Thanks to Eddie Schmid of WhereIveBeen.com (@whereivebeen on Twitter) for these great ideas for the baggage fees blues. If you missed it – check out the rest of the series Airline Bag Fee Headaches? Try “Backpacking” instead! | Backpacking through Dublin and Beyond |Backpacking through Istanbul

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While possessing some history, bustle and nifty landmarks on its own, Lima is best-served for backpackers as a scattering point to cheaper and lovelier parts of Peru.

For a relatively small country, Peru makes like a crash course on ecosystems. Mountainheads will triumphantly click their caribiners upon visiting Huaraz, about an eight-hour bus ride from Lima, which brims with trekking opportunities in the gorgeous Cordillera Blanca region of the Andes Mountains. Miles of arid desert will greet you during a four-hour bus ride from Lima to Ica, which becomes entirely more exciting when you’re attacking the monolithic sand foothills with the slightly crazed dune-buggy driver you hired in the sleepy nearby oasis town of Huacachina.

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After you’ve sampled Ica’s rich vineyards, perhaps knocking back a trademark Pisco sour or two, you can visit Pisco itself, which manages to make a refuge for penguins, pelicans and sea lions on its Isla Ballestas. And the tourism mecca remains the gorgeous ruins of Machu Picchu; if you choose to make it a focal point of your trip, be sure to budget enough time for the buses to nearby hub Cuzco, which can take up to a day (it ain’t always easy).

After you fork over money for the airfare, the nueva sol, Peru’s currency, can quickly become your best friend, particularly if you’re exchanging the dollar or euro–even the most miserly backpacker can eat like a king pretty much anywhere for next to nothing. There’s a fairly efficient, affordable and competitive network of commercial bus lines that offer trips from Lima to the scenic satellite cities. All in all, Peru’s diversity, rich history and consistent climate render it a fine escape.