I just booked my trip to Greece earlier this week. I'm excited because it was a decision I made to myself a few months ago. I knew I wanted to visit my friend in Italy. The question was what other country could I visit as well. When she was in town, we discussed our plans for the summer. I mentioned how Greece was on my mind, and she agreed to meet me there. I can't wait!!
I feel I'm a little late on the travel game. Some of my friends have been to wonderful places all over the world, and it always sparked my curiosity. But as the saying goes- Life just happens. The truth is, when I was younger, it was never the right time to travel overseas. It takes time and money to plan accordingly, and I didn't have the discipline to budget myself for such a trip. Now that I'm older and have paid off some debt, it's gotten financially easier for me to go away. I have made numerous weekend getaways to Miami, New York and Vegas in my 30s. Traveling overseas, on the other hand, is a bit more tricky...
One of the things I remembered from listening to my friends discuss a recent trip to South America, is how they didn't "expect" it to be the way the way it turned out. I remember discussing that conversation with my uncle who has traveled all over the world. He asked me, "Well what did they expect?" I replied that I didn't know. He then followed with another question. "Well what do they like?" I was thrown off. He continued, "If they are into beaches and laying out, then they should have went somewhere else. Didn't they know ___________ is not known for that?" I told him apparently not. "The thing about traveling--you should ask yourself what do you like."
Traveling to unknown places and locations, no matter where it is, depends on your taste. Some people enjoy the outdoors, nature hikes, canoeing or camping, so they obviously book their trips to national parks, Alaska, the Grand Canyon or other out door locales. If you go on vacation specifically to lay out and catch some rays, a majority of people book places in the Caribbean, or Mexico's Playa del Carmen, etc. If you are a city girl, then cities from around the world would excite you.
That's the category I fit in. I am a city girl who loves skylines, the nightlife, museums and fashion. I enjoy people watching instead of bird watching. I know what excites me and it sometimes doesn't fit in with what other people like. That's the beauty of traveling. You customize your trip to whatever interests you! Since my friend in Italy has the same interests as me, I enjoy our adventures together because we feed off one another. We have a good time and I know she's not bored with what's going on. The only downfall with her is that she's not into museums like I am, so I know for Athens we might have to arrange for her to come meet me at a later date. I am particularly interested in visiting the Acropolis in general, and do not want to miss my opportunity to visit such a historic site.
The other factors I am considering is how long will I stay in Athens in general; if I have enough time to visit a nearby city, and trying to make my way out to the islands. I chose Santorini and Mykonos as my 2 top choices because they have more of a party atmosphere. There are over 200 islands in Greece, all which have distinctive personalities to choose from. If I wanted something low key to relax, I would have picked another island.
I am relying on sites such as Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, as well as top travel bloggers such as The Blonde Abroad, and The Sweetest Way for information on planning my vacation. This trip will be a little different to plan because it will depend a lot on the weather conditions to reach out to the islands. I have seen low flights one way to reach either Santorini or Mykonos, but the majority do travel out there on a ferry boat. There's a lot to consider!
Regardless, I'm glad I got a chance to share my traveling news and be on the lookout for more tips I'll be encountering as I continue to plan my Greek adventure!
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