Join our family and experience life in the Sacred Valley, Cusco, Peru

Details

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  Description

  Hello! We are a small family — mama and my two-year-old daughter, Aria — living just outside beautiful Pisac in the Sacred Valley of Peru. My name is Erika, and I work one-on-one with clients as a psycho-spiritual guide, supporting people through personal growth, transformation, and healing.
  
  We are creating a peaceful, connected home centered around family, nature, community, healthy living, creativity, and good food.
  
  We love exploring, walking around town, visiting local markets, enjoying cafés, spending time in nature, connecting with our community, and experiencing everything the Sacred Valley has to offer. Pisac is an incredible place with beautiful nature, Andean culture, markets, healing traditions, and a large international community.
  
  We are currently looking for TWO female Workawayers for two completely different roles:
  
  ROLE 1 — CHILDCARE / AU PAIR SUPPORT
  
  Someone who genuinely loves being with young children and would primarily spend her helping hours with my two-year-old daughter, Aria.
  
  I’m looking for someone warm, playful, patient, responsible, present, and comfortable spending lots of time outdoors with a toddler. It is very important to me that whoever is with Aria is genuinely engaged with her rather than frequently using her phone.
  
  ROLE 2 — WHOLE-FOOD PLANT-BASED COOK / FOOD PREP
  
  I’m looking for a woman who genuinely loves preparing beautiful, nourishing food.
  
  You do not necessarily need to be a professional chef. What matters most is that you are an excellent and confident cook who understands whole-food, plant-based cooking, healthy preparation techniques, fresh ingredients, and how to create delicious meals without relying on heavily processed foods.
  
  Food is very important in our home. I believe the energy and intention we bring to preparing food matters, so I would love someone who genuinely enjoys cooking and puts care, presence, creativity, and love into the food she prepares.
  
  This person would essentially become our in-house whole-food cook, preparing lunch and dinner for the household and helping with food preparation and ingredient sourcing.
  
  Both roles are approximately 5 hours per day, 5 days per week, with two full days off.
  
  We are looking for women who want more than simply free accommodation. We’d love to create a warm little household/community where everyone has her own life and independence while also enjoying sharing meals, conversation, and everyday life together.
  
  Our home is alcohol-free and drug-free, aside from the intentional ceremonial use of traditional medicines. We value a peaceful home, healthy living, nature, community, and genuine connection.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  Interests

  

  Writing

  

  Plant care

  

  Performing arts

  

  Languages

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Camping

  

  Dancing
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  As a Canadian mother raising my daughter internationally, I can share Canadian culture and traditions, English conversation practice, and insight into an unconventional approach to motherhood, travel and family life.
  
  For the past two years, my daughter and I have traveled extensively while living largely through house- and pet-sitting, so our family life looks a little different from the conventional model.
  
  I also work in the psycho-spiritual space and have spent years exploring personal growth, healing, spirituality and different traditions. The Sacred Valley itself attracts people from around the world interested in these subjects, and there are endless opportunities here for yoga, meditation, ceremony, creativity, music, movement and community.
  
  You’ll also have an immersive introduction to Andean and Peruvian life through everyday experiences in Pisac and the surrounding Valley — shopping in local produce markets, learning about regional foods and ingredients, encountering Quechua culture and traditions, and becoming part of the rhythm of daily life here.
  
  For someone joining us specifically for the whole-food cooking role, the local markets are an incredible part of the experience. You’ll have access to beautiful Peruvian produce, grains, legumes, herbs and ingredients and the opportunity to explore them creatively through our shared meals.
  
  I want this to be a genuine two-way exchange. I will share my world, perspectives and community with you, and I genuinely want to learn from the women who come into our home as well — whether that’s your language, culture, food, traditions, creativity or simply your way of seeing the world.

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  Au Pair Help

  This host is looking for Au pair help.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We are currently welcoming two female Workawayers, each with her own role. You would apply for ONE of these roles — you are not expected to do both.
  
  ROLE 1 — CHILDCARE / AU PAIR SUPPORT
  
  The main focus of this role is spending quality time with my two-year-old daughter, Aria.
  
  She is happy, curious and active and loves exploring, playing, reading, being outdoors and connecting with people.
  
  Your time with her may include playing and reading together, taking walks and exploring nearby areas, spending time outside and in nature, helping with her meals and snacks, supporting her routines, and simply being an engaged, caring and playful presence.
  
  I particularly value someone who understands that children this young learn through connection, play, exploration and everyday life. I’m not looking for someone to entertain her with screens or structured academics.
  
  Please keep phone use to a minimum while caring for her. Of course you can have your phone with you, but I want the person caring for Aria to genuinely be with her.
  
  The schedule is approximately 5 hours per day, 5 days per week (around 25 hours/week). We can be flexible, and some days the hours may be divided into smaller blocks rather than one continuous five-hour period.
  
  ROLE 2 — WHOLE-FOOD PLANT-BASED COOK / FOOD PREP
  
  This role is for someone who really loves food and cooking.
  
  The primary responsibility is preparing two nourishing meals per day — lunch and dinner — for our household, five days per week.
  
  We eat primarily whole, fresh, plant-based foods and want meals prepared from real ingredients: abundant vegetables and fruit, legumes, grains, herbs, nuts, seeds and other nourishing foods.
  
  We minimize highly processed foods, refined ingredients and poor-quality cooking oils. We care about how ingredients are sourced and how food is prepared.
  
