By Renato Romero

Due to the Covid pandemic, I went back to Peru with my wife and two kids (eight and two years old) after two years and half. Whenever I travel to Peru, I get very excited and plan my itinerary in advance, but this time was different. Our flight from LAX to Lima was scheduled to depart on December 22 and three weeks earlier the first cases of Omicron were reported in the United States and this only added anxiety to a trip that I only wanted to be a great experience for my kids. My main concern was related to how contagious this variant would be and if Peru or the US would have strict restricts to enter either country.

For this trip to Peru, I made a list of tasks where the most important ones were research about the travel restrictions to enter each country, buy KN95 masks for the four of us, make sure that the apartment I had rented for our stay in Peru was still available and paid, and most importantly avoid that my family didn’t get COVID before traveling and during our stay in Peru.  In the next lines, I outline how I prepare for each flight.

Guide to travel to Peru:

As I said before, this trip to Peru was different to all the other times I traveled to Peru in the past, and I found myself constantly reading the guidelines established by the Peruvian government to enter Peru and move around Lima (my only destination for this trip).  My anxiety continued to grow as Omicron started to quickly spread and cases continued to grow steadily. Despite of this, I will outline below how is that my family and I prepared to travel to Peru during the holidays.

• My passport was going to expire on June 2022; therefore, immigrations in Peru would have rejected me from entering the country since a passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date the traveler will exit Peru. Keeping this mind, I renewed my passport back in August.
• I booked travel insurance just in case any of us got COVID before traveling or while traveling so our travel investment was protected. Most credit cards include travel insurance for some items, but the majority of them do not cover COVID related issues.

• While reading the COVID related requirements to enter Peru, and I found out that travelers twelve years and above must have all vaccines completed fourteen days prior to departure date or provide a negative PCR test which must be done at least 72 hours before the boarding time. In our case my wife, older kid and I were fully vaccinated, and we didn’t need to take a PCR test, but we all four got tested anyway just for peace of mind. I also learnt that the Peruvian government has established as a requirement that all businesses and public indoor spaces ask for proof of vaccination to enter; therefore, travelers must carry one of them (this doesn’t apply to kids below 12 years old). Finally, I learnt that there was a curfew between 1am and 4am, and nobody is allowed to transit during this time unless a government permit is carried (this curfew changes based constantly and travelers must be aware of it in each region).
• I purchased KN95 masks for all of us since this is a requirement for the flight and to go out in Peru. If a KN95 mask is not available, a double mask is required.
• I rented a car so we didn’t have to use public transportation or hire taxis.
• The day before entering Peru, I completed an affidavit form in a Peruvian governmental site since it is a requirement to enter Peru. I filled out the form online for all four of us (one at a time) and save the PDFs in my iphone.

Once in Peru, everything was different. The Jorge Chavez airport in Lima was pretty much empty and we went through immigrations fairly quick. I noticed that the duty free store was closed and this was bizarre. After leaving the airport, we went to beach where we spent most of our time with my parents, my brother and his kids. The car rental was great since it allowed us to go to Miraflores, Larcomar and supermarkets. We took all necessary precautions while in Peru and my kids had a blast.

When the time to go back home arrived, we took a PCR test in Lima the morning our flight would be departing since the US requires a PCR test 24 hours before boarding time. Once at the airport, I learnt that I also had to fill out an affidavit form which I was not aware of. It was not a big problem since a LATAM agent gave me the forms.

Now that I am back in California, I can say that all the anxiety I had before going to Peru was unnecessary. If you are planning a trip to Peru, all you need to do is stay informed and follow protocols. If you do this, you will have a safe trip and enjoy a great adventure keeping in mind that you will be beating the pre-pandemic crowds (Machu Picchu has never been as little visited as it is nowadays).