11 Day Wander in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini, Greece

My darling friend CG and her lovely boyfriend are taking a trip to Greece this spring/early summer! CG had a couple of questions about our Greece trip last year when they were planning, so I decided to write an itinerary post! This itinerary is actually fairly close to the trip we did last year (posts on that coming soon), with a couple of extra days thrown in, and a bit more of a romantic tilt to it (ours was a girls' trip).

DESTINATION:  
Greece - Athens, Mykonos and Santorini

DURATION:
11 days, 11 nights 

A view of the Parthenon from the hotel we stayed at's roof in the Plaka district.

Renting A Car & Driving In Portugal

Renting a car in Portugal was easy, and totally worth it. Ok, slight correction - DRIVING in Portugal was easy - the car rental part was a bit of a hassle, but still worth it.

RENTING THE CAR
We started our driving adventure of Portugal in Lisbon. I had researched a few different car rental companies, and had finally settled on a booking with Budget Rental Car, through Expedia's website. Since we were planning on driving pretty extensively throughout the trip, and since RW was going to be traveling with us for half the trip, we ended up with a slightly larger car than we normally would rent in Europe.

Greece Girl's Trip: The Packing List

We're going on vacation! Yes, yes, I know it's not exactly unusual for someone who writes a travel blog to be going on a trip. But. This is a girls' vacation, and I am thrilled. There are a couple of us going who don't travel regularly, so a few weeks ago, they asked me what I would be packing.

 For this trip, swimsuits and a sun hat are a must! (I don't typically bring a hat like this with me unless I'm going to be beaching. Also, I'm bringing two swim suits, because I've been to humid climates where suits don't dry overnight, and there's very little more annoying than putting on a wet bathing suit!)

Now, that's sort of a loaded question. I'm a firm believer that what you pack is pretty personal and varied, so this list is what I would bring with me. In addition to that, what you pack is also pretty dependent on where you're going, and when. Perfect case in point: I'm packing for a spring trip to the Greek Islands. If I were packing for a fall trip to London, my bag would be drastically different! My best advice is to take your itinerary (even if it's rough!) and try to figure out what you'd be comfortable in for each day/adventure.

Travel blogger line?

I have a question for any travel bloggers that may have randomly stumbled upon my (very) little read travel blog: To what extent is it acceptable to "borrow" ideas you find on other sources and make them your own? And, if you borrow an idea, should you always link to the original source(s)?

I recently stumbled upon an article called "8 Quirky Towns and Villages Worth A Visit" on the website All Women Stalk. (I absolutely LOVE that website, by the way!) I thought the article was really cool - little towns all over the world that were fun and different - and started researching the towns listed in the article. 

When I got to Vlkolínec, Ruzomberok (in Slovakia), I stumbled upon another, very similar article as the one that had gotten me started: Frommer's "10 Towns that Do Things Their Own Way." 

And I realized the AWS article is comprised of 8 of the 10 small, quaint towns listed in the Frommer's article. 

It made me think, and wonder. Seriously, though. Is this a common practice? Is it appropriate? I really don't know what the boundaries for travel blogging are!

I guess if it had been me, I would have tried to gain inspiration from the Frommer's article, and then create something of my own. Or, I'd have gathered a few articles on unique places to visit, and then done my own research on the ones that jumped out. 

Maybe it just bothers me because they're the exact towns, in nearly the exact same order. Or because I commented on the AWS linking to the Frommer's article, and the comment was deleted. 

But if any other travel bloggers out there read this - please tell me what you think! Is this crossing some travel blogging line? Or am I just a product of my high school English teachers pounding the "reference your sources" line into us?

New York City - What To Do & See?

I leave for New York in a week! I can't believe that I'm FINALLY going to be able to scratch NYC off of my "must see" list... But now that it's almost here, I'm having a really tough time pinning down what I want to see and do while we're there. A couple friends have been helping me refine this list, and here's what we've come up with so far!

Central Park
There are about a thousand things I want to see in Central Park. Fortunately for me, Central Park has an awesome, comprehensive website, full of things to see and do, activities, and even a list of the trees and flowers you'll see there. Maybe I'll rent a bike so I can see more of the awesome things the park has to offer. Some of the things on my list? Belvedere Castle, the Azalea Pond, the Blockhouse, the Lake and the Loch and the Gill and the Pool Grotto, Harlem Meer, the Charles B. Stover "whisper" bench, Nutter's Battery Site, the Mall and Literary Walk, Strawberry Fields, and the Turtle Pond. And that's not even getting started on the bridges: the Oak Bridge, the Bow Bridge, the Gapstow Bridge, and the Balcony Bridge! Whew! Yeah, pretty sure I'm going to need an entire day to dedicate to the park.

Know your airline's luggage restrictions!

Now that we finally have our plane tickets for our Europe trip this summer, I've been changing my focus to other aspects of our trip. Our luggage has been a big one for me - I had been trying to figure out if there was a way I could possibly pack for a two week vacation (including a wedding) in two different countries and just have a carry on. I'm pretty much to the point of admitting that's not going to happen, so now I'm focusing on the logistics of having to check a bag.

