How Was Your Trip?

Interested in getting coached? E-mail us your questions--seriously, the more the better--to Letters@BudgetTravel.com. Want advice? Log on for our weekly Online Trip Coach chats, Tuesdays at noon (ET), and let our experts answer your questions. Click here to submit questions and browse our archived chat transcripts. Dear Trip Coach... My fiancé, Erik, and I are getting married right after his regatta team competes at the national championship and before I start my medical residency. There's no time for a honeymoon afterward, so we're doing a pre-wedding trip to Peru. We love adventure and being active. Katie Hammes, Madison, Wis. FIRE AWAY! "First things first: What's the easiest way to get money in Peru?" ATMs, no question. El Banco de Crédito has them in most cities and accepts ATM cards affiliated with U.S. credit card companies. Avoid Global Net ATMs: They're installed everywhere tourists go, but they charge an extra fee. "We definitely want to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. Should we work with a tour company?" You're wise to take the Inca Trail: No other route offers as majestic a view or the option to explore during the quiet morning hours. Peruvian law requires that Inca Trail hikers be accompanied by a licensed tour operator--which isn't such a bad thing, since the operators take care of the red tape, arrange for porters, and often supply the camping gear. Only 500 people, including guides and porters, are allowed to embark on the trail each day; reserve your spots at least three months out, especially if you're going between May and October. Canadian-owned Andean Treks has well-trained guides and porters (800/683-8148, andeantreks.com, five days from $595, trail fee $85). "We plan to arrive in Lima and then fly to Cuzco to start the hike, but we've heard that flights between the two cities are unreliable." No need to worry. LAN, Peru's most dependable airline, has new, well-maintained airplanes, and its flights are generally on time. It runs 10 flights a day from Lima to Cuzco (866/435-9526, lan.com). "Can you recommend any restaurants or hotels in Cuzco?" The majority of Peru's foreign travelers pass through Cuzco, so there's a lot of tourism infrastructure. A few blocks from the Plaza de Armas, in the historic San Blas quarter, the seven-bedroom Casona les Pleiades offers friendly hospitality (Tandapata 116, 011-51/84-50-6430, casona-pleiades.com, $45 with breakfast). For classic Peruvian food, dine at Pachapapa (Plazoleta San Blas 120, 011-51/84-24-1318, dinner from $8). Even restaurant owners go there to eat the lomo saltado, a dish of stir-fried beef tenderloin, tomatoes, onions, French fries, and soy sauce. (Peru's Chinese population is the largest in Latin America--a fact that's reflected in many of the local dishes.) "We'd like to look around Cuzco before we start our hike. How much time should we allow in the city?" Remember, you'll be coming from sea level, and Cuzco lies at about 11,000 feet. The Inca Trail trek will drop you to elevations of about 9,000 feet in the beginning, but the trail rises and falls between 1,000 and 1,500 feet daily--and on one day, there's a 3,934-foot ascent. Devote at least a day in Cuzco to getting acclimated to the altitude. One good way to do so is to climb up to the Incan ruin Sacsayhuamán. You can also travel down to the Sacred Valley, which is at about 9,000 feet. Once the agricultural land of the Inca, the valley is now home to small towns, markets, and ruins. Leave some time to walk around Cuzco proper. Start in the Plaza de Armas. Cuzco Cathedral, on the north end of the square ($9), is home to several classic paintings by Cuzco school artists--indigenous Peruvians who merged the techniques they were taught by Spanish masters with their own style. Afterward, head to Qoricancha to check out the Incan sun temple that fell to the Spanish in 1533 (Plazoleta Santo Domingo, $3). For another art fix, visit the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (Plazoleta de las Nazarenas 231, 011-51/84-23-3210, $7). "We're also interested in going to other areas--maybe Lake Titicaca to go mountain biking and kayaking." Lots of people who visit Titicaca ride a motorboat to one of its islands and spend the night with a family, but you can skip the motorboat and do the trip by kayak instead. Book with Titikayak (011-51/51-36-7747, titikayak.com, two days from $145) or All Ways Travel (011-51/51-35-3979, titicacaperu.com, two days from $210). Most of the residents live in mud or concrete houses, some without electricity. Your dinner--which is often cooked on a wood-burning stove--might include a quinoa soup, a vegetable omelet with rice, and a local type of crepe for dessert. The younger members of the families are the most likely to speak at least a little English. A great option for mountain biking is Colca Canyon, in southern Peru. It's twice as deep as the Grand Canyon and has narrow roads that take you past soaring condors, hot springs, and