travel – Lessons I learned after I turned 30

Travelling (on a budget) tips

A week ago I took my 12th and final flight for September. T-W-E-L-V-E flights in less than a month.

I love travelling and I’m experienced enough to know how to deal with most situations, but Oh.My.God the last month was exhausting, and challenging, to say the least ( in case you are wondering, it wasn’t by choice, I had to do it for work, so I was on a budget and I definitely did not select the flights myself).

I wish and hope I don’t have to go through something similar ever again, but in case someone else does, (or I need to do it again) here’s some tips from my experience and from lovely friends sharing theirs. Here we go:

–Take as fewer flights as possible! Ok, it’s pretty self explanatory but the less time you spend on a plane the better. Sitting for hours and hours on a tight seat can affect your blod flow, which can cause swelling on your feet and ankles, the air on the plane is very dry, which can dehydrate you (see tip no2!) and dehydration combined with the lowered pressure of cabin air can cause fatigue, not to mention your ears popping and the increase of gas in your bowel. That’s why we get off the plane exhausted! These are just some of the negative effects of flying on the body, so the less time on air, the better.

–Check roaming and call charges of your country destination/stop. I had no idea that mobile internet depending on the provider varied from 9 to 16 euros in Serbia and now I have to pay a 50 euros phone bill for the 10 minutes I used my phone, to let my family know I arrived safely, and that I manage to catch my connecting flight!

– Hydrate! It’s surely not easy to stay hydrated when you run from plane to plane, having to throw away any liquids every time you go through security, but it’s probably the No1 thing to do to keep you going. Also, as we all know, airports are really expensive, so always keep an empty ,re-usable water bottle on you as some airports have water fountains where you can fill up your bottle for free e.g. in Vienna airport, they are located near the F and C Gates. I discovered a website that lists water fountains at airports, you can check it out before your flight! https://www.wateratairports.com/

– Eat healthy. It’s tough, the majority of airports I’ve been don’t have a great selection of salads, soups or anything healthy, and the healthy snacks they might have are ridulously expensive (I paid 3 euros for a Kellogs bar, which is what it costs to buy a whole box of them from Lidl, and 2 euros for a banana!) so take as many healthy snacks and fruits as you can with you.

– Always have painkillers and imodium on you. No need to expand on this one!

– A travel pillow works miracles. It can help you nap more comfortable, especially if you struggle to fall asleep on a plane, like I do, and as a friend mentioned, you can also use it as luggage, filling it up with clothes!

– If stuck at an airport for a few hours go for long walks (you can check out the shops around, or move from cafe to cafe), don’t stay sitting for too long, your blood needs to circulate!

– Get good quality, comfy, modular backpack. If you travel on a budget you will quite possibly have to carry a backpack for your essentials, and you will likely carry that backpack for hours on end, therefore it has to be big enough but also comfortable to wear, with additional cushioning on the back and the straps.

– If you book the tickets yourself and not booked through a travel agency, sign up for travel miles, they will come in handy at some point.

– Look up the cost of food, transport, and living at your travel destination in advance. I had no idea Oslo was so expensive (5 euros for a small water bottle, the average price of a meal was 20-25 euros and most museum entrance fees were about 15 euros).

– When carrying luggage, find spots at train stations or bus stations where you can safely leave your bags and have a relaxed walk in the city.

– Some info points at airports provide city maps that have discount coupons.

– Finally, in between trips and when you are done travelling, take some time off to recover physically and mentally. The negative effects of flying time and sitting at airports on the body is just one aspect. The stress of getting from and to the airport (which sometimes it’s a bumpy bus or car ride or a long train ride), catching your connecting flight (especially when you only have 30 mins transit time to get to the next plane and you have to run like a mad person to the next gate), not having any time for yourself, missing your friends and loved ones, all this takes its toll on your mental health. So, spend as much time as you need to recover.

This is it from me and my friends, if you have any tips you’d like to share, leave a comment!

Eleni

The One with the New Year (2022) wish

Monday, 3rd of January, 2022

Wrapped up in a blanket on my sofa, Friends playing in the background, the Christmas tree lights warming up the place, I’m re-reading my New Year wish for 2021 and I can’t help but think how lucky I truly am to be surrounded by people I love at home and at work, proud of what I achieved over the last 12 months and the fact that my friends, family and I we are healthy and safe.

