[Mark]

Hi Mauricio,

Thanks very much for the kind words! It's nice to hear you enjoy the site!

I traveled 18 months in South America. No reservations were made beforehand. I left with just a return ticket in my backpack. You're planning to start in Panama and I will have to start with some words of advice. It is very dangerous to travel overland from Panama to Colombia. You have to cross the Darien Gap. There is another thread about crossing the Panama - Colombia border here. If you've never been in South America, Colombia may be a bit too much to start your South America adventure. It is a very beautiful but hectic country.

Something else to consider is that you are going to travel during the rainy season and some roads may be inaccessible in some remote areas. Always ask advice to fellow backpackers about road conditions.

You will spend between 10/15 dollars daily. Take into account that visiting Machu Picchu will cut your 900 dollar budget considerably.

Keep in mind that distances are enormous. You may consider shortening your list of countries you'd like to visit. I personally would visit Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia (the Andean countries) if I only had two months. Those countries are very beautiful and still very traditional.

If you want to have a general idea of hostels for backpackers feel free to play around with our hostel booking engine (the Lonely Planet people use the same engine). You can use it on the road as well.

Let me know if you still have questions. I'll do my best to help you out.