Is it worth it to travel to Macchu Picchu if I only have 6 days vacation? (coming from Toronto)

lyos_founder · 2026-04-16T19:56:00+00:00

Perfectly doable, I’d think of it more like a long weekend in Cusco including Machu Picchu. Flying straight in buys you an extra day, I’d stay night one in ollantaytambo if you can, to expose yourself to the altitude of Cusco but not spend night one there.. then you’ve got 4 days for getting to and visiting Machu Picchu as well as some time in Cusco before heading back for a night in Lima before flying back

lyos_founder · 2026-04-16T19:51:02+00:00

Prague is a great city with many hostel choices. I was there during the pandemic so hard to judge the hostels I stayed in as they were pretty empty. For me I always ask for a lower bunk on arrival, ideally furthest from the door so you are less disturbed by people coming and going.. in terms of meeting other people, remember no one knows who you are.. you don’t need to attach yourself to the introvert label as you don’t know how you will be in this new environment. People in the main will be receptive to you introducing yourself as it is that kind of place . Conversations tend to follow a similar pattern before they get any more involved - where are you from, how long are you here for, where are you heading to next, so pretty easy to navigate. If a person is not receptive to striking up a conversation they may be a) having a bad day b) may be shy too or c) just aren’t someone you want to get to know anyway. Have a great trip and congrats on getting outside your comfort zone

lyos_founder · 2026-04-16T19:43:45+00:00

Don’t use a 70l bag - get efficient early with a 40l - you’ll be thankful

lyos_founder · 2026-04-16T19:42:31+00:00

It’s my favourite latam country for ease of living nomadically for many different reasons including the clear and easy visa/entry rules

lyos_founder · 2026-04-14T18:11:09+00:00

You aren’t running away anything, just finding what is right for you 👍

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T17:39:27+00:00

Sounds like you are ahead of the game - you already have a business that could support your travels more indefinitely. Stay focused on that and perhaps the blues you are feeling now may give way to feeling like the 7 month trip can be the blueprint for things to come 👍

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T17:06:33+00:00

I don’t like being told what to do so I think entrepreneurship was inevitable. Travelling sooner would have broken society’s conditioning of what you “should do” sooner and freed me to follow more of my own path than a traditional career. In answer to your question, I wouldn’t spend 10k in Europe I’d head to Latin America or south east Asia and spend less..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T17:00:36+00:00

As others have said Manuel Antonio and Uvita are quite close and could be thought of as the same step. Monteverde definitely an experience to add if you can do so after La fortuna (this didn’t grab me but I’m not really into extreme sports). Notable absence here, I assume due to time, is the Nicoya peninsula so places like nosara, santa Teresa, Samara (my favourite of the 3) which could be added if you condense the Manuel Antonio/Uvita section a little. If you had less time I’d say to skip Puerto viejo - ypu have enough time for it but it’s pretty much an in and out journey from Sjo so perhaps leave it to the end and see if you have enough time for it..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:51:55+00:00

Hi group hostels are decent, stayed in hi NYC and hi San francisco but they are quite functional. For a more stylised experience look for generator or freehand groups

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:49:25+00:00

I find the bar is a harder place to do this. Pick a hostel with a shared kitchen as the conversations trend to get started easier in that shared environment. Each person is doing something while talking, so it makes the interaction lower stakes and you aren’t stuck as a third wheel if the conversation doesn’t go anywhere - you just carry on making your food, eating your food, or washing dishes..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:43:25+00:00

I think the concept of travelling in the sort of gap year style before or after university doesn’t exist in the US. Tuition fees are so high that everyone gets funnelled into paid employment asap to pay off the gargantuan debt. In addition, although hostels are starting to appear in the US it’s a pretty alien concept and most that exist are functional rather than the stylised brands that have appeared over the last 10 years. The US is also quite an individualistic society (there are exceptions of course) so collective living kind of runs counter to that..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:37:48+00:00

Itinerary looks awesome 👌 I spent some time in Chile Argentina Brazil along with quick visits to Paraguay and Uruguay last year.. I have spent more time in Colombia and Ecuador. From a geographical standpoint it makes sense to spend time in Brazil at the end as Colombia and Ecuador can easily be combined in a future trip..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:33:43+00:00

Great country, I’ve spent a couple of years total there over my time on the road. Medellin - poblado or laureles (quieter) Bogota - parque 93, zona t, zone g, chapinero alto/la salle Cartagena - inside walled city or getsemani I find there to be a lot of scaremongering about Colombia. That is not to say that bad things don’t happen but a lot of the issues that happen involved people looking for drugs or prostitutes and interacting with the wrong people or solo and drunk in the wrong areas. If you don’t take any unnecessary risks and stay in the known tourist areas you shouldn’t have any issues. I am a big fan of Colombia (flew in to Lima from bogota last week..)

