Personalized. More than a handful of travel companies capitalize on this catch-all word to entice prospective travelers. But what does it really mean, and how can you tell if an itinerary is genuinely personalized? At its heart, a personalized or custom-designed travel program begins with the first email exchange and ends the instant you arrive home, after the best trip of your life.

When it comes to personalized travel, you can look for a few tell-tale signs from the beginning of the planning process. First, you want to make sure the agency prioritizes your needs above all else when building your custom itinerary.

Do they ask you specific questions about your past travel experiences? Do they want to know why you are taking this trip? Do they ask not only how many people are traveling with you, but who is traveling with you? All of these details and more go into a truly personalized travel experience and ultimately bring unexpected and priceless value to your trip.

Why “new normal” travelers need personalized experiences

Booking with personalized travel agency like Kuoda can alleviate the certifiable travel anxiety trailing the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. We are all still navigating the uncertain waters of international travel in the “new normal,” but the uplifting news is that personalized service should and does provide adequate support before, during, and even after your exciting journey.

The hands-on nature of personalized travel accommodates the ever-shifting public health and sanitary protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. For instance, we have been scheduling PCR and/or antigen tests before international flights home, well in advance for every guest traveling during this time. Therefore, you won’t need to worry about researching any of these details.

What does “personalized” imply?

The different branches of personalized travel ultimately stem from four crucial components in your itinerary: the price, the place (or places), the activities, and the travel style. We only work primarily in private tours; therefore, we tailor your program to best fit your needs. We recommend the most appropriate activities and destinations according to your specific interests, budget, and timeframe.

1. Personalized prices

Each and every curated journey we create comes with a tailor-made price tag. This means we don’t have ready-made package deals, and we can always swap out certain hotels or excursions to bring down the price as much as possible. Any tweaks are considered to do this, so even though there are limits to how much we can lower the cost, we work closely with you and your budget the best we can, always.

Our pricing ultimately comes down to the number of days, how many people are in your travel party, what type of accommodation, how many full-day tours versus half-day tours, and how much downtime is built into your itinerary. Depending on your personal budget, our travel experts balance these details without sacrificing the private nature nor quality of your personalized program.

2. Personalized places

Let’s say you have ten days to travel, and you know you want to see Machu Picchu but have no idea what else. We will ask you about your past travels and principal travel interests to help guide you towards suitable destinations to maximize your meaningful experiences. For instance, the Amazon for wildlife fanatics, Lima for foodies, or Kuelap and Chachapoyas for archaeology buffs.

3. Personalized activities

South America is an incredibly rich continent. Seemingly endless biodiversity, geographical diversity, and cultural diversity burst at its seams. This means that every potential itinerary through Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and/or Argentina holds a wealth of possibilities for adventure, family fun, food, romance, nature, history, and local culture.

Companies that primarily offer fixed-itineraries have a limited range of activities and providers and may not be able to cater to all of your interests directly. Whereas a personalized itinerary allows you to work closely with your travel designer to land on a combination of activities specific to your travel party’s priorities.

4. Personalized preferences according to your travel style

We’ve already touched a bit on the topic of how a personalized itinerary reflects your interests and travel style. But to dive a little deeper, these personalized preferences also extend to the type of guide matched with your program, your food preferences and/or allergies, how much downtime or active time you have, and the kind of transportation included.

We work with an incredible team of local guides, who all have specific and passionate interests of their own. Some are master photographers, others focus on history, some work fabulously with kids, and are great storytellers. The more you tell us about your interests in the planning process, the more equipped we are to match you with the perfect private guide for you and your family or friends.

We include all of your breakfasts and lunches during full-day tours and some dinners where restaurant options are limited. We only work with the best and most trustworthy restaurants for these meals and make sure those restaurants have a complete list of any food preferences or allergies, so they can anticipate these details before your arrival.

Regarding transportation, we will explain all of the possible options to get from one city or town to the next when there are multiple options available. For relatively shorter distances, these typically include a private driver, train ride, or a short domestic flight. Although we encourage all of our guests to limit the amount of air travel to maximize sustainability and eco-conscious travel, if possible.

What we can do for you and how we work with you

Personalized travel also requires above and beyond customer service. If you choose to work with us, you can expect immediate and thorough answers to every query or comment. If we don’t know the answer right away, we will do our research asap, so that you don’t have to worry about any extra steps on your end.

