When we travel Jay is responsible for the booking of flights, hotels and rental cars. We get so many gasps when we mention how much we paid for our airline tickets so I'm having him write a series of posts for my blog with how to find the best price for these things.

Posts to look forward to:

Miles and miles – How to get them and what to do with them

Seats and baggage – You got a ticket, now what – Tips and tricks to the travel game

To bundle or not to bundle – Discount sites and the Pros and Cons

How to Find a Cheap Ticket to Anywhere.

$5 flight to Richmond, Virginia for the weekend. (used miles for purchase)

Jay and I crave culture and love food we have been taking a cooking class in every country we go to and learn so many new ways to cook. Although when we try to re-make some of the things at home we realize we might need more than just 1 class! I had randomly booked this class last minute on one of my friends travel websites it was only $62 per person and the only thing related to cooking that was available in Athens so I just booked it not expecting anything special. Walking into this totally blind all I had was the name of a train stop we were supposed to meet at and what I thought was the name of a restaurant emailed to me in the form of a voucher. After printing this out at the hotel I asked the front desk if they knew how far away it was. Knowing from the past experiences train stations and stops can be very confusing I thought we would just take a taxi directly to the restaurant. Assuming we would be schlepped away in a stuffy van then cooking in a corporate kitchen style setting with a bunch of other couples. The man handed me a paper with the address of the restaurant and said that he had never heard of it. I'm thinking... Great!! This is going to be an interesting experience!!


When we got ready to leave the bell boy pulled up a taxi for us and I handed him the paper. The first thing he said to me was "I'm taking you to a really amazing restaurant." Now I'm thinking we are way under dressed because he talked it up like it was the best restaurant in town. After driving down a few alleyways going away from the city I started seeing a lot of graffiti and a lot less people. Jay and I just looked at each other with that "Oh Shit" look and the car stopped outside this brightly yellow painted building with a cute little sign out front that said "Klimataria Tavern" I walked in a little hesitant only because I really had no idea what I was in store for.

Inside it's a little wonderland of wine barrels, vines grown down from the ceiling and little fun trinkets hidden everywhere in the decor. Not what I was expecting at all but as I saw the table filled with spices, herbs, and fresh produce my face lit up as a man handed me a glass of wine.

This post is going to be about how I pack for a Greece beach trip with days of hiking through old historical sights. It's a 12 day trip total with 5 hotel changes:
1 night in Chicago
3 nights in Stoupa
4 nights in Sparta
3 nights in Athens
1 night in Chicago

In order to keep this trip as stress free as possible I'll have to keep my stuff organized. Being prepared for TSA searches and 5 hotel changes. This means packing enough without over-packing. If you have read any of my blog posts before you should know I'm not the type of girl who is going to attempt a 12 day trip to Europe all carry-on washing my clothes in the sink but I won't pack more than I can handle. I'll have a 21" expandable carry on suitcase with a briefcase size purse to take with me on the plane. Then I'll have my medium size suitcase as my checked bag.

<3 this luggage set!!! 

When Jay and I travel we like to go off the beaten path a little bit, avoid crowds and create our own adventures. After a few times to Napa we found our favorite little spots to visit without doing a whole lot of research. Sometimes you find the best places by just stopping road trip style when you see something interesting. There are wineries everywhere so you can't make a wrong turn. I will provide you with some guidelines and reviews of places we have gone in the past.  Hopefully this will help you gauge the direction you want to take in wine country as I will not be writing about your typical downtown Napa tasting room experiences. St. Helena, Calistoga, and Yountville are not the same experience as Downtown Napa but I guarantee it's one you'll never forget...