A tribute to our blog from Real.gr. Check it out here.
We are Yannis Vasvatekis and Andromachi Parafesta from Larissa. We love traveling more than anything and we record our experiences on our blog. Travel See Feel. Giannis is a Civil Engineer, Stand Up Paddle Board (SUP) instructor, skier, adventure and extreme sports enthusiast. Andromache is a teacher, loves Pilates, cooking and the company of a good book. The first conversation we had when we met was about travel and after traveling quite a bit we were led on our longest journey when… we joined our lives! Our daily conversations always include a trip while many times we “fool around” in search engines looking for by air tickets and accommodations.
Apart from going abroad, we try to discover the beautiful corners of our own Greece at every opportunity. Mani, Zagorochoria, Crete, Santorini are definitely among our favorite destinations.
Generally speaking, we would say that we travel with a purpose. We are not usually tempted by offers. air transport tickets or photos on social media (many times they are completely fake) but we choose to go to a destination that we have read a lot about and that has won us over! There are places that do not excite us at the moment either because of the conditions that exist there (e.g. war, crime, diseases, etc.), or because we are looking for something different from what we have seen so far. We are mainly captivated by places that have a combination of things that make them attractive. Landscapes, gastronomy, history, culture, activities, safety. And…. extreme sports for Giannis!
We choose what to see on our trips after a lot of research. We believe that the 50% of a trip is the preparation before it. That is, the research and reading that one will do in travel guides, on the internet, on blogs and elsewhere until they choose what to see or what to do in a certain place. That is why we always read and get informed about destinations… even if we don't go to them in the end!
Our goal is for a trip to any part of the world, even within Greece, to be an experience and not just a leisure activity. It is unthinkable for us to go and stay in a hotel with swimming pools, spa, etc., and not discover the surrounding area, not see some important monuments, a remarkable museum that may be nearby or not try the local cuisine.
Our favorite motto is: “The only thing you can buy and make rich is a trip”! What wise words… Over the years, we have understood that through travel, a person becomes more mature and creative. He gains a global perspective on things, sees life with a different eye, gets to know new places, different people and cultures and in the end… he gets to know himself.
It is our common belief that by traveling, one becomes responsible, relies on oneself, plans and decides without others determining where to go, what to see, where to sleep, which train or plane to take. In the end, one discovers one's limits, adapts to challenges and becomes a better person.
We spend a lot of our free time on blogs and social media. But everything needs a measure. There is a wonderful world out there that is worth discovering! By spending precious time on likes and followers, this is lost somewhere… After all, blogging is not a means of promotion for us. We see it more as a means of expression, but also a way to “keep” our memories in writing somewhere.
Our photographic equipment is very compact to be easily transported and we don't want the photos on our blog to be professional per se but real, so that the reader can "put" themselves there. After all, no photo is better than what the eye sees and many times we have put the camera down to live the moment! Yes, we have "tweaked" the contrast or the colors a little, but we don't do tragic photo-sops!
In our opinion, there is no destination that will not give you something. Every experience, good or bad, is valuable “for the road”. To date, we have visited 21 countries. That’s not many by our standards. However, we loved some so much that we visited them two or three times. Besides, simply putting pins on the map is meaningless. What matters is that we do everything possible to fill our lives with unique experiences! We have a whole bucket list full of destinations that we hope to implement in the future!
Covid-19 canceled trips we had planned and postponed many of our plans. But it was also a way to review some things and think that none of us should postpone for the future what we can do immediately. Many times life poses obstacles, like this pandemic, that can change many things in our daily lives.
For many, 2020 was a bad year. For us, it was perhaps the best as a sweet baby was added to our “luggage” and the truth is that we can't wait to travel together and show him the world!
The adventures of Yannis and Andromache can be found at website them, in Facebook and Instagram.
