When you think of Greece you often think of those round white buildings with blue accents overlooking the water. And while in reality that picturesque image only resonates in the small city of Santorini, Greece itself is really beautiful. 

In order to break up the year a little more evenly vacation-wise, (Hello corporate life) we decided to take a "summer vacation" in October. We wanted to go somewhere where it would still be warm and where we could lay out on the beach and tan, yet not die of a heat stroke while doing the obligatory sight-seeing adventures. 

The island of choice was Corfu. I would like to say it was a conscious choice, one I researched and looked after for months before making the final decision. But what really happened was that I went on one of those sites where they have discounted trips with air fare and hotels included, and this happened to be a package that was in my price range, and ticked all of our vacation boxes (warm in October). 

I was a little unsettled as I began looking at the weather report a few weeks before and saw that it changed daily from showing rain to showing sun. I knew my boyfriend would be very disappointed if he didn't get at least 4 days of tanning and warm weather out of the total eight days we would be there. But, despite our anxiety, and the first two days being filled with wind, rain, and cold, we spent the rest of the time in our bathing suits and tanning and enjoying the warm sunshine. 

Now, so you don't make some of the mistakes I did, I have 5 tips to help you prepare for Northern Greece (or neighboring countries of the same geographical height) in October:

1. Bring warm clothes: even if it is 22-27 Celsius (71-80 F) during the day, it drops down to 16 C/60 F at night. That means pants, sweaters, jackets, and even a pair of rain boots. Warm socks are a must, as apartment rentals are often built from material which keeps the rooms cold (which I can imagine is an advantage in the summer). 

2. Plan ahead: we planned out nine different days filled with activities. Some were beach days, some were sight-seeing days, but we basically made a list of all the activities we wanted to do, grouped them according to location, and then depending on the day and weather, picked one of the pre-planned itineraries we had written down. This really saved us rain or shine, ensuring we were never bored or out of fun activities.

3. Rent a car: I think I can safely say that wherever you go in Greece, and in most parts of Europe, it is essential to rent a car. Corfu is a small island, but if we didn't have a car, we would not have been able to see 80% of what we did. Buses are not always reliable, and they don't always drop you off right where you need to go. And renting a car isn't as expensive as you would imagine - ours cost 112 Euros for 8 days! Totally worth it. 

4. Bring entertainment: Normally this isn't something I would consider, especially when you are traveling to Europe. But you must remember that Corfu is a small island, so unless you go into certain party districts, the night life won't be as amazing as you would expect. Not to mention, October is low season so there aren't very many tourists and many shops and restaurants are closed and cities are "dead" at night. Now, if we want to look at this with the half glass full then I would actually say this is a bonus when you want to visit places like Sisi's summer palace and there aren't a thousand people waiting in line, or when the beach cabana costs only 7 euros instead of the usual 10. But it also means dark and chilly nights, with little to do. So, I strongly recommend bringing games, a laptop to watch movies, or books to read. 

5. Take a day trip: this goes for every country you visit, but especially the ones surrounded by water. Taking a day trip on a boat is the best way to see something new. We had several options to choose from, including going over to Albania or the mainland to the city of Parga. In the end, we chose to go to Paxos and Antipaxos islands which are south of Corfu and have crystal clear and beautiful blue water. These trips usually mean a bus picks you up early morning, takes you to the boat dock where you hop on a big boat with other tourists that takes you to your destination. You usually have a tour guide giving you some information, and time to swim at the islands and then get off and do some shopping, eating, and exploring. It was absolutely spectacular. The water was beautiful, and the small town on the island was very quaint. This isn't always a cheap excursion (about 30 euros per person) but it is absolutely worth the splurge! 

#dianasays