Finding more than just Paddington Bear
I was 33 when I finally stopped waiting for someone else to travel with me and booked a trip to Peru on my own.
After my 33rd birthday, I found myself endlessly Googling Peru. Photos of ancient ruins, colourful markets and dramatic mountain landscapes kept pulling me in. I started loosely planning how I could make it happen myself. Flights, routes, logistics… and suddenly it all started to feel like a lot.
That’s when I stumbled across the Contiki website and their Peruvian Highlights tour. Almost everything I wanted to see was already there, mapped out.
Still, I hesitated.
Was I too old? Would everyone be younger? Was it strange to go alone?
Eventually I messgaed the Contiki help desk and asked the question that had been circling in my head: Was 33 or 34 too old? When they reassured me that it absolutely wasn’t, I paid the deposit.
Almost immediately I had a second thought: Why had it taken me so long?
The honest answer? I’d been waiting for friends to be ready.
For years I hoped someone would say yes to doing Peru with me. But life gets busy. People have partners, different priorities, different schedules. I’m single, and that’s okay, but it also meant that if I kept waiting, I might never go.
So I stopped waiting.
I had travelled alone before, but usually to visit friends living abroad in places like Italy or the USA. This was different. This time I was joining a group of complete strangers on an organised tour.
It felt exciting, slightly terrifying… and completely liberating all at once.
One of the moments that perfectly summed up the group dynamic happened while we were in the Amazon jungle, sitting around the dinner table one evening. The conversation quickly turned to the looming challenge ahead of us: altitude sickness in Cusco.
People compared notes about tablets, remedies and survival strategies for being nearly 3,400 metres above sea level. Some travellers were fully prepared with medication.
But one other traveller and I decided we were going to take a different approach.
We kept joking that we were simply “built different.”
Our highly scientific plan? Self-medicate with three litres of water, coffee, chocolate and plenty of coca tea.
And honestly… it worked.
Well, mostly.
Yes, the stairs were hard. But to be fair, they were hard for everyone. If anything, the experience proved how powerful mind over matter can be when travelling somewhere completely new.
At that point we’d only known each other a couple of days, but already we were swapping travel stories, debating altitude strategies and passing around chocolate like it was essential medical equipment.
But the trip wasn’t just about the places.
It was about the people.
Our group was small, which meant we bonded quickly. What started as a group of strangers soon became a group of friends exploring one of the most incredible places on earth together. We’ve all stayed in touch and even follow each other on Find My Friends now, which still makes me laugh.
Travel has a funny way of reminding you that you’re never really alone in the world.
Yes, I’m single, but I’m not lost on my journey. I’m just running a little late… or maybe I’m simply taking the scenic route.
Because sometimes the best adventures start the moment you stop waiting, and just book the trip.
The moment that made me fall completely in love with the trip came when we were travelling up the winding mountain road toward Machu Picchu.
Our bus climbed higher and higher, weaving through the mountains as clouds drifted past the windows and valleys opened far below us. It felt surreal, like we were slowly rising into another world.
Then we reached the top and continued on foot.
When the ancient city of Machu Picchu appeared through the mist, everything went quiet. It was one of those rare moments where you simply stop and take a breath.
Standing there, looking across the stone terraces and ancient walls, it’s impossible not to wonder about the people who once lived there. How they built it. How it survived for centuries hidden among the mountains. The mystery surrounding the ancient civilisations of this region only adds to the magic.
