u/boyuan-dong

Lima
Weather was pretty rough when I was there, overcast and windy the whole time. The historic center looks a bit sketchy honestly, but it's packed with colonial architecture and the food scene is genuinely excellent. Larco Museum blew me away, wasn't expecting that. It's a solid base if you're learning Spanish or doing a longer stay. Day trips are limited though Sayan and Lunahuana are the closer options, Obrajillo is further out but you get snow-capped mountain views which makes the altitude adjustment easier. As far as big Latin American cities go, I'd rank it below Mexico City and Buenos Aires, but more interesting than Bogotá or Panama City.

Cusco
The city itself is absolutely worth it. The architecture, the culture, the mix of Inca and colonial, it hit different from anything else I've seen. That said, it's extremely touristy, and Machu Picchu is where I draw the line. God I hated dealing with that place. Tickets sell out weeks in advance, and getting there is either the Inca Trail or an overpriced train — there's no easy way in or out. The site itself is stunning but the whole experience around it is exhausting.

Ica / Paracas / Huacachina / Nazca
Budget about 4 days for this whole stretch. Nazca isn't just the flight. There are a ton of burial sites and ruins worth exploring on the ground. Huacachina is basically just a desert, nothing that special, but the dune buggy rides are an absolute blast. Paracas was my favorite of the bunch of wildlife everywhere, gorgeous coastline, and the beach resort hotels here are way better value than anywhere else in Peru. Genuinely surprised by how much I liked it.

Arequipa
Only spent 3D two in the city, one at Colca Canyon. It's quieter than most places because tourists tend to skip it, and the architecture isn't as polished as Cusco, but the monastery is worth visiting. The area around Andagua has some solid trekking, mountaineering, and hot springs (the hot springs are in Chivay specifically). A lot of people default to Huaraz for the outdoor stuff, but Arequipa is a real alternative. I didn't get to do the proper outdoor itinerary here which I regret.

Puno
The Uros floating reed islands are genuinely unlike anything else, though pretty commercial. The lake itself is stunning: high-altitude lakes have this quality to them that's hard to describe. The town though? Not much there. I think staying overnight on the islands would make it more worthwhile. Taquile and Amantani felt more authentic to me. One thing — I actually saw the snow-capped mountains from the Bolivian side of Titicaca, and if you're comparing scenery, Bolivia wins that one.

Cerro de Pasco
This one's a hidden gem for long-term travelers. Locals come here for short getaways like hot springs, waterfalls you can actually swim under, quiet villages, cheap everything. Nothing jaw-dropping, but if you're in Peru for a while and want to slow down somewhere real, I'd recommend it.

Huánuco & Tingo María
Same vibe as Cerro de Pasco, great for getting off the gringo trail. Lower elevation makes it more comfortable, and 3-4 days feels just right here.

Huaraz
Absolutely loved this place, only gripe is getting there is a pain. But the trekking access to glacial lakes and snow peaks is some of the best I've experienced anywhere. If you couldn't get a camping permit for Torres del Paine, come here instead. Seriously.

Cajamarca
A proper historic city with a lot of Inca history. Two or three days is enough. If you're into pre-Columbian civilization and ruins, this one's for you.

Chachapoyas
Honestly went in with low expectations and got humbled. If you find Puerto Maldonado or Iquitos too touristy, this is your answer. Wildlife isn't as dense, but it feels way more raw and untouched. The Gran Vilaya trail and Kuelap (a fortress literally built into a mountain) were highlights of my whole trip.

Still haven't made it to: Puerto Maldonado, Iquitos, Piura, Moyobamba, Tarapoto, Chiclayo, Trujillo, Oxapampa, Huanchaco, Tarma So this list isn't complete by any means. Happy to answer questions on any of the places I did visit.

Spent 11 days in Laos split across Vientiane (4d), Vang Vieng (3d), and Luang Prabang (4d). Looking back, the split was way off Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng both exceeded my expectations by a lot, while the capital was honestly kind of boring. This is just the Vientiane part.
Sights:

Lao National Museum — far from the center but genuinely worth the trip out there

Haw Phra Kaew / Wat Si Saket / Pha That Luang / Simuang Temple — all on the smaller side, feels a lot like the temples in northern Thailand, but way fewer tourists. Much more peaceful for it.

Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park) — cool sculptures and a reclining Buddha, but it's all modern construction fyi

Vientiane Night Market — basic grills and fruit, stalls were decent enough, selection is pretty limited though. The best part is just walking along the Mekong after dark.
Patuxai — highly recommend paying to go up top, good views over the city center

That Dam (Black Stupa) — ancient stupa ruin, and right next door is Hichillico Cafe inside an old French colonial building. Really loved the vibe there.

Vientiane is fine for a day or two as a stopover, but 3–4 days is pushing it. Would've moved that time to Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng.
Just a reminder temples require knee-length coverage (long pants or skirt). Bring cash — a lot of small vendors don't take card.

Background: I majored in Spanish literature in college and spent every semester break in Latin America for months at a time to practice the language. Mexico was my most frequent destination, and over the years I ended up covering most of the country. Here's where I landed:

1. Chiapas
   The strongest indigenous culture of anywhere I've been in Mexico. Palenque is world-class, and Bonampak hidden in the jungle with almost no tourists is exactly the kind of place you hope to stumble onto. Prices are reasonable and it doesn't feel commercialized the way Oaxaca does. The small villages around San Cristobal are honestly more interesting to me than anything I saw in Guatemala. The one letdown: Puerto Arista's beaches didn't live up to what I'd imagined.

2. Yucatan & Campeche
   More to do than Chiapas, and the ruins and colonial architecture are just as impressive, though it doesn't feel quite as raw culturally (Izamal is a nice exception). What puts it over the top is the variety of natural stuff: Rio Celestun, the cenotes, and a bunch of villages that make great day trips like Becal and Pomuch.

3. Michoacan
   I went during Dia de Muertos and it was genuinely one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The crowds were intense but the atmosphere was worth it. Patzcuaro has a slightly different feel from the southern colonial towns, and outside of the festival season it stays relatively uncommercialized. I never made it during monarch butterfly migration but I'm going back for that eventually.

4. Mexico City & Central Valley
   CDMX is one of my favorite cities in the world. The food, the museums, the cultural scene. The surrounding towns fill out your itinerary nicely: Puebla is obvious, but Taxco, Aculco, Amecameca, and Tlaxco are all solid day trips that most people skip. The traffic is genuinely unbearable but the city always has something new no matter how many times you come back.

5. Quintana Roo / Cancun
   Every time I visit I end up annoyed at prices. Hotels, tours, food, transportation — it's all expensive relative to the rest of Mexico. That said, the tourism infrastructure is undeniably good: activities, natural sites, ruins, water parks, or just lying on the beach at an all-inclusive. A lot of people have strong opinions about the best coastline in Mexico, but Cancun's water is the best I've personally seen in the country.

6. Guanajuato & San Luis Potosi
   Guanajuato is touristy, no question, but I love it anyway. The streets are clean, the shops and cafes are charming, and it's a genuinely nice place to work remotely for a few weeks. SLP was the real surprise though. Xilitla and Ciudad Valles barely have any foreign visitors, prices are low, and the combination of architecture and nature is quietly stunning. Not in the same league as the top five, but it exceeded my expectations.

7. Oaxaca
   Food, architecture, art, craft culture — objectively great. Nothing bad to say. But I also walked away without a single memory that really stuck with me, which probably says more about my expectations going in than the place itself.

8. Veracruz
   I did a study exchange here for six months so I'm biased. There's not much on the tourist checklist, basically no foreign visitors, very local atmosphere, and cheap. The Olmec anthropology museum is underrated and I have a lot of fond memories from the little bars along the waterfront.

9. Jalisco / Nayarit / Guerrero
   Haven't made it to Guadalajara or Tequila yet so I can't speak to those. Puerto Vallarta is fine but it's not as fun as Cancun and the beaches aren't as nice. Better value for money though if that's a priority. In Guerrero I only went to Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo and really liked both — good diving and surfing, lots of marine life, and noticeably
   cheaper than the Pacific resorts further north.

10. Baja California
    Am I the only one who came away underwhelmed by Los Cabos and La Paz? Pricey accommodation, limited transport options, and the Sea of Cortez side doesn't compare to the Caribbean visually. The diving is
    legitimately spectacular though, I'll give it that.

11. Northern Mexico
    Haven't been yet.