1. You can never bring enough Dramamine (or Lactaid Pills)
Between the winding roads and rocky ferry rides, I probably consumed a lifetime's supply of motion sickness pills in Greece. If I hadn't bought the kind with added caffeine, I would have been in a Dramamine-induced coma my entire trip, drowsily ambling from one destination to the next. While I am naturally prone to motion sickness, even those with strong stomachs should stock up before traveling through Greece. Especially if you plan on taking a high speed ferry.
Also, the mouthwatering cuisine of Greece isn't exactly conducive to us lactose-intolerant folks. Greek yogurt with honey for breakfast every morning, multiple iced cappuccinos before lunch, and feta cheese and tzatziki sauce with every meal... it's foodie heaven, but also a lac-tard's worst nightmare. Thank Zeus I brought an overabundance of dairy pills, otherwise I would have been in excruciating pain the entire trip - because I was not about to miss out on the joys of Greek cuisine.
Rose are red, violets are blue, feta is delicious, and tzatziki is too.
2. Allow plenty of time for navigating the ports
In typical Mediterranean fashion, the ports in Greece are chaotic and incredibly confusing to navigate. Allow at least an hour to pick up your tickets, grab a snack, and figure out where your boat is. If you can, avoid taking a ferry out of the Athens (Piraeus) port. It's a hot mess. Between the nausea and the port pandemonium, next time I think I'll try to avoid ferries altogether and opt for taking airplanes when I can.
Can't I just ride one of these back to Athens?
3. Start saving in advance
While Greece was one of the coolest trips I've ever taken, it was also one of the most expensive. As an English teaching assistant, I'm not exactly rolling in the dough, so this trip probably wouldn't have been possible if not for my USA tax returns (thanks, Pottery Barn!) and six whole months of saving up. In other words, I went six months without shopping for clothes. Every time I was tempted by a cute dress at Zara, I thought to myself, "How many Ryanair flights could this buy me?" Moral of the story: saving €€€ means making sacrifices - and the sooner you start saving, the better!
No shopping = lots of outfit repeating
4. Master the art of picking a good restaurant
My travel buddy Jen is an absolute genius when it comes to finding good restaurants. Thankfully, I got to reap the benefits of her remarkable skills, because we didn't have a single bad meal in Greece. After 11 days of diligently observing her tips & tricks, here's what I learned about hunting down the best restaurants in Greece:
- Utilize Tripadvisor.
Check out the highest rated places around you and read the reviews!
- Find out where the locals go.
Listen to what language is being spoken by the customers. Hearing Greek is always a good sign!
- Don't be afraid to wander off the beaten path.
Sometimes the best restaurants are the least convenient to get to. Head outside the touristic center to find the hidden gems!
One of our favorite restaurants in Chania, The Well of the Turk, was one of the hardest to find!
5. Bring a spare memory card
This one I learned the hard way. Greece is arguably the most photogenic place I've ever been to, so naturally I took an obscene amount of pictures. Unfortunately, I failed to pack an extra memory card, and had a serious moment of panic when I ran out of card space in the midst of exploring OÃa, Santorini. (Thankfully there was an electronics shop in nearby Fira, and their memory cards were much less expensive than in the USA.) I recommend using a memory card of at least 16 GB and bringing along an extra one just in case. And always, always pack a spare camera battery!
There's nothing worse than running out of memory card space in picturesque Santorini.
Have you ever been to Greece?
What tips would you add to this list?
