2926999091_db2eafc02a_oMy travel dreams have long included Machu Picchu, but it was not a destination I’d seriously been considering at all. It was one of those places like the pyramids in Egypt or the Great Wall of China, which are near the top of my list, but it had never felt like the right time to actually visit. Mostly because I’ve only recently been spreading my wings outside of Europe, and I wasn’t sure I was comfortable visiting Egypt, China, or South America.

So, my journey in choosing Peru for this trip was a windy one. It started when I was trying to figure out what to do with my fifth week of vacation for 2017, which would be a solo trip. Last year I had gone over Thanksgiving to Singapore, thinking that I was starting a new annual tradition of visiting a big city in Asia for a week. But that trip was not the most exciting, and I had realized that a week in a big city was way too long for me.

Then I realized that if I skipped by normal long weekend to Vegas in the fall, I could actually take two weeks if I went over Thanksgiving! That opened up the options far and wide. But then I went the “safe” route and looked at where I could get cheap plane tickets in November. The answer was Southeast Asia, which I’d just visited twice in the past year (Bali and Thailand). It was only $600 – $700 for a flight pretty much anywhere in the region. Everywhere else on my radar as warm and exciting would have been $1,500 – $2,000.

So I did my research on Southeast Asia and finally settled on Cambodia, the land of the famous Angor Wat temple. But I wasn’t really excited about going. At all. It looked extremely similar to Thailand.

Then I went for a walk at work with my friend Rachelle, who had traveled much farther and wider than I had.  She immediately suggested that I go to Peru. Not only was Machu Picchu there, but you could also visit the Amazon rainforest. She even recommended a company that could arrange my travel for me. Not the typical “group tour” where you are bound by chain to the tour leader 24-7, but more like they book your hotels, transportation, and local guides for you. So it still feels like independent travel.

I still wasn’t sure, because Peru would be a lot more expensive. But Rachelle asked a couple of really insightful questions that helped me eliminate that concern. The first was, “Can you afford it?” And yes, I could. The other was, “Would you be more excited about Peru?” And yes, I would be astronomically more excited.

Rachelle also helped me understand just how amazing Peru would be. She said she normally can’t rank her “favorite” travel places, because everywhere is pretty special, in its own way. But she does have a top three. And Machu Picchu is at the top. Her second is Easter Island, and I can’t remember the third.

So, within an hour, my mind was completely changed and I was extremely excited about my decision. I was going to Peru!

But that’s not the end of the story. I had been talking to my parents throughout my travel planning, and had hoped to entice them to come to Cambodia with me. But my mom said they didn’t want to spend the money on another trip. So when I called with the news about Peru, I just assumed they wouldn’t want to come. My Dad answered the phone, and he assumed they were invited and got really excited about going. So they decided to come with me! I guess that’s the secret to convincing friends or family to come with you on a trip – go somewhere so exciting that they can’t pass it up!

And yet, the story is still not finished. I realized the trip probably wouldn’t cost much more if we added a fourth person. So I asked my friend Jessica, who had gone with me to Thailand, and she decided to come too!

Recommendations

  • Websites
    • SunGate Tours – the tour company we used for our trip.
    • Peru for Less – great resource for travel planning in Peru, with detailed information on destinations that can be used for independent trips. They also arrange trips for you.
  • Books
    • Peru Culture  Smart! – a very basic summary of Peruvian culture, including geography, history, religion, values, customs, and food
    • The Peru Reader – a collection of various writings and essays from throughout Peru’s history, typically first-hand accounts or from scholars or politicians.
    • The Last Days of the Incas – the fascinating story of how a group of 168 Spanish conquistadors conquered an empire of 12 million people.

Route Map

This in an interactive custom Google Map where you can find all the hotels, restaurants, and sights referenced in the individual blogs. View it in full screen to access a list of all these places.

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