Featured QTs - Studying Abroad In Greece

We love to hear from our @queertravelsociety instagram followers and are excited to feature them on our blog. Recently, @one_of_a_k1nd returned from studying abroad in Greece!  Here is their story...

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Summer 2015. I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Greece with my fellow cohorts from Oregon State University (Go Beavers!). Life was fast paced. I walked the streets of Athens, awed over the graffiti, visited historical sites, and tried tzatziki for the first time. 

I stood where democracy originated. I noticed people less concern with social life and more in tune with the political events occurring as they were in the middle of an economic meltdown.

On the island of MykonosI got a small taste of the friendly gay culture visiting a club named Jackie-O's and danced the night away with a few fellow (and handsome) Greecians. I dipped my toes in the water and inhaled a sense of unity on that island. People greeted each other with kindness, polite words and chuckled as I mispronounced a few words I had learned in their language.

As a queer traveler, for the first time (in a long time) I can say that I was not harassed or bothered in any sense on this trip. And for that, it made this trip that much more enjoyable. I loved the friendly space that the Greeks provided and I look forward to visiting them again with my family. 

Would I recommend visiting Greece, absolutely. A beautiful culture shock along with pride and solidarity for my LGBTQ community overseas.

How Much A Weekend in Puerto Rico ACTUALLY Costs

This past weekend, my girlfriend and I decided to take a trip off-island. We hopped on an 18-minute flight from St. Thomas to Puerto Rico for a three-day trip. Neither of us had ever been to Puerto Rico before, so we were excited to travel someplace new together.

Starting out, my girlfriend and I had a very clear picture about how much money we wanted to spend. We weren't willing to break the bank for a 3-day trip, but we also didn't want to be so frugal that we couldn't enjoy our time; we still wanted it to feel like a vacation. 

We agreed that $500 each ($1,000 total) was all that we were comfortable spending. To be clear, we wanted this amount to cover absolutely everything.

Here's a look into our wallet:
Item                                                                       Cost
Taxi to/from St. Thomas Airport.........................$20.00
Flight from St. Thomas to  Puerto Rico.............$184.20
Flight from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas..............$154.20
Hotel...........................................................................$227.24
Rental Car..................................................................$113.62
1 bottle of water at St. Thomas Airport...............$3.25
1 paleta (popsicle).....................................................$3.40
2 tickets to tour the fort...........................................$10.00
1 bottle of water at the fort......................................$1.55
Lunch at St. Germain................................................$45.00
9 postcards..................................................................$3.35
Coffee............................................................................$8.00
Dinner at Ali Baba......................................................$63.00
Casino...........................................................................$10.00
CVS (cereal, milk and orange juice)......................$8.40
1 lemonade and 1 water in the rainforest.............$5.00
Sushi delivered to the hotel.....................................$64.67
Gas for rental car........................................................$12.36
TOTAL: $937.24

1. Transportation

As we expected, our largest expense was transportation, because it included our flights to and from Puerto Rico. We spent $169.20 each on flights. For ground transportation, it was imperative that we rented a car because taxis in Puerto Rico are very expensive and they would have eaten up our whole budget. Since we did not want to rely on public transportation, I did some research and found a cheap car rental that charged only $7.00 per day (bonus: they had shuttle service to and from the airport!). But, when we added up the insurance, taxes, and other ridiculous fees, our total came to $113.62. Taking into account gas and other nominal fees, the total amount we spent on transportation came to $484.38.

2. Accommodations

When it came to choosing a hotel, I quickly learned that a cute modern suite in downtown Old San Juan would break the budget. Also, places downtown either don't have parking, or they charge around $20 per night to park your car in their lot. Instead, I found a place that was about a 10-minute drive from Condado (the center of nightlife in PR). For 2 nights, our total came to $227.24. In all honesty, there were some ups and downs to the hotel (it was actually a condo that rented out individual units for a minimum 2-night stay). There wasn't any type of housekeeping service (no extra towels on demand, and no one to make the bed after our first night), and the location wasn't exactly what we wanted. But on the flipside, the room was spacious, clean, and quiet - it had everything we needed. A pleasant surprise was that It also had an incredible ocean view and a view of the marina.