Most of us found 2020 challenging (to say the least) but not many thought 2021 was going to be equally bad if not worse than 2020.

The year didn’t quite start off on the right foot. Locked inside again, like a caged animal, I knew, as the majority of the planet did, what to expect, which somehow made it less tolerable than the first time I experienced a lockdown. This time nobody tried a lot of new things, nobody aspired to become a home chef, we were all sick and tired of this situation.

I felt restless, eager to get out and I still carried the weight of the previous lockdown (s), as most of us did and I turned into healthy eating and exercising. I feel as humans we desperately needed it.

Yoga with Adriene 30 day revolution definitely helped to keep me mentally stable in January and somehow after that the year just flew by.

Although I spent almost half of the year in lockdown, looking back I feel I achieved a lot and grew workwise and personally.

On a personal level, although I admit I didn’t manage my work-life balance well and didn’t have much free time for myself, I rediscovered my love for running, I met the ambassador of Austria, I started dating again after years of avoiding it, I met amazing humans, I caught up with friends I hadn’t seen for years and I made new friends I already love, I took part in a week long sustainability challenge which helped me realise how much more I can do to protect the planet, after years of thinking about it and wanting it I finally got braces so I can fix my smile, I had a great summer and Christmas with friends and loved ones and lastly, I flew again, this time to beautiful Leuven with my best friends and sisters. God I felt so alive and happy to be able to travel again!

On a professional level, well I spent most of my time working and though exhausting at times, I learned A LOT, way more than I expected in a year. I ran focus groups, designed surveys, interviewed people, wrote and published articles and reports, organised an (online) event, I closed off a project, produced a serious board game, created 2 modules, hosted a transnational project meeting and almost met the Pope, amongst other things. I love my job and my colleagues, despite the heavy workload!

At some point in the year I went through a major anxiety crisis, during which I almost stopped eating completely and I was in pain because of it for a month. After that, I promised myself I’ll never let it go that far.

I don’t regret anything but I do wish I savoured and enjoyed everyday life more than I did and stressed less. Because it doesn’t really matter what you or I or anyone else achieved.

I feel everyone needs to hear though that if the only thing you did in 2021 was trying to survive, that’s an achievement in itself and you should be proud of it.

I’ve been reading Derren Brown’s Happy again, which I’ve recommended to all my friends already and it reminded me that as humans we don’t need much to be happy if you ignore the artificial needs marketing firms have been creating for years. We just need health, love and to keep growing.

My New Year wish is, consequently, similar to last year.

Keep growing and learning as a human, try new things, keep moving on but above all enjoy moments, love and be loved, and make memories with special people. And travel every now and then.

And I hope I make it back to my second home I miss more and more as time goes by, the UK and give all my friend there a tight hug.

Namaste

Eleni

What I missed about travelling

Friday, 17th of September, 2021

I’m at Larnaca airport, about to fly to Brussels.

I haven’t been to Departures for about 14 months. That’s the longest I’ve haven’t stepped foot on a plane and it felt strange.

Anxious but excited, like a little kid at Christmas, waiting for Santa.

It wasn’t exactly a holiday, I was flying to Belgium to help my little sister settle before her masters studies, but for the first time ever since I moved back to Cyprus I was finally about to get away from the daily life here. I looked forward to it for a long, long time.

It was an exhausting week, but it reminded me of what I missed about travelling.

Wandering at the airport

That feeling of excitement, waiting impatiently to board on the plane but also taking in the surroundings, people watching, some reuniting, others saying goodbye, some travelling alone, others with family or friends, everyone with a unique story that led them there.

Flying

Your heart beating fast, waiting for the plane to take off, watching a film on board, overhearing various conversations and finally the anticipation, landing and waiting eagerly to get out of the plane and have a first look at the place you are about to spend your time at.

Discovering beautiful places at random

There’s nothing more exuberant than coming agross a beautiful corner or a gorgeous alley, whilst wandering in a new city.

The local cuisine

You don’t need to be a food enthousiast like I am to appreciate a foreign country’s delicacies and local dishes.

Sightseeing

Famous landmarks, breathtaking churches, impressive architecture. There’s always a lot to explore at a place and the feeling never wears off.

Of course I didn’t miss airport queues, which are inevitable in the current situation with all the passport and vaccination certiicate checks, travelling during a pandemic, but I genuinely can’t wait to go abroad againm and again, and again. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it.

I still wish I could travel whilst I work. Maybe one day. Who knows.