1. Book bucket list items or remote and “off-the-beaten-path” places

If you’re someone who prefers to visit all of the top bucket list showstoppers in South America, like Machu Picchu, Iguazú Falls, The Galapagos Islands, or Uyuni Salt Flats (to name a select few), we have you covered. You can also expect your tours to these world wonders to be in 100% private service. So, even though you might have to contend with large crowds, your guide will bypass them as much as possible.

And suppose you’re the polar opposite and hope to visit more “off-the-beaten-path” destinations. In that case, personalized travel is definitely a must! In addition, we love connecting our guests with local communities and landscapes in more remote corners of South America, where they can relax into an authentic experience shared amongst new friends.

2. Be there for your 24/7

Finally, our team of travel experts starts with our travel designers, continues onto our guides, and ends with our dedicated 24/7 hosts on the ground. Taking a personalized trip with us, you are guaranteed a 24/7-point person, who your travel designer will connect you with a few days before your arrival date.

What this means is that someone will constantly keep tabs and be on guard in the event of an unexpected emergency out of your control. This could include anything from flight delays to a COVID-19 diagnosis to a roadblock from a local strike. Although these events may be rare, we know that managing risk and preparing to think on our feet is indispensable for any traveler’s peace of mind.

At the end of the day, personalized travel allows you to precisely express what you want out of a trip, have those needs met, and go beyond those expectations to discover places you hadn’t even thought of but deeply resonate with.

We incorporate these tenants of personalized travel in every step of our planning process to ensure your customized trip to South America is everything you ever dreamed of and more. We love hearing from new potential guests to continue crafting personalized itineraries designed to bring you the most fulfilling experience possible; contact us today to get started!

While traveling in the areas of the former Inca Empire, including Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Chile, you will likely notice many representations of animals, especially condors, pumas, and serpents. These three sacred animals make up the Trilogy in the Inca religion. They represent the heavens (Hanan Pacha) where the gods reside, the earth or world of the living (Kay Pacha) where we humans inhabit, and the underworld (Uku Pacha) or the world of the dead.

The Condor – The Emissary to the Gods

The Andean condor is an impressive animal being the largest flying bird in the world. It is a black vulture with a white collar and a red or pink, nearly featherless head and neck. Even with its enormous size, this incredible bird can fly and soar at heights of over 15,000 feet, or 4,500 meters. Because of its immense size and the dizzying heights at which it can gracefully soar, the condor was considered by the Incas to be the messenger of the gods between the heavens (Hanan Pacha) and the earth (Kay Pacha). It is thought the sacred city of Machu Picchu may have been designed with the shape of the condor in mind, its wings stretching up the mountains into the heavens.

The Puma – The Strength and Wisdom of the Earth

The Andean puma is a subspecies of the well-known puma that you will find in many parts of the world with familiar markings – sort of a sandy-colored fur covering most of its body. For the Incas, the puma was a divine animal that represented the power of the earth and land of the living (Kay Pacha), which humans inhabit. This graceful cat also symbolizes strength, intelligence, wisdom, and patience – qualities that we all strive for during our time on this earth. Cusco, which was the capital and center of the Inca Empire here on earth, has the shape of a puma. If you look at a map of Cusco, you can make out the shape of the puma, with Sacsayhuaman forming its head, the main plaza forming its heart, and ending with what used to be rivers, but are now streets, merging to form the tail.

The Serpent – The Infinite and the World After

The serpent in the Inca religion wasn’t a specific type of serpent, but serpents in general that are found all over the Andes. The serpent represents the underworld, or land of the dead (Uku Pacha). Once people left the earthly realm (Kay Pacha), they moved on to the land of the dead, whose emissary was the serpent. They believed that those who lived by the three Inca golden rules “ama sua, ama lulla, ama qella’, or “do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy,” would spend their afterlife in the warmth of Inti (the sun). Those who did not follow these rules would spend a cold eternity in the damp, dark earth. It is thought that along with the condor and the puma, the serpent had a dedicated Inca city. Unfortunately, this city was likely built in the lowest areas of the Inca Empire, which means in the jungle. After centuries of abandonment, this city has likely been re-taken by the wilderness, a fitting fate for the city representing the underworld.

