Greece Honeymoon Concerns

Knottie83712219 · July 2015

Anyone heading to Greece for their honeymoon? My fiance and I have a trip planned to Athens, Santorini and Istanbul for our honeymoon in October. I'm concerned about the financial crisis happening right now.

I kind of wish we picked Italy instead! Anyone else dealing with this problem?

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

I highly recommend speaking with your travel agent to understand the pros and cons of traveling to this area during this time.

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

I just saw this article on CNN as well:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/06/travel/latest-travel-advice-for-tourists-visiting-greece/index.html

I still recommend talking to your agent, who should have all of the latest info and can rearrange things for you if you choose to back out (hopefully you have insurance) or they can be you advocate if things go wrong while you are there.

STARMOON44 · July 2015

Not sure why we are assuming you used a travel agent to book this!

If you didn't, start by checking your flights- is it possible to change your tickets? What are the fees like?

If you can't change your tickets, what about booking a quick short flight from Athens to somewhere in Italy, or Turkey, or Malta, or wherever else seems more appealing- making sure to leave ample time in between flights.

If you can't or don't want to skip Greece, keep following the news and know that the situation will likely change. Things you may want to consider include prepaying your hotels and travel, bringing euros with you, and bringing dollars as well.

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

STARMOON44 said:

Not sure why we are assuming you used a travel agent to book this! If you didn't, start by checking your flights- is it possible to change your tickets? What are the fees like? If you can't change your tickets, what about booking a quick short flight from Athens to somewhere in Italy, or Turkey, or Malta, or wherever else seems more appealing- making sure to leave ample time in between flights. If you can't or don't want to skip Greece, keep following the news and know that the situation will likely change. Things you may want to consider include prepaying your hotels and travel, bringing euros with you, and bringing dollars as well.

I realize she may not have used a travel agent to book this, but most people I know would use a TA to book this type of trip. Why you ask? Because of issues like this! Hopefully OP has someone to advocate for him/her and assist him/her with making new plans, if the OP chooses that route. It's times like these that a TA is invaluable.

STARMOON44 · July 2015

Jells2dot0 said:

STARMOON44 said:

Not sure why we are assuming you used a travel agent to book this!

If you didn't, start by checking your flights- is it possible to change your tickets? What are the fees like?

If you can't change your tickets, what about booking a quick short flight from Athens to somewhere in Italy, or Turkey, or Malta, or wherever else seems more appealing- making sure to leave ample time in between flights.

If you can't or don't want to skip Greece, keep following the news and know that the situation will likely change. Things you may want to consider include prepaying your hotels and travel, bringing euros with you, and bringing dollars as well.

I realize she may not have used a travel agent to book this, but most people I know would use a TA to book this type of trip. Why you ask? Because of issues like this! Hopefully OP has someone to advocate for him/her and assist him/her with making new plans, if the OP chooses that route. It's times like these that a TA is invaluable.

I just think it's a weird assumption. The only people I know who use travel agents are elderly or rarely travel at all. A trip to Athens, Santorini, and Istanbul isn't difficult to book yourself and a travel agent isn't going to be able to physically get you cash if the island you're visiting runs out. I mean, I get the advantages some see in using them, it just seems really really strange and unhelpful to offer as your only advice talking to a travel agent when she may not have one.

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

STARMOON44 said:

STARMOON44 said:

Not sure why we are assuming you used a travel agent to book this! If you didn't, start by checking your flights- is it possible to change your tickets? What are the fees like? If you can't change your tickets, what about booking a quick short flight from Athens to somewhere in Italy, or Turkey, or Malta, or wherever else seems more appealing- making sure to leave ample time in between flights. If you can't or don't want to skip Greece, keep following the news and know that the situation will likely change. Things you may want to consider include prepaying your hotels and travel, bringing euros with you, and bringing dollars as well.

I realize she may not have used a travel agent to book this, but most people I know would use a TA to book this type of trip. Why you ask? Because of issues like this! Hopefully OP has someone to advocate for him/her and assist him/her with making new plans, if the OP chooses that route. It's times like these that a TA is invaluable.
I just think it's a weird assumption. The only people I know who use travel agents are elderly or rarely travel at all. A trip to Athens, Santorini, and Istanbul isn't difficult to book yourself and a travel agent isn't going to be able to physically get you cash if the island you're visiting runs out. I mean, I get the advantages some see in using them, it just seems really really strange and unhelpful to offer as your only advice talking to a travel agent when she may not have one.

