Hey there, loves! Happy Monday! I’m so excited to finally start sharing my trip with you all! I am sharing all of the outfits I wore from each city as well as packing guides and travel diaries! I always feel a little hesitant to call my posts ‘travel guides’ or ‘city guides’ because I can’t pretend like I’m an expert that knows ALL the different places to recommend for different things. So, I like the ‘travel diary’ term better because I am, more or less, just sharing where we went, what we liked, what we did, what we took away, etc. As I shared on Snapchat, I pretty much wrote all of my travel diaries as we traveled, which is definitely the way to go. Otherwise, I knew I’d forget little tidbits that would be helpful so I really, really hope you like them! Please be sure to let me know if you end up booking at any of the places we stayed, eating at any of the restaurants, or found my ‘heads up!’ tips helpful! It’ll help me know how useful I was to you and to the partners that help make these trips a reality.

Okay so … here we go! Based on your feedback, you wanted all the outfits and info on Santorini first so I am starting with this easy, breezy summer look that I wore on our second afternoon / night in Santorini. We stayed in a little town called Thira, which is centrally located along the steep cliffed Western coast of the island, and decided to walk around a little bit before we headed to Oia [pronounced E-ah], the big ‘must see’ city on the island. We asked a local if there were any blue dome churches in the area or if they were mostly in Oia. He laughed and said ‘they’re everywhere!’ but … honestly, they are a little elusive! Then, when you finally spot them … you have to find out what road leads to it. It’s pretty tricky, ha! So, anyway … he pointed us to this spot, which we later found out is called the Agios Theodori Church [which means Saint Theodore].

We had both seen this spot on Pinterest and on postcards hanging outside of memorabilia shops. Since we had a little bit of time and because Victoria said Oia at sunset will be chaos, we decided to do outfit photos here. I literally just wanted to sit on the perch for hours and eat our dinner there. It was so beautiful and peaceful. There were a few groups that would come up and take photos near us but it was nothing compared to Oia! You can’t even really take anything in in Oia when the cruise ships are docked! I was kind of glad we stayed a short 15-minute drive from Oia. You know me and crowds …

This flowy maxi dress is one of my summer “go-to’s” because of the fit, price and number of color options. I bought it last year in the Vine color for my birthday trip down to Miami and then decided to get it in Cobalt Blue and Haze for this trip. Maxi dresses are often too long for my 5’3 frame and they often fall too far down on my chest. This one is amazing because it just lightly touches the ground and also has adjustable straps so actually fits appropriately! It’s seriously a diamond in the rough for us short gals!

Everything in Santorini is white, more or less, and the sun is really strong so make sure you bring a hat, good sunglasses and a good moisturizer with SPF. I use Alastin’s Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 36 then apply this powder SPF by colorscience throughout the day over my makeup. I wore this hat pretty much every day I was there! It’s a steal and often sold out so snag it if it’s still in stock! It’s available in a Medium HERE but otherwise, I’d order it from HERE and just wait for the backordered delivery to get the size you need! It’s just a good hat!

One last thing then I’ll let y’all go … I bought this Louis Vuitton crossbody when I got to London because I had seen my friend Krystin from Suburban Faux Pas wearing it. I thought it was SO cute and such a perfect size, especially for travel. I have told y’all before to leave designer items at home when traveling [remember THIS post? check it out if you’re traveling abroad soon!] but I broke my rule with this cutie because I was able to keep it in front of me and it’s not a bag that can be easily accessed by a pick-pocketer. It also went with SO many of my outfits. Sometimes I get tired of carrying around a tote so this was the perfect alternative. I could fit my little camera, phone, card case, lip gloss and hotel key with no problem!

If you have been wanting a designer item for awhile and you’re traveling abroad soon, I’d advise you to buy it abroad! It’s so much cheaper! That’s why I waited to buy my LV crossbody there. On Louis Vuitton’s website, the price is set at $1560 and I paid $1345. The salesperson will know you’re American and will likely make sure you want to shop tax free … you say YES. They’ll ask you for your passport information [if you don’t have it, it’s okay] then, before you leave the country to go home, you go to the Tax Free office at the airport before you check in for your flight, and they’ll work out how much money you get back! You have to claim it at customs as a imported good and pay duty on it but, you get an $800 tax exemption on purchases abroad, so then you’re only paying 3% on whatever is left over! Not bad!

Alright, y’all! I’m done chattin’ your ear off! Come back tomorrow for some more summer vacation outfit inspiration and more about Santorini! 🙂