Many many years ago, when I was 21 ( mid 80's to be exact) a Uni friend and I went backpacking round the Greek islands . We bought a return flight to Athens and then got first ferry out of the port of Piraeus in the morning to furthest destination possible! ....first time I'd tried real Greek yogurt too ( divine!)
No accommodation was booked, just arrived at Santorini near midnight, where there were loads of locals touting for business to stay in their tavernas and we just chose first one that fitted our requirements ( no more than £5 / night)
During that holiday , as well as Santorini we went to Mykonos ( long before it was such a Mecca for the rich and not so famous influencers) Rhodes and Crete
At each island , it was pot luck with where we stayed some places were incredible , but basic yet well appointed
some were roach infested hostels
I still remember that holiday very fondly and we had so many memorable adventures, even though we were holidaying on a very tight budget...we went snorkelling in Crete, where we went fishing for octopus and sea urchins to eat on board with the owners ( we couldn't afford SCUBA diving) but the fishermen who owned the boat took pity on us and invited us back to their family home that evening for a traditional Greek meal
On anther occasion in Crete , we ended up sharing a hostel room in Agios Niklaos with 2 English guys ( who were also travelling independently and had never met each other before) we hired mopeds and went exploring round the beautiful hidden beaches of Crete
We then spent a couple of days in Athens, going to flea markets and finding glorious tavernas in the back streets, where the owners would invite you into kitchen to see what was available and even let you try the food before you ordered!
I fear Alice doesn't value the true value of a holiday....just because it's luxurious doesn't make it more memorable or enjoyable
Now I'm in my
late 50's I look at these influencers and wonder if they are really enjoying themselves and living in the moment? I have very few photos of these holidays but can remember everything so vividly and I'm glad I visited these places before the instagrammers spoiled them!
I may add since those budget days I have been v lucky to travel the world and stay at some amazing 5* places but one of my first adventures still means so much to me