"Where should we go today?" SkyKat's Profile

I wish I'd discovered VT years ago.

I got the travel bug when my grandparents took me to Greece for the first time. I was 12. I spent nearly 3 months in Athens, Thessaloniki and Samos with a few road trips on the side. My grandmother's house on Samos now belongs to my parents, my brothers and me and I've returned there many times. My first real opportunity to travel after that first trip over the pond wasn't until I was 16 and I participated in a cultural exchange program in which I lived in Milan, Italy with a family and attended local high school. I had many opportunities to visit other parts of northern Italy during that time. I returned to Milan to attend university for a year. Most of my travel has been in the past 10 years since I got a job in , what else, the travel industry. Now I travel for a living, and in my time off.

When in Rome...

When I decide on a destination, I do a bit of research before going but for the most part, I like to wing it and figure it out along the way. One of my favourite trips was a road trip through Spain and Portugal. My friend and I rented a car in Madrid, and started heading west armed with a map. We stopped when we saw something interesting or needed to sleep, stayed as long as we wanted, or left after a coffee. I tend to skip some of the museums and tourist sights, instead choosing to see a place as a local, or really get the feel of a city. I find that those memories stay with me longer than what I see in a museum. I spend a lot of time wandering around without a map, just seeing where I end up, or sitting in a cafe and people watching, or meeting locals. That being said, I don't avoid the culture and art of a foreign city. Far from it. I may choose to not see every church in Rome, for example, but rather to catch a couple of them that are "must sees" and maybe a couple that catch my eye, and spend the rest of my time discovering an area that was recommended by the waiter at lunch. I hate not speaking the language when I travel, so I've learned four and a half, and always try to pick up a few phrases when I travel.

It's a small world after all.

Since I'm new to VT, it will take me a while to dig up my old travel journals and photos to fill these blank pages. In the meantime, please feel free to ask any questions about any of the locations on my map and I'll do my best to give you the info you're looking for. Till then, happy travels!

Intro Updated May 4, 2006
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Penelope4 Sep 25, 2009 at 10:12 PM

Thanks Kat for the tips you are posting now on Greece. I will visit it in the future (I hope with my father!). Kind regards.
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Sue08080 Aug 27, 2006 at 7:52 AM

Hello Kat. Welcome to VT!
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AlekToronto May 6, 2006 at 6:45 PM

welcome to VT! loving the Parthenon pic...was there myself in 2004, you can feel the history! have fun here. Alek
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mccalpin May 2, 2006 at 9:30 PM

You are very kind to notice my reply, and even kinder to say something nice about it(!)...please hang around VT - we could use some kindness some days! ;-) Bill