Meet Our Staff

 Bernard Schleien
 Director and Founder
  bernard@peruforless.com

Bernard attended Southwestern University at Georgetown, TX, one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the USA. After graduating with a major in history, he founded Peru For Less in 1998 and has ever since devoted his professional life to building memories of Peru for all. He has learned that there is much more to life than the ever so constant work day, and is one of seven founding members of Peru Futbol - a Peruvian NGO that aims to bring thousands of Peruvian children out of poverty, while instilling values through the teachings of soccer. Bernard has a love for Peru (especially Cusco), like so many, and finds it extremely gratifying at the end of each day that he is able to sell something he truly believes in. He has lived in Cusco for 6 months, and goes there at least 3 times a year. Other interesting factoids about Bernard: Seinfeld fanatic, Cienciano del Cuzco soccer club team rooter, independent rock music appreciator, bicycle rider, creative writer, gourmand, and skilled micro brewed beer sampler (he says he just likes the taste).

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 Richard Leon
 Director
  richard@latinamericaforless.com

Richard attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the best schools of music in the world. He has lived in both the USA and Peru, as his family tended to move from one country to another due to job reasons. After 4 years of traveling back and forth from Boston and his home town of Lima, Peru, he graduated with a Bachelor degree in Music Business and Management. He has a passion for travel, drums, music, surfing, and the financial markets where he has been day trading for several years. He can never say no to food, especially if it is Pizza Day at the office which is, to his fortune, once per month. He loves playing with his band called Pan con Tamal and also simply grabbing his backpack and walking into unknown territory to find beautiful destinations. Luckily for the rest of us he always shares new discoveries with all his friends. As an avid traveler he has explored many countries in South America and experienced how travel can broaden his horizons by meeting new people, new cultures, and most importantly new rhythms for his drum set. Helping people is one of his passions and Richard truly believes that what goes around comes around and we all have to do our part to make our small space in the universe the best place it can be.

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 Aleksandar Jankovic
 Destination Manager
  aleks@latinamericaforless.com

Aleks was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia but never managed to stay still for long in one place having lived in Europe, the Middle East and South America. No matter where he is though, he always finds the time to hit the road, either for the sake of cultural exploration, catching music festivals, or just chilling out on a remote island. Aleks received his Hospitality Management diploma from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and for some time curiously worked at a chewing gum factory. Having had enough of the 9 to 5 routine, he packed his bags and left for Latin America. His next few months were spent discovering the diverse regions of Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia getting to know the charms of South America, but most importantly its people.

Upon reflecting on his travels, Aleks decided to make tourism his career by mixing in business with pleasure, helping people achieve the same sort of experiences he enjoys so much on his travels. He spent the next few years studying at Stenden University in Qatar, where he received his bachelor degree in International Tourism Management.

Using the experience gained while working as a Travel Advisor, combined with his degree in Tourism, Aleks is now focused on improving the offering of Latin America for Less destinations, in order to give travelers the best possible quality and value when visiting Latin America. When not on the road, he enjoys listening to an eclectic range of music styles, keeping fit with basketball or having a drink with his friends, with rum being his currently preferred weapon of choice.

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 Matt Greenberg
 Sales Supervisor
  mattg@latinamericaforless.com

Matthew comes to us from the suburbs of Chicago where he was born and raised. He graduated from the University of Tampa in Florida with a major in writing and a minor in English. During his college years, Matthew spent a year teaching English in Costa Rica, where he fell in love with Latin America and fostered a desire to write about its culture. Fascinated by the warm and gentle pura vida attitudes of the ticos, he was struck by a sense of beauty and serenity he had never before encountered. In Costa Rica, Matthew was bit by the travel bug; this took him to venture throughout Central America and Europe. He now indulges in the rich and foreign treasures South America has to offer.

Matthew came to Peru to instruct English and quickly found the country had much to teach him. In his reports home, Matthew sings the praises of the best food he has ever had "except maybe for Chicago deep dish pizza." Even more than the delicious cuisine, it was the warmth of the people, the beauty of the countryside, and the bustle of Lima that captured his heart and imagination. He travels as much as his time permits and has become known as the "Tango King" in certain corners of Buenos Aires. Friend to the penguins of Puerto Madryn, the gauchos' cattle of the Argentine pampas, and the llama of Peru, Matthew cherishes the sacred and vibrant wildlife that can be found all over South America. In his free time, Matthew can be found writing, reading, or catching the latest movies. While Matthew does not miss the harsh Midwest winters, he does long for basketball and cheering on his beloved Boston Red Sox, a family inherited obsession. Nevertheless, Matthew has happily found a new home in Latin America.

Follow Matt on his Peru Travel Tale as he treks through the Amazon Rainforest in secluded Puerto Maldonado

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 Brynna Burguard
 Sales Team Coordinator

Originally from Michigan, Brynna studied Spanish and sociology at Grand Valley State University when, during a year-long study abroad program in Costa Rica, she officially caught the travel bug. She quickly found a way to combine her love of travel and complete her major, by coming to Puno, Peru to complete an internship toward her sociology degree. At first Puno and its high altitude were a shock to the system after tropical Costa Rica, but Brynna quickly fell in love with the culture, landscape and history of the high Andes and decided to make Peru her home away from home. After graduation she returned to Puno to teach English as a second language, taking advantage of long weekends and holidays to explore parts of Bolivia, Cusco, Arequipa, and of course the enchanting peninsulas and beaches of Lake Titicaca. During her stay in Puno she also found time to support various Puno-based NGOs, learning about the realities and social problems faced by the people of the community, and attempting, albeit unsuccessfully, to learn to knit from local artisans.

While living on the shores of Lake Titicaca reminded her of Lake Michigan back at home, she ultimately felt a call to move to a bigger city, and decided to relocate to Cusco in 2010. Entranced by the slightly lower altitude (and better climate) she now calls the Capital of the Incan Empire her home- enjoying the Cusco city scene, almost as much as her weekend trips into the nearby countryside and Sacred Valley. Her next goal is to tackle some of the world renowned treks of the Cusco region, such as Salkantay and Choquequirao, and is starting the process by training on some of the less imposing mountains outside of Cusco. Having mastered Spanish, she is now looking forward to taking on a new language, and is considering studying French, or possibly even tackling Quechua.

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 Rylee McGowan
 Travel Advisor
  rylee@latinamericaforless.com

Rylee is a photographer and musician originally from San Francisco. It was here that she studied Film Production at the State University and worked diligently through school at the Exploratorium Science Museum as an audiovisual technician and freelance photographer.

After graduation, Rylee had an urge to travel and explore the rest of the world, her camera at her side, and so spent time in Haiti, Mexico, South East Asia and Western Europe. She found the Caribbean and Latin American countries particularly visually exciting, although on one occasion, in Haiti, a voodoo curse was put on her by a lady worried that Rylee's camera had captured part of her soul.

