At about 9:30 p.m., Chris Ottaunick and I made our way to Tromso Golf Club. Driving over the bridge from town, following the directions given, we made a few wrong turns but quickly recovered.  We pulled into the parking lot, and there was one lone man leaving. He quickly instructed me to change from shorts into long pants due to mosquitoes.  Actually, they were only bad on a few holes, and luckily, Chris brought some OFF mosquito repellent.I had played midnight sun golf in Finland, and the mosquitoes there, known as the Finnish Air Force, are killers!  We had to run between shots on the last few holes, but nothing stopped them.With the Pro Shop closed, we were on the honor system for golf fees. The only problem — we did not have the pull cart handles, so in true American “can do” fashion, I made a makeshift handle from a stick. Although I had to readjust the stick from time to time, it did make a difference.Playing the course and teeing off at 10:30 p.m. was quite a feat!  There was not a soul around and the silence of the natural setting, with woods and high mountains, completed our foursome.Growing grass there is a challenge, and it often needs a great deal of reseeding and expense.  The enemy is the winter ice. The best winter condition is several feet of snow, which actually protects the greens from the harsh winters.When we finished playing, about 3:30 a.m., (we were playing slowly so I could take notes for an upcoming Gtee, and Chris was snap-happy with his camera), we returned to the car.  A foursome had come off before us, and we chatted and had a beer (they were staying at the course, which has four bunk-style rooms for overnight guests).We returned to town and took a four-hour snooze. We played golf again that day with Ivar Schroen, the director and general manager of the Tromso Golf Club.–Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEOGlobal Traveler has joined the world of social marketing. For breaking news, special offers and much more, fan us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @Gtmag!

I spent last week traveling through Greece. This was my first time in the destination and I spent the time with four phenomenal girlfriends. My escape began on an Olympic Airlines flight, which, despite negative feedback from Greek nationals, I found to be more than comfortable and accommodating.

I arrived in Athens to meet up with the girls at the Grand Bretagne Hotel. We started with cocktails on the rooftop, looking over the Acropolis. It was a mixture of ancient Greece and modern 5-star luxury. I believe every global traveler should have this experience.

The next morning took us to Crete on Aegean Airlines. We spent three nights at the Blue Palace Resort & Spa. I came down with a nasty cold there, but what an ideal spot to rest and recover.

I made it down to the beach one day, but spent the majority of my time in our private infinity pool, overlooking the sea, on the balcony of our room. As you can imagine, no one at home felt too badly for me that I had gotten sick! I also spent some time recovering in the spa, which featured a salt-water therapy pool. That certainly helped clear my congestion right up! There wasn’t a cloud in the sky on any of the days. And the peace and calm was only disturbed by the sounds of the ocean and an occasional car. The Blue Palace was a beautiful retreat, but one that felt better suited for corporate retreats rather than romantic getaways or girls’ trips!

We then had to catch a ferry to Santorini. We left ourselves 55 minutes for an hour-and-10-minute drive to the ferry. As you can imagine, it must have looked pretty funny to see five Americans racing around a Greek island in a rental car (built to fit four European adults without luggage), racing onto the dock and flagging the crew down as the whistle of the hydrofoil blew.

The driving was well worth it. We made the ferry and arrived in picturesque Santorini. Coincidentally, the cover of GT’s May issue was of the Aegean Sea. The cover was spectacular, but I strongly recommend seeing it in person. The view of white homes on cliffs, reflecting off the blue sea, was one of the most romantic, peaceful and fulfilling images I have ever seen.

Following Santorini, the girls continued on to Mykonos as I made the journey back to NYC. In Santorini, we stayed at the Vedema Resort . The hospitality, accommodations and unique charm at the Vedema has made it one of my new, all-time favorite spots!

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Next Thursday I am leaving on a two-week tour through Europe. My traveling companion? My dad! We plan to visit Hungary, Poland (where my grandparents grew up), Austria, Switzerland and Germany for Oktoberfest. Nothing like drinking a few beers with your dad in Germany!

I am really looking forward to the quality time with my dad. I have been very fortunate to have a close relationship with him, and this trip is something we have always wanted to do. I can’t believe the time is already here! Planning, etc. for the trip feels like just yesterday, and I can’t believe that a week from today we will be in Budapest!

Over the course of two weeks, we will be roadtripping. Landing in Budapest on September 12 via Malev Hungarian Airlines, we will spend a day there, then fly to Berlin on the 13th. After 2 days in Berlin, we are picking up a rental car and heading to Warsaw. From Warsaw to Krakow, where we will reconnect with my dad’s aunt who lives just outside the city. While in Poland, we will also visit Czestochowa and Auschwitz. Then it is off to Austria with stops in Vienna and Salzburg. Back to Germany, this time to Munich, for Oktoberfest (I hope I can keep up!). There will, of course, be stops all along the way as driving will afford us the luxury to control our own timetable. After Munich, it is a quick trip to Zurich and then back to Berlin for the return journey home. Whew, I’m getting excited, but a little tired, just thinking about it!

