Budget Travel

Spending Less and Seeing More: Here are my favourite Mediterranean destinations that won’t hurt your budget travel.

Sun, Sand and Savings: Greece for Less

Greece is always among my top choices for summer holidays with its lovely sea, scrumptious cuisine, and stunning historical landmarks. However, people know that this place is not the cheap one and can be rather expensive. But, hey, through some careful planning, I have found out how to do Greece on the cheap. The ways of achieving this include; visiting during the spring break, summer or fall, taking hostels and Airbnb accommodations, using public transport and tasting the local cuisine. Though places like Athens, Santorini and Mykonos remain the most famous ones, it is advisable to include some less popular places in the list.

Island-Hop Without Going Broke

In summer time, transport – both air and sea between islands is pretty expensive and literally, one can be ‘struck’ by the prices than Zeus would strike a thunder. However, while traveling during the late spring or early fall season, you will get to avoid most of the crowds and also get to pay a relatively low price. The case of Skyscanner makes it easier to follow the sale of air fares while other sites such as Airbnb provide the opportunity to rent apartments, villas and even sailboats at a cheaper price.

For those who are more daring, overnight trips by ferries between the islands are considerably cheaper than having to spend the night somewhere. It’s all good just don’t forget your sleeping bag and if your planning on driving, don’t forget your motion sickness pills. It is also possible to travel by ferries slowly that enable you to interact with the people and feel the island life in Greece.

Eat Meze, Not Money

Another thing that makes travelling to Greece nothing short of a delight is the excellent Mediterranean food. Fortunately, eating like a Greek does not necessarily push the buttons on your wallet as well! Staying away from such fancy restaurants like sit-down restaurants and instead going for little taverna like restaurants can help save a lot of money. Order a variety of appetizers, called meze, which can be a group of small portions of different types of dishes for a reasonable price. This surely will keep you on a budget travel.

Traditional foods that can be bought on the streets include souvlaki, gyros and spanakopita can also be bought at a very cheap price. Purchasing food at markets, and packing sandwiches and other snacks for a picnic is also a good way to view attractions like the Acropolis or Delphi without spending money on overpriced tourist café. A small amount of pre-planning means thousands of savings when it comes to Greek cuisine!

The little known islands and Mainland towns.

While the sunset in Santorini and the Mykonos nightlife are quintessential components of the Greek dream, these destinations are expensive as the mega-resort complexes they have become. If you do not want to spend too much money on the island-hopping, it is better to visit such islands as Milos, Sifnos or Skiathos. The swimming and the view is comparable to the more popular islands while the price is a lot cheaper.

Over on the mainland, there are numerous historic towns like Nafplio or Meteora that still boast hostels and small hotels at a fraction of the prices of Athens or Thessaloniki. When it comes to getting to places such as the ancient sites of Delphi or Olympia, taking the public transport is also much cheaper than an organized tour or cruise. It is possible that you would like to experience Greek with style and without the bill hitting you hard; you do not have to follow the typical tourist trail.

Bonus Destination: Cyprus

Well, Cyprus is not in Greece per se, but this beautiful island is just the perfect place that can easily be squeezed in a budget travel destination. It boasts of beautiful beaches, stunning hiking trails, and medieval castles; all at a relatively cheap price. They have a relatively lower cost of food, accommodation and other leisure activities bearing in mind that Northern Cyprus is occupied by Turkey. So, get your travel dollars even more value for by experiencing some of Cyprus culture too!

Greece Delivers Big Value

Greece’s tourism offers North Americans some great travel values because the Euro is weaker against the US and Canadian dollar and many of the countries are still trying to rebuild their tourism industry after the recent economic crises. Staying in the low seasons rather than the peak periods and not having to stay in the most pricey islands can be the solution for big savers. You can still continue scrolling and looking at beautiful views of Greece through your Instagram. All you have to do is follow my budget tips and tricks and be smart about which countries you visit in order to make your euros go even more further!

Apart from Greece, the Mediterranean has numerous other attractive destinations for unforgettable trips without devastating your wallet.

Check back occassionally for more budget travel destinations…