Mappy.com Walking Tour Maps

I was recently trying to map out a walking tour that I once did in Rome, and in the process I discovered Mappy.com. It's a European site that allows you, among other things, to map out your own tours by entering the locations you want to see.

You have tons of options, too - you can visit the places in the order you enter them, or have the map "optimize" for you. You can choose your method of travel - car, foot, or bicycle. And you can see it on a map as well as have written directions. It also calculates the amount of time and distance your itinerary reflects!

I did a quick sample one for Rome when I was writing my last post, and did a tour starting at the Colosseum and ending at the Spanish Steps. Stops along the way include the Mouth of Truth, Castel Sant'Angelo, Piazza Navona, The Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain.


This specific trek is 7.7 km long and estimated to take 2 hours... obviously we'd take longer so we could stop and see stuff, detour, take photos, eat gelato, etc. But I really love this site, and I have a feeling I'll be using it whenever I want to customize a walk!

DiscoverAmerica.com

The LA Times Travel blog announced the launch of a new website today: DiscoverAmerica.com.

I, for one, am extremely excited about this blog, as there are so many parts of our awesome country that I've never seen. The site gathers information from all sorts of sources - travel guides, Google, etc and puts them all in one place. Then, each page has information on attractions & activities, hotels, itineraries, brochures, articles, and even where to shop and eat, too.

There's also my favorite feature - an interactive map that tells you all sorts of things. You can measure distances between different locations, randomly pick a spot to check into, and even has links to book your trip. Also, it includes all the US territories as well!

Such an amazing resource for anyone who wants to travel around America, I am SO glad that this site exists.

Budget Travel

Of the three or four travel magazines I subscribe to, my favorite is Budget Travel. I love them best because they have the most articles I feel I need to save - travel tips, travel stories, travel websites, travel photos, travel resources, the list goes on and on.

And recently, I started subscribing to their blog, This Just In. Some of the entries are long. Some are short. Every entry has something to learn. It's such a great resource for keeping up with travel and deals that are going on.

The article I just finished reading that inspired this post was this one: Vanish With A Trace. As a "victim" of lost luggage, I understand just how frustrating and time consuming it can be to have your things misplaced by an airline. While I'm not sure if I would use a service like the ones they reviewed, it's nice to know that there are options out there for travelers!

Anyway - if you're looking to subscribe to a travel magazine, I would highly suggest Budget Travel. And if you don't want a physical magazine? You should definitely be following their website and blog!

Awesome Resource: GoGo In Flight

Another great advance in technology - Internet access is now widely available on airplanes!

A co-worker of mine recently emailed me in flight, and let me know about this website when I asked him how he was emailing me while in coach. Apparently, GoGo In Flight serves numerous airlines and enables you to get wireless on the plane.

It looks like there is a very limited offering of this service so far - American Airlines offers it on flights to and from JFK to San Francisco and Los Angeles, but there are a handfull of other airlines that will be offering it soon.

Prices:
For laptops: $9.95 for flights under 3 hours, $12.95 for flights over 3 hours
For PDAs: $7.95

Overall, this is great if you're a workaholic or as addicted to blogging and Facebook as I am. Downside? You're now reachable even in flight, when it used to be your only reprieve!

Awesome Resource: EuroCheapo

Just discovered another amazing travel website with discount hotels and travel tips. EuroCheapo is an "undercover" review site of budget hotels in Europe - they show up unannounced, check out the rooms, and then review them if they like them!

An awesome resource for places to stay all over Europe, and one I will DEFINITELY be using in the future. Bookmark this one, people, it's a keeper!

LA Times Travel & Adventure Show!

The LA Times Travel & Adventure Show is coming soon! This has just come to my attention, and I am suddenly VERY excited!

If you love travel and/or adventure and happen to be in the Los Angeles area February 14 & 15, this is definitely worth checking out. Maybe you'll see me there!

Some details:
Admission is $10.
Parking is $12. (Carpooling advised!)
Doors open @ 10am.

LA Times Travel and Adventure Show

It's a Travel & Adventure Convention. Free activities include scuba diving, rock climbing, zip lines, etc. There are a whole bunch of interesting Destination Workshops including Traveling on a Budget, Wine & Cheese, Home Exchanges, Humanitarian trips, River Cruises, Explore Australia, Alaska, New Zealand, Turkey, Hawaii, Tahiti, etc. They have practical information - the latest on passports, visas, etc.

Meet Travel Editors and Reporters from LA Times Staff. They have a Global Beat Stage with music from around the world. They have a "World Culinary Stage"!!!!! Various Speakers including Samantha Brown, Aurther & Pauline Frommer, Rick Steves, etc. And they have various giveaways, prizes, and raffles.

Awesome Resource: Free-Wi-Fi Locations in Europe

Stumbled upon this website a few weeks back and I think it is awesome. It is a list of free wi-fi locations all over Europe.

If you're traveling to Europe for a week or a year, this will come in handy!

Free Wi-Fi Directory