I’ve hiked The Great Wall, stood at the foot of the Acropolis, snaked through tunnels of the Great Pyramids, sat among the giant rocks of Stonehenge, and if I had to, I would trade all these experiences for my first hour at the Lost City of the Incas…

I actually almost missed out on going to Machu Picchu. I started my Argentina/Bolivia/Peru sojourn with five hundred dollars and a backpack thinking this was enough to get me by for three weeks. Now, it would have been plenty if I didn’t start my trip in Buenos Aires whose insatiable nightlife sucked me in and didn’t let go for more than a week straight. Being the most expensive city on my itinerary I spent one too many pesos reveling in it.

Check Out This View

Every traveler I had met in the meanwhile seemed to have just arrived from Machu Picchu and couldn’t stop telling me and my travel mates how we couldn’t miss it.

My finances weren’t looking like they were going to cooperate (which is nothing new) so I dug into my bag of tricks looking for a way to generate some cash and pulled out my 30GB iPod video, a four hundred and eighty Peso value if sold to the right Argentine. Long story short, I booked over sixty-five hours of buses (enjoyed without music) and headed north to Cusco, the former Incan capital.

Being 8,000 feet above sea level nestled high in the Andes Mountains, it was a cloudy entry at the peak of this archeological wonderland. The air smelled of fresh dirt and water vapor, compliments of the clouds enveloping everything around me. I rounded the first left after the entrance and had roughly twenty feet visibility ahead of me.

I proceeded to climb the same steps the Incas did 579 years ago to the sound of water running through their mountain top irrigation system that still runs today. I found the perfect spot to view the ruins from once the clouds cleared and the sun rose, plopped down and fiddled with the settings on my camera.

Slowly, but surely, the clouds relented and revealed the ancient ruins bit-by-bit. All at once I got that “don’t look down” feeling when I realized how high I was. Looking 2,000 feet straight down into the green Urubamba Valley dotted with red wild flowers and the occasional waterfall, made me feel ultimately insignificant. Then the last layer of cloud coverage floated off to reveal the same site Hiram Bingham rediscovered nearly 100 years ago. The view of the entire mountain could not be justified by any photograph I would take that day.

The terrace I was sitting on seemed to make a perfect amphitheater to view this spectacular site by forming a half circle that stretched for more than sixty yards. I found the mountain the ruins actually sit on is surrounded by a river that goes roughly 270 degrees around it with an emerald mountain range jetting straight up on the other side making Machu Picchu the centerpiece of this sacred land. I imagined Incas tending to their lamas and gardens on these terraces with this beautiful scenery as their backdrop.

Of course, the first question was, how did they do it? How did they build a whole city atop a mountain peak with no modern tools, methods, or even a written language to organize such a feat? Peruvian condors soared above grazing lamas, who perfectly manicured the lush green grass where I sat in admiration of these heavenly surroundings. Machu Picchu is by far my favorite place on this planet, selling my precious iPod was well worth it.

We are excited to announce that for every order placed on statravel.com on Monday, June 22, 2009, $7 will be donated to support a project providing children in Peru with warm meals, help with their schoolwork and life skills coaching, including sewing, cooking, music, and English.

Machu Picchu in Peru

In addition to donating $7 to the project for all online orders on June 22, we will match all donations made online, in STA Travel Stores and via our National Call Center (800.781.4040) to the project from June 22 until June 28.

Customers who purchase from statravel.com on June 22, will automatically have $7 donated by STA Travel to the project in their name and do not have to take any additional steps. Those who wish to make a direct donation to the project and have STA Travel match their donation can do so by visiting statravel.com/planeterra.

The Peru Streetkids Project

All donations – both from online orders and the direct donations – go to support our Peru Streetkids Project. We send hundreds of travelers to the site of the project in Cuzco, Peru, to volunteer every year and we are now providing travelers with an opportunity to support the project monetarily.

No matter the amount of the donation, each donation goes a long way towards providing the necessary materials, food and life skills that these children need.