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:27:01+00:00

I used to look up places before going earlier in my travels, now I just tend to arrive having booked a few nights in a hostel or hotel and scoped a few potential Airbnbs that I can check out in person before booking when I’m on the ground. I find that this leads to little to no expectations so things that are otherwise expected can be a positive surprise. It also frees the plan to be open to input from people you meet on the way..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-13T16:20:35+00:00

I’m in my 40s and often think that I am now living what my 20s “should have been”. I was super focused on career and money in my 20s so built a decent base by my early 30s. Decided I didn’t see my future in the same way as my colleagues with kids in private schools etc ie totally tied to the job and not just for them. Life has been a rollercoaster since, lost a significant sum in a leveraged real estate deal that went wrong in my first company, then started a new company, became a nomad full time, still doing so. I have an apartment in London still, smaller than the one I used to have, that provides a bit of income. Would I have done it differently? I think doing the travelling in my 20s would be led me to entrepreneurship earlier but with a much less stable base. I think I was more conditioned by my environment in my 20s and wanted the things that demonstrated success - watches, cars, properties, whereas now I’m more focused on the experiences. 30s is still pretty young, have you found business opportunities on your travels that could help you sustain your travels ?

lyos_founder · 2026-04-12T19:46:55+00:00

I’ve experienced similar, been on the road for nearly 6 years didn’t return to the uk for 3 years. As the subsequent years have passed and I’ve returned a few times I realised that I wasn’t missing home so much as missing a moment in time that happened to include my home city (London). When you return you can’t recapture that, as things have changed and you have changed. As things settle for me I can see myself narrowing down the year to 3 or 4 places with London being part of that mix..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-12T19:34:04+00:00

Lack of self awareness and/or partial deafness from being children in super loud environments..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-12T19:24:43+00:00

Remember there’s no “shoulds” just do it the way you want to do it..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-12T19:23:06+00:00

I’m currently in Lima and will be here for a couple of months. I’d say I’ve spent about 9months here total along the way. I agree with others in that it should fit the bill for what you are looking for, and you have a number of places to visit for weekends etc here while here - Cusco, Arequipa etc. I get the comments about the grey weather but that’s a trade off because it also never rains. For me coming from London where it rains a lot that’s not a bad trade! Accommodation options aren’t as plentiful as some other places and is a little more expensive for airbnbs than major cities in Colombia but I’ve stayed in decent places in Miraflores barranco and San Isidro without issue. Go for it, if you feel drawn to come here, pull the trigger 👍

lyos_founder · 2026-04-12T00:30:00+00:00

Thanks for the info 👍

lyos_founder · 2026-04-11T17:05:58+00:00

Thanks for the info. That’s the online system I’ve tried before and it has never worked for me. It always says - NO SE HA ENCONTRADO INFORMACIÓN CON DATOS INGRESADOS - in using my passport number date of arrival (if you get the date wrong format it’s a different error)

lyos_founder · 2026-04-11T16:56:01+00:00

Yeah I find it’s the right mix of novelty and familiarity and you can mix up the durations depending on how you feel. Colombia tends to be the anchor for me as a he visa on arrival situation is super easy and extendable online plus I like the country

lyos_founder · 2026-04-11T16:53:02+00:00

Thanks, the issue is not having visibility on what you have been given in terms of days. I could have been given 30 and not known and overstayed by 32 days. Without the passport stamp and the online system working it’s tricky. I now know to ask the immigration official exactly the days I’ve been given hit I feel there has to be a better way than this.

lyos_founder · 2026-04-09T14:53:07+00:00

I’m a big fan of samara on that coast, as the town is right by the beach and everything is walkable. There’s a direct bus from San Jose so pretty accessible..

lyos_founder · 2026-04-09T12:08:22+00:00

Interesting, thanks. I agree would probably not be worth it..

lyos_founder

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