If the Mundial is your first reason to go to Brazil, you may be interested in sticking around. Even if it's not your first time, you may be interested in sticking around after the event and visiting sites. Both of these are fantastic ideas, and many of you have already been asking how to facilitate this. The Mundial is a really big event, and as such takes a lot of effort to put together and pull off successfully. So we really can't put too much work into everyone's individual plans. However, there are a few great suggestions and reminders here for you to keep in mind if you do want to travel a bit after the event.

Gunga Plan is (almost completely) all-inclusive

If you are going to the Mundial with a Gunga Plan, you'll have already paid for everything except for dinner each night. You can expect to pay anywhere between $5 and $10 for a dinner in Brazil. This is true from June 7th until June 10th.

With this plan, you may still want to bring some extra cash (or cards) for gifts and memorabilia. That's up to you.

Cash is probably best when you're there

Honestly, it's probably safest and easiest to purchase most stuff in Brazil with cash. You can either change your money from dollars to reais before you travel (great idea for when you first hit the Brazilian airports), but you don't need to change ALL of your money over upfront.

Last time we were at the Mundial, there was a nearby bank whose ATMs took our Wachovia, Bank of America, and other bank ATM cards without a problem. If you're worried about this, you should check in advance with your banking insitution to figure out (a) how much they charge for converting currencies and (b) what banks you can expect to use for withdrawals.

Traveling inside Brazil after the Mundial...

Is an awesome idea. There is so much to see and enjoy in Brazil. For tips on what to do, your best bet is likely to actually ask someone who has been. That way you can figure out what's fun and what won't cost you so much.

If you want to see the sites in Brazil after the Mundial, here's a few things to keep in mind:

• Plan it all out. Figure out where you want to go, where to stay, and who is going to travel with you.
• Be flexible if possible. At the last Mundial in Brazil, a bunch of students on a spur of the moment sort of thing decided to go see Foz do Iguaçu. They bought bus tickets, saw the World Wonder, and came back to Londrina with an awesome new experience. You never know...
• Figure out how you're going to travel. Airfares can be quite expensive in Brazil, relative to the US, so make sure you look into all of that beforehand. A great alternative if you have some additional time and want to save money is buses. Long distance buses in Brazil are super comfy and generally less expensive. Again, just plan this beforehand to get an idea of how much it'll cost you.
• Just like here in the US, the cost of a hotel can vary depending on where you go. Bigger, touristy cities may cost more than more rural, laidback ones. Again, this is why it's a great idea to ask people who have been what you should do while you're in Brazil.

As I'm sure you realize, planning is key. Feel free to use the facebook event to facilitate travel with other capoeiristas. Regardless of the group that you're with, you will find that everyone in Brazil (Brazilians and Americans alike) will be completely happy to help you or experience new things with you.

Train More Capoeira!

A very popular choice. You may feel motivated to stick around in Londrina to train more capoeira with some really incredible people. This is a totally viable choice. If you do, you'll need to plan this out monetarily. Make sure to have enough for food, hotel, and public transportation. If this is what you'd like to do, you're going to for sure get plenty of support from the local and other traveling capoeiristas.

Ask people! Tell people!

If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or on Facebook. If you've been to Brazil and have suggestions, it really helps the newbies to hear your suggestions and tips, so don't be shy!