villages. The closest airport is in Arequipa, about four hours' drive from the canyon. Colca Trek leads three-day bike trips and provides transportation from the airport (011-51/54-20-6217, colcatrek.com.pe, three days from $195). If you decide to hike the canyon on your own, catch a ride on a public bus (Turismo Milagros, 011-51/54-29-8090) or rent a car from Hertz (011-51/54-28-2519, hertz.com). "What's the best way to get from Cuzco to Puno?" Besides Titicaca, the southern city of Puno doesn't have many tourist attractions. If you fly to Juliaca, the closest airport, you'll be stuck figuring out how to fill the whole day. Instead, take the train or a bus so you can spend the time admiring Peru's dramatic mountain scenery. PeruRail's luxury train, the Andean Explorer, is designed like a 1920s Pullman coach and serves complimentary lunch and tea (011-51/84-23-8722, perurail.com, Andean Explorer from $148). Inka Express runs buses that stop at major historic sites between the two cities (011-51/84-24-7887, inkaexpress.com, from $45). The trip takes nine hours, whether you go by bus or by train. "We've heard a little about Islas Ballestas, off the southern coast. Are they worth a trip?" The islands' famed sea-lion and bird populations are most active around 9 a.m., but to see them you have to join the crowds on an early-morning motorboat ride. You may be better off exploring the Ica desert, on the mainland, where you can see fossils of birds, like a five-foot-tall penguin, or of prehistoric marine life, like sea sloths and whales. Or head to Nazca to climb Cerro Blanco, one of the world's tallest sand dunes. To visit the desert, book a tour with mining prospector turned guide Roberto Penny Cabrera (011-51/56-23-7373, icadeserttrip.com, two- to three-day tours from $100 for groups of three or four). In Nazca, guide Edmundo Watkin leads dune treks (011-51/56-52-3212, eight-hour group tours from $22). "Anything else we should know?" When you leave, you'll need $30.25 in U.S. currency to pay the airport's international exit tax. Lima has ATMs where you can get U.S. dollars, but you're on your own for the quarter! Unasked-for advice Peru has no shortage of creative cocktails, many made with fresh fruit and pisco, Peru's white brandy. The pisco sour is the old-time favorite, but keep an eye out for sours made with passion fruit, coca leaf, and goldenberry.

What's your best travel tip? Send us your tips, and if we publish one, you'll get a one-year subscription (or a renewal) to Budget Travel. You can e-mail them to us at Tips@BudgetTravel.com. Best Tips Ever The cleverest tips we've ever run are in The Smart Traveler's Passport, available at Amazon.com and better bookstores. Send us a tip: If yours is one that we illustrate, we'll send you a free book (along with a year's subscription). 1. You've got the power My girlfriend and I went to Jamaica during hurricane season, figuring the cheap tickets would be worth the risk. Sure enough, a hurricane hit. Luckily, our resort had a generator, which supplied power throughout the storm, so we still had a wonderful vacation. Now when we plan a trip to a hurricane-prone area, we always ask the hotel if there's a generator on the premises. Christopher Schubert, Staten Island, N.Y. 2. Give 'em your number I've lost my keys twice--once in Miami and once in Orlando--and they were returned to me both times because I had attached a tag with my phone number to the key ring. Each time, the person who found my keys was able to call me right away. Zanifa de Gregory, Orlando, Fla. 3. Make some noise I've discovered a way to drown out traffic and other troublesome sounds that can carry through hotel walls. I turn the TV to a channel with no station, just static, and then I adjust the brightness to darken the screen so there's no light. The white noise of the static lulls me to sleep every time. Roland Calagos, Modesto, Calif. 4. Separation anxiety If you pack electronics in your carry-on, be sure to include all cords, chargers, and adapters in the same bag. When my wife and I went to Africa, we put our cameras in the carry-on, and we packed the cords in our checked baggage. Our bags didn't show up in Tanzania, however, so we had all the equipment but no way to recharge it, and we couldn't find replacements. Andrew Fritz, Somerset, N.J. 5. Call it a playover If you find yourself at Chicago O'Hare with a lengthy layover, consider going to the Hilton there. A day-use fee of $11 gives you access to the gym--including the swimming pool. Or you can get a massage (it's best to schedule this in advance). Erin Caslavka, Carlsbad, Calif. 6. Head-to-toe cleaner My husband and I have found that our leather walking shoes often need to be cleaned while we're traveling. Rather than bringing shoe cleaner, we use makeup-remover pads, which I pack anyway. They do a great job of sprucing up our shoes! Alberta Wallis, Augusta, Ga. 7. Free to roam? When I got my cell phone bill after a cruise last fall, I noticed that I had $28 in roaming charges for making calls on my phone from the ship. Three weeks later, I went on a cruise with a different company and used the same phone. This time, I didn't have to pay any roaming fees. From now on, I'll always check with my cell phone provider to see if it charges any roaming fees for using my phone on board. Diane Bowman, Huntington Beach, Calif. 