The Traveling Psychiatrist

“I’ve won!” six-year-old Alex shouted, sliding his pawn into Oslo.

Growing up in Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-largest city, I would spend hours absorbed in Traveling in Europe, the board game that sparked my love for both travel and geography. After memorizing the continent’s countries, capitals, and major cities, I graduated to Traveling in Greece, where I discovered every island of my homeland. Then came Traveling in the World—and soon after, my very first flight.

At eight years old, two weeks in Far East Asia expanded my world in ways I couldn’t yet put into words. I encountered new civilizations, religions, and customs—realizing, for the first time, how vast and varied life could be. That trip also ignited what became a lifelong addiction to travel. From that summer onward, I boarded a plane abroad every year. By eighteen, I had already visited three Asian countries (Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia), three African countries (Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia), North America (the U.S. and Canada), and much of Europe (UK, France, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland).

As a medical student, I sought not only to travel but to live and learn abroad. Four international student exchanges gave me the chance to deepen my ties with places I had once passed through and to discover new ones—Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium. By the time I finished my degree, I knew I wanted to build a life outside Greece. That path led me first to Yorkshire, UK, for training, and eventually to London, where I now work as a Consultant Psychiatrist. A decade on, I still see London as one of my favorite cities in the world. My travels have continued too—sometimes revisiting familiar places, sometimes venturing further, from Spain, Ireland, Monaco, the Vatican, and Switzerland to Turkey and South Africa.

Looking back on this journey—both geographic and personal—I can say with confidence that I hold two homes in my heart: Greece, where I return several times a year to rediscover its islands, and London, where you’ll often find me wandering neighborhoods, iced coffee in hand, notebook or laptop nearby. Beyond psychiatry, I’m a music lover (especially jazz, country, and indie), a film enthusiast, and an avid reader (with a soft spot for crime novels). But more than anything, I love writing and traveling.

It’s taken me time to realize it, but travel writing is not just a pastime or even a passion—it’s my raison d’être. And that’s why I started this blog: The Traveling Psychiatrist.

To follow my adventures, simply subscribe via the menu on the left.

Alex

(The Traveling Psychiatrist)

P.S. To hone my craft, I attended Peter Carty’s Travel Writing Workshop.