1. Plan expenses in advance. Determine roughly what amount you can allocate per day and manage yourself accordingly.
2. When you already know the daily budget, determine how much money goes to accommodation, food, entertainment, souvenirs, etc.
3. Avoid popular resorts that have a reputation. Choose smaller towns – accommodation is cheaper, food is definitely better and usually prepared in one of the family taverns.
4. Choose an apartment that is not in the first line to the sea. The prices are even half as much and fall even more (the farther the apartment is from the sea, the lower the prices). As a last resort, a 10-minute walk to the beach is good for your health.
5. When choosing a room, choose those that are on the ground floor, in the attic or facing the mountain – that is, in the opposite direction from the sea. The prices of such rooms are often 30-50% lower.
6. Plan meals in advance – prepare everything you can in the apartment and cook it yourself.
7. Seasonal fruits and vegetables have always been cheap in Greece. Visit one of the wonderful Greek markets and stock up for a few days.
8. Avoid carbonated drinks, coffee with ice cream, squeezed juices and shakes. Apart from the fact that they belong to high-calorie drinks and, as follows – fattening, these drinks are very expensive. Instead, brew fruit tea (at least today there is a large selection), fill a 1.5 or 2 liter bottle and if you want – add grated or chopped fruit (forest fruits, peaches, apples, strawberries…). That way you will have ready refreshment for the whole day.
9. Today there is a large selection of instant coffee of all kinds and you can even prepare several bags in advance depending on how much coffee you drink per day (eg 2 bags per day).
10. Take a thermos and a refrigerator with you (they are also available in soft aluminum and some beach refrigerators are made of plastic and insulated from the inside). They do not take up much space in the suitcase, they are light and extremely practical.
11. Make a decision that you will live healthy during those 10 days on vacation: without doughnuts, ice cream, chocolate, carbonated drinks, french fries and everything else that makes you fat. Greek markets are truly a paradise for the eyes – and also for the health. Include fresh fruits and vegetables in most meals. Your body will thank you – and so will your wallet. At that same market you can find a large selection of fresh fish. If the conditions in the apartment allow it, prepare the fish in a pan or in the oven, add a salad and you have a healthy meal that costs only a few euros.
12. Limit yourself when buying souvenirs, magnets, clothing, gifts and all those unnecessary little things that we don’t know what to do with when we return from vacation.
13. Walk on the beach, ask, compare prices; some cafes provide a lounge chair with the coffee, some charge separately for the lounge chair. Choose a location that fits your budget.
14. You don’t have to rent a sunbed every day; it wasn’t so long ago when we spent summers and went on excursions both to the sea and to the mountains and camped and enjoyed nature – without luxury and without everything that is supposedly ‚‚necessary‚‚ for today’s modern man. Almost every place in Greece has a pine forest next to the beach or a wild beach where you can lay down a towel and an umbrella.
15. Speaking of umbrellas: on sale you can find umbrellas that are no bigger than an ordinary umbrella, the rod can be extended or unfolded, the whole umbrella fits in a suitcase and represents a real saving if you don’t want to rent a deckchair and umbrella in one of the cafes every day. You can also bring a mattress from home, which, in addition to basking in the waves, is also used for comfortable rest and lounging on the beach.
16. Apart from fruit, vegetables and fish, the products that are cheap in Greece are the following: all the brands of the supermarket where you shop (meaning not imported and not ‚‚branded‚‚ products), then macaroni, rice, lentils, dairy and cured meat products which are sold by the kilo. Avoid small shops and grocers because prices are usually high there; the lowest prices are in large supermarkets because they buy in bulk and can offer consumers discounts and special offers.
17. Home pharmacy: bring a first aid kit from home (aspirins, plasters, disinfectant, ointment for burns, etc.). In case you need medicine, you will not have to immediately run to the pharmacy and buy at much higher prices.
18. It would be ideal to book accommodation several months in advance; the savings are sometimes up to 50% if you book out of season.
19. The same applies to buying all the necessary ‚‚props‚‚ for the beach – plan your next holiday already in August and buy at discounts: sunscreens (no, they don’t spoil), mattresses, swimwear, diving equipment, etc.
20. Enjoy nature – as a last resort, that’s why you came. Grab a ball and enjoy it on the sand or in the water with family and friends. Dive in and discover the underwater world. Climb that hill and enjoy the view. Play a game of chess on the beach. Tilt your hat and walk along the shore in the shallows – good for circulation, veins, relaxation and mental health. Listen to the sound of the waves. Life is much more than taverns and cafes!
