Peru Specialist!

I just passed my Peru Specialist exam. I’ve been working on becoming a Peru Specialist for almost a year. A lot of seminars, webinars, and reading, along with talking to those that have been or lived there helped me along the way. Now I’m counting the days until I get to go myself!

Today was one of the most exciting webinar’s I’ve had the pleasure of attending. This one focused on The Amazon Voyage. And this is the trip I want really bad! I’ll be going into detail about this part of Peru in a future blog soon.

There is just so much about Peru that isn’t known by the general tourist population. Of course, most of us know about Machu Picchu and Cuzco, but there is an entire country that has some of the most awesome adventures and sights that you really need a good month or more to really get to see them all. Kind of like telling someone they could see most of the United States in a month – right?
Did you know for instance that Peru is divided into three distinct areas? First is the coastal area that slopes up in the east to the Andean mountains. The second area being the Andean mountains down the center of Peru and third – the Amazon basin on the west side. I will be going into a lot more detail about each of these areas and what there is to see also here in future installments of Peru on this blog site.

Peru, a land wrapped in 10,000 years of history is unparallel in South America for its archaeological wealth and rich pre Columbian history. Since there is no written language about The Inca civilization, knowledge based on archaeological research that the Spanish left written records gives us insight into this civilization.

But wait! There’s more! So much more than archaeology - like – food and wine, museum lovers, golf, surfing, horseback riding, rafting, birders, nature lovers, mountain biking, hiking, handicraft collectors, orchid hunters, and I could go on and on.

Of the 117 life zones (biomes) recognized in the world, 84 are found in Peru. Of the Earth’s 32 types of climate, Peru has 28. And as one of only 18 countries in the world to be categorized as biologically mega-diverse, Peru is naturally equipped to harbor a majority of the Earth’s species. Wait until we get to the eco tours and voluteer tourism opportunities that we will review soon!

Follow me here for more updates on Peru – and the next big adventure – or call me and I can set your dream trip up today!

The Gift of Travel

Most of you are aware of the multitude of gift registries. You know almost every department store in the world has a registry for some type of celebration, and baby stores have baby shower registries. And of course there are several wedding and honeymoon registries. But recently I ran across a wonderful Trip Registry with one of our favorite tour companies – Brendan Tours.

So, what is the Trip Registry?

We give travelers a way to register their entire trip online. It works just like a gift registry - the traveler wants to have parts of their tour paid for as a gift. Instead of buying them a sweater or a music CD, you can give them part of their trip to Italy. The traveler has listed their selected trip itinerary for friends and family to contribute toward as a gift.

And just what kind of gifts would be listed on a Trip Registry?

Besides the typical honeymoon, how about a weddingmoon (those getting married at their favorite destination and combining the wedding with the honeymoon), birthdays, and family reunions. Or perhaps you have a graduating high school or college student that is taking that long talked about European vacation? Christmas, Hanukah, or maybe just because someone deserves a great vacation? (Never too late to start planning that gift!)

Most people can’t afford to give their mom, dad, sister, brother, you fill in the blank – a nice vacation – but you can contribute to one by using the registry. The travelers go online, find the tour of their dreams, break down the cost of the entire vacation into affordable modules and send it out to friends and family. They in turn, go online, purchase a portion of the trip and thus have contributed to their favorite son, daughter, niece, nephew, you fill in the blank’s dream trip.


Thinking about taking that very special trip to Europe, South Pacific, Africa, Egypt, South or Central America, Asia or the US and Canada? Call or email me at Azumano Travel and we can arrange that Travel Registry with Brendan Tours. I’ve worked with this company for over 30 years and they are a quality operator.

How about just a Travel Gift Card?

Yes, we have those too! Travel gift cards are just like any other type of gift card. You set the amount and give the card to your mom, dad, sister, brother, you fill in the blank....they get to choose where they want to go and apply their travel gift. Call me today, I can set up the registry or a gift card.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Do you have a year or more to spare and want to do something very special? Ever thought about living in a foreign country and doing something so worthwhile and rewarding while getting paid? Did you know if you speak fluent English (along with very few other little restrictions) you can teach others in our world how to speak English. Think of it as your passport to earning a living abroad while making a lasting contribution to the lives of others!

Azumano has partnered with a company that has trained over 60,000 people and placing the new teachers all over the world for over 15 years. Once you obtained your certification you can teach in classrooms or local business. You can also take part in team or volunteer teaching. There is a huge demand for overseas teachers now, so why wait?

