Answering the Peruvian Call

Marketed as the largest single study of economic activity in the world and conducted by an academic research consortium, the Global Entrepreneurial Monitor ranks Peru at the top for entrepreneurial activity. For years, I have been impressed with Peruvians' drive for entrepreneurship and now have the opportunity to further explore it.

With this being my sixth trip to the country, I met some unexpected challenges. First, I learned that there are places where you can get a passport in a day if needed. I had booked a Minneapolis appointment if for any reason I could not locate my passport--luckily I could cancel that. Given a 22 hour travel day, I'd like to share a couple of "lessons from the international traveler" that may help my students and others.

First, I had just returned two days prior from a conference on the database I hope to include in my dissertation so I did have to switch gears to prepare for international travel. #1) Keep luggage under 50 pounds or the excess baggage fees can equate to close to an airline ticket. After travel to 24 countries, there is a seasoned traveler's knowledge corridor to access. Pulling an all --nighter, I drove to northwest Indiana, then caught a shuttle bus to Chicago to fly out of O'Hare. For the first time, I booked international travel on-line to save about $500. #2) Remember to call on-line vendor and check all travel restrictions and requirements. #3)I worked with Condor travel in Peru (highly recommended) to secure a better local rate for the hotel and to assure airport pick up. #4) I allowed myself 3 hours advance to arrive at the airport and I'm soo glad I did. The unexpected Chicago storm delayed the shuttle bus by nearly an hour.

Finally making it to US Airways and the subsequent connections to Charlotte, NC and Miami then on to Lima, there are a couple of things worth mentioning: #5)whenever you book an airport pick up, don't count on always seeing your name written on a board if there are literally hundreds of people waiting for deboarding passengers and anxious taxi solicitors everywhere. Arrange a 'specific' rendezvous point. I didn't. It took us about 45 minutes to connect even with being only feet away from each other. #6) either purchase a cell phone for local calls (make sure you have pick up person's contact info before arriving and the actual address of your hotel/not just the name) Off to an interesting start is all I can say. At midnight, I finally made it to The Ferre Hotel in Miraflores which is very centrally located. All I remember was that I took a minute to prepare for the next day and then the Peruvian enery lulled me to a peaceful rest. I made it to Peru and answered the call.