Through my traveling I’ve also discovered some of my favorite foods thanks to sampling local treats from around the world. Sure, you can buy an expensive meal at a renowned restaurant, but those local delights can’t be beat.
Years ago, my friend Ellen and I decided that instead of celebrating NYE with a party, champagne and noisemakers, we would travel. That way, we could remember how we capped off each year from a distance, and move forward to launch the next.
So far, we have traveled for every New Year’s since we made this decision, often with other friends joining us
Guest post by Alexander Goodman (www.bigfishsquad.com)
So, the idea of running a marathon wasn’t entirely insane. When I got it into my head, nobody suggested medication to control my delusions. But, it was definitely a stretch.
My inexplicable aversion to instruction manuals aside, I take great pleasure in reading. So, as you’d expect, I like to read when traveling. I read in airports, on airplanes, in hotels. Up until recently, this presented a big challenge: how could I pack enough material to keep myself entertained for a long trip?
Travel is a great way to celebrate most milestones. We’ve have birthdays, engagement celebrations, and honeymooners on the Voyages with us. When you’re celebrating something important, adding the dynamic of a special trip can really elevate the whole experience and make that memory stand out.
We pride ourselves on the fact that each Voyage is unique. We have guests who return year after year--(sometimes multiple times in a season!!—and they love it because each experience is truly its own. However, they also love it because there are some things they can count on reliably.
Hiking & exploring: For each Voyage we offer a set of 3-4 hikes. For each route we work hard to make sure these hikes vary in degree of challenge so there is one easy, one medium, and one hard. And, endeavor to vary the terrain of the hikes so that some are more about nature and others involve historical\/cultural sites.
Fun & games: We have games and tournaments that some groups embrace and others barely acknowledge, and that’s okay! It’s so much fun when a group lets its competitive monsters roar, and it’s just as funny when a group chooses to nap instead! We also have SUPs, kayaks, fishing lines and tunes for spontaneous dance parties!
Glamping under the stars: Some nights we dock in secluded coves and others in proper harbors. We love both experiences, and strive to balance the experience for our guests. The harbors offer shopping, drinking, carousing opportunities. The coves offer night swimming, star gazing and sleeping al fresco on the top deck.
Working out on deck: A certified personal trainer joins each Voyage, and we work with them all to adapt their special sauce to the ebb and flow of the itinerary. As the Voyage progresses and we get to know the guests better we adjust on the fly to add in more challenging or restorative sessions as the needs dictate.
In building each itinerary we keep each of these factors in mind and hand craft what we believe to be a gem. And, we know the planned itinerary is just a starting point. Weather, our guests, and the Greek gods all provide opportunities and reasons for change on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis!
We can use the red side to signal, politely, to our seat mates that we aren’t open to talking at the moment. And the green side can signal that, yes, if you want to tell me about your grandson’s clarinet recital, now would be an okay time.
I know this paragraph will sound snobbish and off-putting, but here I go: everyone speaks English so it’s comfortable and easy. And it’s American, so it’s clean and modern. There aren’t any bugs or snakes. Or exotic diseases. You can drink the water.
The Colonel drove us to my Dads’ wife’s cousin’s farm outside of Kaunas, where I was greeted with a warmth and enthusiasm that was touching. And overwhelming. The only English speaker was the eight-year-old, and she was also the only shy person in the whole family. So, things were a little chaotic for my jet-lagged brain to process. And even more so once the bottle of vodka was opened, the Euro-techno music started playing, and the dancing began.
Our Voyages start and end at islands with airports (Kos, Rhodes, Samos). That’s important, obviously, so our guests can reach us! However, the rest of the Voyage is spent hopping among small Greek Islands and secluded coves.
We love exposing our guests to these gems, and bringing our business to these locals. I was challenged to pick my top five (sooo hard!) so here you go!
