Traveling to Peru? You need to watch this video!

One of the worst things you can do when you're preparing for your trip to Peru is overpack. Luckily for you, I just came back from a 10-day trip in the country and I'm going to be sharing my Peru packing guide with you in only a carry-on. There are definitely items I am so glad that I had, but there are also items that I could have definitely done without. By watching this video, you can rest assured knowing that you are going to be fully prepared for your own trip to Peru. I'll also be sharing some general travel tips for Peru with you to help you have the best trip ever. For my trip to Peru, I spent 10 days in Cusco in the Sacred Valley, I did a two-day trek through the Andes on the Larus Trek, I spent a night in Aguas Calientes, and I ended my trip at Machu Picchu. All of these destinations are the most common places travelers visit when they go to Peru. I didn't make it to the Amazon this trip, but I've been a few times, so I'll also be sharing some packing tips for the Amazon with you if you are choosing to go there. Before you start packing for your trip, it's important to look at your itinerary so you can see what you're doing day-to-day and pack accordingly. For me, my entire trip was 3,000 meters above sea level and more, so each day I was wearing layers. I flew into Lima and immediately took a connecting flight to Cusco. Some people spend time in Lima, but I chose to head straight to Cusco because I wanted to give myself time to adjust to the higher altitude before I went on a hike through the Andes to Machu Picchu. Lima has an altitude of 1,550 meters above sea level, and Cusco has an altitude of 3,330 meters above sea level. Plus, Cusco is an incredible city to explore, and it is one of my favorites in the entire world. It is so rich in history and culture and has the most incredible cuisine, as well as markets, and it feels very safe to walk around, especially as a solo female. Even though Cusco is a safe city to walk around, it's necessary to take the normal precautions you would in any city, especially a major city, anywhere around the world, especially when you're walking alone at night or away from touristy areas. Year-round, Cusco is temperate during the day and cooler at night. You're looking around 20 degrees Celsius during the day and 5 degrees Celsius at night, so layers is key. If you're doing a very active trip like I did, so a lot of hiking and walking around cities from morning all the way to night, active wear is going to be what you mostly pack. It's important to have really comfortable, flexible clothing as well as a very good pair of hiking boots. Another thing to bring with you if you are doing a very active trip where you're going to be out most of the day walking around, you're going to want to have a really good day bag. I did not have a good day bag. This is something that I messed up on. For me, there was no waist strap. It was just like, you know, some nice padded arm straps, but the waist strap would have taken so much pressure off everything that I packed for the day. And after having a day bag on, you know, for a couple of hours, it starts putting a lot of pressure on your shoulders if you don't have a waist strap. It is also important to note that you do not need to bring all of your belongings with you when you're trekking. Most trekking companies will organize a way for you to leave your suitcase with the majority of your belongings behind safely stored away. This allows you to bring only the minimum of what you actually are going to need for the days you are out hiking and camping. I did my trekking trip with G Adventures and they gave us these duffel bags that we could put our PJs and extra clothes, extra toiletries, things that we didn't need during the day while we were hiking, but things that we would need at night. We can put in these duffel bags and then they had these mules that would carry them to our campsite so we didn't have to be carrying everything on our back for the entire camping trekking trip. We only needed what we needed during the day, which was really nice. In my day pack while hiking, I had just my water bottle, some snacks, and a camera and that's it. Now let's get to the actual items you're going to pack. First I pack my airplane outfit, which is always comfortable because I don't care if I have a one hour flight or an eight hour flight, I want to be comfortable on the plane. So I usually wear a pair of track pants or a pair of tights as well as a t-shirt and a sweater. Layers is important. It gets hot, it gets cold. I wore the zip-up sweater, which I also plan to wear throughout my trip as well as on the way home. And because I'm wearing a t-shirt underneath, if I get all sweaty and stinky, my sweater is not going to get all stinky as well, so I can wear it multiple times. Another good reason to wear your sweater on the plane is