Her first experience of South America was when she traveled through Argentina and then to Peru … but she liked it so much she stayed! She realizes that traveling is always going to be an important part of her life, but for the time being, she is happily settled in Lima, where she continues to take photos, play her piano, enjoy the local music scene, and is learning how to cook Peruvian-style.

Follow Rylee on her Ecuador Travel Tale as she visits Quito and the Exotic Galapagos Islands

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 Kelly Chrystal
 Travel Advisor
  kelly@latinamericaforless.com

Kelly comes from a big and crazy Midwestern family in Illinois, which will always be home no matter where she finds herself. After high school she went to Spain where she immersed herself in language studies, met people from all over the world, and made sure to see the best of various European cities.

A sucker for a challenge, Kelly then went on to pursue a BA at the New York University in Manhattan's eclectic Greenwich Village, double majoring in Spanish and Social and Cultural Analysis. As someone with a passion to work for positive change, during her years at NYU, Kelly volunteered and interned with non-profit organizations, spending time in New Orleans, the mountains of Colorado and different neighborhoods around New York City. With its endless cultural activities and live music scene, New York treated Kelly very well and by the end of four years she was a true New Yorker, a vegetarian living in Brooklyn.

An avid traveler and adventure-seeker, she found herself returning to Peru where she had spent a semester as an exchange student at Lima's Pontificia Universidad Catolica in 2008. The warmth of the Peruvian people, its agreeable climate, colorful culture and dynamic landscape all drew Kelly back to work in this country she had gotten to know well enough to be fascinated. She loves to read, run, and listen to music and podcasts – a newly discovered interest – while not working on the endless project of improving her Spanish.

Follow Kelly on her Peru Travel Tale as she goes off the beaten path to explore the Kuelap ruins and the Gocta Falls

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 Jennie Duong
 Travel Advisor
  jennie@latinamericaforless.com

Jennie is a tourism graduate, born and raised in the bright and bustling town of Birkenhead, England. While studying at the University of Chester, she got her first taste for traveling. Jennie was most affected by her trip to the Dominican Republic, where she took part in a 3 month voluntary project working on private beaches and conservation projects. This very lucky girl not only got to work in the gorgeous Caribbean sun every day but also got to witness the refreshing and fruitful Caribbean life. After this experience she found herself determined to travel back to the Americas, and so she returned, living in Cusco for one year, where she finally achieved one of her lifelong goals of completing the Inca Trail among other things, before moving to Lima.

Jennie loves life and finds her amazing friends in England (who she has known since she was 2 years old) to be a true inspiration. She believes they have contributed to make her who she is today. Jennie loves adventures, exercising, and music, and is always willing to try new things. In her free time, you can find Jennie trying out new dishes either in her kitchen or in a local restaurant. Although, it must be said that she does miss her mums cooking!

Follow Jennie on her Brazil Travel Tale while she takes in the sun on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro

Follow Jennie on her Peru Travel Tale as she explores the Colca Canyon and the city of Arequipa in southern Peru.

Follow Jennie on her Peru Travel Tale as she hikes the Inca Trail on her Machu Picchu trip.

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 Silvana Zavala
 Travel Advisor
  silvana@latinamericaforless.com

Silvana was born in Lima, Peru and as a child was lucky to enjoy traveling all around South America. After traveling and working in the United States for over a year, Silvana attended Southern New Hampshire University and graduated with a major in Hospitality Management. She had the chance to work for JW Marriott Hotels in Orlando and other renowned hotel in the United States. Upon reflecting about what she loves most in life, Silvana decided to turn to tourism as a career, realizing her true passion for traveling was revealed a long time ago when she was a 10 year-old girl.

Traveling never left her to-do-list and Silvana spends most of her free time visiting new cities, but always seems to return to Peru for her family and the amazing Peruvian Lomo Saltado. She enjoys everything involving a great trip from planning – she is considered the designated travel planner by her friends and family – to nightlife, dancing, eating out, shopping, sightseeing, taking pictures, and learning new languages. She is currently learning Mandarin, her fourth language so far.

Silvana has a dedicated passion for chocolate, red wine, and recently Pisco. Although not much of a cook, she loves watching cooking TV shows and trying new restaurants. When she is not traveling, you can catch her reading, swimming, playing tennis, hanging out with friends, or watching a Seinfeld episode from her most precious collection. Silvana dreams of one day backpacking for months in Asia and Europe, continents that she hasn't explored…yet.

Follow Silvana on her Ecuador Travel Tale as she adventures in Quito and hikes through the Galapagos Islands

Follow Silvana on her Peru Travel Tale as she plays with the magnificent condors of Colca Canyon.

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 Spencer Reely
 Travel Advisor
  spencer@latinamericaforless.com

Spencer recently graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor's in Political Science. Like so many other recent graduates she found herself working in a menial job which, given the economy, she felt lucky to have. Fortunately, she woke up one day and decided it was high time to trade routine and stability for travel and adventure. In 2007 Spencer interned with a sustainable tourism company in Santiago, Chile where she developed a passion for South America, spent countless hours traveling the country via autobús, and learned about the importance of Fair Trade practices and sustainable tourism. As an undergrad, Spencer also studied abroad in Valencia, Spain and Arezzo, Italy, but numerous classes on Latin American politics and history have steered her back to South America. When she's not working Spencer loves cooking (and eating!), reading, taking photos, drinking wine, going to music festivals, and making up silly jokes that no one else thinks are funny.

Follow Spencer on her Ecuador Travel Tale while she explores Quito and enjoys a 4 day Galapagos cruise

Follow Spencer as she joins fellow travel advisor Jennie while they soak up the sun on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro

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 Kelly Hurst
 Travel Advisor
  kellyh@latinamericaforless.com

Kelly was born in North Carolina, and after living in Maryland, Colorado, and Kentucky, ended up back in North Carolina. She studied Spanish and Latin American studies at the University of South Carolina. To enrich her degree, she decided to study abroad in Costa Rica. While she had an amazing stay and the Ticos couldn't have been friendlier, many of them spoke such great English that it was hard to practice Spanish! After graduating, she decided to perfect the language while helping the world at the same time as a volunteer English teacher at a public school in rural Chile. She loved Chile, her gracious host family, and her hundreds of students who were adorable despite their attempts to turn her classes into chaos. After that incredible experience she returned home, but Latin America was already tugging at her heartstrings and she decided to return south and ended up living and working in beautiful Buenos Aires for 7 months. She returned home just in time for her fifth consecutive winter.

Kelly is a cowgirl at heart and makes it a point to ride in each new place she visits. She has explored beaches, jungles, deserts, pampas, and the Andes foothills on horseback, and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon! She also enjoys food, wine, salsa dancing, hiking, and reading. She is thrilled to continue exploring Latin America from Lima and to learn everything that this new city has to offer!

