Although we’ve been married for nearly three months, the giddiness of our wedding day returns the moment my husband, Cory, and I pass through security at New Jersey’s Newark International Airport. After nearly a year of planning, we are officially on our honeymoon! And not a moment too soon. Before the wedding Cory and I scoffed at …

Booking the “Amazon Extension” was a spur-of-the-moment decision primarily motivated by our shared desire to see monkeys in the wild. (Honestly. And whenever we’d mention our trip, people would ask about the monkeys. I think it’s a universal fascination.) I’d never been to a rainforest before, so about six weeks …

We’ve been at the Lodge less than 24 hours and already we feel like pros. The routine is easy to master: pre-dawn outing, breakfast, free time, late morning outing, lunch, more free time, evening outing and dinner. It’s a bit like summer camp for grown-ups, and our favorite time of day is right after lunch when we can cozy up on the …

Today was the earliest morning of them all – a 4am wake-up call for bird watching! We’re all so sleepy that we barely speak as Saul paddles us to land, but once we reach solid ground Paulina leaps into action, leading us in and out of the trees until we find the remote clearings were the birds start their day. It’s an amazing …

I’m slightly apprehensive as we land in Cusco. Even though we’ve only been on the ground for a short time, I can already sense the abrupt change in sea level. And although Cory was able to pack prescription pills to help soothe any symptoms of altitude sickness, I’m allergic to the medication and have to rely on alternative …

I have been looking forward to this day since we booked the trip – whitewater rafting! Cory seems to have recovered fully, and we both have a good laugh recounting the night’s (mis)adventures to Juan when he picks us up at the hotel. The drive to the Sacred Valley is gorgeous, and I’m thrilled when we arrive at the launch pad …

One of the reasons Cory and I chose the multi-sport tour was because it includes a little bit of everything. We wanted to relax on our honeymoon, to be sure, but we also wanted to explore, get a little dirty and have some adventures. Well, let’s just say we got all that and more the first day we set off to camp.

Today we begin with a …

The morning of our second camping day begins with a hike where I learn a very important lesson: even though you are wearing pants, you should still put bug spray on your legs. I’ve been skimping on this step lately because one benefit of the altitude is that you don’t encounter as many mosquitoes, but our hike this morning drives the …

One of the (many) benefits we’ve found in traveling with a private guide is the flexibility of changing plans to better accommodate our interests and schedule. Cory and I were supposed to spend the day hiking and then take an early evening train that would deliver us to Aguas Calientes, the town at the foot of Machu Picchu, around 8pm. …