Independent travel consultant Nicola Leyland tells us about some of her ‘must-see’ sights of mysterious Peru.
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When driving overland trucks through South America, Peru was one of my favourite countries. A widely diverse and surprising country, Peru has many of the top sites and activities of South America.
Entering the country via the northern border with Ecuador, the first experience would be beaches, archeological sites, museums and the Nazca lines. A region rich in mystery, legend, history and natural beauty.
One remarkable outdoor museum is Chauchilla cemetery where mummified bodies remain from the 9th century. The dry desert climate as well as mummification rituals have contributed to the preservation of these 1000 year old bodies. One simply heads off the highway a little way to find a collection of 20 or so bodies in sunken, but open tombs.
Another fascinating experience is in the beautiful Andean town of Arequipa. Once you have tasted the local delicacy of roasted Guinea pig, and sampled the thriving nightlife; you can seek out frozen Juanita. Ice mummy Juanita was found in the Andes near Arequipa in 1995, and has been recovered and kept in a frozen state ever since. Currently she rests in the Arequipa museum and her history of sacrificial offering to the gods 500 years ago is horrifying.
I hope I’m not painting too gruesome a picture? While driving around Peru, I would take my groups to Colca Canyon to see the Condors, onto the floating read islands of Lake Titicaca, and over the high peaks of the Andes. Many colourful scenes of local activity would greet us, and in many places time does not march on and culture remains resolutely intact.
Macchu Picchu is the biggest tourist attraction in Peru, and with good reason. The hike and the archaeological site are spectacular reminders of a rich heritage.
So if you love history, mystery and enigma, do include Peru in your tour of the world, it will not disappoint.
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Guest post written by Travel Counsellor Nicola Leyland. Nicola can book your dream holiday whether it’s Peru or Poland, as well as arranging extras including car hire and excursions.
Exchange your home for Thailand, and stay in 
Guest post written by Lucile of GuestToGuest. 
I’m still impressed by the versatility of this bag. It’s got plenty of room and a multitude of pockets so you can pack everything neatly and know where it all is. This trip should test out the capacity, and I would envisage using it primarily as a trolley bag on this occasion. As such the rucksack straps are packed neatly away, but it’s easy enough to switch and they may come in handy getting from Prague airport to the hotel via bus and tram.
In the CabinMax rucksack I have packed:
2 smarter evening tops
4 x underwear and socks (socks stuffed inside shoes)
Everything fits in with ease – I start with shoes at the bottom (in plastic bags and stuffed with socks), then pack in clothes around them using the ‘rolling’ method; lay each item flat (or a pile of two or three similar items), fold in half, then roll up into sausages or parcels. Fit these in the gaps, starting with smaller/less delicate items and finishing with your best clothes on top. Pop toiletries in a front pocket so you can access them easily through security.
Arriving at the airport it was quite strange not having to queue at the check-in desk (we’d printed boarding passes at home) and force of habit saw us actually looking for the desks, instead of heading straight to security! But a quick check in a luggage guage confirmed that the rucksack would indeed fit through as carry-on baggage and we were through security with no problems – our toiletries and gadgets were easy to access and re-pack in the front bag pockets, although you do need to be a little more organised with having more items to put through.
We wore/used pretty much everything we took, except the waterproof jackets as it turned out – there were a few showers but luckily only when we were inside. The weather was variable as expected, starting cool but the final day was very hot and sunny. Evenings were chilly but comfortable with a light jumper or pashmina. There was nothing we felt we’d omitted to pack.
Prague is beautiful and definitely a city for walking around – as well as the cobbled streets there are lots of steps too, so you really do need comfy shoes. It’s also full of tourists and school parties who wear all sorts, so really ‘anything goes’ and you won’t be excluded from anywhere, but there are opportunities to dress up if you like – the numerous music concerts held every night would be an option although again it’s not essential to be smart.
For March in Granada, the key to dressing for the changeable weather (where it can be warm during the day but cool at night, and where it could rain at anytime) is layering.
On the 
ng for a purpose” adds meaning and joy to every holiday. Brides, families and even businesses have all participated with great delight. Their stories can be found on our 
After a conversation with our travel agent, I came to realize that not everybody was brought up by my mother. At that point, I made a commitment to create an easy and trustworthy website for other travelers interested in expressing gratitude in a meaningful way on their holidays.
Over the last three years, both my computer skills and the website have grown substantially. It has been my great joy to hear from many delighted PfaP travelers who have made big impacts in the communities they visited. Since its inception, PfaP travelers have delivered over 9000 kilos of supplies to community-based projects around the globe. Whether a traveler was able to bring four kilos or 50 kilos, each donation of supplies was greatly appreciated.
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I really like that the rucksack flap opens right out, so you can pack it flat like a suitcase rather than downwards like a bag. It also makes it easy when you open it up to see your stuff and just take out what you need, rather than rummaging around for something which is inevitably at the bottom. Like most cases, even when you think it’s full there is plenty more space in the lid. The bag is well under half-full (depth-wise), after packing:
Whilst changing trains and negotiating station platforms the backpack option was definitely easier – I saw several people with wheeled cases who found them awkward to lift and carry up flights of steps. A late arrival into London meant I only had minutes to make my connection – including a long walk across Kings Cross. With the backpack on I was able to walk quickly and even break into a jog(!), catching my next train with seconds to spare.
The bag is quite weighty when full, and personally I wouldn’t want to carry it too far at once. But I’m not particularly fit or strong, and I’m unlikely to take it on the kind of holidays where I would need to. If you choose a trekking type holiday then presumably carrying your stuff is part of the deal! It was fine to carry for short bursts and using the wheeled option in between gives your back a rest. I found you can zip one of the rucksack straps inside the protective flap, but keep the other one out so you can quickly convert between wheels or backpack as required.
Have you ever thought what it would be like to settle down to a meal with a local person in their home whilst visiting their country on holiday? Well, I did and my life has been one big adventure since that moment of contemplation.
