Training (at the last minute) to hike Machu Picchu

In about a month, I will be heading to Peru with a group of my friends.

We’re all staying in a huge house we’ve rented out on Airbnb, and it’s looking like this trip will be one for the books. Among other things, we’ll be drinking Pisco, eating local cuisine, exploring the Amazon Jungle, and heading out to the sand dunes and the Huacachina oasis.

While the plans for this trip have been in the works for several months now, I was on the fence. I knew I wanted to go, but I just started working at Airbnb as a UX Writer and I wasn’t sure about their policy regarding international travel while you’re working.

Luckily, Airbnb is amazing. The conversation went something like this:

Me: “Hey, Dave, is it cool if I go to Peru and work from there for a few days in June?”
My manager: “Yeah! Absolutely. We have a work-from-everywhere policy. Where in Peru? I was there in 2018..”

This is how all tech jobs should be. I feel so fortunate to work for such a forward-thinking company. For me, the goal was always to be a “digital nomad” and this will open the world to me even more.

So, I contacted our travel agent (and fellow travel buddy) Ana and told her I’d go.

Then, two weeks ago, I made another last minute decision: I’m going to cross something off of my bucket list…I’m going to climb Machu Picchu.

I wasn’t sure about taking this one on because it’s a relatively pricy add-on and I haven’t exactly been a gym rat this year. But when I called my parents and I told them about it, they both went “when are you going back there? You’ll regret it if you don’t do it now.”

And yanno what? They’re right. I can tackle this thing. I WILL tackle it. And I’ll be so happy I did.

So I signed up.

That means I have less than a month of prep for something I have not exactly been training to do, so I’ve used it as a motivator to get back in shape.

For the last several weeks, I’ve gone from not working out nearly enough to working out most days out of the week. Whether I’m rowing for 20 minutes, doing a quick 15 minutes on the stair-master, or attending one of the insane kickboxing classes I’ve recently signed up for, my body is constantly in motion.

Because I live in Florida, I think the stair-master part of this regimen is imperative. How else can I possibly train for something like this in otherwise flat land?

At kickboxing, I’ve been burning an average of 450-500 calories per session. I’m also cutting out a significant amount of dessert, and I’m chugging water left and right. I can already feel a difference in my body and the way my clothes fit.

I’m nervous and excited for this crazy adventure, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it once I’ve reached the top.

Until next time,

Cheers.

Kara Adamo is a globe-trotting ex-bartender, booze nerd, and booze writer. She is the author of Fancy Grape Juice: De-Snootifying the World’s Snootiest Beverage; Artimals: Coloring the Whimsical Wild; and Brews & Hues: A Coloring Book About Beer. 

Adamo is a digital nomad, working as a UX writer and UX designer.

She is writing her fourth book, Layers of Cake.