The idea for PATH Travel Designs was conceived in 2015 under the vibrant blue sky of the Cyclades Islands, in the center of the Aegean Sea. It was literally a sun-drenched afternoon. Sea salt-covered and very content after a long morning at a ‘secret’ sandy beach with cobalt blue clear water that only locals whisper about, my company and I walked up a spectacular ancient trail used by mariners for centuries, if not millennia. We ended up having the most delicious piece of home-made apple pie in a small traditional village that had remained virtually unchanged since the time ‘tourism’ was still an unknown word. Visiting this village was recommended by friends whose families descended from this area of extreme natural beauty and wide historical significance from the turn of the last century – that’s how far they can trace back at least.
The specific village had retained it’s early 19th century style and architecture, its cobbled, white-painted alleys leading one furthermore into history, offering sights now only seen in pictures illustrated in old worn-out books, or heard in stories shared by the elders. Here we were, off the tourist trail, immersed in history and enlightened by the cultural elements surrounding us while we enjoyed Grandma Eleni’s pastries and pies of all sorts, hot from the oven. Our heritage, our love for seeking the authentic and beautiful in all its forms, and the centuries-old relations with specific areas and relationships with people who originated from there, occasionally allowed us to go where few know about or go. It occasionally allowed us to enjoy those rarest simple beauties usually reserved for locals.
While for us, this was a possible way of travelling, long tried and much enjoyed, people visiting the same islands would most likely never come across these paths. Their path, often directed by quaint and ever tried tourist guides and cliché travel brochures, would most likely lead them elsewhere, making their experience perhaps still enjoyable, but not special. The kind you describe as nice but not the kind you reminisce on for months or years after the end of your holiday. However, a whole different world, more authentic, more fascinating, and richer in experience and pleasure, was just around the corner waiting to be discovered. I thought those sharing our passion, our love for travel and unique sights, tastes and experiences should have a chance to know where to look.
The concept of PATH was born on that special summer day. Actually, a simple idea was conceived right there and then, becoming a dream. Based between London and Athens and having a tendency towards perfectionism, I then had to work hard for it to materialise as PATH Travel Designs.
I hope you enjoy what came of it.