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How to travel to Machu Picchu before your cruise around South America

May 13th 2012

By: Jacquie

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Can you do a 3-day quickie shore excursion to Machu Picchu from your cruise ship? It’s very tricky because you fly from
Visit Machu Picchu before your cruise
sea level in Lima to 11,000 ft elevation in Cusco on Day 1. The next day you visit the Machu Picchu ruins, which are a little lower at 8000 ft. But it takes many people at least 24, even 48 hours to get adjusted to the altitude. On Day 3, you return by air to Lima to board your cruise ship in Callao; or fly to Guayaquil, Ecuador to board your cruise ship in Manta; or fly to Santiago, Chile, to board the ship in Valparaiso.

There are no direct flights to/from Cusco to Argentina, Chile or Ecuador. All flights go through Lima, Peru.

Here’s an overview of the logistics to get from Lima to Machu Picchu:

* from Lima, flights to Cusco are 1 hour. Elevation is 11,000 ft/3040 m
* from Cusco, private vehicles 1 – 1.5 hours through the Sacred Valley to the train station in Ollantaytambo.
Elevation 9000 ft/2740 m
* from Ollantaytambo, 1.5 – 2 hours by train to Aguas Calientes (where everyone walks)
* from Aguas Calientes, 30 min shuttle bus to the main entry of Machu Picchu National Park
(steep climb to get to the ruins)

It is possible to do this tour in 3 days. But it does not take in to consideration how the high altitude affects people and their ability to get around. There is quite a bit of walking in Aguas Calientes and the ruins because other than shuttle buses, vehicles are not allowed. If you are not feeling well because of the altitude, imagine trying to do this?

An alternative to the 3-day Machu Picchu express tour is to fly to Lima 6 days before the start of the cruise. If your flight arrives late evening, it will be necessary to spend the night at a hotel near the Lima airport. On Day 2, you will fly from Lima to Cusco, where you will start your tour to Machu Picchu. You will have time to see a little bit of Cusco, some of the Sacred Valley and spend most of 1 day at the Machu Picchu ruins. On day 5, you can fly from Cusco – Lima – Buenas Aires in Argentina or Cusco – Lima – Santiago in Chile. By organizing a pre-cruise tour to Machu Picchu, you’ll still be able to arrive in EZE for the pre-cruise tour of Iguazu Falls.

It is much more affordable to book your pre-cruise tour to Machu Picchu with Adios Adventure Travel than it is to go with Princess cruises. We’ll help you find the right flights and arrange for our licensed guide to meet you at the Cusco airport when you arrive. The guide will be with you until you depart from Cusco on the last day.

The cost of a 5-day tour of Machu Picchu is $895 pp USD and includes everything but lunches/dinners/bottled water, tips and insurance.
Contact: info@adiosadventuretravel.com
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Traveling to Machu Picchu with Mom

May 7th 2012

By: Jacquie

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Mom at the Norfolk Botanical garden
She’s seventy-seven years old, lives alone and stays fit by keeping her condo in immaculate condition. Mom is active, engaged and busy. When she’s not cleaning, she’s rearranging the furniture, hosing down the patio or planting flowers in the big pots by her front door.
So when she said she wanted to go to Machu Picchu, I only hesitated for a couple minutes before I found myself saying, “sure Mom, you can join the group traveling in August”

You have to understand that Mom is English. Born, raised and permeated through and through with a bloodline that gives her an aversion to all things gritty and rustic. She went to the island of Malta in her younger years. And hated it. I wasn’t with her on that trip, but I heard the stories. Epic musings about holding handkerchiefs to one’s nose in the hope that the smell of dusty feces would go away. Or treading around poor beggars in the streets and doorways. I did travel with her to France, where the restaurant in which we dined had one restroom shared by both sexes. Mother walked into the room with private stalls, but when she saw a gentleman at the sink, she decided she could “hold it.” (those provocative French!)

Mom has historically not been attracted to “third-world” countries or the people who reside there. So taking her to Lima will be interesting. The airport is located in a dusty, industrial part of town where you don’t see a pretty skyline or white beaches or anything associated with being on vacation. To see Lima you have to drive 45 minutes away to Miraflores where the hotels and restaurants are. Then you take buses or taxis around the city to see the sites.

