Many Yampu travelers return from their tours with rave reviews on how tailored and authentic their experiences are. Yampu president and co-founder, Jose Irauzqui, and his wife and Yampu co-founder and VP started Yampu with a desire to share the magic of travel experiences that depart from mainstream tourism. Expert travelers who have seen the best countless countries have to offer, this inspired couple has worked hard for 20+ years to show you what travel is all about. Learn more about one of Yampu’s leaders, Jose, below!

Name: Jose Irauzqui
Title: President & Co-founder
From: Peru
Time at Yampu: Since the beginning! 20 years.

Q: How do you balance your career at Yampu Tours and family? 
A: I try to break up my day by working early, then leaving for a couple of hours during the day and log back in the evening. Same with the weekends though my goal is to be less “connected” and enjoy the family more.

Q: What advice do you have for prospective travelers? 
A: Be prepared and do as much research as possible about the place you will be going to so that you know what to expect

Q: What has been your favorite project or trip planned at Yampu Tours? 
A: I am a little biased since I am Peruvian but Peru is still my favorite destination. The kindness of the people, the historical sites, the vistas from the Andes and the wildlife of the Amazon are part of the reasons that this is my favorite destination. It is also constantly evolving with beautiful new hotels opening up every month.

Q: Are you messy or organized? 
A: Hmmm. What do you think! (We think he’s pretty darn organized…)

Q: What were you like at age 10? 
A: According to my mum quite restless

Q: When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
A: A vet.

More about Jose: Born in Peru, José traveled from a young age with his parents around Latin America and later went to boarding school in Switzerland and traveled extensively around Europe and Asia. In 1990 José earned a law degree in the UK and went back to Peru until 1998 when he met his future wife and co-founder of Yampu, Monica during a trip to New York; their first trip together was to Machu Picchu. It turned out to be a life-changing experience. Shortly after, José and Monica were married, moved to New York City, and began to create their travel website.

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