Want to drench yourself in vibrant, cerulean blues and crisp whites? Look no further than Santorini, one of the most popular Greek islands. This should come as no surprise. Do you know that what I noticed most, though, were the colorfully painted doors practically on every corner? They’re not only blue! Read on.

Before we dig in and see some beautiful color inspiration, let’s introduce the hashtag #ColoringMyWayAcrossTheGlobe. This is a theme I created a couple of years ago in conjunction with my travel illustration business. For those who don’t know, I create art professionally from time to time, capturing color, culture, landscape and colloquialism in the process. These art pieces have an escapist feel, a vacation vibe, and are colorful and textured.

This COLORING MY WAY ACROSS THE GLOBE blog series will feature my photography, art, stories of culture and language, and even travel tips amassed over the course of a few years travelling solo myself.

It’s been several summers since I spent time in Santorini, and I’ve only been to Greece twice, but I revisit it in my mind almost weekly. I began teaching myself Greek on the plane to Athens in the summer of 2019 and have continued independent studies since then.

Let’s explore some colorful photography I took while there on the island of Santorini. You’d think that they would have blue doors only, but there was a variety of color much to my delight! Stay tuned for a Santorini inspired color palette in the next post! For now, enjoy the photography, friends.

Are you thinking of taking an international trip solo? Here are a few helpful pre-travel and travel tips for you:

1. Do your research prior to the trip by connecting with your destination country’s travel bloggers. Offer to compensate them for their expertise of course. My Greek blogger friend Christina of Santorini Plus was able to help me with my entire Greece itinerary.

2. Consider staying in an Airbnb or family run bed & breakfast, as you do have a more authentic, cultural experience lodging with or near local families. I ALWAYS stay with Airbnb Super Hosts and do lots of research to select the best spaces prior to booking.

3. Make friends if you can with your Airbnb hosts prior to arrival. This can be as simple as introducing yourself via email and asking a few questions about local activities. Most Airbnb hosts are happy to oblige and answer your basic questions, as long as you don’t take advantage with a laundry list of them.

4. Learn basic phrases and polite greetings………..and learn how to say them like the locals do. I will have to do a separate language blog post about Greek! Are you up for that? Hello, goodbye, thank you, you’re welcome, good morning, good afternoon, and good evening are the key words and phrases to learn.

5. Know how to politely ask in the destination country’s native language if they speak English (or whatever your native tongue is). Do not assume that everyone speaks English (or your native tongue). It is a presumptuous, arrogant approach to international relations and travel.

6. This should be obvious, but please don’t buy up local touristy clothing and bags and sport them in public. Nothing screams “tourist” more than those folks donning Santorini labeled hats, beach towels, t-shirts and flip flops. Do yourself a favor and dress more like a local.

7. Speaking of dress code, keep it tasteful, basic, smart and classic in style and pattern. I usually research style blogs for my destination country, but that’s just because I have an appreciation for that kind of thing!

Let’s look at some more pictures, shall we? All images in today’s post are my personal photography collection. Boy, did I enjoy snapping them!

This particular blog series is near and dear to my heart, and I hope that you enjoy these language, art, color and travel chronicles. #ColoringMyWayAcrossTheGlobe captures all of my loves into one concept and place.

Next week I’ll share with you my Santorini inspired color palette for home decor.

Enjoy and have a colorful day, friends!

XOXO,

Lauren