I have been back in the US now for a total of 2 months since January. I was really fortunate this year to travel to South America and Asia. I spent the spring semester studying in Cusco, Peru. This was, hands down, one of the best experiences of my life.
I lived with a family of 3 sisters who were all close to my age and we all quickly became a family of our own. I saw countless amounts of Inca ruins. In every corner of the country there are remains of ancient cultures. I tried guinea pig for the first time. It really isn’t as bad as it sounds, if you can get past the fact that you are eating a rodent. During breaks and vacations from class I travelled with my 3 other classmates. We went to Lake Titicaca –the highest navigable lake. We climbed A LOT of mountains. I was the smallest and most out of shape so I had the hardest time on these trips. I did enjoy climbing them and the view once we got to the top but we also had a few too many near death experiences. We went to Lima, the c ... more »
Posted: September 14, 2009 8:53 pm | 1 comment
Tags: south america, study abroad, travel
So I tried to add some pictures with no success. I promise to figure out how to do by next week.
The first tip I have for traveling is for everyone not just college students: Do not bring anything with you that you don't need.
I was a bit lazy and kept things in my wallet that I didn't. I left my Charlie Card and my Simmons ID in my ID case. I didn't need either as I had another student ID through my university in Peru. And I obviously had no use for the Charlie Card. I was walking through a crowd one day after a soccer match and suddenly realized that my ID case fell out of my pocket. My Charlie Card had at least $20 on it and it cost me $25 to get a new ID.
You would think that I would've learned my lesson by then. But apparently I hadn't because a few weeks later I lost my wallet which contained my credit and debit cards, my drivers license and $100. I didn't need that money or my license in my wallet but I was just too lazy to take them out.
My roommate also ended up leaving her ... more »
Posted: September 21, 2009 10:03 pm | 0 comments
Tags: losing things, tips, travel
My second tip is to wait to buy plane tickets.
My parents were having trouble finding good priced tickets to come visit me in Peru and I wasn't sure if they were going to be able to come. A week before they said they would come they finally found a cheap enough fare.
The other thing is that I was living in Cuzco. My parents had to fly to the capital, Lima, first. Buying flights from the US to Cuzco had obscene prices. Instead I bought the tickets directly from the airline for $33 one way Lima-Cuzco. They saved so much money by doing this. My roommate in Peru bought her ticket from the US to Cuzco and it cost her $400 extra than what I paid without the Cuzco flight.
So if you plan on flying to smaller towns or cities in the country you are traveling to, see if you can book flights from that country, I can almost guarantee you it will be much cheaper.
Posted: October 1, 2009 9:20 am | 0 comments
Tags: booking cheap tickets, flights, travel
OK, so I can finally post pictures now!
This picture is of my host family, my roommate and I.
Tip # 3 is about money.
If you plan on traveling outside of the country PLEASE make sure you have a bank that doesn't charge you an obscene amount of money per transaction at any ATM that isn't that bank on top of what THAT atm charges. Every time I needed to take out money I was charged about $8. Travelers cheques are ok but if you are traveling to a developed country like Peru they may not have much value. So I went broke pretty fast and am now trying to work as much as possible to pay back the money I had to borrow from my parents after I ran out of money so fast. I was surprised at how fast my money went down there because it was worth 3 times more in Peru than in the US but my bank got me. Make sure yours doesn't get you!
Posted: October 5, 2009 9:18 pm | 1 comment
Tags: money, travel
This is a picture of the mountain I climbed with my friends. This picture was taken about two miles from the base of the mountain at the house made of adobe bricks that was built by our resident director. I really like this picture but every time I see that mountain all I can think of is our near death experience.
We got up at 5:30 in the morning that day to get an early start up the mountain. We got to the base of the mountain at 9:00. We began climbing up the mountain which was basically a vertical slope the entire way up. I brought up the rear, as usual.
By 1:00pm we were about an hour away from the base of the snow. At this point I was starting to get cold and tired so I was a walking a little slower than everyone else. Did I mention that before we even started climbing we were at an altitude of almost 4,000 meters? So there wasn't that much air by the top of that mountain either. I made it to the base of the snow by 3:00 while everyone was patiently waiting for me.
By the time ... more »
Posted: October 15, 2009 9:22 pm | 0 comments
Tags: backpacking, hiking, near death experiences, south america, stucky situations, travel
After the semester ended in May, my roommate and I decided to travel around Peru to see the things we couldn't while we were in classes. One of our trips was to the Northeast of Peru otherwise known as the Amazon. This was by far my favorite trip. First it was really warm there. I didn't have to bring my coat which was awesome. Second we did a 5 day 4 night package deal where we stayed at a lodge on the Amazon River. We saw so many different animals and learned about the Amazonian culture. We also got to fish for piranhas for dinner (unsuccessfully).
One of the things I did before arriving to the Amazon was plan ahead. I never do this. I am the kind of person that likes to go with the flow and see where that takes me but for some reason this time I felt like I should just plan.
At the airport in Lima I called a hotel that I had found in my guide book to make a reservation. I called this particular one because their price included airport pickup/drop off. I wasn't sure if we would need ... more »
Posted: October 21, 2009 1:02 pm | 1 comment
Tags: amazon, saving money, travel
I mentioned in my last blog entry that I decided to travel with my roommate after our classes ended.
I knew I wanted to travel around Peru but I wasn't sure what to do about booking my tickets. I had to book them in December because I was buying round trip tickets for when I left in January and came back after classes ended in May. Apparently open-ended tickets no longer exist and one-way tickets are often more expensive than round trip tickets.
I didn't know how long the other students would stay or if they even were staying to travel afterwards. I booked my ticket home for a week after classes ended just to be safe. Not too long, not too short. I realized after we were in Peru for a few weeks that while we had classes there would be almost no time to travel or do anything. I was starting to think a week was too short.
My roommate was staying a month after classes ended to travel with her family. The other 2 students in our program hadn't left anytime to travel after classes and were ... more »
Posted: November 1, 2009 1:09 pm | 0 comments
Tags: study abroad, travel
Consumption of alcohol is viewed very differently abroad than it is in the US. In many other countries drinking is a part of the culture and abusing it is disrespectful and distasteful.
Stereotypically, Americans are binge drinkers and get way too drunk. When you are in a foreign country, PLEASE do not look like a drunken idiot. Do not prove the American stereotype!
While out with my friends one night in Cusco we came across a guy who was beyond drunk outside of a bar. We tried to help him out and get him a cab back to his hotel but all he did was swear at us and deny our help. 5 minutes later he passed out on the sidewalk. My friend and a few other people proceeded to carry him to a place where people wouldn't accidentally trample him. 5 minutes later he stumbled over to the McDonald's (yes there is a McDonald's in Cusco I am sad to say) and passed out again.
I remember feeling really bad and nervous about what would happen to him. He was wasted, refusing everyone's help, and had no c ... more »
Posted: November 9, 2009 1:18 pm | 0 comments
Tags: alcohol, drinking, travel