What do/did you miss about travelling, if anything?

Eleni

Kopiaste at Fikardou!

As promised, I’m reposting some of my travel blogs and vlogs from my second creation Kopiaste just to cheer myself and others up, better days are coming soon!

Kopiaste

Just a 40 minute drive from down town (Nicosia), one comes across one of the most infamous, beautiful, picturesque villages of Cyprus, Fikardou.

Cobbled streets, traditional houses and gorgeous mountain views.

I recently visited after many years and it didn’t disappoint. This time I opted for a guided tour of the two most known traditional houses in the heart of the village which have been turned into a museum.

I learned a lot about the village as well as Cypriot tradition and had a great time with my sisters. Our little trip ended with delicious traditional lunch at Yiannakos tavern, the only tavern in the village (thank God the food was great!).

Here’s the video I put together, hope you enjoy it. If you do, like, share and follow for hopefully many more of this!

Namaste

Eleni

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Heatwaves, pandemic, anxiety and here I am, stuck in the middle.

August 2nd, Sunday afternoon

41 degrees Celsius

(Nicosia, Cyprus)

I’ve been back to Cyprus for a month now and let me tell you, a lot happened these last 4 weeks. A LOT.

The good (bits)

For the first couple of weeks, though my Covid-19 test came out negative, I avoided crowded places or catching up with friends or relatives just in case my bad luck stroke again and end up spreading germs. Thank God it hasn’t so in the last few weeks I spent days at the beach, swimming pools, a little hike in the mountains to admire the gorgeous Caledonia waterfall (video coming soon), checked out a few cafes for brunch and other more quiet ones, perfect for creative work.

The bad…

About 10 days ago, on our way down from the Caledonia waterfall, my sister stepped on a loose rock, twisted her ankle and damaged her ligaments. It was a long day followed by a long couple of weeks. I only made it out of the house two or three times as her leg is in a cast and she can’t cook, clean or walk (doh) without crutches. So I’ve been her ‘nurse’ since then.

In other news, it seems there’s a second wave of COVID-19 (or just one big wave according to WHO) in Cyprus (and it seems globally too). The use of face masks has now become mandatory again and local lockdown measures have already been applied to Limassol, a nearby city where most new cases have been reported at.

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/mask-wearing-compulsory-at-all-indoor-public-spaces-in-cyprus/

…and the ugly.

Ever since I came back I haven’t been able to relax and enjoy every moment of my break, although that was my plan and what I’ve been craving for months.

I recently realised why. I’ve never lived in Cyprus as an adult and I don’t know how to just… be here as myself and not my 22 year old self with all her issues and stupid insecurities. That’s something I need to work on.

I’m not that happy with myself in general either. Which makes adjusting living in Cyprus harder. The lockdown left me not just with emotional scars but with extra physical weight I desperately want to get rid of.

I’ve also been stressing out about what to do next. Should I look for another teaching job abroad or should I get a random part-time job and stay here until Christmas? Or get a teaching job here until May? Do I still want to teach? Two of my adult students have recently messaged me to thank my for their FCE exam results. I loved teaching them and I’m so happy they did so well, but is that feeling enough to keep me going for another 9 months of hard work? What if I leave and spend months locked inside because of a second Covid-19 wave? But would I be able to stay here? Or would I drive myself crazy? What if I forget my English? Or myself? Aaaaaah!!!!

Now what?

Honestly, I have no idea. For the time-being I decided to start the new social media pages on travel and food I’ve wanted to for a while now and enjoy the rest of the summer with my friends and family and allow myself to get stressed about my next steps at the end of August. It’s gonna be a hell of a ride.

Oh here’s the logo of my new page. I designed it myself on Canva, I’m so proud of my little achievement!

Eleni

PS I already feel better just writing about it all.

Flying in Corona times

It’s been a while since my last post and video but I’ve been busy since I came back to Cyprus.

Travelling from Italy to Cyprus was exhausting and complicated. It took about 34 hours, 3 flights (after an Easyjet cancellation they only offered a replacement flight to Athens and I had to pay for another flight from Athens to Larnaca), an overnight stay in Milan and endless time spent at airports, forms to fill, wearing a face mask for two days, tested for Covid-19 at Larnaca airport.

So travelling in Corona times is not easy. There are still cancellations due to various reasons, most countries require to fill in a form and then email you a pass to enter the country (a document was required to travel to other Italian airports and for Cyprus and Athens a pass was emailed to me after I filled in the forms).