because I like to wear my bulkiest items. That way I have more room in my carry-on to bring other things. So I also wore my hiking boots. All of my big items, I basically put on for the plane ride there. For me, my first day in Peru was a free day in Cusco to get used to the altitude as well as to explore. And I knew on that day I'd be visiting the artisanal markets. So I only brought or only packed one sweater with me because I knew I'd be buying a traditional alpaca sweater, which Peru is famous for. Very affordable, beautiful alpaca sweaters. They also have mitts and hats or headbands to keep you warm during your hikes or during the colder nights in Cusco and the surrounding areas. I knew that I'd be buying those because that's what I wanted to get myself while I was there as a souvenir as well as to wear throughout my trip. This also means that I left space in my carry-on on the way to Peru so that I had room for things like an alpaca sweater and other souvenirs that I'd be buying while in Peru. Next, all of your trekking and athletic gear. For my 10-day trip, I packed the following items. One pair of thermals, one pair of active tights, one sweater, which is the one that I also wore on the plane, one baseball cap, a pair of shorts, a rain jacket or windbreaker. I only stuck with a warm, insulated jacket that was more water-resistant than waterproof. And I ended up buying a poncho in Peru just to have with me in case it was really rainy, which it ended up not being. And socks that are made from antimicrobial merino wool or bamboo because you do not want your feet to sweat and stay wet while you are hiking. That is the last thing that you want, especially as the temperatures drop, then your feet will be wet and cold, which is an awful combination. Seven t-shirts. For other more laid-back activities like visiting local villages or walking around the city, this is what I recommend packing. One pair of jeans, a pair of casual leggings, one long-sleeve shirt, and one outfit for a night out. Jeans are one of the best things to bring on a trip like this where it's not too hot and it does get cooler because they go with everything. You can wear them in the day, you can dress them up and wear them at night, and you can wear them multiple times without needing to wash them. If you're not having a fancy night out like I did on my trip, I actually brought this super glittery dress because I knew I was going to a fancy event. But if you don't have anything like that but you still want to have, you know, something to wear for a nicer dinner or a nicer night at a bar or a club, just bring some funky jewelry with you or accessories that you can put over a pair of black tights and a black t-shirt and dress it up a bit. I also brought a pair of pajamas with me, a pair of pants and a t-shirt, which I can easily hand wash. Another tip for you so you don't overpack is know that the laundry services in Peru are great. So if you are staying in a place for at least one night, two nights is more ideal so you have time to actually bring in your laundry, have them wash it, and then receive it back. I would totally go this way. It is affordable, it is fast, it is well done. I didn't have that luxury because I was hopping around so much throughout my trip. I wasn't really in a spot long enough to do it. So in my case, I brought lightweight material. I love bamboo material or lightweight organic cotton that way that I can just wash it in my sink at my hotel, leave it to dry overnight and it is dry by the morning so that I'm still packing less and able to do laundry throughout my trip. I brought simple t-shirts that were great for active days but could also be worn for night to go out for dinner. You know, this with a nice little sweater over top, a pair of jeans, we're good to go. Casual dinner style. I also brought a pair of track pants and a long-sleeve cozy shirt that I could put on once I got back to my hotel room at the end of a day out. A lot of hotels throughout Peru don't have heaters. My hotel did have a heater in my room but it did not work. Thank goodness I brought some cozy clothes because these kept me warm. To stay connected during your trip, I recommend the Olafly eSIM who is the sponsor of this video today so let's talk more about that. Want to know the best way to stay connected during your international travels? Olafly eSIM. What is an eSIM? It is not a physical SIM card like you typically see in phones like this one here. It's already embedded in your phone when you buy it and allows you to connect to different networks all around the world. Olafly is an eSIM carrier that offers unlimited data plans all around the world with up to 5G speeds and charges on a per day basis. It is so easy to set up that even your non-techie grandma can do it in seconds. All you have to do is choose one of the plans available in more than 180 different destinations around the