I think it's prudent to get professional advice when dealing with this type of issue.

I travel the world for both work and for fun. I have a boat load of hotel and airline points, so I could easily travel for free without a professional's assistance. Even with all of my experience, there are certain travels that I feel are best handled by specialists. You're right- OP might not have used an agent, but for a situation like this, it's best left to people who do this for a living, whether she booked through a human agent, Expedia (also a travel agency) or a hotel website (she can call the hotel). We always tell knotties with medical issues to call a doctor or people with legal issues to talk to a lawyer. This would be in the same vein.

ETF- words

STARMOON44 · July 2015

Lmao at the idea that travel agents are in anyway comparable to doctors or lawyers.

We obviously disagree and have very different travel experiences.

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

STARMOON44 said:

Lmao at the idea that travel agents are in anyway comparable to doctors or lawyers. We obviously disagree and have very different travel experiences.

BOXES

While a travel agent is not the same as a lawyer or doctor they are professionals.

I think it's funny that you're questioning my travel experience. LMAO

STARMOON44 · July 2015

Jells2dot0 said:

STARMOON44 said:

Lmao at the idea that travel agents are in anyway comparable to doctors or lawyers.

We obviously disagree and have very different travel experiences.

BOXES

While a travel agent is not the same as a lawyer or doctor they are professionals.

I think it's funny that you're questioning my travel experience. LMAO

Ummm, I'm not? I get the impression that you have travelled extensively and that your experiences have been different than mine. My travel experience leads me to think using a travel agent for this trip would be silly, yours that it would be a great idea. But I'm certainly not questioning that you're an experienced traveller.

Jells2dot0 · July 2015

STARMOON44 said:

STARMOON44 said:

Lmao at the idea that travel agents are in anyway comparable to doctors or lawyers. We obviously disagree and have very different travel experiences.

BOXES

While a travel agent is not the same as a lawyer or doctor they are professionals.

I think it's funny that you're questioning my travel experience. LMAO

Ummm, I'm not? I get the impression that you have travelled extensively and that your experiences have been different than mine. My travel experience leads me to think using a travel agent for this trip would be silly, yours that it would be a great idea. But I'm certainly not questioning that you're an experienced traveller.

Okay, so I misunderstood. I apologize.

If I went to Greece, I probably would use an agent, but only because it's been unstable for awhile and because I like to stay in unique places and do unique things. I might also want to pick the brain of someone who knows the islands/resorts inside out to help narrow down where I'd want to stay. However, if one is doing the standard Athens/Santorini/Mykonos, then you could probably research it and do it on your own. I'm heading to Europe this winter and again next year and not using an agent. But, I'm doing fairly standard things and returning to places I have been previously. So, it depends on what you want out the trip and your experience level. However, IMHO, if you don't travel much, especially internationally, then using an agent is a safer bet.

So, back to the OP- Based on your post, I didn't think you knew you wanted to change or your plans or not. I did recommend talking to your agent, if you used one. That is your first line of defense and explain your pros and cons and guide you toward the right decision. If you didn't use one, then read over the CNN link I posted and also visit some traveler websites, like TripAdvisor, to hear about recent experience.

I absolutely 100% agree with Starmoon about having extra currency on you and exchanging it before heading over there. The CNN article mentions this as well.

CMGragain · July 2015

OP, did you buy travel insurance? If not, why not?

jenna8984 · July 2015

STARMOON44 said:

STARMOON44 said:

Not sure why we are assuming you used a travel agent to book this! If you didn't, start by checking your flights- is it possible to change your tickets? What are the fees like? If you can't change your tickets, what about booking a quick short flight from Athens to somewhere in Italy, or Turkey, or Malta, or wherever else seems more appealing- making sure to leave ample time in between flights. If you can't or don't want to skip Greece, keep following the news and know that the situation will likely change. Things you may want to consider include prepaying your hotels and travel, bringing euros with you, and bringing dollars as well.

