An example of what it is costing to get out of Peru at the moment!! Some of them are, no doubt, running too quickly to the government to bail them out. But others deserve some sympathy. Some will be "gap year kids" travelling on a real shoe string budget - Peru seemed a nice, not "very difficult" adventure, when it was all being planned! They may have to look to the "bank of mum and dad". Then there are the "mid-life travellers" who set off in hope of finding something new after 20+ years of boring jobs and failed relationships with nothing but more of the same to come..... (I am sounding "depressed" aren't I!!!). Well - their resourcefulness and resilience may be tested and they will learn something about themselves that way It basically comes down to - Do I a. Congregate in Lima, spend my days at the UK embassy and try to get out on the only available flights b. Chill out "up country", live as cheaply as possible and improve my Spanish, teach English, meditate..........
Some, much harder cases, of course, will find it difficult to do either without real help. For instance - no doubt there will be some older people on the adventure of a lifetime with limited supplies of prescription drugs. This morning's radio had an interview with a Cardiac Surgeon on a 4 week holiday to Peru/Bolivia who, needs to get back for his work and EVEN with, presumably, no budgetary restrictions and the help of a very active travel agent in London who moved heaven and earth to get him onto flights back first via La Paz and Rio and then via Bogota wasn't (TWICE!) allowed on the plane for reasons such as - a lay over of more than 10 hours in La Paz which meant officially entering Bolivia (not allowed!) and having checked in baggage which meant entering Colombia for the flight change to pass through customs (not allowed")
"Desperate Britons stranded in Peru are being charged up to £6,500 to be flown home. Around 250 British travellers are stuck in Peru after the government declared a 15-day lockdown and banned flights. Yesterday the British embassy advertised £3,000 economy seats on a charter flight home – rising to almost £6,500 for business class seats. Sarah Baxter, 42, from Bath, is stuck in Cusco in southeastern Peru and called for the government to subsidise the cost. She said: 'It is an outrageous amount of money that no one can pay.' Usually a return flight to Cusco costs up to £800." |