As a teenager, my dad and his brothers spent a few months touring Europe with his mother, and he has always wanted to take me around to the places he saw. I spent 3 months studying in London, and when I mistakenly booked a trip to Edinburgh for a month after all my friends, it was my dad to the rescue again, flying out to join me. That was a much shorter trip, but we had an awesome time, so I am definitely looking forward to this trip! At the end of my studies, my mom, dad and grandmother joined me for trips around England and Italy. After traveling solo or with strangers (who become friends over the course of the trip) so much recently, it will be great to have a trusted traveling companion. Look out for lots of stories and reviews in upcoming blogs and GT issues.

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and PR executive

I was shocked when I logged onto my preferred web booking engine, orbitz.com, and found rental car rates of over $100.00 a day for a visit I am making to Los Angeles this week. At the time I was surfing, I was talking on the phone with my brother who was equally shocked - being a US Federal Judge for the EEOC, he is entitled to special rates that we mere mortals can never achieve.

As I normally stay at the Hotel Bel-Air, I often take advantage of their Audi Test Drive program and have been lucky to have driven the A6 and the convertible on occasion. As I am not staying at the Bel-Air on this trip, this was not an option.

I scanned the orbitz.com list and noted the lowest rate for a convertible was $1,300 for 3.5 days - I could not believe it!

I decided to try travelocity.com and plugged in my dates and was shocked again to see just the opposite - normally priced rental car rates. I quickly booked a Sebring convertible for $156.00 for the time period which represented a savings of over 79% for the Orbitz rates at a similar rental car location. I even re-ran the search twice more to see if it was an error or a glitch, but, no, it was the same.

Moral of the story: shop around - Caveat Emptor!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

I try not to use my blog as a place to complain, but I experienced such a frustrating experience the other day that I decided it would make for a good blog. As I mentioned in my blog last week, I traveled to Sicily (more about the trip next week) and returned on Wednesday. I flew into JFK airport and had hired a car service to drop me off and pick me up from the airport. I have flown out of JFK only twice in my life and honestly am not certain of how to get from our office in Yardley, PA to the airport. Knowing that, I knew it would be easier to use the service.

I had no problems going to the airport last Friday - the driver was on time and got me there quickly (as fast as Friday afternoon traffic in Staten Island and Brooklyn allowed). I wish my drive home had been so efficient. We flew from Sicily to Milan on a 6:25 am flight and then from Milan to JFK on a 10 am flight. When I arrived at JFK (12:45 our time)  I was tired and eager to get home.  Needless to say, the driver was a bit late, in a different pick up spot than I had been told and I only found him after calling the company’s dispatcher. As soon as I got in the car, he asked me what route he should take. I recommended the turnpike to 95 and he called to get directions.

After sitting through traffic in the Holland Tunnel, he stopped to get gas which took 20 minutes because he was wandering around the parking lot. Then, after a bit, he told me we were on 95 and asked me to let him know which exit he was supposed to get off. I remarked that we had a while and that were not even in Pennsylvania yet, but, he still asked me if he should get off at every subsequent exit. Each time I replied, “No, we have to get into Pennsylvania first!”

Well, all of a sudden we are at a fork for the NJ Turnpike and the PA Turnpike. I had no idea where we were, he had no idea where we were. After arguing with me over whether or not it was I-95, he pulled out his personal cell phone and began calling a friend for directions. I got my bearings and got us back on a route completely out of the way. He continued asking me everytime we passed a turn or exit if he should go that way. My patience was wearing quite thin.

We made it back to the office after what felt like the longest trip ever! Then, the driver asked me how to get back to New York - I directed him to 95 and was so happy to be home. Then, the driver decided to add that his GPS was broken and in his trunk - information that may have been useful before the trip started!

I know it was only a small inconvenience that I needed to give the driver directions and we didn’t get so lost that I was hours out of the way, but I was tired and ready to get home. At the point I was at with the driver, driving myself would have been easier! I hired the driver for convenience - because I wanted to get in the car, relax and end up home quickly with little involvement in the process. And my experience certainly did not meet my expectations. However, later that night, when I was home, I felt bad about losing my patience with the driver - that was probably because I was home in my bed!

Have you experienced similar problems with hired cars? Did I overreact? Let me know what you think and stay tuned next week for details about my trip to Sicily - an island with incredible sites and truly breathtaking scenery.

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and public relations executive