There are three ways to become qualified. Weekend, Online and Specialist Certificate Courses. I will go into each one with a little detail here.

Weekend Course – looking for fun and a worthwhile activity for just one weekend? The Weekend course runs Saturday from 9am to 8pm and Sunday from 9am to 6pm. 20 hours of practical training, interactive workshops, teaching practice with excellent tutors. Price begins at $395.00 per person. There are also 40, 80 and 120 hour courses, combining this course with the online course and a Specialist Certificate as well!

The Online Course – offers 40, 60 or 100 hours of online learning and you have 6 months to complete the course. Of course, you will want to complete it quicker so you can get on with the travel. The online course offers 10 modules with audio and video that also teaches more theory and grammar. How to teach vocabulary, how to teach writing and speaking skills. How to manage a classroom and much more! The courses start at $260 per person.

Specialist Certificates – You will always come across different classroom situations and opportunities, so a specialist course will incease your job scope (and your salary) abroad. There are 8 different Specialist Certificate courses. They include: Teaching English
One-to-One, Using Audio & Video in the Classroom, Teaching English to Large Classes, Teaching English
to Young Learners, Teaching Business English, Teaching with Limited Resources, Cultural Awareness
in the Classroom, How to Teach Pronunciation. The price is $75 per certificate.

Offered as a new option – Teaching Internship in China - you can $4,400, get 500 hours of teaching practice and your TEFL certification. The price of this project is only $1595 and includes your instructions, transfers and living expenses. There are a limited number of these programs left and they are going fast, so fast that the very last acceptance date is July 27, and you must be ready to depart for China no later than August 27. You only need to be a fluent or native English speaker. No previous teaching experience or University degree is necessary! You do not need to be able to speak Chinese



If China is not on your list of must see’s (I can’t imagine why not) then, there are job openings in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Ecuador.

So, if you’re ready to go teach the world to speak English, call me today I’m happy to let you know all about this most exciting new life chaning travel opportunity!

Life Changing Travel Experiences

Have you ever thought about doing any of these projects and just didn’t know how? How would you like to take a Life Changing Travel Experience and:

Work with lions in South Africa
Sea Turtle Conservation in Costa Rica
Animal wildlife rescue in Ecuador
A Malaysian Orangutan experience
Gorillas and community work in East Africa

Building homes for the underprivileged in Costa Rica, Honduras, Kenya, Vietnam and more
Reconstructing schools in Nepal
Conservation work in Australia’s Outback
Community work in India, Costa Rica, Thailand, Sri Lanka and more
Community theater work in Jaipur
Volunteer with Carnival preparation in Rio
Work with children at the foot of Kilimanjaro
Conservation work on the Galapagos Islands
Care for orphans in Cambodia

Teaching English as a Foreign Language in
China, Indonesia, Japan, Costa Rica, Ecuador and many other places!

Since the memorable Flight of Friendship, the outreach trips to Thailand in the weeks following the 2004 tsunami and to New Orleans to help with post-Katrina reconstruction, Azumano Travel has been constantly asked to bring more of these kinds of programs to our customers, both for groups and individuals seeking more meaningful ways to travel.

We now bring you a vast array of new, incredible, life-changing travel experiences with a focus on volunteering, giving back, learning and cultural immersion on a level not seen before with mainstream travel products that we’ve traditionally brought you. I know that many of you have thought about wanting to travel off the beaten track, see the world and spend some time giving back volunteer service at some important sustainable projects around the globe and we can now help you choose from dozens of available projects.

Some of you may be interested in helping in community development projects. Some are interested in working with children. Others have a passion for working to protect and save the earth’s vulnerable wildlife and environment. If you’re looking for a unique travel experience abroad, look no further! Our new programs are the perfect way to meet new people, immerse yourself in new cultures and to truly make a difference where you travel, coming home with memories of a rewarding experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.

From high school students nearing graduation, to boomers and seniors, to career breaks to sabbatical trips, to multi-generational families, to church groups, college study-abroad groups, corporate incentive or team-building groups, spring break groups, to those among us just wanting to make a difference and give back while traveling, it is clear that our customer base is often looking for something more in their travel experiences, and in their lives. And now, thanks to our new partnership with I-to-I, Azumano Travel will be equipped to bring these opportunities to you.

Watch here for more details I’ll be sharing with you on the different types of programs, or call me if you’re just so excited you want to go now, personally, I’m looking forward to feeding the Panda’s in China!