Follow Kelly on her Peru Travel Tale as she explores the Colca Canyon, which is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon

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 Daloma Phillips
 Travel Advisor
  daloma@latinamericaforless.com

Although raised in sunny Santa Cruz California, Daloma has spent the majority of her summers traveling and adventuring throughout Peru visiting family. While acquiring a degree in Public Relations and Spanish language from San Jose State University, Daloma took the opportunity to study abroad in Montevideo, Uruguay. She explains that her fascination with the small country comes down to two things: their national Fútbol team and their star player Luis Suárez. During the time Daloma lived in Montevideo, she visited historical Santiago, Chile, exquisite Argentina, the waterfalls of Iguazu as well as the pristine beaches of central Brazil. Other incredible countries she has traveled to include Spain, England, France, Italy and Mexico.

Daloma has always felt torn between her love for Peru and her life in the United States. With a middle name like “Sumacruru” she says it is nearly impossible to feel unattached from her Quechua roots. Upon graduating in 2011, she decided the time had finally come to make the move to Lima where she could be closer to her family and experience a life in Peru. It could have been the food; her favorite is lomo saltado, perhaps the dancing, or simply the hustle and bustle on the morning streets of Lima that made her long to live in Peru. However, all that is important now, is that she can finally call Lima home.

In her spare time Daloma enjoys traveling, trying new foods, hiking, dancing, attending concerts, and working to improve her surfing skills.

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 Mark Breen-Lopez
 Travel Advisor
  markb@latinamericaforless.com

Mark grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an American father and a Bolivian mother. Many summer vacations throughout his youth were spent traveling to Cochabamba, Bolivia. It was at this young age that his love for Latin American culture was born. After high school, Mark went on to the University of Maryland, College Park, to receive his bachelor’s degree in Economics and a certificate in Latin American Studies. During his years at the University of Maryland, Mark had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica. Marks love for Latin American culture was furthered during this incredible study abroad experience, as it was the first time he has ever been to a region as tropical as Costa Rica’s jungles.

After his time at the University of Maryland, wanting to get in touch with his Latino roots, Mark knew there was only one place that he belonged, and that was south; so he came to Peru. In September 2011, Mark arrived in Peru for the first time to volunteer at an AIDS shelter, Hogar San Camilo, in Barrios Altos, Lima. His experience at the shelter exposed Mark to the warmness of the Peruvian people. He also had the opportunity to try much of the delicious Peruvian cuisine, with anticuchos, or beef heart, being by far his favorite dish.

Mark enjoys playing all sports, especially tennis, soccer, and basketball. He is a real movie buff and loves to watch and discuss all sorts of movies, horror movies being at the top of his list. Mark also loves to dance and has found his way to the dance floors of many Peruvian discos. Between the people, food, and dance, Mark has fallen in love with Peruvian culture and looks to make his home here in Lima.

Follow Mark on his Peru Travel Tale as he walks the streets of the white city of Arequipa

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 Kristina McKinney
 Travel Advisor
  kristinam@latinamericaforless.com

Kristina comes from the small town of Groton, Massachusetts. From a young age, she has been blessed with the opportunity to travel around the world with her family. Some of Kristina’s fondest memories include trips to Hungary to visit family, the Caribbean, other European countries, and the island of Barbados. Her particular interest in the Latin American culture and the Spanish language was first sparked by her friendships with her Latino coworkers while working in a Tex-Mex restaurant during her high school years.

Kristina attended Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, where she studied communications and business. During her college years, she had the opportunity to work at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There, she made more international friends, and her desire to travel to Latin America and become fluent in Spanish grew even stronger.

In January of 2010, Kristina set off for an internship in South America. There, she lived with two host families and learned Spanish, while volunteering in an orphanage in Cordoba, Argentina, and a hospital in Cuzco, Peru. Her time in Cuzco was especially memorable because she was assigned to work in the delivery room where she witnessed nine live births. She particularly loved Peru for the local food, breathtaking views, and the warmth and generosity she received from the locals. After her return to the United States, Kristina completed a marketing internship within the restaurant industry, and also took a job waitressing part-time while completing her final two years of study at Northeastern.

When she isn’t working or studying, Kristina can be found dancing, choreographing, writing, or volunteering. Her desire to help those in need has lead her to be involved in a number of volunteer projects across the U.S. including relief for Hurricane Katrina victims. She hopes to continue to do volunteer work wherever she may be and she is excited for the challenges that lie ahead.

Follow Kristina on her Bolivia Travel Tale as she treks via horseback to experience the expansive and majestic Uyuni salt flats

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 Laura Simard
 Travel Advisor
  lauras@latinamericaforless.com

Laura was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and spent most of her life in the beautiful state of New Hampshire. Coming from a small town (and after watching the travel channel for a few too many hours) Laura always dreamed about traveling to exotic places. As an only child from a quirky New England family, Laura enjoyed going to Fenway Park with her parents, going on roads trips to Canada with her friends, and playing volleyball and listening to the Beatles. She attended the University of New Hampshire where she majored in Spanish as well as studying anthropology, Latin American studies, and sociology. In order to tie all of her studies together, Laura decided to volunteer at a New Hampshire jail with a reception center that provides bi-lingual resources in Spanish and English to families and friends visiting their incarcerated loved ones.

She got bit by the travel bug after traveling and living with a host family in the Dominican Republic on a high-school trip. She then decided to come to Peru to study abroad and travel during her junior year of college at La Universidad del Pacífico. She fell head over heels with the fast pace of Lima city life, a new culture, a wicked awesome host family, the Spanish language, and some of the most delicious cuisine in the world. She knew as soon as her study abroad program in Peru ended that she would want to return in the near future.

In her spare time Laura likes to pretend she is traveling the world with her idol Anthony Bourdain, practice her Spanish, watch the food network, listen to music, exercise, meet new people, Skype, go sightseeing, and drink lots and lots of Inca Kola.

Follow Laura on her Peru Travel Tale as she explores the Amazon Rainforest via the remote paradise of Iquitos

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 Steff Lazo-Herencia
 Travel Advisor
  steff@latinamericaforless.com

One of the most difficult questions that Steff is confronted with answering is “Where are you from?” She often warmly replies with a smile “Earth!” The complexity of this question is not easily answered because she was born in Lima, Peru, spent her early childhood in Arequipa, Peru, middle childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the rest of her life essentially in Austin, Texas—the place she considers home.

Her early experiences, filled with dramatic environmental change and cultural adaptation, only added to her predisposed interest in her environment. She grew up as an only child to her mother whose passion for Andean history, culture and tradition led them on a world-wide adventure in pursuit of her PhD in interdisciplinary studies of the Andes. For this reason, Steff has always felt deeply connected to the cultures and civilizations of her country of origin. The early and constant stimulation she experienced traveling and seeing the diversity in cultures and environments around the world were a natural influence on her passion for exploration and desire to “tromp around on every surface of this magnificent planet.”