I realize she may not have used a travel agent to book this, but most people I know would use a TA to book this type of trip. Why you ask? Because of issues like this! Hopefully OP has someone to advocate for him/her and assist him/her with making new plans, if the OP chooses that route. It's times like these that a TA is invaluable.
I just think it's a weird assumption. The only people I know who use travel agents are elderly or rarely travel at all. A trip to Athens, Santorini, and Istanbul isn't difficult to book yourself and a travel agent isn't going to be able to physically get you cash if the island you're visiting runs out. I mean, I get the advantages some see in using them, it just seems really really strange and unhelpful to offer as your only advice talking to a travel agent when she may not have one.

My mom is a travel agent and has about 8 others in her office, and they are pretty booked solid daily. Sometimes I ask her to research something for me and she doesn't even have the time. She does everything from Disney to $25,000 Australian cruises. They are a lot more common than you think.

And even if OP didn't book with one, I bet one would still be able to change reservations around and assist, knowing that she would win OP's future business.

chloe97 · July 2015

We are going to Greece for our honeymoon (we leave 2 months from today!) and I share your concerns about the economic crisis and it's potential disruptions of services. I've looked into this quite a bit the last week and here are my thoughts at this time:

1.) Travel Insurance most likely will not cover your losses if you decide not to go. I think there are some really pricey policies that will cover trip cancellation for any reason, but the economic collapse of a country is not a typically covered reason.

2.) I also did not use a travel agency. FI and and I are savvy travelers. We are actually flying into Rome and out of Amsterdam, so if we decide that it's too risky to continue with our original plans, we will lose the couple hundred bucks we spent in flights to/from Greece and most likely travel through Italy instead. If you are worried, you may want to look into low cost flights fro Athens to Rome. We also have booked our hotels through Booking.com, but we did not prepay for them because we knew things in Greece weren't the most stable right now. I haven't booked any "backup honeymoon" plans as of yet, but we are thinking about other options if things change and we don't feel comfortable traveling to Greece in September.

3.) I have been following the situation on a TripAdvisor thread http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g189398-i192-k8593900-o40-Greek_debt_deal_referendum_plz_start_from_here-Greece.html. Everybody who is there is saying that tourism really is not being effected to the point where you need to worry. They say bring lots of of cash, but that tourists always need cash in Greece because a lot of restaurants/vendors do not accept credit cards. Could this change and thing get out of control? Sure. I just hate to think about losing out on or dream trip because of the scaremongering.

4.) I have a friend who just got to Greece Saturday for their honeymoon. From the looks of their fb posts on ferries, romantic dinners overlooking the calderas, and amazing looking dinners, I'd say they are weathering the crisis situation just fine. I will ask her when she gets back how things are, but based on Trip Advisor comments, I think you will be fine as long as you are properly prepared for the situation.

I hope this helps!

CMGragain · July 2015

About the cash, bring lots of small bills (coins) The ATMs in Greece issue 20 euro bills, and nobody has change! I have a friend over there right now. She is not having problems.

lyndausvi · July 2015

I have friends in Greece right now (they lived in Austria) they are not having any issues right now either.

Of course, that is subject to change so just be up-to-date with what is going on.

freebread03 · July 2015

I've been in Greece since June 17th and have had no issues (spent time in Thessaloniki, Mykonos, and now Posidi). I would recommend bringing lots of cash since a lot of places don't want to take credit cards right now, and there are longer than normal ATM lines, but on a tourist island like Santorini, there shouldn't be any issues. We were right near the middle of the Oxi protests on Friday, and other than a little remnant tear gas, everything was fairly peaceful. I think they used it to disperse a few troublemakers out of mostly middle aged/retired and young protestors. The news is blowing everything way out of proportion--while the financial crisis is huge for Greeks, they country isn't falling apart, getting violent, or running low on toilet paper and essentials (in most places) like the news would have you believe (I've noticed the UK news is very sensational). Use common sense and it shouldnt be an issue, and anyhow, things should be relatively worked out (or at least settled down) by October (even if the crisis isnt over).

Knottie83712219 · July 2015

Thanks so much everyone for your input!!!

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