Sort: Date added Sort: Price Low-High < Prev 12... 5 Next > Sort: Date added Sort: Price Low-High < Prev 12... 5 Next > I WENT InterRailing in Europe in my youth and I always regretted not island-hopping around Greece. As the years pass, the thought of schlepping a heavy suitcase from hotel to port, to ferry, to port, to hotel every couple of days gets less and less appealing. Oia on Santorini where people gather to see its renowned sunsets So it’s wonderful to discover a stress-free way of exploring the Greek islands; leave all the luggage-lugging to someone else! When I flew to Santorini for the start of my tour of the Cyclades Islands, all I had to do was lift my bag off the airport carousel and hand it to a Saga porter after customs.It miraculously turned up at my hotel room and was collected when it was time to leave. This is backpacking for grown-ups.The tour (it is a tour, not a cruise, as you take local ferries and sleep in hotels) takes in five of the Cyclades Islands: Delos, home to ancient temple ruins;

Santorini and Mykonos, established holiday favourites; and Naxos and Paros which are less busy.They’re all within a couple of hours of each other but have their own distinct characters. Mykonos has its windmills and pelicans while Naxos has wildflower wreaths. baggu backpack cactusYoung women hang them outside their doors. backpack blessings mt bethelThe hope is they will be taken by a suitor who will declare his interest by presenting it to them on the feast of St John on June 23.The Greeks have got ferry travel down pat because, short of a private helicopter, boats are the only way to get from island to island.plush wampa backpackWe began in Santorini, regularly on the world’s list of top holiday destinations as the archetypal Aegean idyll with its cobbled alleys and whitewashed houses.

Named by the Crusaders in honour of St Irene, the island’s original name was Strongyle or “the Round One”, its shape before the volcano blew a hole through it 3,600 years ago, wiping out the Minoans. The ruined settlement at Akrotiri is a must-see.We relaxed with a cooling swim before dinner at the Rosebay Hotel. Next morning, after an al fresco breakfast, we crossed the island by bus to the port to set out on what for me were uncharted waters.There’s a Frankish castle, Byzantine cathedral and churches with coloured domes round every corner.The streets of Parikia, the village-like capital, hum rather than buzz with activity which suited me fi ne. Seated at a marina bar with a glass of chilled white wine I gazed across to Paros’s sister island Antiparos, where Tom Hanks and his Greek-American wife, Rita Wilson, have a home. Delos, the island of holy temples, is an hour away. Abandoned in the sixth century, it is now home to archaeologists and fragrant wild herbs and flowers.The contrast with our next port of call couldn’t be greater.

Mykonos is the playground of the Cyclades and a mishmash of cultures. The buildings rising out of the water reminded me of Venice with the windmills of Holland. The nightlife is as lively as Ibiza, shopping is designer clad and the unlikely local celebrity is a tame pelican called George.Little Venice in Mykonos Town is a delight Walking through a river valley with orange and olive groves I came across a 40ft statue of a man known as a Kouros lying in the shady glade where he was dumped 2,600 years ago Our final stop is Naxos, a history buff’s dream. Thought the Romans invented aqueducts? In 2008 archaeologists discovered a 6BC structure here, still in situ, that proved the Cycladic people beat the Romans by at least 500 years.Walking through a river valley with orange and olive groves I came across a 40ft statue of a man known as a Kouros lying in the shady glade where he was dumped 2,600 years ago.We were fuelled by stupendous food along the way: marinated octopus, deep fried feta, whole mullet grilled minutes after being caught and Revani, a syrup-soaked coconut cake, all washed down with Nykteri white wine.

