I truly believe that travel is the answer to almost any question.

No location is too far

Meet Niki

founder of seat next to you

intuitive traveller, designer, dreamer, doer

athens riviera book

Whether you’re an introspective dreamer or extrovert explorer, finding new ways to experience the world will bring you comfort, growth and most importantly joy.

Working as a designer of immersive travel experiences, you might think that my expertise lies chiefly in the cities, mountains and islands of Greece. And it’s true; I’m adept at sourcing the best, brightest, most unique and special boutique hotels, secret hideaways, taste sensations and excursions all across the country. However, travel is not just about places, far from it.

My background is in the study of psychology, and it’s my understanding of human thought, behaviour, development, emotion and motivation that allows me to get under the skin of each travel experience I curate, and make sure that every detail is perfectly suited to you. With more than a decade’s experience working in HR roles for international corporations, my intuition and ability to read people has been finely honed. It’s a huge pleasure to be able to use these skills to help holidaymakers, adventurers and creative business owners fall head over heels in love with Greece.

That’s what’s at the heart of this work: connecting people with places in a way that’s authentic, intentional and sensitive.

assouline books travel

Greece: where my heart calls home

I was born in Athens, and would spend golden and turquoise summers as a child either in Crete or Kefalonia – the island my Dad comes from. He spent most of his youth travelling the world with work, and I grew up listening to hundreds of stories of different cultures and adventures.

Every year we would explore different Greek islands, and even as a child I was struck by the unique character and atmosphere of each one. These days I split my time between Greece and London, and I love that there is always somewhere new to discover.

When I started Seat Next To You, I was determined to respect the many personalities of Greece, and over the years I have built a network of local experts, whose knowledge and understanding consistently astounds me. I’m committed to sharing a deeply authentic experience with you, and by working with a hand picked team on the ground in Greece you’ll receive multi-faceted perspectives for this shining jewel of a place.

kind words

You made planning our trip to Crete so simple! Having you by our side as we were trying to plan a trip for 20 people (10 adults and 10 kids), all travelling from different parts of Europe, made all the difference and we don’t know if we would have made it without you – thank you for your patience, understanding and all the support you gave us before and during our stay there! Thanks again!

We reached out to Niki on Instagram because we wanted to organise a surprise birthday celebration for our friend’s 40th. After our consultation, we picked Milos as our destination for the trip, and we were completely thrown by the island! Niki planned everything so carefully (accommodation, rental cars, cab transfers) and made the entire experience completely stress-free. Her team helped us set up a candlelit dinner on the beach, took care of the cooking, cocktail making, sound and lighting for the evening – it was an unforgettable evening, with so many memories and we cannot wait to go back!!

We are a start-up in fashion tech based in Milan and we reached out to Niki who helped us organise our annual vision & goal setting meeting in Antiparos – she was wonderful to work with, very attentive and open, gave us honest views on everything and sourced just the best for us: from the perfect villa to accommodate our workshop to the most amazing team activities and tours around the island as well as unmissable food and drinks recommendations! This was our first time abroad as a team, we had the best time ever and we’re already discussing about our next Greek destination! Grazie mille cara!

— Elise, Copenhagen - Denmark

— Olivia, London - UK

— Francesca, Milan - Italy