Hey Reader! Good morning from Santiago, Chile!

Today, as I sit in the old European architecture-lined streets of the Bellas Artes and Lastarria neighborhoods of Chile's capital, I want to share with you how Mendoza, Argentina has the best travel & wine experience** you’ve never heard of, and how I realized that, potentially, the wine and nature in Mendoza make the best nomad escape you’ve never heard of**, for focused work and a low cost of living in Argentina.

But first, back to Chile…

It’s a cool morning here in Chile’s capital. The 51-degree chill in the air (11celsius) feels like a wonderful novelty after years of living in tropical Bali. As Chile descends through fall into South American winter, I’m loving the experience of seasons again and looking forward to seeing green, snow-capped mountains in the coming weeks. The architecture, pace, and vibe of life on the streets of Santiago feel strikingly German, compared to the Italian and Spanish-influenced social scene and daily life that we left in Buenos Aires 2 weeks ago, with a plethora of sandwich shops and shawarma stands to match.

Santiago de Chile’s overall vibe of chill, slow, and steady represents this South American metropolis very well as the gateway to peaceful outdoor adventure and 4,000 of wild coastline. As we rest here for a week, we’re making plans to explore Patagonia and the “Land of Fire” (Tierra del Fuego), filled with towering mountains, crystal clear lakes, entrancingly blue glaciers, “welcoming” volcanoes, and some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet.

But I’ll share more on those Patagonia adventures next week.

This week…is all about wine.

This week is all about sharing a rich wine experience in Argentina I personally didn’t know existed, a place I discovered that’s perfect a month-long nomad escape…

As we ended our adventures in Argentina last week, for this part of the trip at least, I wanted to punctuate our Argentina visit with an experience difficult to replicate anywhere else by, exploring the Mendoza, Argentina wine country…again.

You see, though there are a handful of wine capitals in the world producing world-class wine, but Mendoza, Argentina is the most unique in that it is perfectly tuned for adventurous travelers and budget travelers as much as wine connoisseurs.

In Mendoza, you have the choice to cheaply tour wineries with a guide and bus for only around $30. But you can also rent a bike and ride between winery tastings at say, 7 different wineries, and even walk or use a “hop on hop off” bus because good wineries are so densely packed. This means you could be in Mendoza for three days and have three uniquely different wine experiences every day.

But here’s the kicker…

I visited Mendoza and fell in love with this fun little adventure 10 years ago, but decided to come and realized…I missed so much! There are actually four different wine villages that replicate the same experience, all a $6 Uber ride away from the city center.

For the traveler who loves wine, few places on the planet will give such easily accessible, fun, and satisfying wine experiences as Mendoza, Argentina.

This place is also potentially perfect for nomads - balancing work and travel - as a cheap place to spend a wine and nature-filled month if you’re wandering South America as a nomad.

You see, Mendoza isn't actually where the wine is. Mendoza is the city center.

But a 25-minute ride outside of Mendoza (a $6 Uber) is three separate wine villages! Maipu, Lajun de Cuyo, and Vistalba - plus the more distant Uco Valley. Each of these villages has a separate bike & wine tour that could fill a whole day, with 5 to 7 wineries each. Each village has several other guided wine tours that reach additional wineries.

Plus, to finish the day, each village has Michelin-star restaurants. FYI, there are 5 Michelin star restaurants and 17 Michelin restaurants dotted around Mendoza and it’s wine villages.

Vistalba and the Uco Valley are arguably the most beautiful, unique, and newest experiences…they weren’t even on the radar when I visited 10 years ago.

Vistalba sits right next to the Mendoza River at the foothills of the Andean mountain range, with beautiful green, wine-filled, mountain views in all directions.

Uco Valley sits in the mountains with higher altitudes, cooler temperatures, greener surroundings, and newer vines. The vintners crafting wine here are using this new beauty of a village to experiment with how Argentine wines should evolve.

And then…there’s Mendoza City Center, for the nomads.

While for travelers, the highlight will be the wine touring experience (guided or self-guided) the highlight for nomads will be Mendoza itself, as a place, to rest, recover, work, and enjoy nature.

You see, Mendoza is the tiny capital of the region with 1.1 million people, but it still feels small. The main drag of Aristides Villanueva Street offers 9 blocks of wine bars, cafes, restaurants, and great breweries. The Eco Parque next to the district has miles of groomed trails through beautiful green parks and lush trees (I walked 15 miles in a day and barely covered the park), and the plazas around the city light up at night with life and music.

All of this great living is aside from the nearby rafting, hiking, and mountain biking experiences, and the possibility of trekking Mount Aconcagua - the highest mountain outside of Asia.

All of this life in wine country will cost you maybe $800 to $1400 per month.

So, whether you are a wine-loving traveler or a nomad looking for an outdoorsy place for a chance for focused work, put Mendoza, Argentina on your list.

Click these articles to learn more...

​Mendoza, Argentina wine experience guide​

​Mendoza, Argentina guide for slow travelers and nomads​

- Carlos

P.S. How are you enjoying these weekly travel updates? And do you have any pressing questions about nomading or travel? Take care, and I hope to see you on the road soon!