I decided to go to Peru this past summer. The ancient, mountain set city of Machu Picchu was the main draw. I was also very excited about traveling in South America and brushing up on my Spanish, which is sadly still not in very good shape! As a budget traveler, not quite shoestring, but budget indeed, there were several habits I developed there that helped me save a few dollars, or soles, if you will. I used the Lonely Planet guidebook often while in Peru. Some sections of the book are badly in need of updating but it is the most trustworthy travel book I have found. Through that book and my own experience, I learned that food, lodging and transit are the areas where learning to cut costs creates the biggest payoff.
Food. I tend to want a lot of it, usually about three times a day. The cost of this food adds up, particularly when you are traveling. There are many excellent food options in Peru found at a variety of prices. Of the pricier options, I thoroughly enjoy partaking of the ceviche, or raw fish covered with lime juice in Lima, it was delicious! And I felt obliged to try the cuy, or fried guinea pig, while I was in Arequipa. I learned that these meals, which are a bit pricier, tended to be even tastier when they did not happen every day. I started eating more economically.
Luckily, many of the hotels or hostels you will stay at while in Peru offer a free breakfast, although the quality and size varies. I particularly enjoyed the breakfast at La Hacienda Hotel in Puno and at Home Sweet Home Hostel in Arequipa. While it is great that so many places offer a complimentary breakfast, that meal tends to be the cheapest one of the day anyway. After nearly a week in Peru, my travel partner and I got in the habit of buying bread, cheese, oranges, and other food from farmers’ market or little stores that were often near where we were staying anyway. We also began buying our alcohol at these little stores which was very cost effective. Numerous times we would be drinking beer and playing cards at the hostel we were staying at and we would be joined by other tourists who were of the same mindset. I cannot say we stayed in for dinner very often while traveling in Peru, the food there being so tasty and eating out being so much fun, but we did begin searching out cheaper restaurants and with the money we were saving from not eating out earlier in the day, cut our food expenditures greatly. Give the smaller restaurants a try, some of the best meals I had to Peru were gotten for less than five dollars.
Lodging. Never be afraid to ask if you can get a cheaper rate on a room. As long as you ask while smiling, the interaction tends to be positive. Nearly every place I stayed at in Peru, with the exception of hostels in the tourist filled city of Cusco, dropped their room rate at least a little. My biggest reduction occurred at the La Hacienda Hotel, where I talked the rate down 55 percent from what was initially offered. Persistence does pay off. Fortunately, within the major cities in Peru there is usually another lodging option within feet of where you are looking if the hotel you are at is too expensive, is booked, or does not feel safe.
Transit. Moving from city to city was of course, one of my priorities in Peru and I wanted to move while feeling safe. I took one of those huge, double decker buses while traveling from Arequipa to Puno. I also took the tourist bus from Puno to Cusco. These buses while perhaps more spacious than other bus options but they tended to be a little pricier too. I did cut costs in other areas of transit though. I took taxis around Lima and Cusco. It is important to agree on a price for a trip with a taxi driver before getting in the vehicle. Please make certain you only travel with registered taxi drivers, safety is so important. A few times my travel partner and I would travel with other tourists, usually people we had interacted with before the ride. This works out well because everyone will save money on the transit and the taxi driver also brings in more money.
I visited Machu Picchu during the last few days of my month long trip to Peru. I did not hike the Machu Picchu trail. My travel partner and I took the slightly expensive PeruRail train to a town near the base of the mountain up to Machu Picchu called Aguas Calientes. Aguas Calientes, pretty much a one lane town brimming with restaurants and hotels, was not the most savory part of the trip. However it was great because it is so close to Machu Picchu. Early in the morning, following our arrival in Aguas Calientes, my travel partner and I set out to walk up to Machu Picchu, which saved us money since our other option was to buy an expensive bus ticket. This walk, almost entirely up unevenly set stone steps, was taxing but worthwhile since we got many views of the surrounding mountain beauty. I had made cheese sandwiches the night before. We ate them at the base of Machu Picchu, prior to going in, they were perhaps the best meal we had while in Peru!
As long as you are willing to put a little extra effort into your traveling, you should be able to leave Peru feeling like your trip has not done much damage to your wallet. The natural and architectural beauty found in this country will make for an unforgettable journey, regardless of how much you spend.
Sources:
Home Sweet Home: http://www.homesweethome-peru.com/
Lonely Planet Peru: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru
La Hacienda Hotel: http://www.lahaciendapuno.com/
