Getting There

By Plane

Several major airlines serve Santiago's Arturo Merino Benítez airport with direct flights from Miami, Atlanta, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Turbulent times in the airline industry mean that fares can vary wildly depending on the time of year, departure location, and price wars that periodically break out. Most flights are red-eyes.

Note: LAN Airlines has a new South America Pass for travelers who would like to visit more than one destination in Chile, or more than one country in South America. The pass gives travelers the opportunity to customize their own journey by purchasing one-way tickets to 49 cities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Visit their website for more information and for suggested itineraries.

From North America -- The country's national air carrier LAN Airlines (tel. 866/435-9526; www.lan.com) has daily flights to Santiago from New York and Los Angeles, and nonstop flights from Miami. Check its website on Wednesdays for cheap, last-minute (and heavily restricted) fares from Miami. American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com) has daily nonstop flights from Miami and Dallas-Fort Worth, with connections from Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) offers nonstop daily flights from Atlanta. Costa Rica's Lacsa airline, of the parent company Taca (tel. 800/535-8780; www.taca.com), has flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, or Miami with a stopover in Costa Rica or El Salvador. Air Canada offers nonstop service from Toronto to Santiago (tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com). Tip: The airline with the most gracious service and the best planes is LAN Airlines, by a long shot.

From Europe & the U.K. -- LAN Airlines (tel. 0800/917-0572 in the U.K.; www.lan.com) serves London to Santiago via Madrid, in partnership with Iberia and British Airways, or try booking directly with Iberia (tel. 800/772-4642 in the U.S., or 0870/609-0500 in London; www.iberia.com) or with British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850; www.ba.com). Air France (tel. 0870/142-4343; www.airfrance.com/uk) has two to five daily flights from London to Santiago via Paris. KLM (tel. 0870/142-4343; www.klm.com) and Lufthansa (tel. 0870/8377-747; www.lufthansa.com) also serve Santiago.

From Australia & New Zealand -- Qantas (tel. 13-13-13 in Australia, or 0800/808-767 in New Zealand; www.qantas.com) works in conjunction with LAN, offering four flights per week from Sydney and Auckland to Santiago. Aerolíneas Argentinas (tel. 2/9234-9000 in Australia, or 9/379-3675 in New Zealand; www.aerolineas.com) has three weekly direct flights from Sydney and Auckland to Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a connecting flight to Santiago aboard LAN.

By Package Tour

Packages are simply a way to buy the airfare, accommodations, and other elements of your trip (such as car rentals, airport transfers, and sometimes even activities) at the same time and often at discounted prices.

One good source of package deals is the airlines themselves. Most major airlines offer air/land packages, including American Airlines Vacations (tel. 800/321-2121; www.aavacations.com), Delta Vacations (tel. 800/221-6666; www.deltavacations.com), and LAN Vacations (tel. 800/435-3593; www.lanvacations.com). Several big online travel agencies -- Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Site59, and Lastminute.com -- also do a brisk business in packages.

Travel packages are also listed in the travel section of your local Sunday newspaper. Or check ads in the national travel magazines such as Budget Travel, Travel + Leisure, National Geographic Traveler, and Condé Nast Traveler.

Before you invest in a package deal, always ask about the cancellation policy. Can you get your money back? Is there a deposit required? Ask about the accommodations choices and prices for each, then look up the hotels' reviews in a Frommer's guide and check their rates online for your specific dates of travel. Finally, look for hidden expenses. Ask whether airport departure fees and taxes, for example, are included in the total cost -- they rarely are.