Greece
Study Tours

Packing Tips

[Note for 2012:  Air France allows 1 piece of checked baggage at no cost; max weight 23kg, max dimensions 158cm (length+width+height).  This is in addition to a carry-on and a personal bag (purse, backpack, shoulder bag).  Remember that all carry-ons have to be able to fit under a seat; check the airline’s website for size restrictions:   http://www.airfrance.us/US/en/common/guidevoyageur/pratique/bagage_franchise_airfrance.htm
The advice we give below about bringing a second bag folded up in your checked bag—see third bulleted item under “Optional suggestions”—would be to bring as a carry-on on the return.  But this won’t work if you already have a carry-on, in addition to a personal bag.]

These suggestions have been developed from advice gleaned from travelers experienced in visiting Greece.

It is wise to pack less than you think you will need. It is very likely that you will want to buy some items of clothing in Greece and you need room in your luggage for new purchases.   (Purchases may be mailed back home, but this involves an expense, a delay, and a risk.) A tip from our host in Ancient Corinth is to pack two suitcases, carry them around the block five times near your home, take out half of the contents, and bring the remaining contents on the trip.  Or you can consult this video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5UlxHsgD58

We once had a student who obstinately decided she wasn't going to do any laundry in the hotel sink, and so brought with her 20+ shirts, 20+ changes of underwear, etc.  It all fit into one (mammoth) suitcase, and although she is of hearty Alaskan stock, she regularly needed the help of others in the group when it came to negotiating stairs and the like.  (Ramps are oddly rare in Greece.)  Don't let this happen to you.

A good suggestion is to take a backpack as your carry-on (in addition to one suitcase, to be checked-meaning "not carried on").  You should travel with your passport on your person (not in your backpack or even purse). Many travelers like to purchase some sort of money belt for keeping important items out of sight and out of reach.  Also in your carry-on you should pack your camera, one change of clothes and any essential toiletries, in case checked luggage gets separated from you and takes a day to catch up to you.  (This happened to our group in 2000; to prove it, I still have the very Greek shirt that I had to buy.

Do not bring anything that you would be crushed to lose; jewelry, nice watches, and the like often do not accompany a relaxing traveling experience.  Also, although you MUST bring your college ID (for it may allow us to get you into certain sites at discounts) and a credit card/bank card/check card or two (for use in charging or at an ATM), leave at home all other materials in your wallet that would be only frustrating to have stolen.  You will not need gasoline credit cards, library cards, or the like.  To minimize what you take is to minimize what you risk losing.  (An entirely Stoic notion, by the way.  More on that in Athens.)

It will be hot and dry in Greece this time of year, with temperatures sometimes reaching in excess of 100°F degrees.  Rarely will the daytime highs be below 90°F, and rarer still is summer rain. (The predominant summer weather pattern for southern Europe is a southerly wind, which means that the air is coming from the Sahara.)  It is a good idea to select clothing that will be loose and comfortable. You will have to do your own laundry by hand in the hotel sinks, and clothing will dry quickly in the hot summer air.  This is easier than it sounds, especially if you choose your clothes with this in mind. (Denim, for example, takes longer to dry.)

You should be aware that there are some cultural differences in understanding what constitutes "comfortable and casual."  Many Americans do not think twice about putting on ill-fitting sweats and a rumpled T-shirt as they head out to, say, the discount store.  We will rarely see such dress in Greece, even on a hot day.  Keep this in mind: "comfortable and casual" is not synonymous with "sloppy and slapdash."

Suggestions of what to bring: generally, three to four sets of daily clothes, one set of nicer clothes.  You should select clothes that can be washed and dried in a bathroom sink, without undue wrinkling.  If in doubt about something, try washing it this way at home prior to departure.  Do not count on having access to an iron there, although if people wish, resources can be pooled and an iron purchased.  Ditto for items like a hair dryer, although the dry heat lessens the need for such things.