Chile is home to many exciting things to see and do. However, one of the most mysterious and remote places to visit would be the enigmatic Easter Island. Known as Rapa Nui to those who first lived there, this fascinating place holds many mysteries – how did people get there in the first place? What happened to all of the trees? And most mysterious of all, what about those big statues that you find all over the island? What do they mean, how were they made, and how the heck did they transport them from the quarry to their final place?

Easter Island was given this name by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, whose ship came across the island on Easter Sunday in 1722. The first inhabitants arrived from Polynesia long before that, though it’s nearly impossible to know precisely when. Some historians put their arrival at around 1200 AD, while others believe it may have been much earlier, anywhere from 100 AD to 800 AD. What is evident, however, is that these early settlers on the island were very clever, and built a complex society using what the island gave them.

These first inhabitants of Rapa Nui likely arrived on the island on boats made of a sort of double canoe, a common sea-faring type of vessel used in Polynesia over 1,000 years ago. When they arrived, the island was covered with thick vegetation, including a vast forest of palm trees, similar to what you would find on the island of Oahu today. In the process of settling the island, however, they cleared much of the forest and burned the trees, using the ash as fertilizer. Over the centuries, this slash-and-burn style farming led to massive deforestation, leaving the island with very few trees.

Another theory of what happened to the trees has to do with the giant statues you can find all over the island, called Maoi. There have been 887 statues accounted for, and they were all created between 1100-1680 AD, according to carbon dating. The majority were carved from a soft volcanic stone called tuff, using hand tools made from obsidian. One of these statues would take a team of 5 or 6 men approximately a year to create, though only about a quarter of them were actually installed. Nearly half of the moai that have been found remained at the quarry where they were created. The rest of them can be found along the sides of the road, never having made it to their destinations.

These statues are incredibly massive, and so there is much speculation of how they were moved from the quarry to their final destinations around the island. Some think that this is where many of those trees went – the statues could be pulled relatively smoothly over the terrain using the trunks of the palm trees as rollers. Others believe that these statues were ‘walked’ to their destinations, with ropes attached from either side and using a rocking motion along with gravity to move the figures while upright, giving them the appearance of walking. This would fit the legend that locals tell of the Moai “walking” to their final resting places.

These impressive statues were built as memorials to chieftains and other important people who had passed. The ones who reached their intended locations were placed upon platforms called ahus and served at tombs for the people they were meant to memorialize. These tombs and statues were placed with their backs to the ocean, gazing inland upon the island. In this way, those who had passed away would forever look over and protect their tribe and bring them good fortune.

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is an isolated place full of history and mystery. You can gaze out over the now-stark landscape, and visit the many moai dotting the island. While it is a long flight to get there from its mother country of Chile, it’s definitely worth a visit to experience a bit of this fascinating and ancient culture.

Among the many intriguing feasts for your eyes during your trip to Peru will be the sight of the vibrant and colorful traditional garments worn by indigenous women and men. These items are often intricately embroidered and woven with many colors, displaying the wearers’ pride in their Andean heritage. Today’s Andean women may wear Western fashion when in cities like Cusco or Lima, but don their traditional garments in their home villages. There is also an interesting, relatively recent trend of adapting traditional Andean fashion for the European and North American market. Here we’ll examine some of the traditional clothing pieces worn by women in the Andes, with the men’s’ turn in the next blog installment

The garments worn by Andean women are often layered to provide warmth.

They may include:

Llicllas (pronounced Yeek-ya) – The lliclla or manta is a colorful cape worn by Quechua women, woven in the shape of a square and worn across the back and shoulders like a miniature shawl. It is secured with a pin or tied in front, and usually embroidered with geometric designs, animals, flowers, etc. in bright colors. It can be worn for warmth and beauty, or used to wrap and carry children or goods on the woman’s back.

A jobona – A type of jacket adorned with fancy buttons that was traditionally worn under the lliclla. These days, many women opt for sweaters instead.

Headwear- Women of the Andes wear different types of hats, which depending on color, style, design, and angle, may indicate the region the woman is from, her class, and her civil status (married, single, or widowed). Montera hats are usually made of red felt, and their crowns may be filled with embroidered flowers and/or fruits. They have a chinstrap, or sanq’apa, which is decorated with white beads, the number of which is indicative of a woman’s social status.

Both Peruvian and Bolivian women can be seen wearing tall bowler-type hats, which were originally brought from Europe in the 1920s. The story goes that the hats were brought to South America for male railway workers, but the size had been miscalculated and they were too small for the men. Women subsequently adapted them as a fashion statement, and still wear them to this day.