So we’re flying the “redeye” to Lima and arriving early in the morning. We’ll stay in the airport, then board our flight to Cusco in the mountains. Arriving to Lima in the dark, staying in the airport and leaving ASAP are part of my strategy to minimize Mom’s exposure to any potential “dust.”

Mom and I have discussed the cobbled streets of Cusco and the 500 years of ground-in animal feces and vegetable matter from all the living that has gone on there. She has assured me she is ready for this adventure and is prepared to enjoy this trip, in spite of the hardships.

I’ll be Mom’s personal porter. My friends in Cusco have been warned that Mother is coming, and Vidal has his team in place. These guys know how to take care of people. Wine will flow continuously and private transportation will be the standard. Unfortunately, he can’t flatten the mountains, but I will become a human walking stick for Mom and help her everywhere. We don’t want to fall.

And as for the Machu Picchu ruins? I’ve seen young people climb the steps in high heels and older people creep up with their canes. We’ll take it one step at a time. This will be Mom’s special trip.
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Need tickets to hike Huayna Picchu?

Apr 26th 2012

By: Jacquie

1 comment
If you’re having trouble navigating the Peru government website to get your train tickets to Machu Picchu, or entry tickets to the ruins, we can help.
This is one situation where travel arrangements needs to be certain. If you’re not sure how to confirm your reservations and make payments, you risk not being able to get to the ruins or get in. That’s where we come in. We have resources in Cusco to send someone to get tickets on your behalf.

For those who want to hike Huayna Picchu, you need confirmed reservations. The choice is 7 am or 10 am. Unless you’re on a tight schedule, it’s advisable to let us know if you can hike at either time. Huayna Picchu is the little mountain you see behind the ruins. The hike takes about 2-3 hours to go up and then back down. Because of it’s popularity, reservations are now required.

In order to make reservations for you, we’ll need dates, (let us know if you have 1st choice & 2nd choice), your full name and passport info, full payment (Paypal) and the name of your hotel in Cusco, if you want us to deliver your tickets. At the time you contact us, we’ll verify that there is space available before you send any money. If, after you have paid, we are unable to get the tickets for the dates you request, we will give you a full refund.

The cost per person for the entry to Machu Picchu including the Huayna Picchu hike is 195 Peruvian Soles.
This includes:
*Entry Tickets
*Delivery Service to your hotel (we cannot deliver tickets to Sacred Valley unless you pay for the Taxi)
*Money-back guarantee

Make reservations now or ask questions: Adios Adventure Travel website or call our US Office 757-714-6649
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Nostalgic for my first Osprey backpack: replaced for free

Apr 12th 2012

By: Jacquie

3 comments
Lifetime warranty. I didn’t really pay attention to that at the time we purchased our Osprey luggage. I
Jacquie Whitt on jeep expedition in Bolivia
did pay attention to the high quality wheels and the comfortable shoulder straps on the Sojourner bag. My 16 year old son bought the Osprey backpack without wheels. When you’re young, you can get away with that.

Mature folks need to have a backup plan. All the time. Having shoulder straps and wheels seemed like a good combination. I didn’t anticipate how many times I would need to use the new Sojourner, but it seemed perfect for our first trip to S. America in 2007. Then Adios Adventure Travel was born and the trips to South America continued. Trips to Ecuador and China showed up and the one destination that really put the Sojourner to the test? Bolivia. It’s like going to the outback, only without kangaroos. The whole country, including the cities, are gritty and rugged, like Dodge City. Even the children have a sense of resilience about them. It’s like they are adults, but just little. Children in South America have responsibilities that turn them in to creatures capable of running small businesses or negotiating selling transactions with foreigners. They can hold their ground!

I went on a jeep expedition into the high desert where my Sojourner bag was hoisted up and down off the roof rack at least once or twice a day. Then it was thrown into the baggage hold of buses on several occasions and even made it to Uyuni on my domestic flight, “where every seat was a window seat!”

On my last day in La Paz, while packing my stuff for the big flight home, I noticed the fabric on the backside of my Sojourner bag had worn through. Completely through. I grabbed my tiny roll of duct tape and slapped on a few pieces, then rearranged the contents so that my underwear was buried deep, “just in case.”

