Peru

The influence of Inca and Quechua culture is visible everywhere in Peru—from the language still spoken in rural areas to the traditional clothing and symbols on display in towns and cities. But alongside this genuine cultural presence is a more curated version, crafted for tourists. In many places, Quechua women dress in traditional outfits and pose with llamas or alpacas—for a fee. It’s a striking mix of heritage and hustle: part preservation, part performance. Whether it feels authentic or opportunistic often depends on the moment—and your perspective.

We’ve always been pretty strict about car safety. Our kids were in car seats until practically high school (okay, slight exaggeration—but only slight). So for us, wearing a seat belt is basic, non-negotiable safety protocol.

That’s why it was so surprising to find that in many of the places we visited in Peru—including major cities like Lima—seat belts were either missing, broken, or buried somewhere completely inaccessible. It felt shocking in this day and age. I don’t know if it’s a widely accepted norm, a regional quirk, or if we just had incredibly bad luck with Ubers, taxis and vans —but it was definitely noticeable.

Few things are more frustrating than spotting a mouthwatering dish on a restaurant menu—only to discover that either (a) they don’t actually serve that item, or (b) what arrives at your table looks nothing like the photo. This happened to us countless times in Peru. After being duped several times, I finally realized: the photos on the menus aren’t really tied to what the restaurant offers. They're just advertisements—aspirational, stylized suggestions rather than promises of what's actually coming out of the kitchen.