Food/drinks were not sold on Easyjet planes and that’s the case for other airlines as far as I’m aware. Wearing masks were mandatory for the airport and for the whole duration of the flight (except for eating/drinking).

There were delays at different points, during check in and boarding especially. Still, I had missed flying and I can’t wait to be able to fly freely again. I sincerely hope that will be possible soon.

Here’s the video of my little adventure.

Eleni

My tips when booking flights in Corona times

At the moment I’m learning the hard way how incredibly, frustratingly difficult it is to book a flight out of Italy and hopefully back to Cyprus.

So I thought I’d share my top tips from my experience so far to help fellow travellers. I explain in detail on the video below but here are my top three tips:

Check whether any flights you’ve already booked are still available on the airline’s website. If with Easyjet, be aware they mark flights as ‘sold out’ but in reality they are probably cancelled.
Check refund policies. For Ryanair customers it make take up to a year to get their refund, if you manage to claim for refund as even when you do, Ryanair offers you a voucher and if you’d still like a refund, you have to speak to a customer assistant. Good luck with that. All lines and chats are occupied and you have to wait for hours. On the other hand, Easyjet claims they will refund you within 28 days and up to 90 days. Thousands of customers who had flights cancelled since March are still waiting for their money.
Do not trust third-party companies. Check the airline’s page directly. Understandably with all the constant changes, sites such as Skyscanner are finding it difficult to keep up to date at all times and third-party companies e.g. Gogo gate offer flights which have been altered and don’t run anymore.

If you have any tips to add please comment, the more aware we all are, the better. It saves all of us money and trouble!

Eleni

Non parlo Italiano!

About two months ago…

I desperately needed a haircut. I couldn’t even look at my hair. Everything happened so fast I didn’t get the chance to have my hair cut before I moved to Italy and the last one I had was early in the summer in Southampton (I miss the UK so much more I dare to admit sometimes).

Of course it wasn’t about the hair. It was all about self care and I’d started neglecting myself, pretty dangerous for me, it lets the depression and severe anxiety demons creep in and slowly take over without me realising until is too late, so I had to get my hair cut. Urgently.

I’m not sure if you remember where I live now, it’s a small city where very few people you come across speak English, so even the thought of attempting to book an appointment I found intimidating.

But self-preservation prevailed and I wouldn’t let my very poor Italian get in the way. (My Italian hasn’t improved much since, in case you are wondering.)

If you asked me what the most common expression I’ve used so far during my first three months in Italy was, it’s not ‘scusi’, or ‘per favore’ but..

‘Non parlo Italiano’.

It’s my opening line most of the time. Oh no, I actually first speak in English, as I often forget they won’t understand me, then I notice the baffled expression on their face and I explain.

So here’s how I managed to get a (decent) haircut with minimal communication but plenty of awkwardness.

Eleni- ‘Hi, I’d like too…, oh sh**. Non parlo Italiano, parle Inglese?

Hairdresser- Mmmm, no… (waves at one of the other hairdressers who knows a bit of English apparently).

El- Taglio (cut). Pointing at my hair. ‘Un po’ (How the hell do you say ‘trim’ in Italian?)

H-Si. Quando? (Yes! Finally a word I know!)

El-Sabato, matina (morning)?

H– (After checking their appointment book). Mm, tredici? (1pm, Italians tend to follow the 24hr format).

E– Si, si, grazie!

Pheew. First step done. I managed to book an appointment!

Saturday (haircut day)

11pm

I couldn’t remember if the appointment was at 11am or 1pm. In my head numbers were mixed up the minute I left the hairdressers two day ago. Full time teaching does that to you, messing up your brain. So I went at 11am, just to check. The hairdressers burst into laughing. I thought I’d attempt to go food shopping since I got up anyway, but the supermarket was way too busy for my liking (Damn, I could have stayed in bed a little longer).

1pm

I walked in. I had no idea what to say or do. The place was full of customers chatting away. I felt paralysed, mute. I couldn’t let any words out. I didn’t know how to. I could understand some of the conversations but I couldn’t take part. A horrible feeling.

That’s how my students must feel… I kept thinking.

After about half an hour wait (which I was ‘lucky’ as quite often you wait way longer, I was told), I was summoned on the chair.