Perhaps it was her love for this planet and its immense diversity that led her to acquire two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in Geology (Earth-what’s inside it and how it works) and Geography (what/who’s on it, where, and why?). In her attempt to unify her interests; she thought the most effective connection was water—a resource we all need and whose planetary travels are ageless!

She’s worked with several environmental/water education and research organizations in Austin, Texas. After meeting her Swedish, now, Fiancé in Geneva in 2010; they made a brave step in bridging cultural and geographic boundaries and pioneering Global Citizenship by trading their “homes” for the experience of living in Lima, Peru.

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 Adrienne Moss
 Travel Advisor
  adrienne@latinamericaforless.com

Growing up in a multicultural family that moved from one state to the next every few years, Adrienne says the travel bug bit her at a very young age. Between living in California, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Germany, to name a few, she spent summer vacations either visiting her large extended family in France, or exploring and camping in numerous state parks throughout the US. Adrienne grew up speaking both French and English at home, and has eagerly been adding more languages to the repertoire since high school.

Adrienne studied biology at the College of Charleston in sunny South Carolina, where she had the opportunity to get her first taste of the Latino culture by participating in an Alternative Spring Break trip in Belize. She then spent the summer before her junior year working as an au pair in Italy, and upon graduating, she decided to follow her heart, taking off for six months of backpacking through most of Western Europe. Six months later, she found herself continuing her travels in Peru and Ecuador, and trading her recently achieved Italian fluency for Spanish. Still charmed by the European lifestyle, but now fascinated by the Latin American culture, Adrienne has gone back and forth between Lima and southern France for the last two years.

She enjoys adventure sports, biking and running (especially through unknown territory!), tennis, and live music. She’s a foodie at heart and is always browsing menus, trying new foods, and experimenting with new recipes. When she can find the time, she likes to read, sketch, or just kick back and relax in a hammock, dreaming about her next adventures.

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 Julian Bonierbale
 Travel Advisor
  julian@latinamericaforless.com

Julian was born in Bogota, Colombia and grew up living in upstate New York, Colombia and Peru. He graduated from Northeastern University in Boston with a degree in International Affairs. During his college years he participated with a variety of NGOs working on health and agricultural initiatives in Peru and quickly discovered the highlands to be his favorite place to explore.

Growing up, he often traveled with his family through the mountains of Colombia and Peru but it was only later in life that he really came to appreciate its vast beauty after a series backpacking treks with friends. He has allowed his curiosity for traveling, art and good stories to serve as his compass and some of his recent adventures include working at a Bed and Breakfast hostel in the Central Andes of Peru and promoting the art of emerging painters and photographers in London.

In his free time what Julian enjoys doing above all is playing futbol. But if he can't find a pick up game in his neighborhood, you may find him surfing the internet for new bands, making playlists, reading fiction and practicing his French.

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 Michael Nyberg
 Travel Advisor
  michael@latinamericaforless.com

Hello everyone, my name is Michael and I come to you from the town known as Fresno, CA. Just to give you an idea of where Fresno is; it is right in the middle of California, normally known as a stopping point for people driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Born and raised in a Fresno suburb, I graduated from Fresno State University with a degree in Biology, having aspirations of attending medical school shortly after. But after some rotations in hospitals and working with doctors, I just decided that was not what I wanted for my life.

Shortly after making this decision I decided to move to Lima, Peru to teach English and volunteer. I lived in Lima for about a year, and it was one of the most rewarding decisions I ever made. I chose Lima because I wanted to really be immersed in a different culture and not be trapped in another touristy Americanized city. Turns out I made a great choice. I have always had the travel bug and have been traveling from a young age. From backpacking across all of Western Europe to adventures in Central and South America, I can never see enough, and strive to see as much of the world, and its cultures, as possible.

When I came to Peru I fell in love with the people, the history, and the cuisine. Now, I do love my hearty American meal of a huge steak and baked potato, but my favorites here (Aji de Gallina and Ceviche) might just top the list of best foods ever created. In my spare time, I can be found, reading, writing, cooking, eating, practicing Spanish, or playing numerous sports. I have a passion for sports, and all things competitive for that matter. I love turning things into a game, or competition, and making people see that there can be fun in anything they do.

I am very happy to call Lima my home, and want to soak up all parts of this extraordinary culture.

Follow Michael on his Peru Travel Tale as he recounts his dream vacation to Cusco and his Machu Picchu trek.

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 Ryan Carrier
 Travel Advisor
  ryan@latinamericaforless.com

Ryan was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. Although he is a dedicated Ohio State Buckeye fan he attended college at Walsh University in much smaller North Canton, Ohio where he majored in Government and Foreign Affairs and International Relations with minors in Economics and Business. Through a sort of strange twist of fate Ryan spent the second half of his Freshman year studying in Rome, Italy and then traveling around Europe. After this experience there was no stopping Ryan, a year later he spent the summer volunteering, living with a host-family, and traveling in Peru. He fell in love with Latin American culture and history and began to focus his studies on the region, culminating in his Senior Honors Thesis on Latin American development.

After graduation and a return trip to Italy with the Walsh University Chamber Singers Ryan worked for a small study abroad company in Columbus managing trips to the Bahamas. While in Columbus Ryan also fell in love with scuba diving. Yes, there is scuba diving in Ohio. It may not be a luxurious as the Caribbean but quarry diving can be just as enthralling. Before moving back to Peru Ryan was a divemaster in training at Columbus Scuba. He is also a certified wreck and cavern diver. Outside of diving and travel Ryan enjoys improv comedy, singing (mostly in karaoke bars), salsa dancing, working on his Spanish, and eating!

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 Elaine (Elena) Fairall
 Travel Advisor

Born in the USA from a Peruvian mother and an American father, Elena took to her Latin American roots! Growing up watching her Peruvian mother cook “cebiche” and salsa dance in the kitchen is most likely the reason why she has ended up in Peru today. She studied International studies and Spanish at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. The cold North West lead her in search of hotter climates, jungles, islands and beaches. Elena studied abroad at La Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, Spain her Junior year of college and ever since that experience living and working abroad became her #1 career goal!

She loves learning new languages and exploring different countries, but Latin America is what she is drawn to. The folk music, tropical food and vibrant, colorful Spanish speaking cultures are her passion.

After not feeling self content in her post college 9-5 jobs, she left to backpack Central and South America for a whole year of exploration. Hitting Rio for Carnival, The Salsa district of Medellin, Colombia, Climbing to Machu Picchu and diving all throughout the Caribbean side of Central America where she became a certified scuba diver in Honduras. Panama also became like home to her after managing a Bed & Breakfast on the Pacific coast in Santa Catalina, Panama. This was her first insight to the world of tourism and attending to the needs of guests on their vacations.

