The traditional and signature blue and white colors of Santorini fade away in the village of Oia to reveal the beautiful crimson red hues of Ammoudi Bay. The deep mahogany shade of the cliffside is the result of iron rich rocks that were naturally sculpted by the volcanic eruption that forever defaced Santorini’s infrastructure in 1646 BC.

Prior to living abroad, I was confident in my ability to handle hardships and uncomfortable situations. Plenty of millennials can testify to graduating at the peak of a recession, suffering under crippling student loan debt, living through the threat of H1N1, Ebola, and etc.

That’s all great but COVID-19 proved different.

So, what’s it like being an expat during the pandemic? Is it safe to travel internationally during the coronavirus disease pandemic?

Have you ever lived abroad?

Today marks my one-year anniversary of living abroad in Santorini, Greece!

I can’t help but think back to three years ago when I first came to this island on a solo trip. I probably would have looked at you quite puzzled if you had told me then that I would one day get to experience living and working abroad in Santorini.

In December, we traveled to some very picturesque locations in search of some northern Greece highlights for the holidays.

The first leg of the trip required a plane ride from Santorini to Athens. During winter, Santorini only offers flights to Athens and back due to it being off-season. There was a lot of space upon arrival to Santorini’s newly renovated airport and everything moved seamlessly.