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What "Vets" can offer first-timers (Bookmark this)

Happy Wednesday, travel(l)ers old and New!

The Steves Greece Forum is now blossoming with a new bouquet of Greece experts, due to disturbing developments at another long-established travel forum (hereinafter called LATF)-- they've decided to give the RS Operation a try, and they're warmly welcomed, both by contributors AND our helpful webmaster, who explained how this website works, and our "self-policing" philosophy. As a longtime site-hopper myself, I'm delighted at seeing familary sign-ins, bringing experiences that can be SO helpful to first-timers and also to returnees who want to make new discoveries.

The new capabilites come from many UK and European travellers (yes, with a double-L) who can more quickly/economically visit this land we love... and thus go far beyond desitnations llike the Cyclades, Crete and the Peloponnese, to help new visitors to island groups like the Ionians, Dodecanese, Northeast Aegean and upper mainland Germs.

Some of my fellow site-hoppers will recognize familiar names from the aforementioned LATF -- but some are familiar experts who are using another name here. I hope some of these will post here, to let inquirers know of the new expertise we're glad to have aboard. To start things off, I'll contribute a short description of the topics/locations I try to be helpful about.

AKA "travelerjan" on other sites -- I'm a budgeteer, finding equal joy in ancient history and today's exuberant Greek culture, a fervent swimmer, not much of a shopper, a fan of small family-run lodgings & restaurants. During 20 years I've visited more than 25 Islands (some many times) and a dozen mainland destinations, but more often add my bit to threads about Crete, Naxos, Sifnos, & other Cycladic isles, parts of the Peloponnese, Athens ... with a few special finds In Rhodes, Samos, etc. Not experienced with Spas or 4-star hostelries; very experienced at traveling with newcomers and being the "trip mama".

Posted by
1940 posts

Thank you janet. I haven't been to Greece but will hopefully soon. I look forward to the advice you and your fellow "refugees" can offer.

Posted by
20 posts

My wife and I have been travelling to Greece for over 35 years. For about 30 years I have been working with law enforcement in ports and meeting/talking to Greek seamen was the trigger to go to Greece. Hence also my interest in the Greek ferry system. I am a member of a couple of ferry forums (including a Greek one) and have subscriptions on several daily and weekly Greek maritime publications.
In all those years we have been to several destinations on the mainland (from Athens to Alexandroupolis) and the Peloponese and also 55 islands. The last 3-4 years we have found 2 set bases. In April/May/June we have a base in Naxos from where we go to other islands, in September/October our base is in Kalymnos. It means that with the 2 trips combined we stay 3-3,5 months in Greece every year.

Posted by
5 posts

After numerous holidays to Greece, islands & mainland, we finally moved permanently to Greece on the Peloponnese in 2006, now living in Athens for the last 13 years. All opportunities for us to get a holiday or short break are usually spent exploring more of Greece, surprisingly still some places to get to even after 20 years here!

Posted by
15 posts

I posted on here a few years ago under the same account and I still post as Goanjock with a pretty good knowledge of Crete and someone who loves travel and loves helping get a little extra out of their travels :-)

Posted by
12 posts

I have been going to Greece either solo and independently or with my other half on packages (flight, accommodation & rental car or transfer to destination) for 40 years, with occasional breaks to discover other parts of Europe, Africa, India, the Caribbean, Mexico and Maldives. Greece calls me back and over the past 6 years have spent most of my holidays independently and solo. I only discovered island hopping relatively late in life, at 58. I always associated this mode of exploration with young adults not oldies (I’m now 64), so I’m quite new to this compared with others. I usually spend 4 - 5 weeks in Greece split between June and September, my favourite months.
In 2023 I acquired a rare autoimmune condition that affects my mobility and I now walk with a wheeled walker (rollator) and when in Greece have been able to use a Seatrac https://seatrac.gr/en/about-seatrac/
to allow me to get in the sea. I’m happy with simple accommodation but suitable access and shower rooms are now my priority.
Hopefully my experience as a traveler with mobility issues will be of some use on the forum.
This year I’ll be hopping around Samos, 3 locations over 14 days in June and island hopping in the Dodecanese, Kos, Astypalea, Kalymnos and Leros over 21 days in early September.
Happy to help with any questions where I can.
Beaches, food and relaxing is my type of holiday.

Posted by
1401 posts

I've been fortunate to be able to travel to Greece every year since 2010 except for two years due to COVID.

I've been to numerous islands and parts of the Peloponnese and everywhere I've gone was a wonderful and memorable experience.

I know more than some but less than others about Greece and can offer advice on where I have gone but I'm not the "Expert" I was labeled on the "other" forum. I think it was the number of posts rather than the advice/knowledge.

In addition every new area I go to means I know noting about except the research I've done so I'm a novice also on parts of Greece I never been to and hopefully get the personal advice from members who have been to areas I'm considering.

I think this forum will be more enjoyable and helpful and look forward to learning more about travel to Greece!

Posted by
845 posts

Looks like a lot of expertise has joined the RS forum, welcome!

And wouldn't it be LETF instead of LATF? /pointless pedant :)

Posted by
1401 posts

Every new "adventure" takes adjusting to but since I've been posting here for a number of years I'm use to it's set up.

It's a "slim down" forum but it's still a valuable place to get advice and information and from the response from TA Refugees I'm sure it will help make a trip a dream come trip for first timers and also to first timers to a new area of Greece, even those who have been to Greece numerous times.