The Obligatory 'About' Page
Hi, I’m Andy….
Nice to meet you! About pages are often pretty boring affairs but I’ll try to make this more interesting than usual…
In all honesty I wouldn’t have set up this agency if it wasn’t for covid (so yeah, we’re pretty new!). For the last 8 years I’ve been running a successful spiritual retreat and tour company in Peru. However, I’ve had to shut that down because of the global covid crisis.
But the reason we were pretty successful was because of my indepth knowledge of building effective websites and ranking them well in Google and so we hardly needed to spend a penny on advertising! And now I want to share that knowledge with you.
I’m originally from the UK, and before I started running retreats and tours I used to be freelance web designer and digital marketing expert. I built several websites for therapists and back in 2004 I even setup a business directory for therapists called Holistic Local
I’ve also had a lifelong interest in natural medicine and healing techniques.
Some interesting facts about me
Pudsey Boy!
I’m a Yorkshire lad (which is of course God’s own county!). I was born in a hospital in Bradford, but I grew up in the nearby town of Pudsey (which has Leeds postcode). Pudsey’s biggest claim to fame is that it had a teddy bear named after it (BBC Children in Need).
The Best a Man Can Get
After leaving university my first proper job was working for a Corporate Events company in Leeds, mainly producing 3D graphics and animations. One of the first projects I worked on was for the launch of the Gillette Mach3 razor back in 1997-1998.
Freelancing for Freedom
Although I loved my first job I soon decided that working in an office for the rest of my life was not for me. After 5 years I quit to go freelance so I could enjoy more freedom. I spent a few more years in Leeds, then 10 months in Devon, 18 months in London and then 6 months living in Nova Scotia, Canada.
Vine of the Soul
From the age of 19, I developed a strong interest in the use of natural psychedelics for the purpose of healing and altering perception. I was strongly called to experience ayahuasca which I did for the first time in Europe in 2002 and then on a retreat in Brazil in 2003 where it completely changed my life!
The Sacred Valley
I’ve lived in a number of locations in Peru. I spent my first 6 months here living in the city of Cusco. Then I spent 2 years in Iquitos, a city in the middle of the Amazon jungle. Then 18 months in Huaraz followed by another 3 years in Iquitos. I’ve spent the last 5 years living in the town of Urubama in The Sacred Valley of The Incas. The train to Machu Picchu is only 30 minutes away!
I built my first website in 1994
I got my first access to the internet when I started university in 1994 (slightly before most households got connected). I soon started teaching myself HTML and built my first website which was hosted on university servers. It was a fansite for my favorite band at the time, the British rock band “The Wildhearts”.
Exploring the Mysteries
I’ve had an almost lifelong interest in exploring the biggest mysteries of the universe such as the nature of reality and consciousness. Reading books such as The Celestine Prophecy and Carlos Castaneda was the main catalyst.
Peru Calling
Peru has called me twice. I first visited for 3 weeks in 1998 at the age of 22 and had the most incredible life-changing experience there. In 2009 it called me back again (I literally had a voice in my head insisting I go!). I bought a one-way ticket in April 2009 and have lived here ever since!
Tours & Retreats
Synchronistic meetings got me involved in organising and running Ayahuasca retreats in Peru since 2011. In early 2012 I was told by the medicine to organise my first tour that would involve working with plant medicines and also visiting several ancient monuments. My first tour would finish at Machu Picchu on Dec 21st 2012!
My Greatest Joy
I must admit, I was never very interested in the idea of having kids, and my son Jack (pictured above) was kind of an accident, although the happiest of accidents! Nothing on this planet fills me with more joy and love than being with my boy and watching him grow. He was born in 2014 and is now 7 years old.
A few of my favourite photos from my time in Peru
