Vasiliki and George, from the Greek island of Crete, describe themselves as “two Greeks on an epic adventure.”
They are bloggers and digital content creators with a passion for travel and adventure.
Through their journeys across Greece and abroad and their travel page ‘Yabatravellers’, they illuminate all aspects of travel, sharing tips and stories to travel lovers worldwide.
The couple says that the phrase which best explains the direction their lives have taken is a famous quote by writer Mary Anne Radmacher; “I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world."
George and Vasiliki met in 2015, working for the same airline. Although they both loved travel beforehand, it was upon meeting and starting their travels together that exploring the world became even more enjoyable.
“When you share something, it acquires a different meaning,” they explain.
The birth of the couple’s travel site started whilst on a journey in exotic Indonesia.
“Between the rice fields and the palm trees, we officially decided to start recording our travel adventures as a couple,” they say.
“And so the moment came when the need for creativity met the need for endless wanderings and the Yabatravellers was born.
This groundbreaking moment was followed by many trips, flights, endless hours of writing and photography.
“All in the hope of creating a space that will not just share travel information, but a note of joy and inspiration for all out there who have promised themselves a life full of adventure.”
But what does ‘yaba’ actually mean, you may wonder?
“Love!” comes the simple answer from Vasiliki and George.
“It is our personal word,” they say. “Like many couples, we have our own ‘secret’ word that we caress each other with and here we share it with you.”
Although most of their own trips are now made for business reasons, with different tensions in the quest to balance work with having a good time or exploring a new place, Vasiliki and George believe that there are many reasons why travelling couples stay together longer.
“Couples who travel together experience and get to know new cultures and cultures,” they say.
“The whole process and the contact with new images and mentalities change the couple who has seen and experienced something like this together. It matures you. You mature together.
“You can exchange views and share feelings about everything you experienced together.
“In addition, the death of love and consequently of sexual life is usually routine. What kills the routine? But travel of course!
“The feeling of adventure, the different atmosphere, the romantic situations and images bring you closer to your other half.
“Add to all this the fact that you relax and leave problems behind, even for just a while.”
George studied Economics, specialising in Tourism Business Administration, but he was drawn to the airfield early on where he met Vasiliki.
George provides the web development for the website and is the photographer and cinematographer of the team, creating all the videos featured on Yabatravellers.
Vasiliki studied political science and did postgraduate studies in Economics and Marketing but it seems that life may have had other plans for her, since today her career lies in aviation and blogging. Vasiliki is the writer of the team, who writes most of the articles on the blog.
Together the couple have travelled to over 31 countries and their website yabatravellers is full of articles containing tips, tricks and information for those planning a trip or even just for those wanting to read all about the bloggers’ travel experiences.
On the Yabatravellers site the would-be tourist can find travel advice articles such as ‘5 Destinations for Romantic Wedding Proposals’, ‘Where to go honeymoon in the Covid19 season’, as well as destination guides like ‘Two Greeks in Sicily and other adventures’, ‘8 things worth doing in Guatemala’, ‘First trip to Costa Rica. Everything you need to know’.
The Yabatravellers also offer handy – or in some cases crucial - survival guides such as the likes of ‘How to survive the first trip with your new relationship,’ and the no doubt popular ‘Vacation with parents (or in-laws)’.
As do most of us, Vasiliki and George love good food - “whether it be from a counter in Thailand or a fine-dining restaurant,” so they say - placing them in good stead to offer their audience food stories such as ‘What to eat in Japan! Food tour and other delicacies’, ‘A gourmet Food Tour in Lima - Discovering the flavours of Peru’ and ‘Dutch delicacies: What to try in Amsterdam.’
Vasiliki and George also offer all-important budgetary advice, to help with holiday planning.
“There are some basic tips such as choosing to travel off-season or shoulder season, where everything is cheaper, to search with a price filter in your stay, so as not to be tempted to get away from the budget and cook some of your meals in the apartment especially in expensive countries where it is not good to eat outside,” they say.
The couple has also written an e-book entitled 'How to travel the world with a Greek salary', offering many and detailed ways to make the trip more feasible and available for sale in the Yabatravellers online shop. 10% of the income from the e-book goes to the "SOS Children's Villages", a not for profit organisation that provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protects their interests and rights around the world.
Vasiliki and George are adamant that travel is key to living a fulfilling life.
“Travel is a key part of our lives,” they say. “Now beyond both our personal and our professional lives.”
“The search for the new and the different lures you.”
Website: http://yabatravellers.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yabatravellers/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/yabatravellers
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