Join Global Family Travels and global educator and trip Leader Vicki Weeks for an incredible journey to explore the culture and society of contemporary Peru, and work side-by-side in the Sacred Valley with a rural Andean community to support women artisans and their local businesses.
Peru's civilization is the oldest in South America and although it is well known for being the heart of the Inca Empire, the country was also home to many diverse indigenous cultures long before the Incas arrived. On this 9-day trip to Peru, you will learn about the ancient history of the Sacred Valley and be welcomed by the diverse Peruvian people who take pride in offering incredible services and experiences to visitors that include traditional foods, celebrations and festivals.
With an emphasis on development, this tour focuses on improving living conditions in Peru. We have incorporated learning sessions focusing on pertinent development theories which will help travelers understand how Awamaki, our partner, approaches development in their work with female artisans.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS are below, click on ITINERARY to see all the details.
With the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), the health and safety of Global Family Travels’ travelers, community partners, colleagues and guides are of paramount importance to us. Our COVID-19 Safety Protocols, which can be found under Tasks section, outlines our commitment to mitigate and manage the risks associated with COVID-19 when you travel with us. You can find more detailed information on our website COVID-19 and Travel, and please also refer to the tasks which has specific details for your activity and destination.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about these protocols or your tour. Thank you for helping to keep yourself and fellow travelers and guides safe!
Much more than a traditional tour operator, Global Family Travels’ mission is to “Learn, Serve and Immerse” through community-based travel programs. In partnership with non-profit organizations and schools, we offer family-friendly and sustainable travel experiences in support of education, gender equality, access to clean water, preservation of local cultures, conservation and economic growth, all of which foster cross-cultural understanding and global citizens.
Our trips include a unique mix of cultural and educational activities, homestays and participation in local service projects aimed at improving the lives of people in the communities we visit.
Expect to expand your family circle when you embark on a Global Family Travels trip! Visit our website for more information: Global Family Travels
Global Family Travels is partnering with Awamaki, a Peruvian non-profit organization that works with rural women to empower them with skills-based education and connect them with access to the market so they can earn an income, support their families, and help transform their communities. Awamaki does this through women’s artisanal fair-trade crafts cooperatives and sustainable tourism.
Awamaki works with nearly 140 women in 5 communities. Learn more about Awamaki here: http://awamaki.org/
Vicki Weeks, through her company Global Weeks, collaborates with schools and other organizations to develop meaningful global and experiential education programs and strategies that foster empathy, perspective, and intercultural skills. She has dedicated her 40-year career in education to helping people meet, work and play together as a means of increasing understanding and compassion. She spent 13 years at Lakeside School, where she developed and ran a robust global service learning program in 10 sites with pre- and post-trip activities. She believes hope for our planet lies in people's ability to embrace difference while celebrating that which unites us. You can learn more about her work at www.global-weeks.com.
At Global Family Travels, we believe that the most powerful way to learn is through first-hand experience. We let the country and its people be your teachers. We supplement your experience with reading lists, informal discussions, and a pre-trip orientation which includes information on the culture and history of your host country, helpful words and phrases and cultural “do’s and don’ts.”
Learning themes and experiences unique to this tour include:
• The Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
• Learn about economic development theory and understand firsthand how Awamaki applies them to their community work; and
• Experience the Patacancha indigenous culture and traditional weaving.
• Learn firsthand about ancient Quechua culture by participating in a rural homestay with a local Quechua family and enjoy a hike with them to the highland lake deemed sacred by the local people
Our service project, facilitated by Awamaki, allows you to give back to the community that hosts you and teaches you. Awamaki is building a center so that the women have a space from which to run their business. Currently, they store materials, equipment and inventory divided among the homes of all the women. They don’t have a dedicated space to work, meet or hold trainings. The center will give them this space. It will also give them a storefront so they can sell directly to tourists. The center will help launch them from a loose association of artisans to a successful business capable of engaging directly with global markets.
