So this whole group travel thing — it genuinely took me by surprise. I didn’t expect how much I’d love getting to know my fellow Contikiers in Mykonos, how I’d love rediscovering Santorini with them, or how much fun my new friends and I would have raging and recovering in Ios. I couldn’t have anticipated how…

Ios is an island that comes to life after dark. I mean, the beachfront daylight hours are fairly epic themselves. But people don’t really come to Ios for the paddleboarding. It’s a nice distraction from the hangovers, sure. But for the most part, backpackers flock to Ios for one undeniable reason — to get their debauchery…

Mykonos was a Vegas-style blowout. Santorini was a peaceful retreat. But Ios may have been the stop I was most looking forward to on my Contiki Greek island tour. The island is a notorious stop on the world’s backpacker party circuit — sun and fun enthusiasts flock there every summer, lured by the promise of cheap…

Greetings from… you guessed it, Greece! My mind is reeling at how quickly the past two weeks of my Greek Island Hopping tour went by. Santorini charmed me once again, and Ios made a memorable first impression. But what surprised me most of all? How hard it was yesterday to say goodbye to the friends I’d…