Polleras – Called such for their resemblance to round chicken cages, pollera skirts often have a band of colorful embroidery sewn all around their base. The band, known as a puyta, may take up most of the skirt or simply be a narrow strip of fabric, and are often embroidered with colorful designs that indicate the region the woman comes from. Women may wear many layers of polleras, especially during festivals.

Ojotas– Men, women, and children wear ojotas, which are open-toed sandals made from recycled tires. It looks as though the wearer’s feet would be cold, but Andean country folk are well accustomed to them and wear them without socks, even during cold weather.

Over the past decade, Andean fashions have been adapted for the European and North American market, and can even be seen on international runways. If you purchase such items, be sure to do so from an organization that benefits the people of the Andes, such as Threads of Peru. You can also ask your guide about where to find them during your travels to Peru!

City tours are a wonderful way to get an overview of a new area and its history, but sometimes there’s nothing better than setting aside some time to explore on your own terms. Wandering around and letting each city’s secrets unfold is often one of the most fulfilling aspects of any personalized trip to Peru.

A City That Requires No Plans

Cusco is one of South America’s most intriguing cities. It’s best to set aside at least two days to explore this colorful city, allowing yourself one day to take a comprehensive tour and another to make your own discoveries.

A typical city tour will cover major sites, such as the Cathedral and the Temple of Qorikancha, providing a valuable introduction to Cusco’s attractions and overall atmosphere. You can use this knowledge as a basis for your own exploration of the city the next day.

Thousands of people live and work in Cusco, and this city overflows with life, noise and color. There’s no need to make a specific plan; just leave your hotel and see where the day takes you. Walk along the city’s colonial streets, into picturesque squares and plazas. See what the natives are up to or find yourself in crowded markets filled with the sounds of bartering.

If you need a little more structure in your itinerary, you’ll find no shortage of delightful activities & attractions  to keep you entertained in Cusco. There are far too many museums in Cusco to see them all, so chose a few that best match your interests. The Museo Inka, for example, showcases the history and culture of the Incas.

The Museo de Arte Precolombino (Pre-Columbian Art Museum) right next to the affluent Plaza Nazarenas offers a great selection of archeological artifacts. Also be sure to check out the Church of San Blas, one of the country’s most exquisite examples of colonial architecture. Inside, take a look at the church’s Baroque pulpit carved from cedar.

If you need a break from historic attractions, head one block from the Plaza de Armas to the Plaza Regocijos and try the Choco Museum, which examines the history of cacao. With interactive workshops and demonstrations of how chocolate is made, this museum is one of the best educational attractions and is ideal for a Peru family trip.

The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of San Pedro Market

San Pedro Market offers one of Cusco’s most unique and immersive experiences. Although the market is an increasingly popular tourist attraction, it has managed to maintain its authenticity. On a typical morning, you’ll see Cusqueñian housewives doing their shopping and locals eating at food stands.

There are five principal sections at San Pedro Market: Handcrafts; fresh fruits and vegetables; meat; juice bars; and food stands. Practice your Spanish with the vendors and try your hand at bartering. When haggling, keep in mind that a few extra soles may not make a difference to you, but it can make a substantial difference for local residents and their families. Know when it’s time to back down and agree to the suggested price.

It’s also a good idea to be mindful as you make your way through this crowded market because petty thefts do occur. Keep an eye on your personal belongings.

Enjoy Cusco by Night

For something more active, make the hike up to the Cristo Blanco, a statue often compared to Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer. Located next to the Archeological complex of Sacsayhuaman, the Cristo Blanco is set on a hilltop and offers fantastic views over the city. It was donated in 1945 by a group of Christian Palestinians living in Cusco. The statue is also visible from the city’s Plaza de Armas, and it looks particularly beautiful at night when it’s illuminated with lights.

In the evening, head to the Planetarium for the best views of the night sky. A relatively newer attraction, this facility offers insight into how the Inca interpreted the stars, as well as the opportunity to do some of your own stargazing. High up in the mountains only make the experience that much more memorable.

Kuoda Travel can help you plan an unforgettable day in Cusco. Our goal is to be the best travel agency in Peru, and we’re always available for questions you might have during any stage of your planning and trip. Contact us to talk about your private Peru vacation!