Every teenager wishes to broaden their horizons by traveling. Each year students from Taylorsville get the opportunity to travel across the globe. A program entitled “EF Tours” gives students a chance to travel for a low cost. Taylorsville is one of the few schools in Utah to take advantage of this program. Two teachers, Ms. Elkins and Señior Wells, plan a trip each summer that seems to be the dream vacation. This past summer, Wells and Elkins took a group of nine students to Peru.

Within the time in Peru each and every student became friends with one another. Because there is no invitation needed to go on these trips, the group seems to be a handful of random students. In the beginning of the trip it was easy to see who came with their friends and who didn’t know other students at all. However, by the end of the trip, no one really cared who they shared a room with or who they sat by. Each and every student created a bond with one another; the students even created bonds with the teachers, everyone was able to call each other their friend by the end of the trip.

“People become close friends no matter what kind of trip you go on, but traveling to a whole other country is a different story. It is a once in a lifetime experience. These trips are absolutely spectacular. And it amazes me how we when we all showed up to the airport that first morning, we didn’t know that besides having difficulties coming home, we wouldn’t want to leave each other once we finally got back,” said past senior Danielle Calacino.

Although the kids were treated like kings and queens, Peru clearly has a lower standard of living than the U.S.. As the students walked the streets, it seemed there was a market full of various families selling souvenirs to tourist on every single block.

One main difference that everyone gets intrigued by is the cuisine. While in Peru the travelers mostly ate chicken and potatoes. Potatoes were at almost every single meal; breakfast was always a buffet with coffee, fruit and a choice of carbs. Lunch was different every day, as this was the meal not included with the overall tour price. In the cities students picked affordable cafes to eat at. When traveling by bus all day, they ate at a pre planned tourist buffet or just had snacks. Dinner was different as each dinner was hosted at a nice restaurant with a three course meal.

Everyone was given the chance to try various new dishes. A memory they all share is trying the common American household pet, the guinea pig. For Peruvians this dish is a delight and is prepared for special occasions, however for the students it was like eating a beloved pet! They also had multiple times where they could choose to eat alpaca as their protein choice. Colton Winters, senior,  stated, “After an alpaca spit on me I didn’t feel bad eating alpaca kabobs.”

These students were given plenty of unique opportunities, with Machu Picchu, Qorikancha, the floating islands, and much more on this tour the students could not possibly imagine getting bored. Each and everyday was packed full of things that needed to be accomplished. Even the days spent traveling to the next location had excursions that were more than entertaining.

The major location that all were excited for was Machu Picchu. The group spent all day at this tourist trap. Between hiking to different areas, petting llamas, and taking pictures it was their longest and favorite day. Overall, this group of travelers had an extraordinary trip.