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How to Book a Trip to Peru Without Draining Your Savings

How to · Travel

How to Book a Trip to Peru Without Draining Your Savings

A practical plan for timing a Peru trip, budgeting the real costs, and paying it off over 15 months.

VoAtlas editorial Updated · 3 min read
Typical cost $720 before anything else
Across the 0% window $48.00/mo 15 months, no interest

How we got that: $720 spread evenly across the 15-month introductory window on the Discover it® Cash Back. Checked · at the bank Carry a balance past the window and the standard APR applies to what is left.

Peru runs on a strange calendar. The Andean dry season, May through September, is when the skies over Cusco and the Sacred Valley finally clear, the Inca Trail opens properly, and condors ride the thermals above Colca Canyon. You trade that for busier trails, colder nights at altitude, and prices that climb the closer you get to July. It's still the right call for most first-timers — Machu Picchu in March rain is a soggy gamble.

A two-week trip from the US typically lands around $720 once you count flights, a mid-range hostel or guesthouse, the Cusco tourist ticket, and enough meals to not live on instant ramen. Below, the playbook for stretching that across a year and a half of breathing room.

The honest version: 0% intro APR is a deadline, not a discount. If $720 is still on the balance after month 15, the remaining amount starts collecting interest at the regular purchase APR, which can easily be 20% or higher. Pay it off in full before the window closes, or front-load extra payments in the final months.

The steps

  1. 01

    Pick your dates inside the dry window

    Aim for May, early June, or September if you want thinner crowds and slightly cooler air. July and August are peak season, which means higher Lima flight prices and sold-out Cusco hostels. Book domestic legs, like Lima to Cusco, separately so you can pick cheaper flight times.

  2. 02

    Lock down the big two early

    Flights from the US to Lima and your first three nights of accommodation should be reserved at least three months out. Everything else — the Sacred Valley day tour, the train to Aguas Calientes, the Colca Canyon trek — can be sorted in Lima or Cusco once you've recovered from jet lag. Going flexible here is how people overspend.

  3. 03

    Put the trip on the 0% intro APR card

    Charge the $720 to your Discover it Cash Back during the 15-month intro window on purchases. If you spread the balance evenly across those 15 months, you're looking at about $48 a month. No interest accrues as long as the full balance is paid off before month 15 ends.

  4. 04

    Build a buffer for the stuff the budget forgets

    That $720 figure assumes you'll eat like a normal person, drink tap water that's actually safe, and skip the $80 alpaca sweater. Add a 15% buffer for airport transfers, SIM cards, tipping on tours, and the altitude-medicine pharmacy stop in Lima. Keep it on the same card so it stays inside the same window.

  5. 05

    Set a payoff reminder before month 14

    Put a calendar alert one month before the intro period closes. Anything still on the balance after that starts accruing interest at the card's regular purchase APR, and the standard rate will be a lot worse than the 0% you started with. If the trip ballooned past $720, pay it down aggressively in months 13 and 14.

  6. 06

    Check the card terms before you commit

    Every figure we publish for the Discover it® Cash Back carries the date a person verified it against Discover and a link to where they checked. Intro windows and APRs change without notice, so confirm the current terms before applying.

    See Discover it® Cash Back terms →

Common questions

Is $720 realistic for two weeks in Peru?

It's realistic if you stay in mid-range hostels, eat at set-menu lunch spots, and book the standard Machu Picchu route through a Cusco agency. Skip the luxury train, the high-end Sacred Valley hotels, and most guided treks and the number holds. Add it up the way you'd actually spend and you may land closer to $900.

Do I need to pay the full $720 before the trip?

No. The whole point of the 0% intro period is that you can charge the trip now and pay it back over time. Just know that the trip happens on the front end and the payments happen on the back end, so make sure you can cover both.

What happens if I miss a payment during the intro window?

Discover can end the 0% intro period early if you miss a payment or pay late. That means any remaining balance starts accruing interest at the regular purchase APR, and the deal you signed up for disappears. Autopay is your friend here.

Can I use the 5% cash back categories on travel charges?

Discover it Cash Back rotates 5% categories each quarter, and travel isn't always one of them. Check the current quarterly calendar before charging your flights or hostels. The default 1% on everything else still applies on non-category purchases.