8. Valuable advice The battery chamber of a good dive light (I like Mini-C) is the perfect place to keep your valuables dry while you're snorkeling or scuba diving. When you take out the batteries, there's just enough room for a credit card, a room key, and a few bills. Anything you store in the compartment will stay dry as far as 300 feet down. P.J. Glanville, Sarasota, Fla. 9. Shed your baggage If you go on a Holland America cruise, see if the ship offers Signature Express Baggage Service. For $15 per person, the company prints your boarding passes the day before disembarkation and transports your luggage directly to your airline the morning of your flight. No worries about baggage check--just go directly to your gate. Jeanette Parker, Lafayette, La. 10. Save your energy Here's a simple way to make sure the batteries in your travel alarm clock always have power: Take the batteries out, place a Band-Aid down the length of each so its two terminals are covered, and put the batteries back in the alarm clock. When you're ready to use the clock, peel off the Band-Aids to expose the terminals. Dawn Yonally, Tahlequah, Okla. 11. Look Ma, no hands! When you travel with infants, you have to stop and feed them from bottles several times a day. That's not always easy when you're also trying to catch a train or keep up with a tour. We discovered that Podee Baby Bottles, which are designed so you don't have to hold them for the baby, allow us to give our girls their bottles while we push them in the stroller. Melissa Bowlen-Macomber, Edgewood, Md. 12. Secret weapon When I nicked myself shaving my legs, I realized that I hadn't brought a styptic pencil with me. I tried putting a little bit of antiperspirant on the cut instead, and sure enough, the bleeding immediately stopped. Jill Huntley, Columbus, Ohio 13. Out with the old If you keep a toiletries bag packed and ready, check the freshness of the items before you leave. While on a recent trip, my deodorant wouldn't roll on because I hadn't used it in months, and the toothpaste had a strange consistency. Robyn Zeiger, Silver Spring, Md. 14. Border bucks Americans who enter Turkey by bus or train need $20 in U.S. currency to pay for a visa at the border. I wasn't aware of this and had to borrow money from someone. Kristin Cruikshank, Columbus, Ohio 15. Find your way by PDA If you have a PDA or a Web-enabled phone, you can access subway and bus directions for Boston, Chicago, Long Island, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., among other places. Go to hopstop.com/pda, choose your location, and enter an intersection or address. The service will tell you the best way to get there using public transportation. Lisa Levine, Hollywood, Calif. 16. Surf for savings Before I go on trips to ski destinations or theme parks, I always check Craigslist and eBay to see if I can find discounted tickets and coupons. I've located some great deals on these sites. Just make sure the tickets or coupons are transferable. Perry Babel, Lakewood, Colo. 17. Wrap star When I travel, I try to look for wrapping paper in regional designs. While in Australia, I found paper with koalas and kangaroos. In Hawaii, I got paper decorated with surfers and hula dancers. And in Wales, I bought paper printed with Welsh love spoons and the Welsh dragon. Gifts for folks back home mean even more when they're wrapped in paper that you can't buy just anywhere. Betsy Rogers, Puyallup, Wash. 18. Middle management When I'm assigned a middle seat on a flight, I always ask the gate agent if I can wait before boarding the plane to see if another passenger doesn't show up in time. Inevitably, a business traveler misses his flight, and I can take his aisle seat. Most gate agents will let me switch before they issue seats to standbys. David Bykowski, Broken Arrow, Okla. 19. Take back the nightclub We were aboard the Golden Princess on a Caribbean cruise and found that the library had limited hours and few chairs. But the ship's nightclub was blessedly empty and quiet during the day. It had comfortable couches, plentiful natural light, and vast ocean views--perfect for reading or an intimate conversation. Stephen Part, Albuquerque, N.M. 20. Doggone easy To make it simpler to pass through airport security with my two dachshunds, I've outfitted them with easy-on, easy-off collars. The plastic clasps open with a pinch, so I can quickly toss the collars (with their metal ID tags) into the bin that goes through the X-ray machine, and then I carry the dogs through the body scanner. This is a great time-saver when the dogs are squirming around in my arms. Jane Jesse, Charleston, W.Va.

