Peru: Learning at Home

Get creative
Organize your art supplies and get to crafting. Consider painting Machu Picchu, learning textile weaving, or making Peruvian-style pottery.

Pick a film
Watch a movie that relates to your destination. Some ideas for Peru include:

  • Fitzcarraldo (1982)
  • The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
  • Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Learn some history
Dive deep into the history of specific sites you’ll visit on tour. Study the Inca Empire or learn about Ollantaytambo and the Sacred Valley. Then, tour some of Peru’s ancient history with this virtual reality video of Machu Picchu.

Choose a book
Read and discuss a book that takes place in your destination or describes the local culture. Pick from titles like:

  • Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
  • The White Rock by Hugh Thomson
  • The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming

Fill up your plate
Arrange a potluck and encourage your friends to bring a traditional dish from your destination. Know a chef? Hold a virtual cooking class with your travel group, or support a local restaurant that offers delivery/take-out of your destination’s cuisine. Try ceviche, lomo saltado, aji de galina, or rocoto relleno.

Learn the language
Call up a friend or set up a group video chat and practice your Spanish skills. It helps to make flashcards with common Peruvian-Spanish sayings to use on the phone or throughout your travels (think about ordering at restaurants, buying souvenirs, and chatting with locals).

Did you know?
There are over 3,000 different varieties of potato grown in Peru!