Once again, I found myself in the predicament of having to use my vacation days at work or risk losing them. The problem was, that put me smack dab in the middle of spring break’s high air fares and crowded beaches.
So instead of wasting the time, I quickly typed in, “Affordable places to travel during April,” in a Google search and narrowed down five international destinations that were reasonably priced. At least that’s what the blogs told me. Reality turned out to be the complete opposite but it helped me narrow down the list of five into one: Peru.
After checking out some air fares and envisioning the hike up to Machu Picchu, I knew Peru was a great option. Prices were affordable, our dollars would convert well and it would be a trip spent outdoors exploring ancient ruins. What could be better?
So over the next two months my boyfriend and I read every article and tip under the sun about how to visit Peru in seven days and how to keep the budget in line (after all, I’m only a millennial with a tiny salary).
We came up with the following itinerary:
Day 1
The first day of our trip would solely be a travel day as we catch a late flight out of the states and land in Lima, Peru around 10PM. So we chose to stay at a cute little Airbnb apartment where we’d get about six hours of sleep before catching our next flight.
Day 2 & 3
The next day we would fly to Cusco where we would stay at a communal hostel for the following two nights. Our Airbnb host, Carlos, was extremely helpful and told us he would provide suggestions and travel discounts to the sites once we arrived. He also said he would provide some coca tea, which is a natural remedy for altitude sickness so we don’t get wiped out on our trip. He also provided transportation from the airport to his location which made things way too convenient.
So our plan was to explore the historical area of Cusco and get acclimated to the higher elevation and pretty much just take it easy.
Day 4 & 5
On days four and five we would be traveling to Ollayantambo and eventually Machu Picchu.
Day 6
After spending five hours hiking the beautiful site that is Machu Picchu, we will be making our way back towards Cusco and eventually stay in the town of Pisac. We specifically chose the timing of Pisac for this day so we had the opportunity to visit the Artisan’s market which is filled with local artists and more of Peru’s authentic culture.
Day 7
By day seven, we will be back in Cusco and spending one more day and night there before taking an early flight to Lima.
Day 8
In an effort to explore Lima further, we decided to book one of the earliest flights out of Cusco so we could spend as much as eight hours exploring Lima.
At the end of the night, we would head back to the states with an overnight flight.
Airbnb is really the bee’s knees
Throughout our entire booking process, we used Airbnb, an upcoming lodging site that will be taking over the world—watch your back, Google. If you’re not familiar, people from all over the world, including your neighborhoods locally, are renting out their homes and apartments to travelers. The options are awesome and affordable. You can get pricey, luxury spots or keep it on the low and rent out hostels and communal areas for around $10 a night. We kept our budget less than $40 a night and found some pretty cool options.
Each place that we chose had internet access, private rooms and authentic Peruvian settings. As soon as we come back, I will post an update complete with reviews, pictures and links to the exact places we stayed. I will also break down the prices and how much we spent in total to show that you don’t need to be rich to travel the world.
As for me, the countdown is officially on and I couldn’t be more thrilled to go on this awesome and affordable adventure.
Featured Image Photo Credit: Upload.Wikimedia.org