Her adventures have lead her as deep down as 130ft in the Blue Hole of Belize and as high as 17,300ft in the Peruvian Andes where a severe case of altitude sickness became the scariest event in her life! She has a love for animals and nature. Holding howler monkeys in the Peruvian Amazon, riding elephants in Thailand, swimming next to 8m long Whale Sharks in Mexico and spotting toucans in Costa Rica are some of her favorite memories. Dancing to salsa music, trying new foods (like fried crickets in Cambodia!), watching foreign films, running, happy hour with her best girlfriends and of course...traveling, are all of her favorite things to do.

After traveling to some 25+ different countries her friends started asking her for travel advice so this is where she's landed, a travel firm, to do exactly that. Give you travel advice!

Although she is located here in Lima, the travel bug still has her wanting to tackle India and go cage diving with White Sharks in South Africa. Seeing Victoria Waterfalls in Zambia and diving in the Philippines are also dreams that await her....

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 Heidy Aspilcueta
 Operations and Customer Service Manager

Heidy was born in Cusco Peru where she graduated as a Computer Engineering from San Antonio Abad University. She moved to Lima and received her Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from ESAN Business School with an emphasis in finance in 2011. She also completed a module of international business while on MBA at Florida International University, US in 2010.

Heidy has more than five years of experience organizing travel, volunteer and other education programs for international participants, before completing her master program, she spent more than a year living and working in Costa Rica where she had the fortune to enjoy the “pura vida” experience. Development projects, teaching and learning languages are things she loves, she is fluent in English, knows some French and Portuguese and her goal is to speak fluently one more language. Family and friends are the most important things for her; Heidy is always in a good mood, especially when she starts the day with a cup of coffee and a cinnamon roll.

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 Ricardo Lopez
 Operations Project Manager

Ricardo was born in Lima and is currently finishing his degree in the Administration of Tourist Companies at the National University of Federico Villarreal. His expertise in both Operations and Administration, and his kind character, have been warmly welcomed at Peru For Less. Ricardo has a love of Peru and has spent a large amount of time traveling through the Amazon in the North and East of the country. He has previously worked for such companies as E. Wong and Banc de Credito (BCP), valuable experience that taught Ricardo about the inner workings of companies and customer satisfaction. In his spare time Ricardo enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and going to the cinema. Like many at Peru For Less, Ricardo happens to be a fanatical football supporter – his team is Alianza Lima, regardless of what others may say. In his spare time, Ricardo enjoys swimming, camping and trekking – he often wishes he had more free time to pursue his outdoor passions though! Over the weekends he is often found with his friends in some of Lima's more animated night clubs where he enjoys a little rum. He dreams of getting to know all the provinces within Peru.

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 Katharina Quintero
 Operations

Katharina was born and raised in Innsbruck, a small town in the heart of the Austrian Alps. Coming from a multicultural background, half Colombian and half Austrian, the world always seemed open to her. Her interest in tourism and travel started early and over the years, it blossomed into a true passion. She attended a tourism high school and learned both theoretical and practical aspects of the hotel industry, followed by a bachelor program of Tourism Business Studies at the Management Center Innsbruck, where she graduated in 2009.

During the years of her study, she used the opportunity and started exploring the world with her backpack. Traveling the beautiful beaches of the Caribbean Islands, getting to know the amazing cultures of South East Asia and finally discovering the impressive diversity of South America intensified her affection for travel. Studying a semester abroad at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa in Buenos Aires was the perfect chance to gain some intercultural experience and to improve her Spanish skills. Stepping onto Argentinean soil, she found herself being very familiar with the Latin culture and it was easy for her to feel like home. After two years of working and preparing the next big trip, she finally returned to Latin America in 2011 – but this time she decided to stay longer and move to this part of the world. Recognizing the importance of traveling for personal development and working in several areas within the tourism industry, she turned her passion into a career and now enables other travelers to discover this exceptional continent with all its various landscapes, to spot exciting places off the beaten track, to experience the colorful cultures and traditions and to feel the vibrating way of life in Latin America.

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 Hellen Gamarra
 Operations

Hellen was born and raised in Lima, Peru where she attended San Martin de Porres University and graduated in Tourism and Hotel Management. While attending university, she had the opportunity to travel to the U.S on two occasions. The first one was to Big Sky, Montana where she worked as a steward. She found this experience very rewarding given that it allowed her to interact with new people, practice her English skills and why not, getting to try every now and then a tasty dish made by her peers. The second one was to Burlington, Vermont where she did an internship for Comfort Inn & Suites. At the end of this job, she and a couple of friends travelled to NY for five days to visit the city that never sleeps. Right after coming back to Lima, she found herself travelling again, this time to Cusco to work for a family hotel located in Sacred Valley where she became Front Desk Manager. Of all the places she’s visited, the ones she’ll always want to come back to are New York City and Cusco. Even though they have marked differences, she feels they are magical in their own way. Although travelling is very fulfilling for her, she finds it very important to spend time with her family and close friends, especially when they have a laugh together. Whenever she has to go somewhere, she can’t leave without her IPod to listen to music from the 80’s or 90’s, singing as she walks. She loves the rain and cold weather, does not care much for summer which is her least favorite season. Hellen finds herself at peace drinking a Frapuccino, having long talks with her friends, eating yogurt and cereal anytime of the day or having a dessert made every now and then by the best cook she knows: her mom.

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 Rodrigo Martinez
 Operations

Rodrigo is a Hospitality Management graduate from San Ignacio de Loyola University. He was born and raised in Lima, Peru. Since he was a child he has spent his spare time doing three things: Sports, Traveling, and Languages. Every year made sure to keep a busy but fun schedule during vacations.

When he was 16 he started College and got into the College Futsal Team playing against different Colleges and also in the Professional Futsal League of Peru. Thanks to the effort he put during practices and games he got the chance to play for the Futsal National Team of Peru three times: twice for the U-20 National Team and once for the Adult Team. During College he studied and practiced sports full time, and during summer vacation he went to the US three times for professional experience as part of a Work & Travel Program. He worked in Oregon and Utah in different Luxury Ski Resorts where he had the chance to meet really good friends from all over the world. At the age of 21 he finished college and got hired by Westgate Resorts, a Timeshare Resort chain in Park City, Utah for one year to be trained in Management Positions. During this year he spent his time working, traveling, practicing extreme sports, going out with friends, coaching soccer for kids and playing soccer in the City League. After his experience in the US, he came back to Peru for vacation but the warmth of his country and family made him stay.

He loves cooking, dancing, spending time with family and friends but he dedicates most of his free time to practicing sports. If he is not training for soccer, you will find him surfing or running. He also loves traveling and feels that no matter where he goes there is always something new to visit and something new to learn. For Rodrigo there is always a reason to be happy and you will always find a smile on his face.

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 Maria Mormontoy
 Operations

Born in Tacna, South of Peru, and raised in Lima, Peru, after finishing school I couldn’t wait to get into the magical world of photography. I studied photography at IPAD (Instituto Peruano de Arte y Diseño) and I was living through the lens of my camera - I took my hobby and made a passion of it. During that time I also developed my languages abilities, starting with English, later being introduced to Chinese by a university class, and finally self-studying Korean.

