Lifestyles

Doing What Makes You Happy

1 Comment

Although the article is from 2009 — I totally agree with the premise of Pico Iyer’s “The Joy of Less” in the NYT, and here is a quote that sums up the main point:

I had been lucky enough at that point to stumble into the life I might have dreamed of as a boy: a great job writing on world affairs for Time magazine, an apartment (officially at least) on Park Avenue, enough time and money to take vacations in Burma, Morocco, El Salvador. But every time I went to one of those places, I noticed that the people I met there, mired in difficulty and often warfare, seemed to have more energy and even optimism than the friends I’d grown up with in privileged, peaceful Santa Barbara, Calif., many of whom were on their fourth marriages and seeing a therapist every day. Though I knew that poverty certainly didn’t buy happiness, I wasn’t convinced that money did either.

I actually found this article via an article on AlmostFearless as a result of a Tweet by Steph at 20sTravel. Not sure how she found the article given it’s about a year old — but glad she did because I found both to be good reads.

As some of you know, I’m living quite a nomadic lifestyle right now and happier than I’ve been in a long time. I have many people who ask me “how can I do what you do and work from anywhere?” For starters, it didn’t just happen. I put a lot of time and effort into my role at Zillow.com over the past 4 1/2 years — and I can certainly tell you working virtually for companies back in the states would be a LOT more difficult without the reputation and network I built while working at Zillow. I’m working for 3 people (Jim at Virtual Results & YouReach Media, Justin at Diverse Solutions, and Steve at RealBiz360) who I’ve known for years and built a certain level of trust with. That said — traveling for a living can be done even if you don’t work wirelessly from a laptop like I do. This summer in Santorini, there were at least 15 or 20 expats (probably more) living in Perissa Beach working at restaurants, bars, or hotels in order to fund their stay there.

The real trick is just deciding what makes you truly happy. Once you know what you want to do and where you want to end up, you’ll find a way to make the rest of the pieces fall into place. So, if you think traveling the globe will make you happy, just quit your job and do it — and figure out the details on the way.

Finances and Money

The Price of Backpacking Santorini

Leave a comment

Here are the costs for some common expenses on Santorini.

Transportation costs:

  • Taxi from the Port to Perissa Beach – 20 Euro
  • Public bus from Port to Perissa Beach – 4 euro total (you have to take the bus to Fira, and then hop on another bus to Perissa from there)
  • Renting an ATV – 18 Euro high season/12 Euro low season + about 10 Euro for gas
  • Renting a car for a day – 35 Euro high / 15 Euro low season

Accomodation:

  • Youth Hostel Anna – High season: 12 Euro a night for 10 bed dorm/ 3 25 Euro per person for a private / 20 Euro for a 3 bed private / 15 Euro for a 4 bed mixed dorm

Food and Beverage:

  • Mousaka – Between 5 and 7 Euro
  • Mythos – Between 2 and 4 Euro
  • Gyros – Between 2 and 4 Euro (Pepito Gyros are amazing for 2 Euro)
  • Shots – around 3 Euro
  • 1.5 L Water – .80 to 1.50 Euro (or 1.50 for 6 at the Co-op in Perissa Beach)

Random:

  • Sunscreen – 20 Euro!! It’s ridiculous how expensive sunscreen is over here – so make sure to bring plenty of your own!!
Location Reviews

My London 2005 vs My London 2010

14 Comments

I’ll be honest — London was one of my least favorite cities I visited while backpacking all over Western Europe (13 countries in 2 months) in 2005. But I made it back here for a few days, and I certainly have a better impression of London this time around. In 2005, London was the first city I ever visited outside of the US, so it’s probably safe to say a bit of culture shock contributed to some of my disappointment. However, I now have a half dozen trips abroad under my belt — meaning I have a better idea of what to do when backpacking. In 2005, my buddy and I made the mistake of not getting a map and got lost in London for hours and hours, so this time I picked up a map and the city is actually surprisingly easy to navigate. This time around, I also got to mingle a bit with locals – I had lunch with Jamie from Zoopla the other day and met some fascinating local folks (@xperiencefran, @academyblog, @propertyowl, @jamesdearsley, @kyreniaj, @AhmCharles) from the real estate field at the Thursday Property Tweetup organized by Ben Edwards. Additionally, I got to meet Becky Berg (daughter of Kris Berg) for traditional English tea and go sightseeing yesterday with my friend Liz, who I met in Santorini this summer. It’s always better visiting a city when you can hang out with the locals instead of just a bunch of tourists…

Regardless, I’m a fan of London this time around and I think it’s a safe bet I’ll be back here at some point in the relatively near future — maybe for the 2012 Olympics!

Photos

Why Not

1 Comment

I took this photo on my trip to Amoudi Bay on my last day in Santorini and thought the fact hat “WHY NOT” was posted on the back of this boat was a bit ironic since it’s exactly the reason I ended up on Santorini for the summer. My friend Ashley and I both decided there were no good reasons why we should not go live in Santorini for a summer — so we did, and it was an awesome experience.

Instead of asking “WHY?” next time you are contemplating something, ask “Why Not?”

And remember, traveling will impact your life for the better.

WIFI Hotspots

Wifi Hotspots in Perissa Beach, Santorini

Leave a comment

I spent this past summer living in Perissa Beach with a four other friends, and here are the places we frequented for internet access on a regular basis:

Bob’s Bar – The Wifi was strong, staff is extremely friendly and were very accommodating with pulling out their extension cord for us when we needed power to charge our computers. The internet cut out occasionally, but they would reset the router for us within minutes usually. A few times, the internet was completely offline for a day or two as a result of the internet company or lack of paying the bill — but they always got it resolved within a couple days.

Atlas Bar – I spent the most time here of anywhere all summer. Sometimes the network cut out or went extremely slow when numerous people were on it simultaneously (or someone was trying to download a massive file or watch a video), but wifi is reliable at Atlas for the most part. There are two outlets to use (both located up near the ceiling in white receptacles) – one near the front of the restaurant and one near the back.

Beach Bar – Great strong wifi that seldom cuts out with one convenient power outlet that you can use if needed. Definitely not a place to use wifi (quietly) late at night – the bar gets packed and extremely loud. One negative I should point out is that if they don’t have the Air Con turned on inside during the day, it’s a sweat box and unbearable on an extremely hot day.

Matrix – This is an internet cafe that you have to pay for, but the internet is very reliable and the computers are nice with big headsets. If you find yourself needing to print something or need a quiet place for a phone call, this is the place. Cost is about .50 Euro for 30 minutes if my memory serves me correctly.

Have you visited a location somewhere in the world and want to write a post about Wifi access there? Let us know.

Random

One Thing I Do NOT Miss About Santorini

Leave a comment

I departed Santorini on Thursday morning for London after pretty much being a complete beach bum for two and a half months — since mid May, I haven’t put on long pants, have been to the beach all but about 5 days, and haven’t put on a long sleeved shirt. And I’ve absolutely loved it. However, one thing I can tell you for certain that I do NOT miss — AT ALL — the salt water that comes out of the tap in Santorini. Not simply because it means you can’t drink the tap water, but mostly because showers are salty. I’m used to washing my face and eyes in the shower water, and I found myself unable to do that without making my eyes sting ever since I arrived in Santorini in May.

So, yes, I’m enjoying my showers with FRESH water here in London!

Exploring the Wild Blue Yonder