Daily clothes

• 4-5 sets of underwear (depending on how often you do washing)
• 3-4 short-sleeved button-up or T-shirts
  [If you have the choice, you may want to leave behind any clothing with any college's name on it other than yours, or with any image or wording that might make you cringe when you look back at the photos 20 years from now.]
• 2-3 pairs of shorts
• 1 long-sleeved shirt
• nightclothes (a low of mid-60s would be an unusually cool night)
• maybe a light sweater or sweatshirt, though even evenings are rarely cool enough to require these
• maybe one pair of jeans or the like (jeans, however, take a famously long time to dry)          
• swimsuit
• light beach towel (although cheap towels are available there, and don't thereby take up precious suitcase space)
• hat (the more brim coverage, the better; baseball caps leave the neck singed) or bandana.  You can see such hats in the photo galleries on the website.
• sunscreen (at least one full bottle of SPF 30 or higher--a good investment because sunscreen is more expensive in Greece than in the States)
• sunglasses (available in Greece too)
• shoes:  sandals are ubiquitous in Greece in the hot summer.  Everyone should bring one pair of sandals that is sturdy and thick-soled (for rough and rocky terrain), with good traction (for walking on stones polished by millennia of feet), and into which your feet entirely strap (for steep inclines and declines; slides or flip-flops won't substitute).  If you have a pair of sandals meeting this description, and if your feet are used to wearing them daily, you can get by for the entire trip with only this pair of shoes.  The terrain is rough, and sharp thistles abound with good reason: they're one of the few plants the goats won't eat.  (See the photo of Anthony in the photo gallery for the 2003 study tour.)  Many have found it helpful to bring additional shoes, like sneakers (there are some pick-up basketball and soccer games), light hiking shoes, or light sandals.  (Most people find heavy hiking shoes to be too hot and to take up too much space.)  Make sure your shoes are comfortable and already broken-in; still, a few band-aids are a good idea to bring, along with whatever foot care you require for dry and dusty conditions.
• socks for whatever shoes you have  
• One "good" outfit, for sometimes you might want to take a break from dressing like an American collegiate tourist.  And for visiting monasteries, men must have long slacks and collared shirts--short sleeves are fine--and women must have skirts and blouses (or dresses) that cover the shoulders and knees.  Footwear is not a problem for monastery visits, for even flip-flops suffice.        
  • For men, no need for coat and tie.  Even a dress shirt isn't necessary; khakis, for example, and a presentable shirt with a collar are fine.
  • Many women have found useful a sarong, which is usable in various ways.

Other items

• travel alarm clock to get you up on time, so as not to hold up the group (with a fresh or extra battery)  In the past, we've had members get themselves into trouble when they depended on a cell phone or a music device; cell phones might be out of service areas, and anything needing regular recharging is less dependable than  cheap, dedicated alarm clock.  (See the link to the NPR report below about the dangers of bringing cell phones abroad--even just to use as alarm clocks--without clarifying some issues with your service provider prior to departure.)
• a stretch clothesline for drying laundry in one's bathroom, and a pancake-sized rubber sink stopper to facilitate doing one's laundry in hotel sinks
• a few large (2-gallon works best), zippered, plastic bags, for those times when you may have damp swimsuits or laundry that nonetheless need to be packed in a suitcase when we leave one hotel for another
• For any shampoos and the like, you might consider going over with several trial-sized bottles, instead of one larger bottle.  That way, you can discard the small bottles as you use them up.
• a good pocket knife: like a Swiss Army knife or the equivalent.  Make sure it's sturdy enough for cutting fruit, cheese, and salami.  (And pack this, obviously, in your checked baggage.)
• small flashlight (with batteries, of course; some archaeological sites we will be visiting have darkened alcoves, ceilings, or wells).  Some of us have used headlamps to good effect.
• books for the class (see our syllabus), including the small book from the Berlitz book-and-CD set about the Greek language.  (Won't need the CD by the time we leave, of course.)
• notes for your site reports
• pens, pencils, and such
• notebook for any travel journal you would like to keep for yourself  (This is not part of the course, but many travelers enjoy keeping a daily log to which to refer in later years; memories can fade as much as the desire for them remains vivid.)
• notebook for taking notes and for paper for writing and turning in short assignments on site to be handed in, preferably without those ripped shreds at the left-hand margin
• addresses of friends and relatives for the wish-you-were-here postcards; the clever will bring addresses on pre-printed labels.
• passport--Enough said.

