Day 1 — Who is Vidal?

Friday — April 3

I’ve made several references to Vidal, so let me take a minute to introduce him. Vidal Jaquehua is the founder and manager of Adventure Holidays Perú, the small Cusco-based company with which we made all of the arrangements for our trip.

We had the good luck of meeting Vidal at the Adventures in Travel Expo in Washington DC in March 2008. We were immediately charmed by his friendly demeanor. When he spoke of the experiences awaiting us in Perú, his eyes shined with enthusiasm. The glowing recommendation two of his former clients gave us while we were visiting Vidal’s expo booth was all the encouragement we needed to ask him for an itinerary/quote.

Although we did get itineraries/quotes from other companies as well — some small, some big; some Perú-based, some US- or UK-based — we quickly concluded that we wanted to work with Vidal to organize this trip. His willingness to listen to what we wanted, offer suggestions, and prepare an itinerary for a trip that matched “our” travel style were the determining factors in our decision. That he gave us a good price was a factor as well, but was not nearly as important as his flexibility and promptness in responding to us throughout the planning phase of this trip.

If I were to say that “We would highly recommend Vidal’s services” now, you might counter with, “But, he hasn’t even guided you yet.” True. However, I have first hand information from another couple who used his services in February and from the two women he guided on the Inca Trail (he is a licensed guide). I have no reason to suspect that our experience will be any less “wonderful” than theirs was. That said — I’ll wait to give my official endorsement after we conclude our trip.

Vidal and Mui enjoying lunch at Yaku Mama's Grill located on Plaza de Armas in Cusco.

Next Up: Day 1 — A Stroll in Cusco

Vidal at the 2010 Adventures in Travel Expo

Saturday — March 6, 2010

We attended our first Adventures in Travel Expo in 2008. In fact, that’s where we met Vidal Jaquehua, the owner of Adventure Holidays Peru (now Adios Adventure Travel), a Cusco-based travel company. If you've read the earlier posts in this blog, you know that Vidal helped us put together a custom trip to Peru and we had a wonderful two weeks in April 2009, touring Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca in his company. He started out being our guide; by the time we left Peru, he had become a dear friend.

To be honest, the expo was disappointing when we went again in 2009, so we had no plans to go this year. Until, that is, we learned that Vidal was going to be participating in the event.

At his booth, Vidal answers questions posed by prospective travelers.

Vidal joins me in front of the poster of one of the photographs I took at Machu Picchu in April 2009.
(the cardigan I’m wearing is from the Chinchero market)

Assisted by his associate, Jacquie, Vidal plays the flute on the cultural stage.

Even though this year's expo was just as disappointing as the one in 2009, we had a great reunion with Vidal, and for that reason, the time we spent there was well worth it.

Next Up: Virtual Trip to Perú — Videos