How I Planned A Trip For 20 Abroad

Who said YoPros don't deserve a Fall Break? Heck in college, what got me through the school week was counting down to our next vacation, but after college what's supposed to get you through the work week? I'll tell you... a trip to Greece. After going abroad for the first time on our honeymoon, my husband and I got addicted to exploring the world. However, we made the decision to go back to an island we discovered the first time due to the low cost and unexplainable beauty of Milos. This past winter we came across a flight from Newark to Athens direct, roundtrip for $495....................................... sorry I had to let that sink in for you all. After paying over double that (EACH) the first time that we flew to Greece, we jumped at the opportunity. Having been to Milos before, I knew I could make this trip cheap and worth the while. The island is beautiful, yet doesn't get the tourism that the more popular islands do, so the prices are dirt cheap. After booking our flights, I posted the deal on Instagram hoping for maybe a couple friends to hop on board, but I was not prepared for the feedback I got. Within one week I had over 20 people book their flights. Let the fun begin...

How I Planned It:

Now realizing that I was about to be hosting an international field trip, I got a little anxious and went into full blown planning mode. I wanted to make sure everyone's accommodations were set before heading over there so that no one would have to worry about any arrangements getting messed up. Since we had been there before, I took the role in reserving all of the rooms and transportation rentals ahead of time, hoping that then all I would have to worry about is everyone making it there safely and we could just relax.  

Everyone's flights were all taken care of, thanks to the deal we found on Scott's Cheap Flights (if you don't already subscribe to his emails I strongly recommend it), so it was time to book rooms. I reached out to our friends at Santa Maria Village, where we had stayed for four days during our honeymoon, and told them we were planning on coming back with a large group. They set us up with 13 rooms, at 55 euro/night for a double and 40 euro/night for a single. You could not even go somewhere within the states at prices like that. For those friends who were sharing a room, they were staying in Greece for about 27 euro/night... I'll let you do the math. 

We decided at these prices to stay on the island of Milos for a full week, ending our ten day vacation in an Airbnb penthouse rental in Athens for the final two nights of our trip. The penthouse was a little more expensive than Milos at $75/night/person, but with a trip this cheap we thought it would be fun to have our own space all together and close to the Acropolis to finish the trip out. Keep in mind that we also had over seven months from the purchase of our plane tickets to plan and save for everything. 

So, how did I keep track of it all? The planning looked a little like this...
(From First Copy to Final)

When all was said and done each individual before arriving to Greece had spent roughly under $1,000. This included the cost for a direct, roundtrip flight to Athens followed by a short 45 minute flight to the island of Milos, personal pickup/drop off to and from the airport, a week long stay at the resort in Milos, a two night stay at the penthouse in Athens and quad rentals reserved and delivered to the resort to use for the entirety of the trip. That being said, everything was taken care of ahead of time so the only other money spent would be on food, drink and souvenirs. I don't know about you, but ten days abroad for under $1,500 is nearly unheard of. Check me if I'm wrong, but your girl did DAMN GOOD. To skip the details and see it for yourself, scroll down to the bottom for the video!

What we discovered:

Milos

If I haven't convinced you of how beautiful Milos is by now, I don't know what more I can say. Stumbling upon this island on our honeymoon was a dream and I'm so grateful to have this little hidden gem to escape to. My roommate was joking before we left that he hadn't looked into any of the details, he was just trusting me, but based on price "we would probably be staying in some junky hostel." ...but sure enough he bit his tongue when he stepped foot on Santa Maria Village. Don't let the price fool you, if every destination had a place like SMV I would be there in a heartbeat. I'm not sure if it's the friendly bar staff, the breakfast spread, the views or the convenience in location that makes this resort the place to be on the island and keeps bringing us back for more, but whatever they're doing... I'll say they're doing it right. The island of Milos is simple, you hop on a four-wheeler and go explore... easy as that. You can pretty much pull over anywhere on the road and stumble to find a beach that will blow your mind. To give you a few highlights, here are brief summaries of some of our favorite spots on the island...

Adamas - the main town, where SMV is located. Walk along the water to waterfront dining, shopping, clubbing and more. Here you can easily find anything you might need, from rentals to tours, markets, laundromats and anything else you can think of. The town is waterside and lined with boats and ships. For dining, I recommend eating on the waterfront at Arodo. They have authentic Greek food and it's so affordable; for the stuffed tomatoes and peppers dinner it was only 7.50 euro for such a large proportion that came with potatoes (and easily the best meal I've ever had... don't tell my yiayia). If you go into town, I definitely recommend you eat at Aktaior! Their breakfast menu is easily as delicious as their dinner, this place has all the delicious Greek eats with an Italian/American twist. I highly recommend their Feta Scramble, Tzatziki appetizer, Carbonara Pasta, and their version of a calzone. Lastly, for something quick, head to Yankos for a Gyro for only 2.50 euro (and ask for the spicy feta dip)!
Firopotamos - Our favorite town, as it's simple beauty always has us feeling humbled. A small fisherman town located in the bay, where the locals live and fish. The water is a vibrant blue and the ten little houses that make up this town are painted in beautiful vibrant colored accents. There is a small church on the top of the hill and an old ruin archway. Beautiful cliff views, overall fun to explore, relax, swim and take it all in.
Fyriplaka - Take your quad a little further into the desert to the beach of Fyriplaka (also Firiplaka). A short minutes hike down the cliff side will have you stumbling upon a beautiful sand filled beach that looks like it was carved out of the colorful rock by heavens angels themselves. During the summer season there's even a little beach bar and water rentals to explore more of the coast by water. 
Paliochori - Resembling the colorful rocks of Fyriplaka, Paliochori is just a bit more populated. With parking and a collection of beach bars and chair rentals, this is a pretty typical beach if you're looking to lay out with some drinks and good eats. Walk down towards the rockier end of the beach and cross if you want something more private, this portion is known to be a popular nude beach destination if you're looking to live a little ;)

