Faculty-led – FAQ

What Brazilian Experience (BE) will do for me, my faculty and my students?

Brazilian Experience will organize everything for you and your students, from planning the trip until your group returns home. Once you get in contact with us, we will discuss your goals and expectations with the program. Then, we will suggest an itinerary and you will be able to participate in this process as much as you want. You can add or exclude visits and trips to other places, the program will be custom made at your discretion. Once the itinerary is defined we will assist you with the documents to obtain a Brazilian visa. Once in Brazil, a BE staff member will always be with you during your visits to companies, organizations and trips, this will also help you with the language barrier. So, from the planning stages to arrival there will be full support.

What is the program length?

BE will customize the itinerary according to your goals. It could be one-week long during Spring break, J-Term or up to 3 months.

Typically, study tours are done in 10 to 20 days, but the duration is flexible and to your discretion.

What is the average cost of a program?

This depends on the itinerary that you choose, how many students will join, and also the duration of the program. Send us an email and we will reply with detailed information about the costs.

Is there a minimum number of students I need to recruit?

Normally, the trip is designed for a budget of at minimum 10 students.

How soon can I get a proposal?

On average, we ask for 1-2 weeks to prepare a proposal, as we need to contact the local providers (hotel, transportation, university, etc.) for the most up-to-date costs, according to your expected travel dates.

After the schedule approval and adjustments we will write a detailed itinerary including information about the places to be visited, pictures, and a final budget.

Do you have people on the ground in the location?

Brazilian Experience head-office is located in Curitiba, six hours south of São Paulo. We also have local coordinators in Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis. We are able to organize activities and visits in different Brazilian cities.

As locals, we believe we are can assure you the best Brazilian Experience.

Do you offer insurance during our stay in Brazil?

Most universities prefer to offer their own travel insurance to the students, but if necessary we can accommodate.

Do I need to bring another faculty member or an assistant?

This is up to the university, on our side it is not necessary to have more than one faculty chaperoning the group. If we have bigger groups we will also include additional BE staff members to insure all the participants have the proper attention and support.

What is your student-staff ratio?

Brazilian Experience organizes the trips having one group leader for every 20 students confirmed. However, if your university requires a different number we can plan accordingly.

Do I need to speak Portuguese to lead this program?

No. We always encourage faculties and students to learn some Portuguese before coming, as this allows a deeper interaction during the visits and higher immersion in the culture. But it is not mandatory to have language ability to lead a group to Brazil.

Our group leaders are native Brazilians, and fluent English speakers. They will chaperone the group during all the cultural activities and visits. We aim to use all our expertise in Brazil to assure your students get the best from their experience in our country.

Do my students need to know Portuguese to participate?

Portuguese skills are not a program requirement. Still, we encourage students to learn the basics before coming, as this knowledge will allow them a deeper interaction during the visits. Language knowledge will be especially beneficial if there is a service component in the trip schedule, important when interacting with members of the community.

Do you provide visa support documentation?

American students and faculty, applying in short stay program, should generally apply for a tourism visa. Some Europeans are exempt from the visa requirement as it is granted upon arrival in Brazil and they are allowed to stay in the country for 90 days.

Brazilian Experience will provide an invitation letter if requested by the consulate or embassy.

Do you offer 24-hour support?

Brazilian Experience offers 24/7 support. Our staff is always available and can be reached via mobile phone should you need assistance in an emergency. Please note during the trip our staff will also chaperone your group in every visit and excursion.