Been on the Peru trip? I have 3 questions for you...

JenaRuns

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Hi! We're taking the Sacred Valley trip this fall and I have a few questions. Can anybody help?

1. How did you handle the tip money? It looks like we'll need around $400 to tip the guides, and I'm hesitant to carry that much cash around for a week. Can I count on an ATM in Lima on the final day of the trip, or is there another good option?

2. What are the electrical outlets like? Will I need an adapter, or are they just like the ones in the USA?

3. Did you get any vaccinations before your trip?

Thank you!
 
Hi! We're taking the Sacred Valley trip this fall and I have a few questions. Can anybody help?

1. How did you handle the tip money? It looks like we'll need around $400 to tip the guides, and I'm hesitant to carry that much cash around for a week. Can I count on an ATM in Lima on the final day of the trip, or is there another good option?

2. What are the electrical outlets like? Will I need an adapter, or are they just like the ones in the USA?

3. Did you get any vaccinations before your trip?

Thank you!
1. Probably US dollars are the best way to tip! I hate having that cash and feel your pain every trip. For our Peru adventure, we did carry the cash until the end. However, on SE Asia, I gave Chris and Henry (our guides) the tip on the first day. Chris thought it was hysterical and was totally fine with it. I always tip and am not going to adjust during the trip so they won't mind if you do that. If you get the money in Peru, it will be Soles and they prefer $$$ (even Peruvian guide)

2. We brought a converter but did not need it (that I can remember)

3. We did not get vaccinations and I don't think anyone on our trip did either.

You will love this adventure! It was one of our favorites!
 
Thanks so much, acndis! That's exactly what I wanted to know. I had been wondering if we could just tip in advance. That would definitely solve the lug-cash-around problem.
 
I remember needing a converter for the voltage when we did the Peru ABD, but that was almost 10 years ago. Now, all my travel electronics are dual voltage, and yours should be as well. The ABD website should tell you if you need an adapter.

I always take the tip cash with me and just keep it tucked in a pocket in my travel purse until the last night. We have ended up adding to the amount on two of our 4 trips, and subtracting on one, so I was glad we waited. It's not really much different than keeping up with your passport, in my mind. But I'm not a worrier. If carrying the cash will make you nervous, tip up front.
 


i lived in peru for several years. but it's been awhile since i've been back.

if you are in a tourist area, tipping is pretty much expected particularly if you are american. this would include most of the stops in the sacred valley. i would typically add a few extra soles but not the 15% expected in the US. you almost certainly are getting overcharged on the bill in comparison to eating in a non-tourist place.

if you go to machu picchu and eat in aguas calientes, all the restaurants add the tip to the bill -- effectively a tourist tax. also, when in aquas calientes only carry pristine $20 bills since they won't accept others to convert to soles.

i never needed a converter while i was there but, in some places, a mini-surge protector isn't a bad idea.

i got a full run of vaccinations before i went but i was travelling off the beaten path quite a bit. if you are doing the "tourist trail" (lima-cusco-machu picchu-lima) you are probably fine. if you are going into the jungle or more rural highland areas, it's probably advisable.

a bit of digestive distress the first few days is normal but, the biggest thing i would warn you of, is you gotta respect the altitude if you go to cusco. you go from sea level in lima to 11,000-plus feet in one plane trip. move slow, don't try do do too much and eat and drink sparingly at the start.

i'd urge you to stop by the center of traditional textiles while in cusco. you are gonna find a ton of places selling tourist wares but the center is a co-opp for many of the surrounding rural communities. it allows them to sell their wares at true prices (which is why prices are a bit more than other places) and provides them income to help diversify their finances. they almost always have native weavers doing demonstrations.
 
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1. How did you handle the tip money? It looks like we'll need around $400 to tip the guides, and I'm hesitant to carry that much cash around for a week. Can I count on an ATM in Lima on the final day of the trip, or is there another good option?


There are ATMs everywhere and your ABD guides will point out good options. One of our guides did PayPal so we paid one with that as she was US based. The other was a local guide and we asked him if he had a preference and said Peruvian dollars was easiest for him so we hit the a recommended ATM and paid him that way.


2. What are the electrical outlets like? Will I need an adapter, or are they just like the ones in the USA?


We bought an adapter so our plugs would match but the only electronics we used were laptop and battery charger for our camera batteries. Since both supported 220 & 110 we didn't need any converters. Our iPhones we just plugged into our laptops and charged them that way.


3. Did you get any vaccinations before your trip?


My wife and I didn't get any special vaccinations prior to going and certainly didn't have any issues. Another couple we went with got the full battery of shots but they were heading to India in a few months after Peru so that had to get some for there.

If you didn't see I wrote up a trip report after our 2016 Adult Only trip.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/peru-–-adult-only-20-–-29-sept-2016-trip-report.3549595/
 
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if you are doing the rebelhawk42 trip, his info is pretty much spot on. you really only need to get worried about tipping if you book your own jaunts via a travel agent. all of the places you will be staying will handle regular plugs. and you won't really be getting into anyplace that would require more than baseline vaccinations (tetanus etc).

healthwise the biggest thing you'll contend with the altitude. that's not just the thin air, there's an extreme dryness of the air that can wreck havoc with sinuses and DO NOT FORGET SUNSCREEN.

from that trip report, this sounds like a really great adventure. i've done just about all of it on my own and, if anything, he's underselling it here.

It also looks like they did arrange a trip to see traditional weavers via the Center for Traditional Textiles. I'm really glad to see that because these folks do some important work. a few years back these communities, which are almost entirely support themselves by agriculture and livestock, were devastated by some incredibly cold winters and rainy springs. the income from the weaving was a huge help for them to get through.

and, like he said, you gotta try the cuy!
 


We tipped in USD, which I believe the guides preferred. I just carried the cash and hoped for the best rather than seeking out an ATM.

We brought a two-prong converter as some (few) outlets don't accept US plugs.

We got typhoid, yellow fever, and hepatitis vaccines just to be sure. Overkill perhaps, but we felt better about it. We also got a prescription for altitude medication, which may or may not have helped.

My biggest piece of advice is that when re-entering the US, don't say on the customs form that you've come into contact with livestock (even though you will come into contact with, at a minimum, horses, llamas, and alpacas, all of which are livestock). US Customs doesn't like that answer. I tried to be honest and it backfired. Fortunately it only resulted in a two hour customs delay in Miami and two pairs of shoes being sanitized.
 
We went on this fantastic trip last month. You get the envelopes for the tips at check in on Day One. We filled them then and carried them around for the week. Everyone gave them to the guides on the return to the Lima Westin the last evening, when the schedule for all the various departures for the airport were handed out.

The Westin was the only hotel where we used the socket adapter (European round two prong). That was only beside the bed. The desk had a set of US style outlets. And we had those at the Sol y Luna and Palacia Inca.

All of our family went to the travel clinic before the trip. No vaccinations were required, but the records showed that on of mine had expired. The most important thing we got at the clinic was the prescription for the altitude medicine. Several families had issues on arrival in Cusco the first day, but we were fine. My son also got the Dramamine that prevented motion sickness, which he has been prone to in the past.

This was a fantastic trip, and the guides did an outstanding job of adjusting to any surprises that cropped up. You will enjoy it immensely!
 
I didn't go with ABD, but I've been to Peru twice without needing any vaccinations. Some places do suggest medication to help with altitude sickness though, but I just drank the coca tea.
 

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