It is a little more than two weeks until I leave for one of the biggest adventures of my traveling career.  After months of waiting, May hit me like a runaway train with a graduation, concerts, a 10 mile race, acting as the maid of honor for a dear friend’s wedding, moving, and job instability.  Needless to say, I am ready for an escape, and Peru seems like just the place.

I have prepared by finding the hiking shoes my feet like best, purchasing both a leaf-green rain coat and thick socks for the hours I plan to spend hiking around the country with my beau.  We made the decision to take one backpack for each of us, which means that planning our packing is of the utmost importance.  He’s even gone so far as to purchase several pairs of quick-dry, sweat wicking knickers of which he is really proud, but I think I’ll refrain from such extremes.

Planning a trip is significantly more than just packing a bag and finding the perfect shoes; after several months of research, we finally have an itinerary, something I am honestly not used to establishing. On shorter trips, you only pick a few sights to see focusing on the main offerings of the city. While studying abroad, I had plenty of time to pick out long-weekend trips between university classes. But on this three-week adventure, a plan is necessary to ensure that we see all of the country, while experiencing the unique culture of Peru.

With the help of several books, intense curiosity, and Internet guides, I think I have figured out our perfect itinerary. It is flexible enough to allow for several days of detours, while making sure that no rock goes unturned.  We land in Lima so we will capture the sights and sounds of the city for a few days before heading to Arequipa, where we have a potential host. After a few days seeing the area, including the fascinating Lake Titicaca, we will take the train to the famous city Cuzco which will lead us to the breath taking site of Macchu Picchu. Then our adventure will head to the amazon where we will do a home-stay with a native family.

At the beginning of this year, I made several promises to myself including a trip to South America, a visit to D.C., a romp around NYC, a beach vacation, and spending time on the west coast.  Nearly two down and three to go!