It Didn't Work Out Like I Planned - My Summer Travel Fail

My grand plans of traveling all summer in Greece have failed. Find out why my travel plans failed, why I am still in Athens and what I have learned from all this. The truth in expat and digital nomad life.

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[dawnb]

Love your vulnerability, Tiffany. You have given me a lot to think about and plan for when I do go abroad, especially for an extended period.

[prague]

You might consider renting a car in Athens and driving the coast. There are many beautiful towns along the coast which have that island feel, they are likely cheaper, and often you can see islands from the coast, which is nice too. It's also something other vloggers aren't doing.

[maria-kapa]

Go to Aegina Island, Agia Marina area. No car needed, picturesque village by a huge sandy beach, 1 hour from Piraeus. There's availability and logical prices. It's not a youth party type destination and it's not overbooked. I love it there. Hermes hotel and Vana's apartments are cheap, extremely clean and Hermes ads free breakfast

[thea]

I'm sure all your viewers appreciate your honesty! Also, I like to believe things happen for a reason :)

[MikeLimTravel]

It’s crazy how packed with tourists the streets are in Santorini and Crete. All the hotels were sold out and the ones with availability were expensive. A lot of the day tours are selling out as well. Even Monastiraki in Athens is packed with people.

[barbararaesis]

I just read this, I have been in Andros over the holiday. All Greeks takes a vacation in August. Some business completely shut down until September. I hope you find a place to stay in Athens and keep your health.

[bobfotoples]

You look tired. I'm just glad you're still safe. Things don't always work out, but that leaves you the chance for something totally unexpected. I wish you continued good health and success.

[jbvfgxc]

Same thing happened to me, i was planning on visiting the islands in July before moving to greece but all the prices were exaggerated so i ended up in athens and then i visited a beautiful town named nafplion (2 hours by bus from athens) i felt like i was in italy and will absolutely revisit very soon, i really recommend it to you!! Hopefully everything will be better and you will get the chance to get back on track soon✈️🚢

[richardsudol]

I had the same experience. I was in Athens for the month of July, and had planned to take a couple of multi-day trips to islands. I found the same thing - that the available airbnb's/hotels were either junk, or very very expensive. So much for last-minute stays in July. I ended up taking day trips, but coming home each night the the Athens base. Nafplio, Hydra (the Saturday before you were there, actually), Aegina - and they all were great! Another possibility - go north. I understand that central Greece and the North (Ioannina) are beautiful - in a non-island way, of course. Thanks for the videos - it really is important to hear the good AND the bad. The lesson to learn is that July and August in the islands require advanced planning. Next

[sayyestoyourdreams]

Sold our house and the hotels in VA and MA are soaking us, but glad to be free from video cameras, service people, lawn care, and chasing dogs from the lawn. Apartments are crazy just as the housing market is in the states. Please take it easy and remain safe. Nothing wrong with taking a break. Always liked your honesty. Thanks again for your help with the immigration and insurance tips. Naxos is a great choice. Been there in 2017 and would go back. Can't remember the proprietor, but even the beach was walkable from there. Great ATVs to rent 4 years ago. Smart move about taking it slow with the apartment lease.

[danadan]

I will travel to Zakynthos later this month and I found incredibly cheap accomodation on booking... I usually travel to Greece in late June and September and I find it ideal, as I don't like to go to very crowded places

[gpan]

Oh, did you get back to Nafpaktos yet? The beaches around there aren't the best, but there's a beach/ village called "Hiliadou" about 10 km east that's very nice. I've spent more than one summer in Nafpaktos and the area. But definitely, September October should be great 👍.

[laurasscorpio]

I would love to see areas of Greece that are more remote and less vlogged about.

[marlagonzalez]

I went in June and there was plenty of accommodations at a good price, now I know of a few people who have gone and their accommodations were more expensive. Crazy! How about Nafplion? It was one place that was on my short list but we didn't have enough time to visit. It isn't an island but its by the water...

[briantravelman]

I had a similar experience back in 2011. I was visiting my aunt in Poland and we booked a last minute trip to Greece, peak tourist season. It was a whole package with transportation and hotel for 10 days. A lot of people had canceled because of the strikes so we actually got a really cheap. All that was fine. But I had also hoped to take a ferry to one of the islands, but they were either all on strike or booked up. We managed to do Skiathos through a private tour agency, but I didn't get to experience the island the way I would have liked.

Looks like you already tried everything I was gonna suggest, and I'm guessing you need WiFi so camping is out of the question.

Only other thing I can suggest is trying something outside of Greece. Or just wait it out and do a longer trip during the off season.

You should still be grateful that you at least aren't stuck in the U.S.

Good luck.

[alexia]

Thank you for sharing as always. You should check out Patras or meteora one of the next times you travel 😊

[profjohn]

Thanks for the update.
The fact that you don’t sugarcoat things is a big reason I love your videos. I can’t tell you how sick I am of the attention hounds who declare “Hey, I just moved to Greece!”, only to find out that they’re really just on vacation and rented a $$$ villa for a fortnight.
As another commenter here suggested, perhaps you might look into visiting some places in the Peloponnesus such as Nauplio, Mystras & Monemvasia, the Diros caves in Mani, the theater at Epidauros, etc.
Anyway, whatever you decide, stay cool and stay safe.

[levicherry]

🥲sad, but also good. Meteorea? Thessaloniki?

[amydv]

you were in Athens during the fires so was I ... bad bad bad

Serbia and Turkey especially western 🇹🇷 turkey are all great to visit however Serbia is cold in winter

Hydra is nice and close to ath
also chalkidiki is drivable if you rent car and some of legs have island vibes

[Findjoyka]

With hotel being packed do you think I should book ferry advanced as well? Which do you recommend? I hope you can go somewhere soon