Optional suggestions

• camera and extra batteries or charger  (Even a cheap camera is OK.  Most people have found it wise to bring lots of excess digital camera card capacity, since we can't rely on having access to a computer with the software to download the photos.)  AA batteries are available for sale in Greece, but you should have a supply with you for convenience.  A good idea is to have one camera card to change each week, even if it's not full; that way even if you lose your camera, you won't lose all your photos.
• personal music player and charger. But be sure that the headphones/earbuds are such that someone sitting in the next bus seat will not hear your music when played at volumes you usually play it at.  If your headphones fail this test, then leave the entire unit at home and imagine the music instead.  Personal earbuds tend to be of higher quality than what airlines provide, too; and some airlines are charging for theirs.
• an extra bag, folded up tightly, to serve as an additional carry-on for the return trip, in case you accumulate more things than you leave the U.S. with.
• cosmetics you know you will need; they are expensive in Greece--but you won't  need much
• contact lens equipment; preferably an extra pair.  One of our students once lost one at the beach.  Also beware that the saltiness of the sea and the dryness and heat of the air makes most contact wearers go through more eye-drops than they are used to going through.
• the written prescription for any eyeglasses or contacts, in case of loss or damage
• any medication you need (bring a copy of any prescription you have)
• recreational reading (There are English-language books available in various places throughout Greece, but they are surprisingly expensive and unsurprisingly limited in selection.)
• Space in your luggage permitting, you might consider bringing along items useful at a beach, even though cheap versions of these are available for purchase there:  mask & snorkel, Frisbee, a ball, etc.
• small gifts from your home area to give to new friends made in Greece, to particularly helpful hosts, bus drivers, guides, etc.  These could range from something like a refrigerator magnet to things like a CD or a T-shirt.
• Greek hotels provide bath towels, but are not given to providing washcloths; if being without a washcloth would compromise your happiness, then provide your own.  (Washcloth, that is.)
• Summers are very dry, and you will be drinking much water throughout any given day.  Many purchase bottled water there (either one-liter size or smaller), and then refill the bottles at various places.  Some prefer to carry a bottle on some sort of belt hook or shoulder strap. 
• To travel is to improvise.  This will on occasion extend to eating times.  The difference made by a timely granola-type bar can be substantial both to one's individual comfort and to nipping the stirrings of crabbiness that can magnify into group negativity.  You might bring some snacks that won't spoil, and you might consider not eating them all on the flight over. [!] There will be such snacks available for purchase over there, of course, too.

Anywhere in Greece you can buy cheap hats (for the sun), post cards, medication in emergencies (get prescriptions beforehand), batteries, laundry and hand soap.  Do not waste suitcase space bringing, for example, laundry soap.

REMEMBER that the current in Greece is 220V.  That means that, unless you have a transformer or a dual-current appliance, you will not be able to use your regular US appliances.   As mentioned above, it is very dry in Greece in the summer, and your hair and clothes will dry very quickly; you probably do not need a hair dryer.  (They can be purchased there should you wish to have one, and if several people are interested, resources can be pooled.)

Additional notes

Shots: You do not have to have any special immunizations, but if you have not had a tetanus shot in the past 10 years, you should get a booster shot. This is general advice for all international travelers.  In fact, for all stay-at-homers, too.

Medicines: If you are currently taking any medication for any reason, carry all that you will need with you AND a copy of the prescription with you. It is wise to carry also some over-the-counter medicine for stomach upsets, headaches, and sunburn, especially if you are given to these conditions.  Likewise for those susceptible to motion sickness on airplanes, on ferries, or on buses on winding roads.  

Sleeping aids: In order to minimize disruptions to one's sleep caused by the time change on the flights, some travelers have been known to take an over-the-counter sleep aid (like even a half dose--one pill--of a Dramamine-like medication, even if motion sickness isn't an issue, since some such medications suppress motion sickness largely just by inducing sleep).  Check with a pharmacist.           

Computers:  We will not be bringing computers with us.  You would have to keep it with you all the time; it would be, as you can imagine, a tempting target for thieves. Thus it would come to control you.  Internet cafés are available everywhere we will be, for those needing e-mail access.

Telephone

The study tour leaders will each have a cell phone, for 24-hour access, and each traveler should keep these phone numbers on her or him at all times, as well as the phone number of the hotels.  (These numbers will be provided to each traveler at the airport, in the form of a pocket-sized card, so that you can carry them with you.)

Beware bringing your own phone, even if you don't plan to use it as anything more than a clock: 
http://www.npr.org/2012/01/25/145757456/how-to-avoid-bill-shock-from-smartphone-use 

Pay phones in Greece do not accept currency, but only telephone cards, which have to be purchased at kiosks.  The smallest unit telephone card is €4.  You will need to use this even to activate a payphone in order to use any international calling card system you may have.

