You should see Machu Picchu and other parts of the Peruvian Andes at least once in you life. Seeing the ruins for the first time brought tears to my eyes (yes, even me, the jaded travel writer).
But once-in-a-lifetime trips must be planned properly, especially ones where doing it the wrong way can make you sick.
I met many people during my trip to Peru’s Machu Picchu, Cuzco and Lake Titicaca who were affected by altitude sickness. All of them had visited the Peruvian highlights in the wrong order, and tried to do too much without allowing their bodies to acclimate to the altitude.