Consider these tips when traveling to Greece:
Have a cell phone that works in Greece. Buy a pay-as-you-go phone there if necessary. An innkeeper trying to alert you to a situation may not want to make a pricey international call. Enter your hotel numbers and other important numbers in your cell phone, like sightseeing locations and restaurants, so you can call and ask if they are open, if they are accessible or if there is an alternate route. Keep your cell phone charged and have a backup power source.
Dragging lots of luggage makes everything harder. Take half of what you think you’ll need. Scale it down. Take the smaller camera. Tear out the chapter of the guidebook that you need or take a digital picture of it and avoid papers altogether. Forget the shoulder bag. Use a small backpack; you may want one with a strong metal grid inside.
Buy a good map before you go. If you do find your route blocked, you’ll have options and if you call someone for assistance, you can understand their directions better. The Athens map provided by the GNTO office at the airport is excellent, and it’s free. A paper map is still the best way to orient yourself without endlessly zooming in or out on a small screen and using up what may be precious battery power. Use your cell phone or another device alongside the paper map for detail.
Take enough medication with you for twice the length of your trip. Pack one amount in your luggage and one in your carry-on. Keep at least a day or two’s supply on you in a small pill container.
Have a color copy of your passport with you and another copy in your luggage, along with extra copies of your itinerary. Email digital copies to an email account you can access via the internet.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier for the American Embassy to locate you in an emergency.
Learn a few words of Greek and enough of the Greek alphabet to decipher street signs. It can warm your welcome and at the same time, help you stay on your route, which is crucial if you have to make last-minute changes.
Talk to the Greeks. They likely know what is going on and will be happy to tell you, share their opinions, their politics and their advice. Keep tabs on things by reading English language newspapers, watching the local news station and asking questions at your hotel.
Travel Insurance and Trip Cancellation
If you become aware of unrest in Greek cities or develop concerns, you may decide to cancel your trip. Whether or not your travel insurance covers you if you cancel depends on your policy. Many travel insurers allow a cancellation if there is civil unrest in your destination or a region you must travel through.
And remember: Independence Day (March 25) and Nov. 17 often see protests in Greece.
