College backpacking in Ecuador & Peru?

Peru has more thinks than Machupichu and it is expensive...My recommendation is that you spend your extra month traveling in Ecuador. You definitely should see the amazon jungle and the Avenue of Volcanoes, Cuenca, you can do some Mountain climbing or kayaking for example. Visit www.pioneerjourneys.com and you can have an idea about the possibilities of Ecuador...this company, for instance, sells the cheapest tour to the amazon jungle I've seen...180$ but you have to ask for that special deal.

Also, you could go to Galapagos Islands, but bear in mind that it is an expensive destination (450$ just the air ticket)...but once you are there, as a backpacker you can travel around and enjoy the fantastic islands for not much.

Another possibility is that you spend 2 weeks in Ecuador (visiting Quito and the Amazon Jungle) and then go straight ahead to Machupichu...but take into account from where your plane back home is departing from.

Machu Picchu is amazing, but it's a little spendy to get there. You can take a bus or fly from Guayaquil to Lima, but it's a long bus ride, 22 hours and then from Lima you can either take a bus or fly to Cuzco, again long bus ride 20 hours, but of course the bus is more economical than flying. Once in Cusco, you have to take the train to get to Machu Picchu. And the train tickets are a little more pricey. Also, if you want to do the Inca Trail hike, that's a little spendy too. So, if I were you, I'd concentrate on using that month to travel through Ecuador. It's a small country, so you can get virtually anywhere by bus and the bus tickets are cheap. There are beautiful beaches and cool little beach towns like Montenita, rainforest, hot springs, Cotopaxi Volcano, Otavalo and its beautiful open air market. With a small budget, your dollar will go a lot farther backpacking through Ecuador then spending all that time and money getting to Machu Picchu. I would save Machu Picchu for when you have more money to spend. Have fun!

Travelling in Peru and Ecuador doesn't cost a lot and you will have a lot of choices in what to do with your money. Most expensive will be the tours in more touristic places like Macchu Picchu. Instead of paying for the train walking the Inca trail is a good and also economic option. Here is some more info!

http://www.yukiba.com/Peru-travel.html

Well, I live in Lima-Peru and I think that you should bring your ipod. It is safe here, you just have to take care of your stuff, like in any other place. You should always take extra care with technology, don't mix it with things which could damage the ipod. Have a good trip (:

all the questions you ask are so easily answered by the tourist bureau of the country