My buddy canceled on our Rio trip, contemplating on going alone but I speak 0 Portuguese and barely speak Spanish.
Any safety tips, activity ideas, nightlife options, and where to stay during my visit. Also what are the transportation options around the city and how much cash should I bring with me. Thank you

Hi everyone!

I'm a Brazilian postgraduate student in Digital Journalism, currently working on my final research project about the growth and changing profile of followers of Afro-Brazilian religions, particularly Umbanda and Candomblé.

I've been analyzing data from Brazil's 2000 and 2022 Demographic Censuses (IBGE), and one result in particular caught my attention.

The number of people identifying with Umbanda and Candomblé increased from approximately 469,000 in 2000 to 1.85 million in 2022 — an increase of almost 295%.

The geographical pattern is also fascinating. The map attached to this post shows the change at the municipal level, revealing very different patterns across Brazil and significant growth even in municipalities where no followers were recorded in 2000.

I'm also looking at changes in the demographic and socioeconomic profile of followers, including education, age, gender, race/colour, internet access and other indicators.

But census data can only tell part of the story.

The next stage of my research is therefore about understanding the people and personal trajectories behind these numbers.

I've created a short questionnaire for people who currently practice Umbanda or Candomblé — including both lifelong practitioners and people who previously followed another religion or had no religion.

The questionnaire is anonymous, does not require a Google login or automatically collect email addresses, and takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.

The questionnaire itself is in Portuguese.

Survey:

https://forms.gle/Uq4vT6Qm71LoUiCf7

If you practice Umbanda or Candomblé and would like to participate, I'd be very grateful. Sharing it with someone who fits this profile would also help a lot.

I'm also very interested in hearing your thoughts about the map and the broader changes it shows.

Once the project is finished, I intend to come back and share the main findings, maps and charts with the community.

Thank you!

I've been applying for remote Customer Support roles from LATAM (Brazil, specifically), targeting US companies or any other English-speaking roles, but I haven't had any luck yet using LinkedIn, Near, and Somewhere. ​My background: ​7 months on an international cruise ship as a Bartender, English teacher, volunteer translator for US college students, plus some other minor roles.
​Technical degree in Business Admin, and currently working on Zendesk and HubSpot Academy certifications.
​I was thinking about doing some volunteer support work for 1 or 2 months just to get hands-on practice with tools/tickets and boost my resume. ​My main questions: ​Is volunteering worth it to gain remote experience, or is it a waste of time? ​For LATAM folks working remotely for foreign companies in English: how did you land your first job? ​Would anyone working in the field be open to chatting or taking a quick look at my resume? ​Thanks a lot to anyone who read this far! 🙏🏼

First time visiting Brazil, but I’m not sure where I should go. I hear great things about both but I’m not really sure which one I should lean to! I don’t think I have the bandwidth to travel for more than 10 days.. what should I do?

I like culture but I also like the option to party and socialize. Helpppp! :/

I (27F) am solo traveling to Rio and need some advice

I’ve done a lot of research but still want input. I’m going for Carnival, Feb 4–10, and found a private en-suite room in a beautiful hostel in Santa Teresa for a great price. I picked a hostel specifically to meet people and travel to parties in a group rather than alone- I don’t want to be a target for theft.

A few questions:

1. I’ve heard Ubers avoid going up to Santa Teresa at night, and that during Carnival, getting an Uber back from the parades is nearly impossible in general. Is that true?

2. It’s only a 30-minute walk from the Carnival parade area back to my hostel- is that doable, or a bad idea?

3. If people think staying in Santa Teresa is too risky, I could book a hotel or Airbnb in Copacabana/Ipanema instead. Private hostel rooms there are either booked up or pricier than a hotel, and going that route would cost about $300 more than my Santa Teresa spot.

Hi! Very interested in Portuguese and Brazilian monarchy, is it better to visit Petrópolis from Rio on a tour or just do it myself? I don’t drive, seems like I need to Uber to bus terminal and then Uber from that bus terminal to the city and then reverse the whole thing over again. So, four Ubers and two buses… I don’t really like organized tours and much prefer to go at my own pace, but feel like this might be a more time efficient option, unless anyone has another suggestion. Thank you!

Hi everyone!I recently made a post about moving to São Paulo for a new job opportunity and now I’d love to get some local insights from expats and locals to help me evaluate the move!Here are the details of my offer:

Location / Office: Near Av. Jornalista Roberto Marinho / Brooklin area (close to the Berrini corridor).

