Being a volunteer in Cyprus can offer you many opportunities to travel, both in the country and abroad. Since I am a travel lover, one of the first things I did when I arrived to the island was to check which low-cost flight companies operate in Cyprus and which destinations they reach. Finally, I made a list of the countries I wanted to visit, I booked in advance the flights and I informed friends and family in case they wanted to join me.
Jordan in November and February
Ryanair offers tickets from 4 euros both ways. It’s crazy, I know. Although I paid just 20 euros, I had to pay almost 100 euros for the Jordan Pass (that includes visa to enter in the country and entrance to touristic places such as Petra). The flights are combined to allow you to stay from Friday to Monday. So two friends and I decided to book a private driver in order to save time.
On the first day we reached Wadi Rum, in the southern part, and were hosted by local Bedouins who showed us around the area. The desert offers many different landscapes and a clear sky to see the stars during the night. On the second day, we reached Petra, one of the 7 wonders in the world. Unfortunately, because of the heavy rain they closed the attraction and we had to wait the day after to visit it. Petra is stunning; nature and architecture fuse together and reach perfection. Since we couldn’t visit Amman, I went back to Jordan two months later by myself to discover the capital and Jerash, famous for its Greco-Roman ruins.
Israel – Palestine in December
I couldn’t miss the chance to visit Bethlehem on Christmas. Once again, Ryanair helped me with flights around 15 euros one way. Nevertheless, flights are scheduled on Shabbat, so you end up paying a fortune for the taxi to/from the airport. So, I landed in Tel Aviv, where I met up with my brother, and together we spent one week in ‘the Holy Land’. Besides Tel Aviv and Jaffa our itinerary included: Haifa, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea.
On Christmas time you attend one of the most famous and incredible pilgrimage in the world. Beside this, Israel and Palestine also offer many sparks of reflection on the particular political and cultural situation. For example, Jerusalem is an amazing city where four different religions coexist.
Turkey in April
I tried to travel during public holidays in order to combine them with my annual leave days. So during Easter, I went on my own to Turkey for almost two weeks. The time was entirely worth it; indeed, Istanbul is a huge metropolis that requires at least 5 days to visit. Afterwards, I went by bus to Pamukkale to admire the stunning natural white pools. Spending countless hours on the bus, I reached Cappadocia, where one can fly on air balloons. Although I couldn’t because of the weather, I really enjoyed trekking all around those rocky valleys.
Finally, I went back to Istanbul for the very last days. Within the city you can end up in various neighbourhoods, all different from each other and with unique street food available. The lively city offered me once again the opportunity to meet local people who shared with me not only breakfast but also invited me to parties in the so called New York of the Middle-East.
Greece in June
I took a trip in Greece at the beginning of the summer season in order to enjoy its beaches and also to coincide with one friend from Portugal. I found flight tickets with Blue Air at the cost of about 35 euros each way. Unexpectedly, our plans changed since we realized public transportation does not work very well so you would actually need a car to travel in Greece. Despite this inconvenience, we managed to visit the interesting Athens, the ancient Delphi, the enchanting Meteora, and finally to chill out in an amazing island called Koufonissi.
As I mentioned before our plans changed so we decided last minute to reach that island following a suggestion from a local guy. We couldn’t be luckier. Koufonissi is one of the Cyclades islands, it is not famous for its night life like Mykonos, but it can offer incredible beaches. Since we arrived in the small harbour, we could compare the sea water to those pictures of Maldives. Moreover, daily boats bring visitors to Kato Koufonissi, a smaller island without any facilities where people love camping and swimming naked.
To conclude, I definitely travelled a lot from Cyprus to other destinations, by planning and benefiting from cheap flights. I met new people from different cultural backgrounds and learned a lot from these experiences. But I’ve also travelled in Cyprus, that of course can be much cheaper and probably less ‘exotic’, but you shouldn’t underestimate the beauty the island has to offer.