If you're planning a first trip to Peru, reverse the order most people use.

Most first-timers book flights, then hotels, then Machu Picchu. That's how you end up with a 6am bus you didn't want, or no entry on the only day you're in Cusco.

Do this instead:

1. Pick your entry date and circuit first. Tickets are date-specific and limited.

2. Build Cusco around that date — you want two nights before for altitude.

3. Then book Lima, flights, and the rest.

Circuits matter. If you want the classic postcard view, you need the right ticket — not "any Machu Picchu ticket."

Altitude is the other silent trip-killer. Flying into Cusco and hiking the same week is how people lose a day to headaches. Plan buffer.

That's the whole game for a first visit: tickets first, altitude second, everything else third.