Next, I studied Tourism and Hotel management at San Martin de Porres University; finishing my studies, I had the chance to travel to Cusco to work in a family hotel located at the Sacred Valley. I was going to have my internship in that hotel for 6 months, but during my first week, I was offered a receptionist position, and spent one year there, day by day being amused by the magic of the Sacred Valley. Living in the middle of the valley and being surrounded by nature was one of the most beautiful experiences I ever had. It definitely was a challenge, but an enriching challenge. I believe everyone should disconnect from the busy world and try living in a different atmosphere at least once in their lifetime. The more I learn about my country, the stronger I feel about working to promote it as a great tourist destination.

I'm not only interested in my own culture, but also in other cultures from all around the world, and I find it amazing how people develop different ways to express themselves and tell us a story according to their background and the atmosphere they live in. I want to see it all closely I want to travel all around the globe with my camera, which has been my biggest dream for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been worried about the world and trying to keep it green and clean, and one of my dreams is to run my own sustainable ecotourism business, cooperating with communities to make tourism a way to obtain economical benefits for development.

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 Jose Zegarra
 Operations

Jose trained as a tourism guide at Centro de Formación Turística in Peru before moving to Cusco to work as an adventure guide, specializing in long and short trekking and mountain biking routes. He returned to Lima in order to study Portuguese and perfect his English, and joined the accounting team at Latin America For Less where he has enjoyed learning about the tourism industry and helping clients enjoy the many fascinating attractions of his native country. Jose is an avid cyclist and is often spotted hurtling around the streets of Lima on his bike. He also enjoys playing football with his Latin America For Less colleagues, but his greatest passion is to travel until his last dime is spent and his greatest dream is to visit all of the world's continents. He considers Peru to be the most privileged country in the world and he loves the people and the culture of his homeland.

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 Corey Jay
 Cusco Office Supervisor

Raised in the beautiful (and rainy) Pacific Northwest, Corey felt right at home during Cusco’s rainy season while studying abroad in Peru during college. A soon‐to‐be‐recent‐graduate of Scripps College in Claremont, California, Corey studied Costume Design and Hispanic Studies, sang in an a‐cappella singing group, and tried to soak up as much of the California sunshine as possible. Corey’s extended family is sprinkled around the world (Ireland, Germany, France, Botswana, and both coasts of the US), and thus she was bitten by the travel‐bug at an early age.

After seeing pictures of Machu Picchu in National Geographic magazines as a child, she knew she needed to visit Peru; little did she know that after living and studying in historic Cusco for four months, and after hiking the difficult yet remarkably rewarding Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, she would fall head over heels for the country that is even more beautiful in real life than the vibrant National Geographic pictures let on.

When not planning her next grand adventure, Corey can be found bonding with her sewing machine, playing with small furry animals, tinkering on the piano, taking salsa lessons or cheering for her amigos on the Cienciano del Cusco soccer team (thank goodness for live internet streaming – she hasn’t missed a game yet!). Corey can’t wait to grab her backpack, passport and camera and hop on a plane to begin her next great adventure, returning to beautiful Cusco to work for Peru for Less!

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 Rachael Taylor
 Cusco Guest Relations

Rachael was born and raised in the steel city of Sheffield, England. Choosing to follow her passion for literature, she graduated from Newcastle University with a BA in English Literature in 2008. Unsure of which direction her life would take at this point, she found herself enrolled on a holistic therapies course and the manager of a busy park café. Then, during the summer of 2009, she discovered an enthusiasm for baking. After a few months of experimenting in the kitchen, using vegetables as a basis for her recipes, there emerged Feel-Good Cakes; her specialist cake business.

Feeling unsatisfied in England however, her thoughts turned to travelling and exploring. She felt hungry for travel and was itching to explore a different continent and culture. She got her first taste of travelling when she went Greek island hopping at 17. When at university, she traveled across India, as well as visiting numerous other European countries in those few years. So in the summer of 2011, during a climbing trip in France, she made the decision that the following year she would take off to discover South America. Travelling across Colombia, she instantly fell in love with Latin America. When eventually landing in Cusco, Peru, she knew that she had found a place that she could call home.

Rachael loves to travel, climb, cook, read, run, dance and sing (badly, in the shower). In England she voluntarily taught English, ran a baking club and assisted with a running club in a school. She finds bliss in coffee, dark chocolate and red wine. Eating out is firmly one of her favorite pastimes. In Cusco, she can be found walking towards the serene Temple of the Moon, sitting in a café with cake, coffee and a good novel or out with friends amidst the bustling centre of the Plaza de Armas. Fascinated and enraptured by the Cusquenian culture and lifestyle, she is often caught smiling at the thought that this is the place that she now calls home.

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 Claudia Nuñez
 Cusco Guest Relations

Claudia was born in Cusco city. Since she was 13 years old she has had a special interest in learning foreign languages, had a passion for traveling and learning more about her own Culture. Somehow she already knew that the Tourism Field would be part of her future. She is a graduate of Hospitality and Tourism Management at UNSAAC Cusco. Claudia was learning English and German while going to school. When she was 18 years old, she traveled to the US as part of an International Exchange Program. Living in Boston for a period of 2 years she took different classes to improve her Hospitality knowledge. In 2007 Claudia came back to Cusco to finish University and soon after had the opportunity to start working for Royal Caribbean Cruise lines as a Guest Services Officer. She moved up quickly to a Senior Guest Services position due to her strong customer service and problem resolution skills.

For 5 years she traveled around the world, visiting countries like Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, England, Ireland, Sweden, Greece, Holland, Denmark, Bahamas, Mexico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Cayman Island, St Martin, Key West, Panama, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.

Claudia came back to Cusco, her beautiful and loved hometown every time she had a chance. Recently working as a in Cusco as a Group Coordinator. She is well known for receiving positive comments. Claudia always has a warm, welcoming smile and friendly approach with her guests.

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 Dunker Torres Escalante
 Accounting Assistant

A Cusco native, Dunker has studied philosophy and theology in the San Antonio de Abad Seminary in Cusco and tourism administration at the Instituto Latinoamericano. Before becoming a guide for Peru for Less, Dunker went to Lima and committed much of his time to public service. He was the administrator for a retirement home and clinic for people with little means, many of whom were suffering with tuberculosis. Additionally, he helped with a rehabilitation center for street kids ages 14 to 19. After experiencing the commotion of the capital city, Dunker left Lima and taught Quechua in the provinces of Espinar and Paruro. He is now happy to be pursuing his passion for alternative tourism at Peru for Less in Cusco.

Dunker believes Peru has much to offer: all one needs to see it is assertiveness and an adventurous spirit. He would be one to ask, as he has traveled through 12 of Peru's 13 provinces! In his travels, the country's varied valleys, crisp streams and snow covered mountains have captured his attention. Through these journeys he has come to understand a lamentable consequence of globalization: the gradual loss of his rural brothers' traditional customs and values. Though he has made it to Guayaquil and Quito, Dunker hopes his next trip to Ecuador will include a stop in the Islands of Galapagos.

