Chilean men are more "macho" than their Argentine counterparts, but they do not tend to whistle and make boisterous comments to women the way that Argentine men do. Chilean men instead leer, which can be annoying, creepy, or both. My advice is to just ignore the situation, as any kind of remark just seems to egg them on. Hitchhiking in rural areas by single women is common, but exercise caution. A lift up to a ski resort or into a national park that does not have public transportation is okay, but longer trips up and down the Pan-American Highway are best undertaken aboard one of the country's cheap and plentiful long-distance buses.
Check out the award-winning website Journeywoman (www.journeywoman.com), a "real life" women's travel-information network where you can sign up for a free e-mail newsletter and get advice on everything from etiquette and dress to safety; or the travel guide Safety and Security for Women Who Travel by Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer (Travelers' Tales, Inc.), offering common-sense tips on safe travel.
