deterrent in your decision to come, try it one time and you will readily concede the pain of air travel was worth the trip.
Uruguay – One of the Safest Countries
The other significant question we get is how safe is Uruguay. In short, Uruguay is one of the safest countries in South America and considerably safer than the US, with a significantly lower crime index than the US. As Uruguay is widely unknown, many prospective clients have visions of Mexico or Venezuela. Recently, I did some work for a client in Mexico and experienced the Federales riding around in Toyota hiluxes with 50 cals mounted in the rear. This is not Uruguay in any manner. Upon arrival in Montevideo, you will feel just like you would in any major city airport in the US. In general, Uruguay is very clean and its people very industrious. As they are not a gun-owning culture like the US, violent crime is rare by US standards. Like any major US city, there are parts of Montevideo, wherein after dark visitation is not recommended. Even then, the crimes tend to be vehicle break-ins and/or petty robbery.
Unless clients desire to extend their stay with a visit to Montevideo, clients won’t be in the city very long. We collect you at the airport and then head straight to the Ranch. Once you are out of the city, the landscape quickly turns extremely rural and lightly populated. After an approximate 2.5 hour drive, you will arrive at the Ranch, which brings a whole new meaning for “remote”. Our nearest village is some 10 miles away and we have few, if any neighbors within several miles. Hunting venues are either at on near the Lodge and don’t require driving through any populated areas.
We have and maintain a close relationship with local law enforcement. Local law enforcement is aware of each of our hunting venues so that we don’t startle any neighbors with our activities. Uruguay is a very flat county and sound carries long distances. The locals aren’t used to hearing shotgun reports, so we make sure we plan for the same in advance so as not to startle anyone. In a word, the country and Closaway Outfitters’ – San Lodge are completely safe and in nearly 15 years we’ve never had an incident or concern.
We hope that this blog will educate and alleviate any concerns regarding your air travel and safety. We look forward to making your stay safe, comfortable and memorable!