Want an Upgrade? Enter here. The upgradees "Our honeymoon in Barcelona will also be Josh's first trip to Europe, so I want it to be very special. Our plans are to do whatever we desire--but we'll definitely be wandering around and admiring the architecture." Noelle McMullen, Reno, Nev. Using our powers for the good of the people Noelle McMullen and Josh Matthews chose to honeymoon in Barcelona because Josh had never been to Europe and Noelle had always wanted to return to see more buildings by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. "I could've taken 800 pictures and spent the whole day at Sagrada Família cathedral and still not have gotten enough of it," she says. Malú Piedrabuena, the director of Casa Batlló, a residence considered to be one of the finest examples of Gaudí's mature style, agreed to give the newlyweds an exclusive tour. Noelle and Josh walked up off-limits staircases and opened windows so large that they have their own pulley system--and when Josh leaned out and waved, passersby stopped and pointed. "Other visitors asked if they could do what we were doing, and Malú said no! It felt awesome," Noelle confesses. The tour ended with a snack of cava and Spanish ham--during which Malú sneaked down to the gift shop to surprise the couple with a model of a Gaudí chair that Noelle had admired. "I have it on my nightstand, so every time I turn off the light, I see it and think, Good night, Gaudí!" Many thanks to... Casa Batlló, a private home that architect Antoni Gaudí transformed in 1904-1906. The building is now open to the public for audio-guide tours (011-34/93-216-03-66, casabatllo.cat, $24).  

New Prize: All-inclusive Panama The best response that we receive between April 19, 2008, and May 13, 2008, wins a five-night trip for two to Panama from Tara Tours. The prize includes round-trip airfare from Miami to Panama City, five nights at the all-inclusive Royal Decameron Beach Resort, Golf, Spa & Casino, airport transfers, all meals and beverages, nonmotorized water sports, gratuities, and more. For more information on Tara Tours: 800/327-0080, taratours.com. How to enter E-mail us at TrueStories@BudgetTravel.com or mail us at True Stories, Budget Travel, 530 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10018. For a complete rundown of the contest guidelines, please see BudgetTravel.com/truestories. This month's winner! This month's winner is Kathy Orr of Edgewater, Md. Her prize: 10 $200 gift certificates from BedandBreakfast.com. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, my husband and I went to Egypt with my brother (right) and his wife. While docked after a boat ride on the Nile, we saw a man thrashing around in the water. "He's teaching himself to swim," said our captain, but it quickly became clear that the man was drowning. My brother dove in and managed to find the man in the murky river. Some locals hauled the man into a nearby boat. He wasn't breathing, so my brother and my husband instructed them to turn the man over to make him expel the water--sure enough, he coughed it up and began breathing. If my brother hadn't been so quick, the man would've died, and no one ever would've known what had happened. You won't find that kind of service on Air Bigfoot Before going to Nepal, I frequently ate at my local Nepalese restaurant to get acclimated to the food. One server gave me a business card and wrote on it the name of his brother-in-law, a Yeti Airlines pilot. "Look for him!" he said. I never thought I'd actually see the man--my flight from Kathmandu to Biratnagar was on Buddha Air--but a change in plans found me boarding a Yeti plane. When the pilot welcomed everyone and said his name, I checked the card. It was him! I notified the flight attendant. The pilot invited me into the cockpit, and he let me sit in the jump seat. He even deviated from the flight plan to give me an amazing sunset view of Mount Everest and the Himalayas. Angie Key, Hummelstown, Pa. Just tell everyone that it's in honor of Britney Spears I flew 29 hours from Boston to Bangkok without getting a wink of sleep. Upon arriving at my hotel, I climbed into the shower and washed my hair so I could finally go to bed. In the interest of saving some time, I decided to multitask and began shaving my legs while waiting for my hair conditioner to take effect. In my delirious state, however, I forgot to set the razor down before rinsing my hair. Only after I had taken several swipes at my scalp did I realize in horror what I was doing. Needless to say, my first purchase in Thailand was a big straw hat. Jessica Wellar, San Francisco, Calif. And even that's worth more than the U.S. dollar In the Swiss Alps, when I took my change from a tollbooth counter, the clerk looked at me strangely. Much later, I realized it was a magnet, not a coin. Then it hit me: I had swiped the magnet that holds down money on windy days. Lynda Scheifele-Jones, Celina, Tex. Welcome to Café Trichinosis I couldn't wait to try authentic tapas while in Spain, so I was excited when my brother