As the promoter of a cycling club in Cusco, Dunker spends time on his bike or organizing events for this group. Recently, Dunker has gotten into the habit of making pizza at friends' or relatives' houses as a way to unwind and enjoy the weekend.

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 Fabricio Ortiz De Zevallos
 Tour Guide

Fabricio is our official tour guide for Machu Picchu – and he is a great one at that. He is from Cusco and his knowledge of the city, its history, the surrounding area and Machu Picchu is unbelievable. He is in fact a direct descendant of one of the last Inca and is deeply proud of his cultural heritage. Fabricio studied mechanical engineering at the National Univeristy of Engineering in Lima. Engineers don't often become tour guides but by some stroke of luck Fabricio was given the opportunity, after graduating, of accompanying a few tourists through Peru. He became their defacto guide through his home country and at the end of the tour realized that he had found his true calling. Embarking upon a new stage in his life Fabricio started studying to become a tour guide.

Fabricio is deeply knowledgeable about the Inca Culture and is also very keen to share his wealth of information with anyone who cares to listen. He enjoys river rafting, trekking, mountain biking and is both a guide and an expert in each field. He is bright eyed, charismatic, and aims to give tourists the best possible experiences of Peru imaginable. He dreams of one day being the best Tour Guide in Peru – we at Peru For Less however, know that he already is.

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 Laurel Villar
 Destination and Finance Project Manager

Laurel was born and raised in Santa Clara, California, also known as the heart of Silicon Valley. Growing up, she enjoyed camping and hiking in the lush Sierras, spending summer afternoons on the Santa Cruz beaches, and taking trips down to enjoy the desert that is Southern California. Because California is so diverse, her love for new cultures and new languages began at a young age and, in high school, she realized her passion of speaking Spanish and learning about Latin culture. Knowing that she wanted to pursue teaching, another one of her passions, she attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California as a Liberal Studies major. In her third year, she jumped at the opportunity to study abroad in Santiago, Chile and it was there that she truly became bilingual. During her time in Chile, she had the opportunity to travel around the country, including the Atacama Desert and spent many days on the coast in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. She also made a few trips over the Andes into Mendoza, Argentina. Returning to Cal Poly, Laurel decided to turn her Spanish emphasis into a minor and changed her focus to bilingual education, all the while looking for ways to return to South America.

The following summer she joined a missions team from the States on a trip to Peru. During this trip she met her now husband, Daniel, and after many more visits to Peru, she got engaged and married Daniel in March of 2008. Laurel and Daniel spent their first four years together living in California, Laurel teaching bilingual Kindergarten, and Daniel learning English and taking his GE courses. Unfortunate family circumstances brought Daniel and Laurel back to Peru in the summer of 2012 and now take every opportunity to travel around the country especially to Tarma, Daniel’s hometown. In her free time, Laurel enjoys playing with her two kitties, Niko and Suki, reading, going for walks in the park, country line dancing, doing Zumba, going to the movies, playing board games with friends and family, watching San Jose Sharks ice hockey games, and doing missions projects with her church in Lima.

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 Tim Anson
 Marketing Manager

Tim was born and raised in the woods of New England. Spending the majority of his life at the base of a Ski Resort in Vermont, he has never been one to turn down adventure. Starting as young as 15, Tim began to explore the world. After traveling through Europe during an older siblings study abroad program, Tim decided to head for Latin America. At 17 he went to Nicaragua to explore Managua and the Matagalpa region. Warm climate and warmer people was the spark that would eventually draw him deeper into Latin America.

While completing his B.S. in Marketing at Franklin Pierce University, he again tried to kick his travel bug by studying abroad in London and exploring a large portion of Europe. Unfortunately this did not have the same lingering experiences as he had found in Latin America. Determined to make his way south again, He traveled to Chile and Argentina while finishing his M.B.A. at Franklin Pierce. This time the experience stuck and there was no turning back. He decided it was “South America or bust!”

Combining his passion for travel and adventure with his love of business and the economics of how the world works Tim started working for LAFL. Here he plans to explore the many geographical and cultural beauties that Peru and Latin America have to offer. This New Englander has traded in his skis and snowboards for surf and ceviche.

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 Anabel Mota
 Marketing & Web Content Writer

Anabel hails from San Diego, California, city of eternal sunshine and quintessence of all that is laidback. As a daughter of Mexican parents, she was raised on a mixed cultural diet of telenovelas, cartoons, movies dubbed into Spanish, MTV, gangsta rap, and Mexican rancheras from the likes of Vicente Fernández and Rocio Durcal. Her true and early passion, however, was reading. She proudly admits to being a nerd and is the kind of person who buys textbooks. And reads them for fun.

Her love of learning came to fruit with admission to Cornell University, from which she graduated cum laude in history. Anabel went on to USC for a graduate degree, also in history. After working for a period of time in education in Los Angeles, she uprooted herself from the U.S. and moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here, (although she had previously thought herself fluent) she learned Spanish as a foreign language (i.e., che, boludo, quilombo, chamuyo, etc) and every facial and hand expressions that go along with porteño-speak. Buenos Aires served as a launching pad to travel to other parts of South America including Uruguay, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Having had her fill of steak and Malbec, Anabel relocated a second time to Cusco, where the people are warm, the food is quite tasty, and history remains present wherever you go.

When not reading or greeting and guiding travelers, Anabel's other interests include cooking, eating, beer-connoisseuring, drinking yerba mate, trekking in the mountains, and doing/seeing/living what she has only read about in books.

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 Chris Alvarado
 Marketing and Web Content Writer

Christopher was born in the multicultural metropolis that is Toronto, Canada. While Toronto may be home, he has been fortunate enough to live all across the world including Washington D.C, Johannesburg, Madrid, Sydney and now Lima, Peru. Chris graduated from Macquarie University in Sydney with a degree in Marketing & Communications and studied International Communications on an exchange program in 2010 at the Universidad de Alcalá, Spain.

Christopher worked for RPC Group, contributing with Mercado Magazine & the Hispanos en Canada television program, where he managed Latin social events in the Greater Toronto Area. He decided that his hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, were a depressingly long way from winning a championship so he packed his bags and left Canada's bitingly-cold winter for the much sunnier pastures in Latin America. After spending two months in Buenos Aires, Christopher decided the time was right to swap malbec for pisco and moved to Lima, Peru. He is incredibly excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and is already planning his next major trip to Brazil for the World Cup in 2014.

Christopher is appreciating the little things in life, for it is better to travel well than to arrive.

