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Back from holidays: routines and structure
September. It’s this time of the year when for most of us the holidays are over and we’re back to business as usual. About a year ago, I published the post ‘10 tips to beat those post-holiday blues’ where I shared some tips that not only work for me (a frequent traveler), but are also based on my professional experience. As a Psychiatrist, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having routines and structure to one’s days, weeks, and life. Routines and structure are important because they provide a sense of security and familiarity, as well as order, direction and meaning. They also help provide a sense of achievement (purpose) as…
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9+1 Greek islands to visit this summer
It’s been a year since the article ‘10 great Greek islands: readers’ travel tips’ was published in the Guardian. My tip ‘Hiking in Amorgos, Cyclades’ was not only included but it was also the winning tip. Since then, I have launched the Traveling Psychiatrist, a travel and wellbeing blog, where I publish weekly travel tips on my happy places (Greek islands, Norway, and London) and wellbeing tips based on my clinical experience and inspired by the books I read. An amateur cook and baker, sometimes, I’ve gone as far as to also share healthy recipes inspired by my travels, such as the orange pie (portokalopita) from Amorgos. …
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Island-hopping around the Cyclades
The Cyclades. A group of 24 inhabited islands (and many more uninhabited). But which one to choose? Hedonistic Mykonos, romantic Santorini, or a lesser known one? Or, perhaps, island-hop? A Greek travel enthusiast myself, I definitely prefer island hopping, as this allows me to explore more than one islands each time… but, of course, I still have to make a choice! A couple of years ago, I followed a 13-day itinerary from Santorini to Amorgos, and then to Koufonisia and Mykonos. Certainly, a good place to start (that was my first ever holiday in the Cyclades)! I have been back to the Cyclades several times since, and here is another…
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Folegandros: the secret alternative to Santorini
When I came across Jade Conroy’s article ‘the secret alternative to Santorini’ (published in the Telegraph on 22nd February), Folegandros immediately sprang to my mind. I was right. One of the least known Greek islands, Folegandros is only an hour away (on the ferry) from the world-famous Santorini. This rather small Cycladic island is located in the southern Aegean Sea, nested between Milos and Kimolos on the west, and Sikinos and Ios on the east (Santorini is further on the east). An off-the-beaten-track island, Folegandros has a small population of fewer than 1000 inhabitants. Every summer, however, it comes to life thanks to a wave of mostly Greek,…
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Sifnos: the island of Greek gastronomy
I was born and raised in Greece, a country with a rich history, and a healthy and delicious cuisine. As a child, I would often hear the word ‘tselementes’ being used to refer to any cookbook. So, I naturally assumed that it meant ‘cookbook’. Not quite so. I later learned that Nikolaos Tselementes was a Greek chef and cookery writer born on the island of Sifnos in the late 19th century. 130 years later, this small Cycladic island is considered the capital of Greek gastronomy. Sifnos is located in the western Cyclades, northeast of Milos and south of Serifos, which I also visited last summer. Despite the island’s close proximity…
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Serifos: the Greek island where time stands still
In June 2017, Kate Lough shared her ‘10 reasons why you should visit the Greek island of Serifos’. She wrote that she ‘found a Greece that seemed to have stood still since the 1960s and where island life remains unspoiled by mass tourism’. I visited Serifos a year later, in August 2018. Oblivious to Kate’s article at the time, I came to the same realization: Serifos reminded me of a Greece of a different era: it was the Greece that starred in the 1960s movies I used to watch as a child. Again and again, during my time on this small Greek island, the phrase ‘time stands still’ came to…
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Skyros: the island of wellness & wellbeing
My home country, Greece, has 6,000 islands of which 227 are inhabited. Having been to a dozen (including Mykonos, Santorini, Amorgos, and Koufonisia), I am often asked to provide tips and inside information. When people ask me which Greek island is my favorite, or which one to visit (a frequently asked but rather difficult question to answer), Skyros is always the first to come to mind. I have to admit that I am somewhat biased, as this is my late grandfather’s home island; not only I have precious memories of spending my early childhood summers there, I also have beloved relatives still living on the island. For this reason, I’ve…
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7 reasons to fall in love with Martinique
As I’d never been to the Caribbean before, I immediately said yes when my friend Marie suggested we go to Martinique. This was not meant to be a relaxing holiday; instead, we would spend a week practicing sports of our choice. I opted for a combination of mostly water sports and activities, such as kayaking, catamaran, sailing, hiking, horse riding and windsurfing, whereas Marie chose to practice the latter for our entire week there. Located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea, Martinique is a single island directly north of Saint Lucia, and south of Dominica. Having a similar size to the Greek island…
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5 ways to recover from travel fatigue
You must have probably heard of jet lag, a physiological condition that occurs after long-haul flights, usually when traveling east. Jet lag is caused by the de-synchronization of our body clock (or our circadian rhythm, to use the medical term). Symptoms may include sleep disturbance, reduced concentration, irritability, headaches, problems with digestion, and fatigue. Perhaps the term ‘travel fatigue’ is not as familiar; yet, you may be more likely to experience this less specific concept. Travel fatigue can, of course, occur after long-haul flights; however, it can also follow a short-haul one, or a long train or car journey. It can essentially occur during or after any journey or holiday,…
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10 tips to beat those post-holiday blues
The summer has now officially come to an end, and for most of us the holidays are over. Every time I return home (and back to work) from holidays (no matter how short or long), my mood and energy levels take a dip. Here are 10 tips that help me lift up my mood, beat those post-holiday blues, and get back on track as soon as possible: Tip 1: Routines and structure As a Psychiatrist, I cannot overemphasize the importance of having routines and a structure to one’s life. For this reason, I always encourage people to have routines and a structure to their days and weeks. Routines and…