There are so many reasons to visit Greece that finding a trustworthy advisor to help you make your plans may be more crucial here than almost any other European country. The problem with Greece is choosing and then charting an itinerary.

Because there are so many "must-sees" and because the country itself is so varied geographically, you can truly end up being confounded by the where's, how's, what's and when's of planning your trip to Greece.

Many visitors come to Greece primarily thinking of Ancient Greece and its profound influence on the modern world. The arts, language, philosophy, politics, theater, alphabet, Platonic ideals, the Socratic method, democracies and republics, and the Olympics are just of the few ways Ancient Greece shapes our world today.

Its wide variety of landscape and terrain is another aspect of Greece, both alluring and puzzling: idyllic beaches, towering mountain ranges, wine-producing valleys, vast stretches of olive orchards in the south, and lush forests in the north.

A typical traveler may be drawn here by the pure pleasure of the beaches and reliable sunny summer weather. Those not drawn by ancient Greece may be intrigued by the cultural bridge that Greece represents between East and West and the multi-faceted culture of a country that has had many years of Ottoman rule, a deeply Orthodox tradition and dramatic political changes throughout the 20th century.

Finally, one must consider the "island" issue. Many travelers fantasize of island hopping, or finding that perfect idyll in the middle of the sea. It is a worthy dream but one that comes with many challenges. Scheduling a visit to one Greek island, never mind many, takes a considerable knowledge to avoid wasting time and money getting there.

In both practical ways and the more in-depth fields of history, philosophy, culture and nature, a trip to Greece calls for talking with someone who has truly been there and done that.