Now I’m a little nostalgic for the old bag. After all, it was the first bag I took on my first trip to Peru, which kind of changed my life. Seems like a pretty big deal. If I had known that I wouldn’t be seeing the bag again, I might have hugged it one more time before parting.
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Did you buy a Groupon for a Peruvian Resort, Hotel and Spa?

Apr 5th 2012

By: Jacquie

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If you have your hotel confirmed, you are halfway to organizing your trip of a lifetime. Adios Adventure Travel can arrange the other half of your trip, including airport transfers, sightseeing
Explore Machu Picchu
tours, guides and local transportation.
Once you arrive in Cusco, our guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to your hotel. If you want to set up day trips and tours to see the sights in the Sacred Valley of the Incas or in Cusco, we will craft an itinerary based on your needs and interests. We’ll organize all logistics for your trip to Machu Picchu.

Extend your tour to explore Lake Titicaca or Arequipa and Colca Canyon or combine your trip to Machu Picchu, Peru with a tour to see the Salt Flats of Bolivia or Galapagos Islands.
Contact our office in the US by phone at 757-714-6649 or by email info@adiosadventuretravel.com
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MSN: How they made us think about our model for a successful Travel Business

Feb 19th 2012

By: Jacquie

3 comments
It’s been an exciting week. Actually it’s been exciting since the start of the new year when Adios
Co-Founder of Adios Adventure Travel
Adventure Travel was featured in a couple travel blogs. Several people contacted us to ask about employment. As guides. And a few asked about setting up trips. Even better!

Co-Founder of Adios Adventure Travel
But that was nothing compared to what happened when money.msn.com mentioned Jacquie Whitt, one of the Adios co-founders, in a story featuring 10 new careers after age 50. (check out career #7!)

We didn’t know the story was going to be featured on MSN until you called, you texted, you liked us on FB, you sent emails about once every 20 seconds during the entire day. And you visited our website in unprecedented numbers. Can you say 3000% increase? We were stunned. In a good way! We know you’re out there and we know you’re paying attention. Thank you!

We tried to reply to every single inquiry. If we missed anyone, we’re very sorry. It was not intentional.
For all of you interested in a job as guide, unfortunately, we don’t “hire” guides. We would apply for those jobs too! But you inspired us to look at how we did organize our company. We looked back to see what steps we took to get where we are now. There are 3 very clear principles:

1) Finding the RIGHT business partner is more important than finding financial support. Our partnership is based on being honest, trustworthy & dependable. These core values could be the foundation for any business. We know that running this company would not be possible without each other & we both share the same customer service philosophy. Being in complete agreement on that principle, makes everything else work.
2) We each have another source of income. A paycheck that is dependable. The travel business fluctuates not only seasonally, but from year to year. It’s a good idea to hold on to your paycheck. If you have a paying job, keep it while you build your new business.
3) We have not accumulated any debt. If we can’t afford it, we don’t buy it. We make hard decisions about spending. Some years, we invested in travel trade shows, other years we invested in fees for membership organizations and others we have spent on advertising.

This is our simple formula for success. We hope you will follow your passion wherever it takes you and we hope you will continue to share your stories of success as you go.
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Bolivia salt flats: new frontier for Adios Adventure Travel

Jan 28th 2012

By: Jacquie

1 comment
To be honest, I had never heard of the Uyuni salt
Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia
flats in Bolivia. Vidal knew about it. He visited the area many years ago and knew about its treasures.

Bolivia has treasures. The salt flats are 4000+ square miles of hard, crusty salt, from a prehistorical lake, located at an altitude of 12,000 ft in the crest of the Andes Mountains south of La Paz. Did you know that Bolivia also has destinations that include Amazon jungle? And space. Lots of wide open space.

There is no other place like it on earth, which makes it a legendary destination for photographers and adventure travelers.

The trick is to figure out how to access these areas safely and in reasonable comfort. That’s why we’re going there. That’s our job. After searching for tour operators, I found a guy who seems to be a one man operation. He’s a good match for Adios Adventure Travel, because he does everything himself, like we do. Customer service is the hallmark of our tours.

We’ll keep you posted about the travel options and tours to Bolivia, a new frontier for Adios Adventure Travel.
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“Does Machu Picchu Make My Butt Look Big?”

