Safety, health and organisation in Trek!Peru	Go back
The guide gives a great deal of space to briefing notes: on what to take on trek and how to trek; on how prepare for a motoring holiday, and what precautions to take; on health maintenance and the management of emergencies, on moving money around and on what you can expect to be able to buy en route. We also give prominence on how to get along with local people. The peoples who live in the Andes have had a difficult history, and their relationship to the outside world is a somewhat delicate one. We show you how to understand these cultures and what you should do to fit in; and what you should absolutely not do. Other sections - on history, on society, on religion - go into the underpinnings of this in much greater depth. One gets hugely much more from a visit if one understands something of what is going on: how lives are lived, power deployed, hope fulfilled.

Peru has its own dangers, mostly overplayed by the media but which are nonetheless important for you to understand. We believe that many of these dangers are easily avoided through understanding, and by presenting yourself properly. We discuss the drug scene and how to avoid entrapment in it. We also explain the various kinds of security agency that operate, and how any contact with these is best managed.

We are also keen to help our clients think about different modes of traveling. To this end, we help you define your options by setting up a contrast between the amount of time and money you want to commit and the degree of planning or spontaneity that you want to have in your travel. This brings us to various modes of travel, each with its advantages and limitations. We offer a great deal of general advice on 'finding your focus' - on defining for yourself what you want to achieve, and what it would take to achieve it - so that you do not fall into the common trap of over-extending yourself in the huge spaces and very specific social setting that is Peru.

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