Claire Dean

Copywriter

I grew up in Liverpool, England, and came to Peru 28 years ago, then I never found a good reason to leave! Cusco is my first home now, and after nearly three decades here I would say it chose me as much as I chose it. I am a psychologist by profession, and I’ve spent my whole career in Peru in travel instead. (Beats working in UK prisons!) It turns out the two fit together rather well. Years of leading groups across South America taught me to read a room, to spot the moment a traveller needs a coffee, a laugh or a quiet minute, and to know what makes a trip feel unforgettable and not just well organised. As a South American tour leader I got to know every country in Central and South America by living in it! Which border crossings test your patience, where the best meal in town is hiding, and how to turn a long bus ride into one of the best parts of the trip. These days I’m office-based in Cusco, but the travel never left me. I’m the copywriter in our Marketing team, so I’m the one putting our destinations into words. I also look after our SEO and translation projects, and I lead a small team that helps me do it. I’m fully bilingual in English and Spanish, so what we say about Peru reads as naturally in one language as in the other. Away from the desk, I’m a proud mum to my Peruvian daughter and a lifelong Liverpool FC supporter. Ask me about either and you may struggle to get a word in. Matchday in Cusco means early mornings, a lot of shouting (ask my colleagues!) and a very loud living room. Twenty-eight years in, I know Peru like the back of my hand. By the time you land, you will too.