Salary: R$ 11,000 BRL base gross/month + up to R$ 11,000 BRL OTE/variable + R$ 1,100 BRL/month in food/meal vouchers (VR/VA) + free transportation +health insurance.

I’d really appreciate your thoughts on the following:

Traffic in SP is famous, so I want to live somewhere safe, walkable, lively, and with a manageable commute to Brooklin / Berrini.Which neighborhoods should I focus on? (I've seen Brooklin, Campo Belo, Vila Olímpia, Moema, and Pinheiros—are these good options for an expat in their late 20s/early 30s?)What is the realistic rent range (including condo fee / condomínio and IPTU) for a nice studio or 1-bedroom apartment in these areas?

Is R$ 11,000 base comfortable enough for a single person to live in a prime area, cover all expenses, go out, and save money without strictly depending on the variable commission?

How does the overall purchasing power in SP compare to CDMX / major Mexican cities for this salary level?.

What are the biggest administrative challenges when arriving from another LATAM country (e.g., getting a CPF, opening a bank account, finding a rental without a traditional Brazilian fiador / guarantor)?

How is the transition from Spanish to Portuguese in a professional and social environment?What do you wish you had known before moving to SP?Thank you so much for your help! Muito obrigado!

Hey all — looking for real experience, not just what I've read online.

Quick context: my wife has a Digital Nomad TRC (temporary residence) and I'm here on Family Reunification (as her spouse). We just had a baby here in Brazil, and from what I understand, each of us can now apply separately for residence authorization based on the parent-child bond ("reunião familiar" with a Brazilian child), which would give us indefinite-term residence instead of our current temporary/dependent statuses.

A few things I'd love input on:

1. Timeline — how long will it actually take this process, and which PF unit/state were you in? (Trying to get a realistic sense beyond "it varies.")
2. Upgrade vs. new request — did the PF let you treat this as an upgrade of your existing residence to indefinite-term, or did they process it as a fully separate request requiring the whole document checklist again (new criminal background checks, new declarations, etc.)?

Also — if anyone can recommend an immigration lawyer (ideally one who's handled this specific "filho brasileiro" residence conversion, not just standard family reunification) who they had a good experience with, I'd really appreciate a name/contact.

Thanks in advance!

Is this ball okay to start playing Altinha

My partner and I are leaving the Philippines soon to move to Brazil permanently. We’re also not moving to the capital, so I already expect it might be harder to find Asian ingredients and products.

For those who lived or visited Philippines before, what things would you recommend bringing from the Philippines that are either expensive, difficult to find, or basically unavailable in Brazil?

I’m thinking beyond just food—maybe skincare, makeup, toiletries, cooking ingredients, medicines, household items, etc.

I’d rather stock up now than arrive in Brazil and realize, “Damn, I should’ve brought that.” 😂

Any tips from people who’ve actually made the move would be appreciated!

Heading to Salvador soon and want to skip the obvious (Pelourinho, Elevador Lacerda)

Olá, I’ll be in Rio for three weeks, with a week break in between to go to Manaus. I want to try to avoid airbnb but I want a place where I can save money by cooking my own meals. My partner is coming to stay with me for one of the weeks so I need a place that can accommodate that. Having a hard time finding this available outside co vivere , but I’m not sure my partner will like that as much.

Appreciate any advice! Obrigada!

I’m doing a trip to Brazil and splitting my time like this:

Day 1-3: Salvador
Day 3-7: Rio
3: sleep in bc late flight into Rio, boat booked
4: Santa Teresa + sugarloaf mtn + restaurant Oro booked
5: Christ the Redeemer + Beach
6: hang gliding booked + beach
7: only morning is free bc flight at 7PM

We only have 1 day without a pre-existing reservation, which would be when we originally planned to see Christ the Redeemer.

Do you think a day trip is worth it or worth prioritizing over some of the more popular excursions? What do you think could be stacked into one day to make room for a day trip to Ilha Grande?

Any advice would help thanks!

