First of all, it's our pleasure to be having this conversation with both of you. So, frankly, we would like to know about your own journey, when did it start?
Likewise, we are very happy about this interview. We are Stratos Plakotaris and Alice Deligianni. We were born in Greece and live in Athens. We have been married for 3 years, and a few months ago, Worth Every Mile Junior, our little Jason, came to life.
Ever since we were young, we have both been enraptured with traveling, experiencing different cultures, learning new things, and being creative. This was the common element that brought us closer together from the beginning of our relationship.
We are chasing every available opportunity, whether to arrange our next outdoor activity, extreme sport, or our next trip. Our studies and jobs later in our careers were unrelated to travel and blogging.
Travel blogging was new for both of us and came into our lives after conversations about how we could spread the word about the experiences we have lived and mentioned above with the rest of the world.
Another piece of motivation was providing information that we wanted to give to people looking for something similar. Many times before our trips, we read a lot of guidelines that were incomplete or untrue.
We wanted to change this by writing extensive articles to cover all the readers’ questions with honesty above all else.
There was a lot of prompting from friends and family who saw that blogging, traveling, and all these experiences are something we are passionate about and love.
We posted photos on social media about the places we visited and shared our passion for them. So we thought we’d do it a little more purposefully and formally with a blog.
It’s great to expand your horizons through travel, and it’s important for us to inspire others to do the same. That’s how Worth Every Mile was created 2 years ago.
What makes your concept so successful? Is it the content? The passion for traveling? Or something else?
First of all, we believe that in order for something you do to be successful, you obviously have to love it and certainly not do it out of drudgery.
From there onwards, the technicalities of a site obviously come into play, such as SEO, the right content, keeping an eye on the competition, and more.
So in conclusion, we believe that the "secret recipe" lies in the combination of the above-mentioned and the parallel accompaniment of perseverance and patience.
What is Greece to you? Is it just a blessed country or something more than that?
Greece, apart from being our homeland, is a country that we love for all that it can offer us in the travel sector and not only. It is a country with great diversity and "hidden treasures" that can satisfy even the most demanding traveler.
Whether one loves the sea or the mountains, there is no way that one cannot find something that suits them in Greece.
When we are not traveling abroad, we never miss the opportunity of going to picturesque villages or islands we have never been to before, tasting local flavors, going hiking in different places, and much more.
We are also proud to come from a country so rich in history, culture, and art.
When we are abroad and we meet people from other countries, it is a great pleasure for us that our country, despite the fact that it is very small in size, is so well known all over the planet.
Things about Greece you can't live without?
Things we have come to love in our country and which we could not live without are the following:
1) The hospitality and the smiles of the locals when we travel, especially in small villages or smaller islands
2) The nightlife, in terms of duration and choice, when in most places in Europe, for example, the choices are limited in terms of both shops and their opening hours.
3) The climate that prevails in our country throughout the year, especially in the capital, where even the winter is quite mild.
4) The abundance of options in the excursions we plan. (sea, mountain, city, extreme sports, hiking, etc.) You will always find something to do, either close to home or, obviously, a little further away.
A hotel that made you feel at home?
We literally felt right at home, (although hours away from it!) in the hotel we had stayed at in the Phi Phi Islands of Thailand.
Yes, the culture and the place were different, but the hospitality of the staff made us feel very comfortable, coupled with our room being set amongst some palm trees, just above a calm, white, sandy beach with turquoise waters.
The conditions were excellent, the breakfast was hearty and the tranquility of nature and the island, in general, was just what we needed to experience total relaxation.
Which is your favorite spot in the city you live in?
We live in Athens and specifically in the municipality of Chaidari. Relatively next to our house is the Botanical Garden of Chaidari, which is the largest in the Southeastern Mediterranean.
It is a quick and direct way to get away from the daily routine, walk, relax, and at the same time, our little one can play.
Inside the Botanical Garden, there are more than 4,000 species of plants, with a special team that maintains and cares for them every day.
And beyond the interest in learning about these plants, it is a large expanse of greenery and a breath of fresh air from the city.
If you could move anywhere in the world where would it be?
Since both of us have grown up in the city and are tired of its rhythms and hustle and bustle, if we had the chance to choose, we would definitely choose something more peaceful and relaxed, like the countryside, or something similar to the Phi Phi islands mentioned above.
Who is your biggest travel inspiration?
At this stage and with the arrival of a child, we certainly admire and "stare" at various people with children on, who travel around the world, such as the famous BucketlistFamily, but also individual couples who have successfully built their own websites and are enjoying their dream, such as Theplanetd and Goats on the Road, who was the inspiration for our own project.
We admire the places they have visited, the activities and accommodations they have stayed in, and make notes on our bucket list.
We also admire how they have managed to make a profession out of what they love and find fulfilling and make a living out of it.
What is your favorite mode of transportation?
We don't have a favorite means of transport. We usually separate them, either by what suits us or by what we want to "win". We have used all means to travel both in Greece and abroad.
For example, on the Balkan tour, we went by car, and there was definitely the benefit of being able to arrange our schedule and stops exactly as we wanted.
Planes are obviously convenient to cover long distances in a short time at a reasonable cost, while trains and buses can satisfy the itinerary you want to budget at a lower cost, and at the same time the possibility of observing nature and places during the journeys.
When you visit a new place, how do you go about exploring it?
Before each trip, we do a lot of research and read about the destination we are going to visit.
We will certainly try to fit into our itinerary all the well-known attractions that most people may suggest in their respective articles, but in addition, we will look for the activities available there.
Last but not least, we look forward to spending more time learning about the culture in question and all that it entails from tastes and stories to daily habits and traditions.