world, you purchase that plan and you get an email sent to you with a QR code and when you're ready to activate your plan, you go to your cellular settings in your phone and there is an option to add an eSIM. You click that, you scan your QR code and you're good to go. On newer phones, you can actually scan the QR code from a photo that you've saved. This makes it easy for people who just want to travel with their phone and not other devices. You can just save the QR code to your phone and activate it when you're ready. I suggest purchasing an Olafly plan before heading out on your trip. That way when you touch down in your destination, literally on the plane, you can activate your data plan right away. Olafly also has an app for Android and iOS users where you can purchase, activate and manage your plans right from the app. From the app, you can also access installation guides if you are having any trouble as well as 24-7 live customer support if you have any issues or you have questions that you want to ask. If you want to learn more about Olafly, you can check out our dedicated video we did where we go into more detail and if you are purchasing a plan, be sure to check out the description box below because you can save a 5% on all plans using our special code. Now back to the video. Some other items you'll want to bring are an outlet adapter. Peru uses 220 volt electricity, so you'll need to convert for 110 volt devices. Most plugs in Peru are 2 prong flat type found in the US and Canada. And earplugs, another item I did not bring but I wish I did, especially if you are camping with other people and the tents are nicely tight together and you don't know these people ahead of time. You don't know if they're going to snore. I was surrounded by snorers, so I had to use my headphones because I didn't have earplugs. But if you have earplugs, bring them. Toiletries, I like to put them all in this little packing cube here. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash. I like to put liquids in Go-Tubes because these are 100 milliliter Go-Tubes. 100 milliliters is the max you can bring when you are taking carry-on only. So I know that these are guaranteed allowed on the plane. I found it was really nice to have a pair of hiking boots and a pair of sandals specifically when I was doing my trekking because at the end of the day, I wanted my feet out of those hiking boots. I'm just comfortable being able to spread my toes out, you know? Feel the air on my feet. Sunscreen, another thing that I did not bring with me because I was like, it's going to be cold. Well, I got so burnt during my trek. So bring sunscreen, use it daily, specifically when you're trekking, wear a hat. Don't do what I did. A reusable water bottle. I have my LifeStraw water bottle I absolutely love. It has a filter in it so it filters out all the nasty things that you find in water all around the world. So I know that I'm drinking safe water, but you will find filtered water stations in hotels as well as your guides will provide filtered water for you when you're doing trekking. They should, so make sure you ask and they should, so that you have clean water available to you anytime you do need it. Altitude sickness medication. If you are someone who knows that you get sick when you're at high altitude or if you've never been at a high altitude, like you're going to be in Peru, then maybe just, you know, get some of that medication just in case. I didn't bring it because I've been in high altitude many times and it's kind of a hit or miss for me, but I've never been in a situation where it was so bad. This time was probably the worst for me that it's ever been. But luckily for me, I drank all of the coca tea, which you can get throughout Peru using coca leaves. They have it available pretty much everywhere, hotels, again, your tour company that you're going on treks with will have it. You can get it at coffee shop, tea shops, so you could either have it as a tea or you can chew up the leaves and put it, stick it in the top of your gums and just kind of suck on the juices and it immediately helps relieve altitude sickness symptoms. There's also something that you can buy in the markets in Cusco called Agua Florida and you just put a little bit in your hands and mix it up and breathe it in and immediately you just, it opens your lungs and you're able to breathe better. Some other items to include are chapstick, body and face cream, rehydration packs, headphones, a good camera, Peruvian music downloaded. Having downloaded Peruvian music came in so handy when I was at Machu Picchu because I just popped in my headphones, turned on my Peruvian music and the other thousands of people at Machu Picchu suddenly disappeared. I was there at this like sacred place listening to the sacred music and it really allowed me to be like absorbed into my environment and really took the experience to