Planning A Trip

Planning a trip all starts with figuring out what you want to do.  Do you want to go sightseeing?  Do you want to visit popular destinations?  Do you want to volunteer?  Do you want to teach English?  Do you want to do Medical Missions?

Some of the most popular destinations in Peru are some great natural wonders of the world.  Almost any city in Peru is packed with adventurous destinations and historical sites, but probably the best place to start is in the country’s capital city of Lima which is a historical center with beautiful colonial constructions, the best museums, archeological places, as well as a host of luxury hotels and restaurants.  Huacachina is an oasis town that is surrounded by sand dunes, known for the opportunity to sand board and take dune buggy rides.  Chan Chan is an ancient city built by the Chimu around 850 AD.  Manorca has one of Peru’s best beaches and is a popular surfing destination with a great nightlife and a whole host of luxury restaurants and resorts.  Iquitos is the largest jungle city located off of the Amazon River which is a great starting point for boat tours to see some of the best and rarely seen flora and fauna of the world.  The Nazca Lines are located between Nazca and Palpa along the northern Pacific coast, and are figures of monkeys, fish, spiders, llamas, and human figures created on a large scale that can be seen via air.  Santa Catalina Monastery is located in Arequipa and is one of the most important monasteries of colonial Peru and Latin America.  The Uros Islands are artificial islands made of dried totora reeds on Lake Titicaca which is also a top tourist attraction.  Plaza de Armas is a plaza built by the Incas in Cuzco and is known as the “square of the warrior.”  There are awesome sights in the Colca Canyon in the Andes mountain range in southern Peru which is a canyon more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.  The most visited and one of the most beautiful of the ancient sites in the world, however, is Machu Picchu which is the “Lost city of the Incas” that is located on the slopes of the Andes.  

  

Specifically I am involved with Medical Missions that is through an organization called GlobalPartners which is the missions arm of the Wesleyan church.  I am not Wesleyan, but I went to Indiana Wesleyan University for my undergrad, and went on a trip through the school.  If you want to go a Medical Missions trip there are several organizations that do so in Peru.  There is Handsof Hope, Doctors Without Borders, International Medical Relief, AyacuchoMission, Operation Smile, Cross-Cultural Solutions, along with many others. 

After determining when you want to go, what it is that you want to do, what organization you want to go with (if any), it is time to get organized.  You need to purchase plane tickets, plan in country travel (whether it is taxi, moto taxi, or boat), get hotel accommodations, and purchase any other needed tickets.  What I mean by purchasing other needed tickets, in Macchu Picchu for instance, they only allow so many people to visit per day so tickets are needed.

Now you are set to go on your trip!  See my future post on details on packing for a trip.