Picture with Llama infront of HotelOur Trip to Peru started at 9 a.m. from our residence in Yorktown, VA. We were driving to and departing from Dulles / Regan Airport in Washington DC. The drive was approximately 2 ½ hours and pretty uneventful except for a car that lost its tire and was rolling down Interstate 95, thankfully no one was hurt. This was our first trip to Dulles Airport and was not an easy navigation to get to the parking garage. Our GPS system malfunctioned and advised us to get off I-95 two exits early just to have us make "the next legal U-turn” and get right back on I-95. It also had us driving in Iceland. I was thinking ahead so I printed off the directions from Map Quest; sweet move on my part. The economy lot (long-term parking) was full so we had to park in the daily garage; I knew this would end up costing big $. Once we got inside the terminal I went to Brookstone to purchase two additional TSA locks for our suitcase; cost for the locks was $20. I didn’t know this, but if you use TSA locks on your luggage you don’t have to unlock your bags before checking them for screening because the TSA agents have a special key to unlock any TSA locks; don’t know if that’s good or bad, but who cares, I checked it in anyway. The check-in was smooth at the American Airline counter. I was told by the ticket agent that our baggage was checked in all the way to Cusco, Peru, so I hope they get there! The flight from Dulles to Miami was about 2 ½ hours with no problems. The layover in Miami was long. We arrived at 7:30 p.m. and our departure was at 11:55 p.m. Dinner in the airport was at Fuddruckers. Our flight was delayed 1 hour until 1 a.m. The real reason for the delay was Lima doesn't change their clocks for daylight savings time, so in actuality we arrived in Lima at our scheduled time and LAN Airline stayed on schedule. Several other groups of Americans were also waiting at the gate to board this flight to Lima.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
1 month ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
2 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.