Preparations for the trip start way ahead of time, whether you’ll be on a working trip, like the Passport to Knowledge team or just visiting as an "ecotourist". The first step is to get your passport (if you don’t have one) and then, a visa from the nearest Brazilian consulate. The visa is your official permission to enter Brazil. Without this colorful stamp on your passport, you won’t even be allowed on the plane!

Next, there’s the vaccinations. Although tremendous advances have been made in food and water purification and general sanitation, you must remember that this is the TROPICS. Conditions are perfect for bacteria and viruses, so it’s best to be safe. Since the PTK team will be working “off the beaten track” in virgin and flooded forests, we got the “works”— yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, malaria, and tetanus. Some of these treatments now come in pill form, but luckily, on your virtual field trip, no shots are necessary.