• $5 purchases pens and notebooks for five children
• $10 provides materials for the jewelry making workshop – the main source of income – to make up to 25 bracelets
• $26 purchases food to feed all the children at the center for one day

The Peru Streetkids Project is our first sponsorship of such a volunteer project and demonstrates our commitment to leaving the countries that our customers and employees visit better than when they arrived.

Earlier in April, we asked our readers for their suggestions of the cheapest spots for summer travel. Originally, we were going to add 20 of the suggestions to our initial list of 10, but with 180 responses, we decided to make an entire list from your suggestions.

Without further ado, here are the top 30 cheapest summer travel spots – in no particular order – according to our blog readers:

Lima, Peru (Suggested by Garrett) – “The city is filled with history and cheap accommodations.”

Great Smoky Mountains (Suggested by Daniel Plinska) – “Expect to pay less than $20 a night for your campsites.”

Nashville, Tennessee (Suggested by Alyssa Browning) – “The state capitol and other historic sites, such as old Civil War battle lines, are other economical attractions.”

Apparently, It is Quite Dangerous to Ride a Bike in the Smokies

Iowa (Suggested by Laura) – “There are several arts festivals in the summertime including the free Des Moines Arts Festival in June and Jazz in July.”

Austin, Texas (Suggested by Linsey McCullough) – “Then head into downtown on Austin’s famous 6th Street and enjoy the music capital of the world while the streets are blocked off at night to take part in great people watching, shopping and cheap to near free entertainment.”

Wellington, New Zealand (Suggested by Nicole Gustas) – “The exchange rate now has the New Zealand dollar at just over 58 cents; it’s like getting the entire country at a half-off discount.”

Budapest, Hungary (Suggested by Noemi) – “Unlike Western Europe…it is very cheap!”

Portland, Oregon (Suggested by Katie MacDougall) – “Where else can you watch a movie for $3 while drinking micro-brew beer?”

Medellin, Columbia (Suggested by Sevenreds) – “Street vendors and cafes offer national and local dishes at more than reasonable prices.”

Boston, Massachusetts (Suggested by Tori) –  “Boston is known as the “walking city,” so no rental car needed.”

Prague, Czech Republic (Suggested by Caroline Slocum) – “I am currently spending the semester in Prague, Czech Republic and it is the most fun and cheapest place ever.”

Australia (Suggested by Rosie) – “..flights to Australia are DIRT CHEAP!”

Washington, D.C. (Suggested by Julia) – “The only problem with meals is fitting them in between all the free sights, such as the National Monuments, the Capitol Building, the Smithsonians, Arlington Cemetery, the Holocaust Museum, and all of the other fascinating things this city has to offer.”

In Boston, Some Cars are Also Boats. Quack!

Cape Town, South Africa (Suggested by Jarrad) – “The culture is rich and exhilarating, the people are inspiring and the weather is temperate…”

Seattle, Washington (Suggested by Stephen Alvarado) – “…riding the bus downtown is free!”

Puerto Rico (Suggested by Melissa) – “Get to experience the Latin flare of Central/South America for the price of visiting a U.S. territory hassle-free.”

Chicago, Illinois (Suggested by Renee O.) – “…don’t forget the free entertainment; this year’s line-up includes the Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, Barenaked Ladies and Ne-Yo.”

Bar Harbor, Maine (Suggested by Meghan Martin) – “I mean, come on, they have vacationland posted on their license plate.”

Granada, Nicaragua (Suggested by Shae) – “It’s very European, but you’re in a country where you can get a private room at a hostel for only $15.”

Minneapolis, Minnesota (Suggested by Alli Bloom) – “The attitude is hip and funky, and there are tons of cheap college places to eat, see music and just hang out!”

Michigan (Suggested by Carol Bontekoe) – “It’s a great state and needs the tourism to stay afloat.”

El Salvador (Suggested by Michelle Rios) – “Add inexpensive meals averaging $3 and hotels starting as low as $17 a night and you will be wishing summer lasted longer.”

Jersey Shore (Suggested by Katie Ryan) – “Another benefit of a beach house is having a kitchen so you can avoid eating out every night.”

