Latest Posts
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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…
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Using Points for Hotels Instead of Flights: My Egypt and Jordan Strategy
There’s a version of travel where points and miles completely shape your itinerary. And there’s another where they simply enhance it. I sit somewhere in between. I’m not someone who manufactures trips just to maximize redemptions, and I’m also not purely cash-based. Instead, I try to balance cost, comfort, and flexibility depending on the trip…
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Petra Was Worth It—But We Planned It Wrong
Looking back, this Petra Jordan itinerary taught me just how difficult it is to experience the country properly in only a couple of days. Even as we were there, driving between the Dead Sea and Petra, trying to fit everything into barely two days, I remember thinking: this country deserved more time than we gave…