a whole other level. Highly recommend. Cash. I brought some US and then I just went to the ATM in Cusco on the first day and took out some money too. Portable charger, bug spray, especially if you're going to the Amazon, wet wipes, especially great for hiking to give yourself a little wet wipe shower, dry sack for wet clothes and muddy shoes, toilet paper roll if you're taking a long drive and you need to, you know, pop a squat somewhere. Some other items you don't want to forget are your passport, flight info, travel insurance and vaccination certificate, specifically yellow fever. One thing I did not know before going to Peru was that if I wanted to go from Peru to Costa Rica, which is what I did, I needed to have proof of my yellow fever vaccination records because if they do ask for them and I don't have them, they might not let me back in the country. So I did not know that. But luckily I do have a yellow fever vaccination card, which I got like, what, 15 years ago when I first went to Peru and it's good for a lifetime. So I had that. They didn't actually ask me when I got to Costa Rica, but at least I had that in case they did. So if you are flying to another country that isn't your home country, I would definitely check the entry requirements to make sure that you do have everything you need. Another item I brought was my fanny bag. I don't like big bulky purses. I like my fanny bag because I like to keep it simple with what I bring with me, chapstick, wallet, passport if I need it, cell phone, it all fits in here. So other packing tips are leave the blow dryer at home because most hotels will have them. You can even call ahead of time to your hotel and ask if they do. Another thing that I didn't bring with me but I ended up buying while I was in Peru is a rain cover for my day bag. I got this Osprey rain cover that fits over my day bag because I was hiking with a camera especially. I didn't want it to get wet if it decided to rain while we were trekking. So I bought one of these just in case. So I would highly recommend bringing one of these if you have one. And if not, there are so many different outdoor adventure stores in Cusco so if you do forget something you can always buy it there. Something that I brought with me that I did not use was my bathing suit. My hotel did not have a pool. I didn't go to a spa. I didn't go to any hot springs. I wasn't in the Amazon so I didn't actually need a bathing suit. But if you are visiting any of those places or you have a pool at your hotel then maybe you do want to bring one. Speaking of spas, there are many women specifically on the streets of Cusco that are selling massage. You'll hear massage, massage, very cheap. I have heard from other travelers those massages are no good, no bueno. I found a place after researching online called Paramatma Healing Center and I had one of the best massages. I paid for 60 minutes and I got 90 minutes and it was absolutely glorious. I had sore muscles going in. Felt like I was floating on a cloud when I left. Permachu Picchu is at a lower altitude than Cusco and the Sacred Valley at 2,400 meters above sea level. It has a subtropical climate since it's between the Andes mountain range and the Amazon rainforest making it warmer in the day and also a bit humid. This is when a wool sweater would be great to wear with a cotton t-shirt underneath and breathable pants. This is a great time to bring that water cover for your day bag to protect your camera gear and other things you might have in there as well as a rain jacket or a poncho. Now when it comes to actually packing your stuff in your suitcase, I'm a big fan of packing cubes, specifically the compression ones that have a zipper that goes all the way once and then twice, sometimes three times. That way you can put all of your clothing inside and really compress it down to fit even more than you would in the traditional packing cubes. Packing cubes are great to really compress all of your clothing so that you can bring more with you and they also keep everything nicely organized. I've included everything that I've talked about in this video and I've listed it all in the description box below. I included a little bit of additional information as well about rainy season, dry season and if you want to get some inspiration for your upcoming trip, maybe you're still planning it, wondering where you should go, what you should see, you can check out the two videos I created for my 10 day trip which you can check out here and get all the inspiration and I hope, well I know, you're going to have the best trip ever. Peru is an incredible country, it's one of my favourites, it's so beautiful in so many ways and I highly recommend, if this is something you're just thinking about, go and take that 10 day trip. If this is something you've already bucked, have the best time ever and I'll see you in the next video. Happy travel!