and I found a cute little restaurant. The various choices included cho­rizo, stuffed mushrooms, and shrimp. Since neither of us could speak Spanish, we pointed to what we wanted, and the waiter set full plates in front of us. Everything was raw, but the waiter didn't seem to be returning, so we dug in. A few minutes later, our waiter returned, bursting with laughter. He whisked our plates away, made a "loco" sign with his hand, and slid our food onto the grill near the bar. Eventually, he brought new plates of food and even let us sample a few we hadn't ordered. Everything tasted much better once it was cooked. Lindsay Mandeville, Atlanta, Ga. "So I knocked on their door and complimented them" Along the shoreline near Belfast, Maine, I came across a sign stating that the fields were covered in Taraxacum, the wood­lands were infested with Lycopodium clavatum, and that people without protective clothing would be exposed to radiation. Curious, I took a picture and Googled the terms--they were warning against dandelions, ground pine, and the sun. It was a clever ruse to discourage trespassers. Nancy Goslin, Midlothian, Va. Everyone has a type My husband and I spotted a man with a white beard and a round stomach when we boarded the Caribbean Princess. He was the spitting image of Santa Claus. A few moments later, we saw another Santa-shaped fellow sporting a beard. We then entered an elevator, and yet another Santa-esque man joined us. I jokingly asked my husband if there was a convention on board, and the man said there was! The International University of Santa Claus was hosting a seminar at sea. Children on the ship were told that 31 of the 32 Santas were helpers and only one was the real deal. We never did find out which one he was, but I spent all week searching. Joanne Raffel, Newark, Del. "Don't waste your time. It's totally cracked" When my husband and I arrived in Boston, we headed to a visitors center to ask about local attractions. We arrived to find a commotion. "Please say that one more time, sir," said the woman running the booth to a visitor. "I'm not sure everyone in the room heard you." So the man asked loudly, "How do I get to the Liberty Bell?" Lisa Lobdell, High Point, N.C. The Boots: a Japanese horror film to be remade in the U.S. with Sarah Michelle Gellar I frequently travel to Japan on business, and I bring older pieces of clothing and discard them along the way. On one trip, I got rid of a pair of steel-toed shoes in my hotel room's wastebasket. A month later, I was back at the same hotel. A young lady knocked on the door and handed me a package. It contained my old boots, shined to perfection. At the end of my stay, I ditched them again--but this time in a wastebasket at the train station. Don Haller, Douglasville, Ga. Leave the minibar door ajar and no one will get hurt While at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City, I left my purse on the floor when I went to sleep. The next morning, it was surrounded by silver flecks. Then I saw two holes in the purse and remembered that I'd put Hershey's Kisses in the pocket. Something chewed through the fabric and ate the chocolate! Freaked out, I called the manager. "Probably mice," he said matter-of-factly. I got a new room, and I made sure to hang up my purse before I went to bed. Susan Cave, Louisa, Va. A quick rake, and you'll be ready to hit the road After waking up to catch a 7 a.m. flight, my wife, Linda, was dismayed to find that her hairdryer was broken--and she had just washed her hair. She didn't want to risk looking like a wet poodle, and she remembered that a day earlier I had been blowing off the sidewalk with my electric leaf blower, so she had me fetch it. Back in the house, I held the leaf blower at head level while she combed and dried her hair. John Toles, Sycamore, Ill. This little piggy got eaten by an iguana in Aruba I loved feeding the iguanas in Aruba, so after my boyfriend settled into his lounge chair, I sneaked away to get a snack for my dear friends. When I returned, I surrounded his chair with food as people nearby watched and laughed. At least 15 iguanas were soon scurrying around him. Rhoda Chan, Hanover Park, Ill. Finders posers! In Grenada, I left my camera in a cab. Fortunately, my driver had given me his card, so I called to ask if he'd found it--and he had. But when I developed the film, I noticed pictures that weren't mine. The driver's kids (I assume) had played with my camera and taken pictures of each other. I got a peek at a Grenadan home, an unforgettable story from my trip, and some special additions to my photo album. Meredith Peruzzi, Vienna, Va. Prize Report Steve Hall won a seven-night stay at the all-inclusive Riu Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for his story about dressing up as the cast of Gilligan's Island on a cruise. "Everything was flawless," says Steve. "The boys enjoyed building sand castles, while my wife and I appreciated the wonderful service, including the daily restocking of our minibar! We really had a fabulous week."