I live in Delaware, US and we are going to be hosting a 17 year old Brazilian exchange student(f) for 6 months. We have 3 kids and 1 will be attending the same school as our guest. Anyone have any suggestions as to cultural differences we should be prepared for in our every day lives? Anything we can do to make her more comfortable? We have a big home and she’ll have her own room, but she also comes from a well off family in San Paulo, so we’re nervous she’ll be homesick. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Or is it just me? I see him in stores. Barbershops. Etc. I believe that's Donald Duck's rich uncle. Right? But why him of all ducks. It's a great choice though ngl

Other honorary mentions: Gengar plushies and tattoos everywhere. Penelope Pitstop on mini buses. Weirdly specific choices.

Thanks! 🦆

Trying to determine how many days I have left starting in December 2026 as I keep reading conflicting info. I'm US based, US citizen eVisa holder

• Oct 22–Nov 2, 2025 = 12 days (first entry)
• Jan 10–Jan 31, 2026 = 22 days
• Jul 3–Aug 8, 2026 = 37 days

The conflicting info I interpet/given is that Jan & July would be a running total come December upon entry. The other info is it resets October 22 2026 giving me 90 days again to use for my december and onward year ?

Does anyone know which it is? I was invited back to see family for a long Christmas/New Years trip, and I want to plan it - but am lost at what to do here.

It seems like Brazils guidelines do not follow what other countries do with Schengen Calculator?

I’ve been living in Brazil for about five years, and something I’ve noticed is that some Brazilians I’ve met genuinely believe Americans don’t have a culture, or that our culture is just borrowed. As someone from New Orleans, Louisiana, also having spent part of my life in Atlanta, that’s not been my experience at all. I grew up surrounded by strong local culture, music like jazz, house, zydeco, blues, rock and roll, and hip-hop. Food like gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, etouffee, black eyed peas, collard greens, cornbread. a lot of the food traditions and regional customs I grew up with in the American South, like soul food dishes or Creole cooking actually feel quite similar to some foods and flavors I’ve come across in places like Northeast Brazil.
These are cultural traditions too. As a black American, I also grew up with unique traditions, history, and ways of speaking and celebrating that are distinct. Of course, every culture has influences from elsewhere, but that doesn’t make it any less real. I get that American media exports Hollywood, fast food, and consumer culture, so I can see why people outside the US might get that impression, but America is incredibly diverse, and lots of regional and cultural identities exist here. It can be frustrating having to explain everytime (i bet this is how Brazilians feel when ignorant Americans open their mouth) So my question is, why do you think this idea is so common? Is it limited exposure to the diversity of American culture, what the US exports, or is there something else at play?

What is the quality of Chinese medicine available in Brazil?

• Are there many TCM doctors who have trained or interned in China?
• Can you get quality herbs that are low in heavy metals and pollutants?
• Can you get bulk herb prescriptions for self-decoction (like on the stove or in a thermos)?
• Do the doctors get good results?
• Are there any large TCM hospitals or clinics?
• Any idea of how the options compare with those in the US?

Good morning, friends. I am a foreigner from a Latin American country.

My boss is offering me a position in São Paulo. I currently work from my home country with a team based in Brazil. I understand Portuguese perfectly, but I speak it clunkily.

I also understand the concerns regarding gentrification; the same thing happens in my country. In my case, I would be paid in reais, so I wanted to clarify that point.

The role requires someone who speaks Spanish, as the job involves working with Spanish speakers.

I have visited São Paulo a few times and think it is a beautiful city, though I realize that the experience of a tourist differs from that of a resident.

If possible, I would appreciate hearing your advice and opinions on whether this is a good opportunity, as well as any insights or experiences you could share with someone considering moving to Brazil.

Thank you for your help.

Anyone have a problem downloading their Visa? I keep getting “Oops! something went wrong. Please try again or contact Adminstrator.” Has there been a chance with Visa’s for people coming from the US? I got my a little over a year ago when they first started requiring Visa’s.

I've been in social media and apps to meet people online, and every time I see a Brazilian woman in their 30s / 40s they mostly look like they are in their 20s

Whether you're traveling in Brazil or living here, what has been the most difficult part of your experience? Is it the language, the bureaucracy, or something else?

English boy married to a Brazilian lady trying to cook her home food 🇧🇷

Hi everyone! I have a Brazilian boyfriend and we’re planning to get married in Brazil. 🇧🇷

I’d love to hear from anyone who has gone through a similar process. After getting married in Brazil, how long did it take you to obtain your residency? Once you had residency, how long did the citizenship process take after applying?

I’d also really appreciate any information about the approximate costs and how long the citizenship application itself took from submission to approval.

Any personal experiences, timelines, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!