Turkey (Suggested by Gina) – “I spent a month there on $500, traveling all around the country.”

An Artist's Wall in Krakow

Krakow, Poland (Suggested by James) – “The currency is not yet the Euro and it makes for a cheap, wonderful vacation.”

Memphis, Tennessee (Suggested by Megan) – “Memphis has something for everyone – and cheap! It was good enough for Elvis.”

San Francisco, California (Suggested by Alex) – “Little Italy and Russian Hill are only a few of the culture soaked districts in this North California gemstone.”

Cajon del Maipo, Chile (Suggested by Hannah) – “Get a group of friends to stay in cabanas or check out the cheap hostel options.”

Burlington, Vermont (Suggested by Josie) – “…it’s only about an hour to Montreal and The Ben and Jerry’s factory.”

Honduras (Suggested by Sarah) – “The food is amazing and cheap, offering the most amazing produce.”

To see STA Travel’s recommendations, click here.

Krakow Photo Credit: 13bobby on Flickr

Sign Photo Credit: xq311z on Flickr

Duck Boat Photo Credit: Pathfinder Linden on Flickr

Times are tough out there right now. Recent college grads are still looking for jobs and those graduating this year are scrambling to secure an open internship if they can find one.

With the economy in the dumps and travel prices at an all time low, it’s a pretty good time to consider a volunteer or work abroad program to get some experience – work and life experience – and sidestep the economy.

So if you can’t find a job, here are our top 10 places to go to get a little work, volunteer or life experience:

1. Bartend in Brisbane – Yes, you could be a bartender at your local, but why not get a little life experience bartending in a foreign country? It’s gotta be easy to make new friends when you’re the one handing out the alcohol.

2. Help Sea Turtles in Costa Rica – Not to totally bring down the mood, but sea turtles are at risk of extinction thanks to illegal hunting and habitat destruction. You can spend a few weeks volunteering to help rescue sea turtle eggs and nurturing them to be returned to the ocean.

Baby Monkeys are Barrels of Fun

3. Be an Au Pair in Paris – The meaning of the term “Au Pair” in French is, “equal to.” This indicates a special status for the Au Pair as an equal in the house, rather than a servant.  Start brushing up on your French.

4. Be a Ski Instructor in New Zealand – You could use some fresh powder, right? Try tackling the mountains of New Zealand and then get trained to be licensed to teach others. STA’s program even helps you find a job after training.

5. Work with Primates in Thailand – If you love the monkey cage at the zoo, this is the perfect gig for you. You can work at a baby primate sanctuary while learning the Thai language and helping conduct outreach and education programs about the sanctuary.

6.  Research Humpback Whales in Brazil – How about spending a few weeks to a few months on a boat studying the behavior and characteristics of humpback whales? If you see marine biology in your future, it would be an awesome learning experience.

7. Help Impoverished Kids in Peru – STA Travel recently partnered with Planeterra to support the Peru Streetkids project, which offers schoolwork and life-skills coaching, including sewing, cooking, music, and English, as well as warm meals to impoverished children. Opportunities are available for all people to support the project by volunteering.

8.  Be a Ranch Hand in Australia – Have you seen the movie Australia? Why not give it a go yourself and work on a ranch in the Outback. You can tend to cattle, ride horses and all of that jazz. Hey, it worked for Hugh Jackman….

9. Work in a kitchen in France – All  of my foodies out there know that France is one of the origins of fine cuisine. From French chefs like Guy Savoy to those inspired by the style of cooking like Anthony Bourdain, where would you rather learn how to bake a soufflé?

10. Travel Round-the-World – If you can’t decide on one destination, how about taking some time to see them all? Learn a little Italian in Italy, see some joeys in Australia and finish it off with some bungee jumping in Cape Town, South Africa.

Make sure to respond with your suggestion for a place to go if you can’t find a job or if you’ve had a great experience with one of the above options.

Make sure to check back the week of April 27 when we will publish all of the Top 30 lists with your contributions.

Photo Credit: alex.ch on Flickr