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 Rachel Ricks
 Marketing and Content Writer

Rachel was bit by the travel bug at a young age, when she was lucky enough to be taken by her mum round her homeland – the UK, and later, the countries of continental Europe. Before starting university, Rachel set off to explore Thailand for two months, where she got her first taste of tropical travel. After completing her degree in Journalism at Middlesex University in London, she set off again, this time on a round-the-world trip, taking in India, Nepal, China, south-east Asia, Australia, Chile, Easter Island and finally Rio de Janeiro.

Back in London, Rachel got her lucky break with her first proper journalism job – for the World Travel Guide. Later she became Web Editor for Stanfords – the famous travel book and map shop in London’s Covent Garden. While working here, surrounded by travel inspiration and world-wide travelers Rachel’s travel list got only longer and longer. However, she did manage to check off such exciting places as the Greek Islands, Italy, Spain and Costa Rica, and got to know London and other parts of her beloved UK inside out. Another perk of the job was getting to interview some of her heroes such as Michael Palin, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, John Simpson and Jonathan Dimbleby.

After a few years, Rachel’s feet began to itch for something a bit more, and eventually one day she packed up everything, said some fond farewells and headed off to Peru with a one-way ticket and no plans other than to try out living in a different country, to really get to know another culture, to learn Spanish, to travel round South America some more, and to write about it all.

That was August 2012, and Rachel lived in Peru teaching English and writing her blog in the Sacred Valley for three months before setting off for explorations through Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay, spending a long time in each place she stayed to really get to know it. Then she realized it was Peru she liked best, so she swept all the way back to Cusco, which has become her second home.

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 Angel Seron
 Senior Web Designer

Meet Angel Seron – our web designer and artist - who studied at the Toulouse Lautrec Superior Institute of Communication and Design here in Lima. Angel was born in Puerto San Juan de Marcona, a beach town close to Ica and roughly 8 hours from Lima. Angel lived in this idyllic setting until he was 17 and often reminisces about his childhood, which he describes as the peaceful life of sitting on beaches, swimming in the sea and enjoying the fresh clean sea air. From an early age Angel has been fascinated with art and while he whiled away his time painting and drawing as a child, he never imagined his passion with the arts would accompany him into his career. At University Angel decided to combine his passion for art with another passion of his – computers. Pursuing an education in graphic design, multimedia and web design was an obvious choices and Angel graduated at the top of all his classes. Angel has been an avid football fanatic his entire life. He also enjoys baseball, traveling, is in love with Salsa, and likes to kick back with some Spanish rock. In his spare time Angel enjoys reading and studying to keep in touch with all software innovations. Despite regarding himself as a homey kind of guy, Angel adores going out with his friends and meeting new people.

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 Fernando Ramos
 Web Programmer

Fernando hails from the valley of Huaral, two hours north of Lima, where the fruit is fresh and the people are warm and friendly. As befits a Programmer, he is interested in all matters of information technology, having studied Systems Analysis and Programming at the SISE Institute and Advanced Programming in Web Languages at TECSUP.

But far from being a nerd, Fernando has many outside interests, from strumming the guitar, to cycling, playing football or enjoying the beach in summer. He has also been lucky enough to travel extensively through Peru, climbing as high as 5,557m above sea level to the top of Mount Huaytapallana in the Andes. However, he still has ambitions for further travel, both within and beyond Peru, as well as honing his programming skills.

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 Silvana Tineo
 Finance

Silvana was born in Lima, and has loved traveling since childhood. She has fond memories of traveling every year to visit family in Chiclayo and enjoy the amazing beaches of northern Peru. She is a graduate of San Martin University with a degree in Tourism and Hotel Management and also has experience and additional studies in Accounting.

Silvana enjoys learning about new cultures and communicating with people from around the world. She speaks English, Spanish, and French, and is looking forward to learning Portuguese next and have the opportunity to travel to Brazil in the future. During her free time, Silvana loves dancing, singing, watching movies, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and boyfriend.

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 Deysi Becerra
 Finance

Desyi was born in Lima but spent most of her childhood and adolescence living in Tarapoto, one of Peru’s beautiful cities located in the jungle. Desyi graduated with a degree in Tourism Administration from the National Univeristy of Federico Villarreal and also studied Community Based Rural Tourism at the University of Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. She also plans to study for a Masters Degree in Cultural Heritage Management and Tourism.

Desyi has always loved traveling. It is hard for her to choose her favorite place because she believes each destination has its own charm and certain things that make it special. In her free time she likes to read, go shopping, take walks, and go to the movies and concerts.

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 Sheila Fessler Garcia
 Finance

Sheila was born in Cusco, the daughter of a Peruvian mother and a German father. As a child she moved to a small village in the Southern part of Germany. Even there, the Peruvian culture was always present and being home was like growing up in a “little Peru” in Germany. After working and studying in Germany, Sheila traveled to Peru and learnt more about the Peruvian culture and deeply fell in love with this amazing country. During her volunteer work in Cusco, she felt an even stronger connection to Peru and since then her wish to go back to Peru was more and more present.

Sheila loves traveling and lived in Argentina for a year. While working in Buenos Aires she traveled as much as she could and got to know various regions of Argentina. She also traveled to Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia and learnt more of the rich Latin American culture. Back in Europe she decided to study in the Netherlands with the aim to get to know another country and language and with the wish to meet people from around the world. She graduated from Stenden University Leeuwarden with a major in International Tourism Management and a minor in Spa and Health Management. Finally, Sheila has came back to Peru to settle down in a country that is so important to her. She is very happy and feels peace in Lima.

In her free time, Sheila loves to cook, especially Indian and Pakistani dishes and enjoys watching youtube tutorials to create delicious surprises for friends and family members. She also loves to prepare Pisco Sours and to learn more about Peruvian cuisine. Also, listening to audio books and singing along to the music of Tizianno Ferro give her inspiration and help her to recharge her energy.

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 Nancy Violetta
 Office Caretaker

Nancy has lived in Lima, Peru ever since she was 6 years old. She was born in the small city of Huancavelica and is incredibly proud of her Andean roots. Nancy has been working with Latin America for Less for over 5 years now and she loves meeting all the international employees at the office. She has travelled extensively across Peru including Ica, Cusco, Arequipa, Tacna and her personal favorite Trujillo and Huancacho.

When not at the office, Nancy loves to read her favorite author, the Chilean Pablo Neruda and watch the National Geographic channel. Her dream has always been to travel to Brazil and celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

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 Lucho Delgado
 Executive Chef

Lucho Delgado or Luchito as he is known in the office was born in Lima, Peru and has lived all his life in the capital. He has been a chef for over 10 years now and has been working with Latin America for Less for about a year. In his spare time, Lucho enjoys playing soccer and going out with all his longtime friends.

He has traveled throughout Peru but especially in the north where he has visited Chiclayo, Tumbes, Trujillo and Cajamarca. His favorite destination in Peru however has always been Cusco where he tries to pay a visit a couple times a year. This year, Lucho wants to travel to Patagonia and explore Torres del Paine. Until then, Luchito will continue to do what he does best, prepare some delicious Peruvian cuisine.

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