Greece -first holiday to Crete!!

That sounds cool!! Have fun whereabouts is Clearwater. We want to visit white sandy beaches when we go to Florida someday here's a pic of Crete !!

Hooooooo, gorgeous!

Clearwater is just west of Tampa on the Gulf.  About 90 minutes from Disney.  Definitely go to Gulf coast beaches and not Atlantic beaches in Florida.  No waves but much nicer beaches.

I work in travel publishing and our advice for Greece now is go. As long as you're prepared to be flexible, there's no reason to cancel a trip to the country.

If there are restrictions on ATM withdrawals (I don't think there ever were for tourists) or if smaller vendors aren't accepting credit cards, keep enough cash on you to get by. Real money is better than digital money right now if you're Greek.

Outside of the few spots of violence a month or so ago, there's nothing to worry about safety-wise, and even then the demonstrations were limited to Syntagma Square in Athens.

As always in travel, hope for the best but be flexible, smart and aware. The people and businesses you give your tourism money to will appreciate you haven't written off the whole country and you might have an even better experience than you expected.

I work in travel publishing and our advice for Greece now is go. As long as you're prepared to be flexible, there's no reason to cancel a trip to the country.

If there are restrictions on ATM withdrawals (I don't think there ever were for tourists) or if smaller vendors aren't accepting credit cards, keep enough cash on you to get by. Real money is better than digital money right now if you're Greek.

Outside of the few spots of violence a month or so ago, there's nothing to worry about safety-wise, and even then the demonstrations were limited to Syntagma Square in Athens.

As always in travel, hope for the best but be flexible, smart and aware. The people and businesses you give your tourism money to will appreciate you haven't written off the whole country and you might have an even better experience than you expected.

Thanks for this! This is exactly what I expected, you just tend to hear so much opposition and I'm not even sure why!


Those pictures looked LOVELY!

Thanks for this! This is exactly what I expected, you just tend to hear so much opposition and I'm not even sure why!

What you hear and see in the news is often sensationalised. You're not going to hear 'everything is ok' because that's not news-worthy.

I was in Greece a few years ago and there was a major strike on. My parents were worried but the only way I was affected was not being able to take public transport (transport workers were on strike) and there were a lot of bag of rubbish in the streets (rubbish collectors were also on strike). I never felt unsafe or uncomfortable, but I was seeing a whole different side than my parents were from their home in the US. I had to change my plans a bit, but I worked around it and had a great time.

I would advise being aware of the real situation and being sensitive to it when you talk to people but don't pry. It's a tough situation for some people and not everyone wants to talk about it, especially with people who aren't going through it with them. But if you meet someone who does open up about it, that would be an amazing perspective to get. I'd listen carefully and not rush to conclusions or give the impression I think I've got it all figured out. Take the chance to listen and learn while recognising it's a very complicated and difficult situation.

Hope your trip is amazing!

I would advise being aware of the real situation and being sensitive to it when you talk to people but don't pry. It's a tough situation for some people and not everyone wants to talk about it, especially with people who aren't going through it with them. But if you meet someone who does open up about it, that would be an amazing perspective to get. I'd listen carefully and not rush to conclusions or give the impression I think I've got it all figured out. Take the chance to listen and learn while recognising it's a very complicated and difficult situation.

I'd like to think this bit is common sense - hence asking on a UK forum about holidaying in Greece - but I can appreciate that maybe that isn't everybody's first instinct.

Definitely know what you mean by newspapers being sensationalized - I went to school for print journalism and I've always believed you can flip a story whichever way you want using the facts if you really wanted to hah. Would definitely never expect to hear that everything is okay - I don't think anybody is that naive lol 

I'd like to think this bit is common sense - hence asking on a UK forum about holidaying in Greece - but I can appreciate that maybe that isn't everybody's first instinct.

Definitely know what you mean by newspapers being sensationalized - I went to school for print journalism and I've always believed you can flip a story whichever way you want using the facts if you really wanted to hah. Would definitely never expect to hear that everything is okay - I don't think anybody is that naive lol 

I totally agree.

I like to think I'm stating the obvious, but I've seen people who go somewhere for a short trip and think they've got the whole country/situation figured out.

I do think it's easier to get a handle on complicated issues and situations while travelling and some things are easier to understand when you're seeing it first-hand or hearing real people's stories (vs watching the news from home) but unfortunately, we're still the outsiders looking in and we can't see the whole situation without living through it.

Sounds like you've got the right attitude and you'll have a great trip.

I do think it's easier to get a handle on complicated issues and situations while travelling and some things are easier to understand when you're seeing it first-hand or hearing real people's stories (vs watching the news from home) but unfortunately, we're still the outsiders looking in and we can't see the whole situation without living through it.

Agree 100% with this! 

Even smaller things that seem like a no-brainer [like a Metro system] turn out to be a bit different than expected when you get to a place but you get to truly figure it out once you're in it! hah This is what I love most about traveling!