The stylist asked me how I wanted my hair. I managed to explain (thanks to Antonella, Elena and Google translate) that I just wanted a trim and layers but not too short.

I was terrified. What if she gives me a horrible haircut, what if I end up looking like a pencil?

Image result for fleabag i look like a pencil meme

We didn’t speak much after that. She couldn’t speak English, I couldn’t speak Italian. She made an effort, which I appreciated, she asked me if I was a student, thankfully I knew how to say ‘I’m an English teacher’. My second most used expression (‘insegnante di Inglese’).

An hour later and after a lot of miming and gesturing (and a few word exhanges partially thanks to similarities between Greek and Italian), I left the hairdressers relieved I didn’t look like a pencil, it was actually a decent haircut and cheap compared to UK prices (12 euros).

But it was the most awkward hairdresser’s experience I ever had. And kind of funny at the same time. I had a little giggle afterwards. It’s fascinating how we humans manage to communicate even when we don’t speak the same language, although sometimes we can’t communicate even if we do speak the same language. The irony.

A month later and I’m none the wiser when it comes to Italian. My timetable doesn’t allow me to attend Italian lessons anymore, though I’m still learning from my students, who feel incredibly proud judging by the huge smile on their face every time they teach me an Italian word.

I’m not sure I’d like to stay in (Southern) Italy after my contract ends, but one thing I discovered is that I love living somewhere I’ve never lived before, being thrown into the deep, learning how to… well how to adopt and survive in another country, another culture, another life. That’s something I definitely want more of.

For now, I’ll enjoy the rest of my stay at this little, odd town that is Reggio Calabria.

Namaste

Eleni

Daytrip to Kato Drys

I cannot quite believe it’s only been a week I’ve been back from Cyprus. The Christmas holidays feel a long long time ago… so to reminisce and to make myself regret even more I decided to cut my break to Cyprus short here’s a little vlog I put together from my Boxing Day walk to the picturesque village of Kato Drys featuring a huge, great restaurant with delicious food and surprisingly affordable prices, O Platanos, and a little traditional shop called ‘To madratzin tis yiayias‘ (grandma’s rolling pin’)

I hope I’ll spend more time putting together little videos like this, I missed it so much, I hope you enjoy it!

Namaste

Eleni

Thankmas Day Twenty-Three: Thank you IH Reggio

Four months ago I had no idea what or where Reggio Calabria was. I’d never heard of it before and also until four months ago, I’d never taught anything to anyone.

Fast forward to now and I’ve been living at Reggio for just over two months. I haven’t seen much yet and what I think of it so far it’s not an accurate representation (more on that another time). I’ve been mainly working, teaching a wide range of ages and levels, from large classes of 9, 11, 13 and 16 year old school children to one-to-one with a 50 something old doctor and a 14 year old teenager.

But I haven’t just been teaching. I marked and invigilated tests, I had the chance to organise and be part of different events, I filmed and edited a couple of promos for the school, I am now presenting at a conference next month and organising an event as well for February.

It’s been a crazy two months as you can probably guess. Rewarding, challenging, stimulating.

But…

oh my God.

It’s exhausting. I feel mentally and physically drained. And I honestly wouldn’t have survived these two months without my fellow teachers.

Teasing Nour on a daily basis, having a laugh with Katie (my favourite face) and Hannah (creative genious), exceptional A-class sarky humour with Vince and Bry, chats outside with my Italian spirit twin, Antonella, giggles and random convos with Shannon, talking TV series and films with Matt, reminding Alexei his Greek, reminiscing life before teaching with Kate on our way to Telesio, travelling chats with Maria, singing along with Mariah and Nuno, giggles with Fanni, making a serious effort to tease Lisa with Beatles and Christmas songs, talking Christmas filims with Jen, stealing precious little moments to chat to Lucie when I see her, all sorts of random convos with Suzanne, Italian lessons with Anna, brainstorming ideas with Helena and comforting each other, making James laugh (I love making James laugh), chats with Cesca on our way back from externals, having a laugh with my favourite reception team, Carlo, Elena, Domi, Franci and little catch ups with the bosses Marco and Patrizia when they pop in every now and then.

So thank you EVERY ONE!

Thank you Patrizia, James and Lucie for offering me the position and making me feel welcome from day one and most of all a huge thank you to this beautifully weird, fun, unique bunch of people. I would have genuinely quit by now if it weren’t for you.

Eleni