My favorite, and everyone who’s ever been there’s favorite, is elegant and whimsical Symi. What a gem of an island. The harbor is like an amphitheater, with buildings rising up the walls of the mountains. There are iconic windmills, adorable boutiques, great hikes and generally an unmatched vibe.
I refer to adorable Tilos with its peaceful harbor “Cat Island” because of all the friendly cats. The water here is crystal clear, its mesmerizing to watch the waves whisking up over the colorful pebbles. I have dreams of renting a place here for a few months and writing a novel!
There’s nothing quite like Nisyros. There is a “young volcano” as the centerpiece of this island, and the centerpiece of our visit here. It smells like a geyser, that unmistakable smell of sulfur. And it feels a bit like we’re visiting the moon!
Spiritual Patmos with the Cave of the Apocalypse and monastery dedicated to Saint John. The long climb up Patmos to two pilgrimage sites is spectacular. It is challenging, but gorgeous, lined with eucalyptus trees and full of panoramic views of the harbor below, and windmills and monastery above. The monastery is one of my favorite places to sit and enjoy the breeze. And, the shopping nearby is unparalleled.
Lush Leros with its impressive castle. The sunset hike up to the castle on Leros is many guests’ absolute favorite—not just from their time with us, but EVER. To sit in the shadow of castle from the crusades and watch the sun set over the harbor is spectacular!
We also visit lots of other hidden coves and remote islands as part of our Voyage, each more beautiful than the last. I’ve heard there are 777 Greek Islands, and we’re just scratching the surface!
After my shower, I looked in the mirror at my back, and was shocked at the giant red welts. I had just arrived from Ethiopia, and had been attacked by tse-tse flies yesterday. Under normal circumstances, I would be alarmed enough at what I was looking at, but I was even more freaked by the realization that I was about to set off on the Kili climb with some kind of allergic reaction.
There is a lot more to my dad outside of his travel biography, but I really don’t know that much about it. And, if you asked him about me, I am not sure he would be able to tell you very much.
One of my most favorite parts of my role at SunFunYou is that I do my best to ensure the adventures are right for each person – whatever that means.
I’ve never been to Yemen…and it has been devastating to watch the country fall apart, and its people become exposed to war and starvation. I have never been to Yemen, but from the comfort and safety of my home my spirit sinks with disappointment as I follow its developments.
I love the Turkish bath experiences we offer on each of our Voyages that goes to Turkey. First, they feel amazing. Getting steamed, scrubbed, soaped, massaged. Your skin and muscles feel fantastic after. And, more than that, it is a group activity and so fun to do together!
Learning, growing and laughing happens when you push a little out of your comfort zone and experience something new. Bonding happens when you do it together!! #travelgoals #relxation #turkey#mediteraneansea #friendshipgoals#travelfriends #sunfunyou
I hope we need to try a few places during the upcoming inspection voyage!! @guidealiyalcin doesn’t like the heat, so it’s my job to inspect these!! #workhardplayhard #sunfunyou#hamam #massage
And, because my mom traveled so often, she would feed our shared addiction with a continuous supply of books she had purchased at the airport and read on her latest flights. My bookshelves are full of these books from her, books she would hand to me after she finished them. We would talk about them with warmth, and without any fear of tripping each other’s sensitive emotional landmines.
I’ve never been bull riding, but I imagine it’s like tubing, especially when our captain is pulling the tube! I really miss tubing! I have a chronic tubing injury 🤣 so I can’t go anymore. It’s been years now of watching guests partake while I sit on the sidelines.
I love tasting, feeling, experiencing, learning about the places I go, learning the local history and culture. And food!
A perfect lazy weekend activity: fishing for dinner 🐠🐟🐡⛵️🧜♂️ It’s great to have workaholic guests onboard relax for the first time a decade. Of course, some can’t totally let go, and put their relaxing to use by learning a new hobby and providing the rest of us dinner!! 😂
But, at least the fishing line replaces the phone and laptop!