It is common to get asked “how was your trip?” when returning from a vacation, after you’ve inevitably posted hundreds of pics on the gram. For the most part my answers are always the same perfunctory replies. I’ll talk about all the great food I ate and point out some restaurants, or how beautiful and aesthetically pleasing it was, and talk about how clear and blue the water was, and the great night life it has . But to me what really makes a trip worthwhile is the experiences I’ve shared with old friends, new friends, and even strangers I’ll never see again.
What I loved most about Greece is its people. Every single person I’ve met (including uncle Leelee - this one’s for you Lou. Sorry for the insider but it’s too funny) was filled with such great energy, laughter and smiles all around. I can’t blame them, the weather is perfect and even in hard times it’s hard to imagine things to be sad about.
Location: Santorini, Greece
For the greater portion of my life I would befriend people and stay friends with them no matter the consequence. Whether they were toxic or simply made me feel lesser, I would stick it out for show. Maybe because they were cool in my eyes or just created this facade of being a great friend group. I can say that I’ve finally got out of that and am fortunate to be surrounded with the people that I call my friends today. For these past couple of days I was struggling as to what my next note to you guys would be. I knew it was going to be about my trip to Greece, but I didn’t want it to be cliche. For that, you can go onto Instagram and scroll through the endless feed of instagrammers who are vacationing in Santorini. It wasn't until this morning that I read an article on HighSnobiety that it all tied together.
Kanye Tweeted:
“How to NOT kill yourself pt 1
Avoid being around people who make you want to kill yourself”
As I go through my 20’s fake friendships have become less valuable to me. Those friendships that at one time seemed worth keeping don’t align with my current values and through experience alone you realize what’s really important, part of which makes traveling such an important growth experience for self reflection.
All this tying back to the absolute best part of this trip; the people I was around with. That in and of itself made this one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever had and has continued to reinforce the fact that the energy you surround yourself with will impact your experience.