3. Food

Buying inexpensive food in Puerto Rico is not a problem. However, we wanted our trip to be romantic and we love eating out...so we went a little overboard in this category, and our total food expenditure came to $194.27. When deciding where to eat, we took two different approaches. Sometimes we bought street food as we came across it and other times we searched on Yelp or Tripadvisor for the highest rated and most popular restaurants nearby. Our favorite meal of the trip was at a cute little bistro tucked away in Old San Juan called St. Germain Bistro & Cafe. They had the most delicious sandwiches, and the ambiance was so relaxing!

4. Souvenirs/Gifts

Casey really wanted to buy postcards to send home and authentic Puerto Rican coffee. I wanted a new sarong, but I wasn't quite able to find what I was looking for when we were shopping...so I spent (and lost) my souvenir money (a whopping $10.00) at the casino instead. Our total for this category came to $21.35.

After all this, our grand total was $937.24 - $62.76 under budget! We were delighted that we were able to keep our expenses under the amount we had agreed upon. We knew that we could have done better - we did not need to spend $70.00 for each of our fancy dinners - but, the time and effort we spent towards planning our trip ahead of time paid off! We met our goal without having to sacrifice certain luxuries (such as our modern hotel room and after-hike lunch overlooking the rainforest).

Now, we can start saving for our next trip!

Check it out for yourself:

St. Germain Bistro & Cafe
156 Calle Sol
San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00901
Instagram: @stgermainpr

Villa Fratelli Cresta

Last week at work, I received an invitation to attend an art fundraiser to support the victims of tropical storm Erika in Dominica. I haven’t attended many fundraisers, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I wanted to show my support for a fellow Caribbean island, but I was a little apprehensive.

First of all, the fundraiser was being held at a fancy gated villa. I was unsure of what to wear, because the invitation made no mention of what would be appropriate attire, and I didn’t want to be under-dressed. Also, I was worried that my girlfriend and I wouldn’t fit in with the crowd – not only are we gay – but I assumed that we would also be the youngest attendees. Another stress point was that I knew that we would be expected to donate (that was made very clear in the response to my RSVP). I didn’t want to be embarrassed if I couldn’t donate as much as what was expected, and I had no idea how much these art pieces would be selling for…$50…$100…$1,000? How was I supposed to know these types of things before I got there?

Despite these concerns, I really wanted to go. One of the main reasons I moved to the Virgin Islands was because I wanted to try things outside of my comfort zone. I wanted to challenge myself to participate in new experiences so I could feel more fulfilled, and awaken the sense of adventure in my life I so desperately craved. So, with checkbook in hand, my girlfriend and I decided to accept the invitation and wear our little black dresses.

As the villa security team escorted us to the entrance of the estate, I wondered if we had made a mistake. We were among the first ten people to arrive, so there was no hope of blending into a crowd. After we had signed our names in the guest book of visitors, the host of the event personally escorted us to the silent auction tables where donation sheets were paired with expensive paintings. The lowest bids for the smallest, least expensive pieces started at $150. The prices weren’t as high as I had feared, but I knew that the prices would only go up from there.

As a distraction from my impending financial panic attack, we decided to explore the villa. The main focal point of the entire event was the pool, as the auction portion was held outside on the expansive deck. There were high-top tables with gourmet hors d'oeuvres set out by a catering team, a fully stocked bar with cocktail waitresses, cabana seating around the pool, and photographers.

The villa itself was a massive 7-bedroom estate with exquisite finishes, fancy brickwork and granite tile. Despite our lavish surroundings, we felt surprisingly at ease (this may or may not have been due to the free wine and fried finger foods). As the evening progressed, we found ourselves having a great time.

Looking back on the event, I’m glad we attended even though we didn’t know what we’d be getting ourselves into. Putting ourselves out there wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it…not only do we have a cool experience to share with friends and family, but we also have a wider network and feel more connected to our community.

Check it out for yourself:

Villa Fratelli Cresta
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Website: www.fratellicresta.com