  Your helping hours may include:
  
  * Planning lunches and dinners
  * Preparing and cooking two meals per day
  * Washing/chopping/prepping ingredients
  * Making things from scratch where practical
  * Organizing ingredients and keeping the kitchen functional
  * Going to local markets and produce stands to source fresh ingredients
  * Helping keep track of what ingredients we need
  * Cleaning the kitchen and cooking area after meal preparation
  
  Everyone can take care of her own breakfast, so breakfast preparation is not part of the role.
  
  You don’t have to make elaborate restaurant-style meals every day. Some of the best food is simple. What matters is that it is fresh, nourishing, delicious and prepared with care.
  
  I would particularly love someone who gets excited walking through a market, finding gorgeous produce, bringing it home and thinking, What can I make with this?
  
  There is also an energetic component to this for me. I believe food carries the energy with which it is prepared. I’m looking for someone who enjoys cooking rather than experiencing it as a chore — someone who naturally puts love, attention and good energy into feeding people.
  
  Again, you do not need professional culinary qualifications. Genuine experience, confidence and passion for healthy cooking matter much more to me.
  
  We have a cleaner who comes weekly for deeper cleaning, so neither position is a house-cleaning role.
  
  We ask for approximately 5 hours of help per day, 5 days per week, leaving you with 2 full days off to relax, explore or do your own thing.
  
  We love creating a warm, family-style environment. Since you’ll be living with us, my daughter will naturally enjoy spending time with you, so we hope you’ll feel comfortable being part of household life rather than keeping completely to yourself.
  
  At the same time, your personal space is your own. Your days off belong to you, and if your bedroom door is closed, we’ll always respect that as private time.
  
  Helping hours are generally between approximately 8:00 am and 7:00 pm, with the exact schedule varying depending on our plans.
  
  Our home is a non-smoking, alcohol-free space. From time to time, I sit with mapacho (traditional ceremonial tobacco) outdoors as part of a personal ritual. If you vape or smoke commercial cigarettes, these must always be kept outside, well away from the house and away from Aria. A non-smoker is strongly preferred.
  
  We keep fairly early hours, usually waking between 5:00–6:00 am and heading to bed between approximately 7:30–8:30 pm. We appreciate a calm home in the evenings and ask everyone to be mindful of noise during those hours.
  
  We have a wonderful community here in the Sacred Valley, and friends occasionally stop by. You’re welcome to have friends visit as well. I simply ask that you check with me beforehand if someone will be visiting while you’re responsible for Aria. She’s at a very impressionable age, so it’s important to me that I know and trust the people spending time around her and in our home. As we get to know one another and build trust, this naturally becomes more relaxed.
  
  Both Workaway positions are for women only. I am a single mother living with my young daughter, and I have intentionally chosen to create an all-female household.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  The Space — Rinconada, Pisac, Sacred Valley
  
  Our home base is a spacious adobe-and-wood house in Rinconada, a residential area on the edge of Pisac and one of the gathering points for the international community here.
  
  We’re a short tuk-tuk or colectivo ride from Pisac town center, with its famous market, restaurants, cafés and wider Sacred Valley community of healers, creatives, families and people from all over the world.
  
  There’s also a coffee shop and bakery very close to the house, as well as other small local shops.
  
  One of my favorite things about the location is that beautiful riverbanks are within walking distance, giving you places to walk, meditate, journal, read, create or simply spend time outside.
  
  The house is spacious, with plenty of room for everyone to have her own space. Each Workawayer has her own private furnished bedroom.
  
  The kitchen is fully equipped with an oven, stovetop, blender, French press and the everyday equipment needed to cook properly — especially important given that food and communal meals are a significant part of our household.
  
  The house has a warm, natural feeling with adobe and wood throughout. It sits along a road with some daytime traffic, but evenings are generally peaceful.
  
  The Sacred Valley can become surprisingly cold after sunset, so please bring warm clothes, wool socks and something cozy for the evenings — or be prepared to buy them locally.
  
  I work as a psycho-spiritual guide, and there may be times when I’m working from home or eventually seeing clients here, so you’ll be living in a household genuinely connected to that world rather than simply adjacent to it.

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  What else ...

  There is so much to do in and around Pisac during your time off, whether you want community, adventure, spirituality, creativity or simply quiet time in nature.
  
  Pisac itself has its famous archaeological site and ruins, a beautiful traditional market, cafés and restaurants, yoga and movement classes, workshops, ceremonies, community gatherings, live music and lots of interesting little spaces to discover. There is a very active international community here, so it is generally easy to meet people and find things happening.
  
  The surrounding Sacred Valley is incredible for hiking, exploring villages, spending time by the river, visiting markets and archaeological sites, or simply finding a beautiful place in the mountains to read, meditate, journal or create.
  
  Cusco is also easy to visit for a day or weekend, and towns such as Calca, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo are accessible by colectivo if you want to explore more of the Valley.
  
  Our house in Rinconada is close enough to Pisac that you can walk into town in approximately 15–20 minutes, or take a tuk-tuk for around 5 soles or a colectivo for around 3 soles. There is also a café and bakery less than a minute from the house, as well as small local shops nearby.
  
  Colectivos are inexpensive and make it easy to travel throughout the Sacred Valley without having a car. Tuk-tuks are everywhere around Pisac for shorter distances.
  
  There are also beautiful riverbanks and natural areas within walking distance of the house, which are wonderful for meditation, movement, journaling, reading or simply spending time outside.
  
  Your two days off are completely your own. You are welcome to explore independently, make friends, attend events, travel around the Valley or simply stay home and enjoy the garden and mountains.
  
  And because we are actually living and building community here rather than simply passing through, I’m also happy to introduce you to friends, places and gatherings when it feels natural. You’ll have plenty of independence, but you certainly won’t have to figure out the Sacred Valley completely on your own.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

  

  Daisy (2 months)

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