Latest Posts
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Where to Stay on the Amalfi Coast: Why We Chose Maiori
Before planning our Amalfi Coast trip, I spent far more time choosing our home base than I expected. Every town looked beautiful online, but once I started comparing transportation, hotel prices, walkability, and crowds, I quickly realized that where you stay can completely change your experience. One of the biggest decisions when planning an Amalfi…
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The Middle Ground Between Cash Travel and Travel Hacking
For a long time, I thought points and miles travelers either paid for everything with points or they weren’t really doing points and miles at all. The reality has been much different. Today, I use a combination of points and cash on almost every trip. Sometimes points cover flights. Sometimes they cover hotels. Sometimes they…
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Cusco Is Not Just a Base for Machu Picchu
Most people treat Cusco as a stop on the way to Machu Picchu. A place to land, adjust to the altitude, sleep for a night or two, and leave again for the main event. But after visiting Cusco twice, once in 2019 and again in 2025, I don’t agree with that narrative at all. Cusco…
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The Day Cusco Gave Us Back Time (Even When Our Flight Didn’t Go to Plan)
Our last day in Cusco was supposed to be simple. An early flight to Lima, a few hours with family, and then a midnight departure home. But travel rarely follows the plan exactly as you imagine it. And in a strange twist, our return coincided with the opening of the new Lima International Airport. Early…
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I’m So Glad We Let a Local Agency Handle Machu Picchu
Planning Machu Picchu looks simple at first. Until you realize it’s not just one ticket. It’s train schedules, timed entry circuits, buses, transportation between Cusco and Ollantaytambo, altitude adjustment, guides, and constantly changing availability. By the second time I planned Machu Picchu, I already knew one thing for certain: I was absolutely using a local…
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How I Actually Research and Plan a Trip
A realistic travel planning process (not just inspiration) My travel planning process usually starts with YouTube. Not for inspiration—but for pacing. I want to understand how a destination actually moves. Are people rushing through landmarks, or slowing down and exploring neighborhoods? What does a realistic day look like there? That immediately gives me a baseline…