Chelsea’s Greece Story with OWR: Small Group Travel, Big Memories

Chelsea was looking for something different—something a little more intimate, a little more real. 

When she stumbled upon our Greece trip, something clicked. Eight days, three beautiful Greek destinations, and one memorable catamaran sunset later… she is already planning her next OWR adventure.

I was searching for tour groups that are on the smaller side, people around my age, and most importantly, aren’t mass-produced and touristy feeling. I am on the quieter side and felt I would get lost in a large group of stronger personalities.

I also feared including all ages would limit the amount we can do and see.

After tons of Google searches and reading of reviews, I found Other Way Round, and something told me this may be the one.

“THE TOUR STARTED IN ATHENS WHERE EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN CARE OF”

The tour started in Athens where everything was taken care of soon as I stepped off the plane. Our group met up in the early evening before going to dinner.

Our tour guide, Aris, at that first meeting laughed saying how awkward we all were with each other and how saying good-bye in 8 days would be so hard. I didn’t believe that as my thought was, it’s only a week, how much could we actually bond? I was pleasantly proven wrong!

In Athens, we did a tour of Acropolis which is just as amazing up close as it is from a rooftop bar.

The rest of the day was free, which OWR gave us some suggestions in the area.

I took this opportunity to follow one of those suggestions and go to the Olympic stadium which was definitely a highlight for me. 

Next, we took the ferry to Paros where we got to settle into our amazing little boutique hotel and go for a swim in the Aegean Sea. The afternoon we had the option to visit a local farm to try their products and wine. This experience was great since it felt like we were just welcomed into the family home rather than a business.

The next day we did a sailing tour of the Cyclades which was a great experience. The views were breathtaking.

The food made on board was delicious. We made a few stops to cool off in the water, and try some water sports like paddle boarding and snorkeling.

“ONE OF THE BEST MOMENTS OF THE TRIP WAS AT THE END IN THE CATAMARAN, ALL SITTING TOGETHER REMINISCING ABOUT OUR WEEK AND SHARING OUR FAVORITE MOMENTS”

The next morning we took a ferry to Santorini. We settled into our final adorable hotel and went off exploring the area on our own until we met for another wonderful group dinner with amazing sunset views. Our free day many of us ended up spending together doing OWR recommended activities like visiting a black sand beach then a cooking class in the evening.

Our final day many of us chose to do the hike to Oia, see the famous blue domes, explore the town before our final activity, a sunset catamaran with dinner on board.

One of the best moments of the trip was at the end in the catamaran, all sitting together reminiscing about our week and sharing our favorite moments.

“I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH ABOUT WHAT A WONDERFUL GUIDE WE HAD”

Our tour guide Aris was amazing. He was so funny, personable, and adaptable. It felt more like a friend showing us his hometown than a tour guide. Him showing us around felt like we were seeing such an authentic version of Greece. At many group meals he would order different plates that we all shared and would explain each to us.

This was so interesting as we got the history of some traditional foods, and likely tried way more things than we would’ve otherwise. I cannot say enough about what a wonderful guide we had. 

All the food and wine we had were amazing.

From the breakfasts provided by our hotels, street food we grabbed while exploring, food on our boat days, to sit the down dinners. There were so many options at every meal and everything was delicious.

I still can’t stop eating feta!

The tour had a great balance of activities and free time. And so many of OWR’s suggestions were a great way to use that time. Before my trip I imagined how I would use my free time and envisioned myself alone.

However, our group got along so well that we chose to do everything together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“ANOTHER GREAT THING ABOUT THE GROUP AND HOW WELL WE GOT ALONG WAS HOW MANY PHOTOS WE SHARED”

Another great thing about the group and how well we got along was how many photos we shared. I got so many pictures of things we did, saw, and even of myself I never would’ve gotten on a solo trip.

“GREECE WAS EASILY ONE OF MY FAVORITE TRIPS I’VE EVER TAKEN!”

Greece was easily one of my favorite trips I’ve ever taken! I met some amazing people and now have friends from all over that I never would’ve met otherwise.

Everything being planned and taken care of took all the stress out of travel that normally goes along with a trip. OWR was so helpful and responsive to any questions I had leading up to my trip.

I was looking at other OWR trips offered on my flight home because I knew I wanted to do another with them.