There was something unforgettable about every place we ate, from the pie at Irini’s Restaurant on Naxos to the “nouvelle” Greek food at Nichteri at Kamari beach on Santorini. A burger chain opened a branch on Naxos. It closed because nobody went.The ferry took us back to Santorini for a trip round the old volcano and a swim in the natural hot spring. I spent my last evening on the island with the crowds gathered at Oia, on the northwest coast, to see the island’s renowned sunset.I’m glad I waited a few years to do my Greek island-hopping, not least because the only time I had to pick up my suitcase was at the airport on my way home.GETTING THERESaga Holidays (0800 300 500/saga.co.uk/holidays) offers a 14-night Taste Of The Greek Islands tour from £1,049pp (two sharing). Price includes return fl ights from the UK, transfers, various excursions and most meals. For departure October 2, 2013. Greek National Tourism Organisation: 0207 495 9300/visitgreece.gr VideoslCaravanninglBloglTravellBookslGift VoucherslDuke of Edinburgh's AwardlShop by BrandlSign up to our emails

Hopefuly someone is able to answer te following question: We planned a trip in september 2013 in the northeast of USA. We start in Washington and from there we would like to take the train to new york. Later on we travel from new york to boston. But when i check the amtrak site i see that the luggage policyOnly Carry on luggage is allowed and there's no posibility to check in luggage. Does anyone know how strict they live up to this rule? We travel with a backpack.. Will we be allowed on board with that? Checked baggage service is still available on Amtrak, but not on all routes and trains or between all stations. You will need to check the timetable carefully to be prepared in the event that your train may not have a checked baggage service. There restrictions on the size and number of items that can be carried on board into the cars. The Washington to Boston corridor is essentially a glorified commuter route. It is heavily used by college students carrying all sizes of backpacks, musical instruments, sporting equipment, and small luggage.

You shouldn't have a problem. Uless you mean a long distance train from the State of Washington, there are no baggage cars on commuter trains in the Northeast corridor which includes Washington DC. The problem is this. Amtrak's carry on policy appears to be written assuming that checked baggage is available for larger items, ie normal 'big' bags that any long haul passenger would normally have. On these North East corridor inter-city trains there's no checked baggage, so you HAVE to take your normal 'big' bags onto the train with you, just as you would on any European train, even though on paper they exceed the max carry on size. We queried this with an Amtrak executive I happen to know, he confirmed that as long as you stick to the 2 bags per person thing, size of bags doesn't matter. Which turned out to be true, they don't measure your bags and don't seem to query how big they are. We simply took our backpack sized rollalongs onto the New York to Boston train with us and put them on the racks just as we would on any British or European intercity train.

Which is just as well, as the policy as written is impractical, unnecessary and unworkable (speaking as both a traveller and a career UK railway manager - we've survived in Europe for 150 years with no specific size or weight limits on trains, we leave that nonsense to the airlines!) Edited: 1:43 pm, December 28, 2012 Hi everybody, Thanks a lot for the reply's. Your answers are very helpfull! I am also planning an Amtrak trip (first time!) in the Northeast. Where do I put my carry on luggage? I cannot lift 50 pounds overhead and I'm sure my 26" suitcase won't fit under the seat. There IS checked baggage service to most staffed stations on the Northeast Corridor. The issue is the bags probably won't travel on the same train as you are. All the long distance trains on the corridor will typically take on baggage in Washington, DC, even though they won't accept northbound passengers there and may leave earlier than the timetable time. 98-Silver Meteor, leaves WAS as 7:21 am

20-Crescent, leaves WAS at 9:53 am 92-Silver Star, leaves WAS at 3:14 pm 80-Carolinian, leaves WAS at 4:37 pm 50-Cardinal, leaves WAS at 6:06 pm Sun, Wed, Fri 90-Palmetto, leaves WAS at 7:10 pm and the only Northeast Region that carries baggage 66-NE Regional, leaves WAS 8:51pm Your best bet is to check your big bags the day before, that way they will be on 66 at the very least and be waiting for you in New York. Remember, your bags must be checked at least 45 minutes before the train you want them travelling on. Also, the only train that you can be absolutely sure will be used is 66/67. The LDs, they'll get them on if they've got time and the bags are there to be loaded. Edited: 3:04 pm, August 06, 2013 Which cities are involved? What trains are you taking and from where to where? As zephyr noted, there are different kinds of service in the same area. As for your 50 lb bag. Put it on the floor. i have 1 quiestion . if you guys can help me whit in train to go frun tucson to miami but i need to past fron el paso texas but my wife have no papers and i dont know if that is gonna be a problem do they ask me for her documentation.