Jan 4th 2012

By: Jacquie

2 comments
We can’t guarantee that you will look your absolute best when you visit Machu Picchu. But odds are in
Look your best at Machu Picchu
your favor that the local conditions will improve your chances of getting in touch with your skinny, healthy self.

Consider these factors:

Did you know that by traveling to Peru, the first thing that happens is that your metabolism gets a kick? When the plane lands in Cusco (11,000 ft/3400 m) your body instantly starts adapting by increasing your rate of respiration, which signals your metabolism to speed up your BMR (basal metabolic rate.)

Another factor affecting your weight is that you will only have access to healthy food. (we will make you eat healthy!) You can find fast food in Lima, but not so much elsewhere. Cusco is the main gateway to Machu Picchu and offers incredible dining opportunities. Andean food is wholesome and fresh and even “french fries” are made by hand from real potatoes. The staples of the Peruvian diet are chicken, potatoes (about 4000 varieties), quinoa (a high-protein grain) and plenty of fresh fruits and veggies from the jungle.

Finally, traveling in Peru involves a lot of walking. Much more than travelers from industrialized nations are used to. Your activity increases and so does the muscle tone and the calorie-burning benefits.

Traveling to Peru can enhance your fitness and improve your life. Adios Adventure Travel is not ready to set up high-altitude “fat farms,” but we can take advantage of the natural factors that occur at high-altitude destinations when you’re ready to arrange your trip of a lifetime.
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Priceless Gifts You can Afford

Dec 11th 2011

By: Jacquie

4 comments
Winter holidays are credited with inspiring goodness and encouraging many people to think about others.
Peru Backpack Project
Many of us strive to “dig deep” in search of the “perfect” gift for the special people in our lives.

This year, we searched for gifts that offer multi-dimensional benefits. Benefits that extend to more than the recipient. When you purchase the gift, the recipient of your gift is endowed with your generosity but so is the manufacturer, who benefits from the sale of their product. And in some cases, you benefit. Read on.

There’s something for every budget – including free:

1) Krochet Kids in Peru – Buy a hat/change a life. It’s like “knitting it forward”
2) Kickstarter is a funding platform for great ideas. YOU get to choose which ideas support your goals and “kick it forward” with your financial support
3) Sacred Vally Project – school for indigenous girls in the highlands of Peru where girls gain more than an education by attending a school funded by your donations. Even $5. Tax-deductible means you win too.
4) Thanking of You - a website where YOU can generate your own heartfelt message to thank a person or a charitable organization – for free! Your message helps spread the word about the good work of your favorite organization.
5) Virginia Beach Friends School - non-profit, private school serving the needs of all economic classes of children in Tidewater. Since 1955, this school has served the community and deserves your financial support. Donations are tax-deductible.
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Free & inexpensive ways to promote small travel businesses

Oct 29th 2011

By: Jacquie

17 comments
Let’s say you have an incredible travel business. Your customers are thrilled with the value of their trips and
Chinese advertisement
the service they receive. Whether you’re booking cruises to South America or land-based, guided trips to Galapagos Islands, Machu Picchu or Ireland doesn’t matter. The quality of the travel experience you offer is what people seek.

How can you promote your travel destinations and services if your marketing budget doesn’t allow for splashy, full page ads in the LA Times or New York Times travel sections? Even a small ad in Outside Magazine or Afar Magazine is an investment of thousands of dollars. What is a small business owner to do?

Identify your assets: usually that is your satisfied customers. Then turn your assets into referrals. The customers that loved their trip to Lake Titicaca with the guide who took very good care of them will tell their friends. Although most customers don’t come back to the visit the same places over and over, they have friends who travel. When your customers talk to their friends about their trip, what do you think the friends will do? They’ll ask for a referral.

Because you are a thorough organizer, you have the birth dates of all your customers. What if each customer received a hand-written greeting card on their special day? The holidays offer another opportunity to make a meaningful connection and are one of the best times to thank your customers for choosing your business and to make sure your name is on the tip of their tongues as they prance off to their parties.

Whether you buy a box of pre-made cards or have them custom printed from a shop, the cost of sending those cards to your customers is an investment that even the smallest business can justify.

With emails and texting available to virtually everyone who can breath, a hand-written note will stand out and so will your business.
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