Papafragka - When driving by, this beach may not seem like anything special, but park your vehicle and walk towards the path where you'll find man-made steps carved into the rock taking you down into the caved coast. When you reach the bottom you'll find a tiny beach where you can swim through the cave out into the ocean. You have to put this one on your Milos bucket list. 
Plaka - The main town in Milos, resembles the narrow pathways of Santorini with it's pedestrian only walkways and painted white walls throughout. The town is perched up on the island, which gives it amazing views of the ocean and consequently great sunsets. It has great food and shops to walk around and explore. Definitely check out the Milopetra art gallery and after do not leave without turning the corner and watching the sunset at Utopia Cafe.
Pollonia - A beautiful fishing village surrounding the oceans natural inlet, you'll find whitewashed houses, beaches and great dining. The boys loved coming here for the outdoor community basketball court and night cruises. The village church at the top of the peninsula is definitely worth checking out, as the water is crystal clear and the views are picturesque from here.  
​Sarakiniko - Otherwise known as "moon rock beach" is exactly that, a beach paradise that makes you feel like you've taken a trip to the moon. The white volcanic rock, shaped by the waves blown by the winds, gives it the lunar landscape. The coast divides where the ocean flows like a little river into the shore, where most people do their swimming as it makes quite the little natural pool. The water here is warmer than if you were to cross the divide and climb to the top, where you'll find people cliff jumping into the ocean, swimming back up through the rocks natural cove.
Tsigrado - A quick beach hop over from Fyriplaka, this is one of those you have to "do it for the gram"... a little difficult to access this beach is only accessible by a sand slope and man-made ladder, but the privacy and views will have you glad you checked it off your bucket list.
Tria Pigadia - We stumbled upon this last beach one of the days when we were looking to explore and have some time on our own, away from the big group, and I'm so happy we did. Although small and remote, the color and wilderness of this eastern part of the island is humbling with it's untouched beauty. While a little harsher on your feet, this rock beach is absolutely stunning and gives you a little peace of a quiet paradise.

​Aside from the places mentioned above, there are a few "must sees" that you can only get to by boat. Not having done these the first time around on our honeymoon, I definitely feel like you'd be missing out coming to Milos without making the time for it.

By this time of the trip, your girl was exhausted with making arrangements. So luckily our friend Sam offered to set up a private yacht cruise for the day. Since we were visiting Milos after their busy summer season, she was able to negotiate a better deal at $75/person and with that we were off! This included a day of swimming and snorkeling around Milos, an authentic Greek lunch cooked fresh on the boat by the crew and all you could drink beer and wine.

​If you want to take a cruise around the island, I would absolutely recommend doing Milos Adventures, what an amazing experience. We saw so many things we wouldn't have been able to on this ride, not to mention the staff was amazing (and the DJ can drop some beats)!! With over 20 people in our group, we had the entire boat rented out to ourselves and spent a day on the water seeing Milos' most beautiful sights, like the colorful boathouses of Klima and the natural coves of Kleftiko. Finishing up with a relaxing family-style meal docked at sea, it was by far one of my favorite days of vacation.

Athens

This being Jake and I's second time to Athens, we got a feel for what we thought were the better parts of the city and places to be. After staying in separate rooms for the first week of the trip, we thought it would be fun to have everyone in the same spot for the last two days. So I began researching and found an absolute goldmine of a rental... Aura (Acropolis Unique Residence Apartments). Not only is this in the best location, a cute neighborhood with brick roads and flower-lined pedestrian only streets, but the owner is so pleasant and willing to help you with any arrangements you need and it is close to all of the sights, including the fact that you have an amazing view of the Acropolis right from the rooftop deck. We had an absolute ball here, close enough to walk to the Acropolis, while also able to walk to restaurants and bars at night feeling safe. With only two days here we made the most of it, exploring all of the monuments and good eats Athens had to offer. 

For a full look at our trip, check out the video below!
​Make sure to click the wheel and set it to 1080p HD for best viewing quality, enjoy!

Thanks for reading! If you are trying to plan a trip of your own,
​I would love to answer any questions you have in the comments below!