Travel in a new country is a steep learning curve. Cultural nuances take shape before your eyes. Local dialects sort themselves out within a matter of days. What you found in a guidebook is good to the extent that it exists as a two-dimensional depiction of a place.
Though I only spent eight days in Peru—three days in Cusco, one day in Aguas Caliente and four days on the Inca Trail — I did pick up a few nuggets of wisdom. If you’re traveling to Peru, here are four things I learned that might help you … and one extra thought worth considering as you venture forth into the heart of the Incan Empire.
