Don’t let the depressed economy depress your summer holidays

In hard times Greek people used to say “Poverty must be rich in …good time”. Fair enough one might say as good holidays –and that does not mean necessarily expensive ones – will help you once back in the office to face work reality and fulfill every day tasks in a better mood, thanks to the calm and the peace of mind you gained by spending some good time during your vacation.

For that reason this year go for carefree holidays that will not cost you a fortune but they will be rich in new experiences and above all, will reload your batteries.

Try not to let the economic crisis influence you in the extent that it will affect the quality of your holidays. Avoid destinations that seem to be more attractive to your wallet as they might offer less in terms of services thus giving you less satisfaction and zero pleasure. Choosing the right destination and organizing your holidays seem to be the key features for passing a good time.

In Greece you may always find opportunities to live up the best choices in reasonable prices. That seems though to depend exclusively on how you will organize your holidays. Some golden rules are, firstly, to try to make list of your needs and secondly, to learn as much as you can for your destination before you go there.

SOME GOLDEN RULES FOR AFFORDABLE HOLIDAYS

Depending on how much money do you have and, above all, how much you are willing to spend, try to find the best accommodation options –and not by searching only in your destination but in the broader area as well- and make sure that the place that you will choose to stay responds to your holiday needs. For example if what you eat is not so important, you may choose to prepare your own food rather than eating in restaurants and use the money saved to cover some other need of yours.

EXPLORE OFF THE BEATEN PATH DESTINATIONS

This year presents a great opportunity to visit less known destinations where the possibilities to find places to stay and to eat in affordable prices are more than in the areas promoted by tourist guides, expositions, TV and magazines.

The mainland and the islands not known to most of the people are the real treasures of Greece provided that you would be able to discover them. With as many as 2.000 islands though it wouldn’t be so hard to find your own sparkling diamond somewhere in the Aegean sea, in the Ionian Sea or in Peloponnesus, in Epirus, in Macedonia, in Thrace and in Central Greece.

Islands such as Koufonissia, Heraclia, Donousa represent excellent choices for beautiful and affordable holidays. But the same applies to bigger islands such as Lemnos, Thasos, and Ikaria which seem to be a suitable choice for those in love with Greek traditions and way of living as they offer plenty opportunities for activities that will fill your summer holidays with new experiences and leave you with the best of impressions.

If now you wish to limit further your budget by not paying expensive boat tickets you may choose the mainland of Greece where one can find nice littoral places equal to the beauty of the islands, with beautiful beaches, museums and interesting spots for you to discover.

An excellent destination is the area of Aigialeia in Achaia with a satisfying number of beaches, ancient monuments and museums and offering the perfect combination of sea and mountain as it is located near to Kalavryta.

The only thing you need to do to get there is to take the “odontotos – rack railway from Diakofto to Kalavryta and sit back to enjoy your passage through the astonishing beauty of Vouraikos gorge with the homonymous river following the sculpted on the rocks train track. Once there you could visit the Monastery of Ag. Lavra, the Cave of the Lakes and then take the road back to the beaches of Aigio, Loggos, Derveni and Diakofto.

Another excellent choice is Limni Evias, a place which would give you the impression that you are in one of the cosmopolitan islands. Cobbled streets, beautiful traditional houses, little restaurants and shops along the beach reminding of pictures typical for Greek islands and make you think that you are in Mykonos or Hydra. Not far away from the village lies an emerald area with abundant vegetation that it would be a pity not to explore.

Seize the opportunity to visit the waterfalls of Drymona and the petrified forest of Kerassia, one of the richest petrified forests in Europe with fossilised trunks of some millions years old and the church of St. John the Russian where is preserved the holy relic of the homonymous Saint attracting many pilgrims.

If now you are not convinced and you want in any case to visit some of the most popular and usually more expensive destinations try to avoid high season. For example destinations such as Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes, Corfu are less expensive in May, June and September as during these months they attract less visitors. However the prices is not the only reason for which you should prefer the mid season to visit those places as the mild weather during this time will be the best ally for your activities.

In addition during these months the islands are less crowded offering thus better conditions for holidays. And above all you will have the chance of a better treatment by the owners of shops, restaurants and hotels, who will have more time for you.