There are four strategies for international calling:

1. Use the local telephone card.  A €4 card will buy you about 7 minutes of international phone time.  Not the most cost-effective method, but the simplest for a quick check-in.
2. Use a card like AT&T, Sprint, or MCI calling card, on the condition that you have arranged with the company beforehand for you to get an international rate. (Allow time for them to mail to you the necessary card and PIN.  And without the international rate, you're in for a surprise when you look at the bill you receive after your return to the States.)
3. By far the cheapest and most convenient option is the purchase at street-side kiosks all over Greece of an international calling card.  In 2010, a €5 card provided about two hours of calling time to the U.S.
4. Some students have brought with them their own cell phones from the U.S.  They have found them convenient and reliable, but expensive for making calls on, as opposed to receiving calls on.  If you are interested in this, then check the details with your service provider.  (And don't forget the need for accommodating the 220V current.)

Money

There are several ways to access cash in Greece. These all have advantages and disadvantages.

• Euros in cash.  You should always have some of this, and one usually gets a slightly better rate at a U.S. bank than at a change kiosk in a foreign country, or even at a bank in a foreign country.

• ATM card. This is the most convenient way to access funds that you don't want to have to carry around with you.  You can use your bank card to get euros from ATMs in various locations, sometimes without paying outrageous transaction fees.  Check with your bank; one bank I used levied a $10 charge for each international withdrawal, so I switched to using a card from another bank.  Using an ATM allows new funds to be deposited by your family and then extracted by you in Greece.
  
  Because there is only one ATM in the village of Ancient Corinth, and because it will be several days before we make it into the city of New Corinth, it is advisable to bring enough euros to carry you for a week (around €100), just on the off-chance that the single ATM in the village is on the fritz.  You could get this much from your home bank, from the kiosk at our U.S. airport while we're waiting for departure, or at an ATM in the airport in our connecting city or in Athens prior to meeting our bus.

• Traveler's checks. These can be bought at your bank and are a safe way to carry funds. Make a copy of the numbers and give a copy to yourself in another place, your family, and us.  If you plan on bringing traveler's checks, it is vastly preferable to get them in the U.S. in euros, as opposed to getting them in U.S. dollars, for more places will cash them.  (Next to the ATM, this is the best option for large amounts of money.)  What traveler's checks have in security they lack in convenience.  For the easiest place to cash them is at banks, and we will usually be busy during banking hours.

• Credit cards. These work well, especially Visa, in gift shops, hotels, and nice restaurants. They also can be used in some ATMs. An American Express card is also well received in some shops and it has the additional advantage of allowing you to get cash abroad as well in certain AMEX offices. This used to be a great help but it is less distinctive now that ATMs are available.

• Personal checks. Surprisingly, these are sometimes accepted in places you might not expect, though it is probably not worth carrying an entire checkbook.

How much money will you need?

In order to give students some degree of control over the management of the cost of the trip, and in order to allow groups of student to explore eateries in smaller groups, students are on their own to arrange some meals:

• 13 lunches (estimate $8-15/meal)
• 12 dinners (estimate $12-25/meal)

This adds up to between about $300 and $500 for meals; one can manage a bit more cheaply by persistently having dinners at the same street-side stands at which one can get lunches, but this might prove taxing in other ways.

In addition, one needs money for snacks; fruit, coffee, baked goods, and ice cream are widespread in Greece, and most students grab at least one of these on a daily basis.  (In fact, I can think of many students who got at least one item from each of these food groups just about daily.)

Greece is a land in which moderate gratuities are the norm, except on those few occasions in which service is rendered in a surly manner.  On the whole, Greeks take as a serious national virtue philoxenia, which roughly translates as "hospitality" (and which literally means "guest-loving").  The Greeks trace this virtue back to the norms of the guest-friend that can be seen as far back as Homer's Odyssey.  At restaurants, a fee for service is usually included on the bill, but an extra 5-10% is usually left on the table.  Hotel staff can be left with €1-2 per room per night (not per person per night).   Many of you have worked in the service industry, and recall your own reaction at being stiffed.  And hotel chambermaids, for example, are less financially favored than you are (or than you will be a few years from now).  The leaders of the study tour will handle gratuities to guides and bus drivers.

It is advisable to have access to around $500 beyond these costs, although one does not need all of this to be accessible at the start of the study tour.  (So some of you might have a paycheck deposited to your U.S. bank account while we are in Greece, so that you can access the money with an ATM card.) You will fall in love with some souvenirs and this is a wonderful opportunity to do some interesting shopping.