The Traveling Journal

The Traveling Journal: My First Trip out of the Country

Student Ambassador Thomas Sellers IV took his first trip out of the country and traveled to Greece with his classmates. From learning Greek history, to experiencing a folklore dinner party, and capturing his favorite photograph he’s ever taken, this was a trip he’ll never forget. Here’s what he had to say about his Greek adventure:

This Spring Break I had the privilege of traveling to Greece with 47 other people from my school through Explorica by WorldStrides. Before this trip I had never traveled outside of the country, let alone been on a vacation longer than two days. I also had never been on a trip with friends, so this was a very new experience for me. I want to share some of the highlights of this trip and why Greece should be a top five destination to add to your bucket list.

Day 1 & 2: Athens, Greece

When we got to our hotel, our guide told us that this hotel was three minutes from the beach. So of course, we had to go see. It was one of the most beautiful sights of the Greek sunset we had ever seen. Then we begin our nighttime journey through the streets of Athens. Athens was beautiful at night, there were string lights across the buildings and the view of the Acropolis from the streets was beautiful.

On day two we began our day going to one of the replicas of the Olympic stadium. Then we were off to see one of the 7 wonders of the world, the Parthenon. The views on top of the Acropolis were amazing, you could see the entire city of Athens. Afterwards, we had some local iced lemonade which was very delicious. To end the day, we had a folklore dinner party where we all had courses of Greek food and danced.

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Day 3: Delphi, Greece

Day three was my favorite day of all, we drove to the mountains and explored isolated cities. The views of the water surrounded by the mountains was everything. We then went to the temple of Apollo where we hiked to the top and even saw mountain goats. At the end of the day, we had a very big meal in a restaurant that was on the side of a mountain.

Day 4: Olympia, Greece

On day four, the first thing we did in the morning was go down to a store in Olympia that had an assortment of olive oils which were very tasty. We then went to a museum where we saw loads of artifacts and even real gladiator helmets. Lastly, we went to the original place where they held the Olympic games and we even got to have a race on the original race track.

Day 5: Mycenae, Greece

Day five in Greece we went everywhere, we started the day going to the Greek Amphitheater where we climbed the seats and had our wonderful tour guide do a few scenes from a Greek play. After that, a few others and I stopped by an orange tree and picked fresh oranges for our class. Later in the day we headed to Mycenae where we hiked the grounds of the king’s tomb. Lastly, we stopped by a coffee shop right next to the Corinth Canal.

Day 6: Crete, Greece

On the sixth day, we were excited to take a cruise boat to the best islands in Greece. At our first island, we were instantly greeted with the opportunity to ride donkeys through the city, and of course we took it. At the second island, we walked around and found the best ice cream we could possibly find. At the third island, we were able to get fresh treats—they were known for their pistachios— and we saw amazing views of the Greek sunset on the island with awesome sun rays, and I may have gotten one of my greatest photos of all time. We then finished off our cruise by playing cards the remainder of the time.

Day 7: Sounion, Greece

The last day in Greece was a day to remember. We began the day with a trip to the temple of Poseidon where we learned the history of the amazing temple beside the water. After we journeyed not far to a seafood restaurant on the beach. Afterwards, we searched for sea creatures in the tide pools. Following our time in Sounion, we journeyed back to our last hotel in Athens, Greece. We had the best time ever; the rooftop had a pool and even though it was cold we still jumped in. After we dried off, we all finished our day with an incredible photo and video shoot on top of the roof with an amazing view of the Acropolis.

This was the best trip of my life and a truly amazing experience. I was able to learn and see Greek history up close and personal. I truly fell in love with the country, and I really want to go back!

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