In the Andes, traditional, low-tech building methods are used and our service project will include the use of tools such as picks, shovels, hammers and wheelbarrows to help this community build the center. On the service project site, our tasks could include the following:
• Move gravel in a wheelbarrow
• Dig a ditch or hole for a foundation
• Pass rocks in a line
• Lay rocks or concrete blocks to make a wall
• Mix adobe mud for wall stucco
• Stucco, plaster or paint walls
• Strip bark off logs
• Manually mixing concrete
While on the trip, we will be immersed through the service project, working alongside the members of the community in the various building tasks, playing with the local children, or helping out in the kitchen learning how to prepare traditional Peruvian lunch dishes. We will eat lunch in the service community, immersing ourselves in the local culture, foods, and living spaces. We will also spend two nights with a host family, living as they do, helping to prepare meals and participating in the daily routine of the house. You might be asked to help feed the animals, or gather plantains from their backyard. We will have the opportunity to practice our Spanish, create relationships with people from a different culture, and experience global issues in a way that changes how we think and act when we return home.
Day 1: Arrive Lima early morning, and connect on a flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to Ollantaytambo (Ollanta). After lunch and some rest, we will spend the afternoon learning about Awamaki and take part in a risk management talk and scavenger hunt. Dinner at hotel.
Day 2: After breakfast, enjoy an interactive Spanish Walking Tour, learning a few phrases. After lunch, we will enjoy a woodworking or basket-weaving activity, and a visit from a Quechua children’s books author. Dinner at hotel.
Day 3: Early morning transfer to to Quechua village, Patacancha where will will enjoy a weaving demonstration, have lunch in weaver's home and learn about Quechua life. Return to Ollanta and meet our homestay families. First development discussion and dinner and homestay with families.
Days 4-5: Same schedule for next two days: After breakfast with families, we will work on service project with Awamaki staff and community. Lunch with families or in community. Afternoon community service continues, and dinner with homestay families.
Day 6: After breakfast, we will have our second development discussion, we will enjoy a farewell lunch with our homestay families and an afternoon visit to Kusak School.
Day 7: After an early breakfast, we will take a train/bus to Machu Picchu, and have the opportunity to hike around the ruins. Dinner back at a restaurant in Ollanta.
Day 8: Spend the morning packing and rest. Later, enjoy a host family celebration and traditional earth oven lunch. Later depart for Cusco and overnight there
Day 9: Breakfast at hotel, and leisurely morning before flying out later in the day. Enjoy some time to explore the Inca capital and important historical sights before departing for airport for flight to Lima.
Evening flight back to U.S.
Day 1: Arrive Lima early morning, and connect on a flight to Cusco. Upon arrival, transfer to Ollantaytambo (Ollanta). After lunch and some rest, we will spend the afternoon learning about Awamaki and take part in a risk management talk and scavenger hunt. Dinner at hotel.
Day 2: After breakfast, enjoy an interactive Spanish Walking Tour, learning a few phrases. After lunch, we will enjoy a woodworking or basket-weaving activity, and a visit from a Quechua children’s books author. Dinner at hotel.
Day 3: Early morning transfer to to Quechua village, Patacancha where will will enjoy a weaving demonstration, have lunch in weaver's home and learn about Quechua life. Return to Ollanta and meet our homestay families. First development discussion and dinner and homestay with families.
Days 4-5: Same schedule for next two days: After breakfast with families, we will work on service project with Awamaki staff and community. Lunch with families or in community. Afternoon community service continues, and dinner with homestay families.
Day 6: After breakfast, we will have our second development discussion, we will enjoy a farewell lunch with our homestay families and an afternoon visit to Kusak School.
Day 7: After an early breakfast, we will take a train/bus to Machu Picchu, and have the opportunity to hike around the ruins. Dinner back at a restaurant in Ollanta.
Day 8: Spend the morning packing and rest. Later, enjoy a host family celebration and traditional earth oven lunch. Later depart for Cusco and overnight there
Day 9: Breakfast at hotel, and leisurely morning before flying out later in the day. Enjoy some time to explore the Inca capital and important historical sights before departing for airport for flight to Lima.
Evening flight back to U.S.
Cusco, Peru 
.JPG?fit=crop&crop=entropy&h=45&w=45&auto=format)
