mlynnf50

We are due to go to Greece for 6 weeks from the end of august to mid October, my husband thinks we should not go this year and wait to see what will happen, what do you all think please?

mamcalice

We're going in May and, so far, have not considered cancelling or postponing our trip. You havae plenty of time to reconsider depending on events.

Josser

Are you expecting a repetition of 1967?
http://www.ahistoryofgreece.com/junta.htm

sandralist

Is your husband is thinking that Greece will be forced to out of the EU and that drachmas will be cheaper to buy than euros? What is your euro budget for the trip? Does your husband have some reason to believe he can guess what the value of a drachma or a euro would be next year?

Or is your husband thinking that the situation is so unstable politically that it might turn violent? I don't think that is a serious worry. The rest of Europs is not interested in invading Greece to settle the debts and even if the present government doesn't hold on to power, there will just be another election. Greece is not interested in having a civil war.

Heimdall

Why would you want to cancel your trip to Greece? I have been seeing this same question on Fodor's for the last five years, and last year Greece had a record number of foreign tourists. Whichever political party holds power, tourism is the second most important industry in Greece, and visitors will always be welcome.

In recent polls about 70% of Greeks want to stay in the eurozone. Right now the dollar is the highest against the euro in 11 years.

mlynnf50

Josser.... very interesting reading... food for thought.

Sandralist... I think he thinks that if they leave the Euro and don't pay there bills, there is going to be problems, things like import of gas..ie petrol diesel and other commodities. We live in France so driving to Italy and going over with our motorhome, but have not finalised our booking yet. I dont know or understand politics so I cant argue with him.

Thanks for all your replies

IMDonehere

I find these situations as interesting as the art and architecture. Travel to me, is also trying to understand a country past and present. We try and read some literature of the past and always read of the current political and cultural atmosphere, so we can compare the perceived and the reality. I understand that we are in the minority.

sandralist

Tell your husband that if Greece is forced out of the euro, then Russia will be very interested in helping Greece. So Greece will have plenty of oil and petrol.

PetrosB3

Once you get into EU nobody can kick you out. Only the country itself can choose to leave. The Greeks want to stay in the Eurozone and don't even consider leaving EU. Greece out of Eurozone is not even an option for the rest Europeans, that would be an absolute economic disaster for Europe that would have effects all around the World. It's just a crisis it will pass. Greece has just voted its new Government, it would be stupid to think there will be riots or something like that since it has just been elected. The riots you once saw in the news are long gone. Canceling your trip to Greece cause of the elections makes absolutely no sense, you are not visiting a third world country you know, it's Europe. You will be safe...

sandralist

>>Once you get into EU nobody can kick you out. <<

They cut off your credit/liquidity line, and then you are toast. Greece can be forced out of the euro, and some are interested in doing so. Also, the new governemnt of Greece could fall before the end of the year.

However, I hope neither comes to pass and not only does the new Greek government have the backing of the Greek people, it has the backing of the majority of the world's financial press, and the majority of residents of Europe. There are very few people who do not wish to see the present Greek government succeed. Unfortunately, they are not always as powerful as the people whose attitude toward Greece is so destructive, but the election of the new Greek government shows that they don't always win. So there is reason to hope.

IMDonehere

Tell your husband that if Greece is forced out of the euro, then Russia will be very interested in helping Greece. So Greece will have plenty of oil and petrol.

____

You mean since Russian bonds have been reduced to junk bond status and the ruble and economy are in free fall. Merkel will look like the prettiest girl in school.

bvlenci

Russia does have fuel, though, and they would welcome any customer who's disposed to buy it from them, even in drachmas. The drachma/rouble conversion rate may be stable if they both fall simultaneously. It sounds like a match made in heaven to me.

Most people in Italy used to think that it was unthinkable for the EU to lose Greece. However, I'm starting to hear the opposite opinion. If they default, it's our taxes that will repay those loans.

sandralist

IMDonehere,

I mean that the new government of Greece has already signaled its opposition to EU sanctions against Russia, and even the deposed gov't of Greece had robust trade relations to Russia. If northern Europeans force Greece out of the EU, I hardly expect Greece to remain in NATO as a favor, and Russian will be quite interested to help them out with what ever it takes to have Greece pivot toward Russian. Plus, Greeks and Russians share close religious ties.

bvlenci,

Well, if your Italian friends don't want to pay for a Greek default, then they should keep Greece in the euro -- yes?

sandralist

Also bvlenci, your Italian friends -- nor any Italians -- can afford to pay the debt. So they should quit worrying. They can't be made to pay it anymore than the Greeks can be made to pay because it's too big. It would like if you foolishly lent my sister 100 million euros. Too bad. You're not going to get it because she's not going to live long enough to repay you, and neither am I. Where are we going to get the money?

If the Germans want to pay the debt, why not? They'd only be paying themselves. But actually, if they were stupid enough to do that, they would end up where Greece is after several years of starving its economy to pay creditors. It is the road to economic ruin.

So the Germans might as well get out of their weirdo lonely dream world and realize that the economically sound thing to do is forgive the unpayable debt, rather than keep wrecking every economy in the eurozone to pay it. Had that done that a few years ago, when this problem came to light, we'd all be better off. But just like the Greeks are not going to pay for this mistake, the Italians won't either, and if Renzi says they will, he'll be dancing back to Firenze and Beppe Grillo will be sitting in Rome.

sandralist

Yikes !-- typo alert! Meant to write "Italians CAN NOT afford to pay the debt".

travelerjan

Not to mention the hypocrisy of Germany not renegotiating this debt thing when Germany never repaid the WW II "forced loans" which Nazi occupiers forced the Greek Government to give -- the equivalent of $528 million ($7 billion in today's dollars).

FHurdle

I think the only real danger of visiting Greece is that there will be a currency or banking crisis that will make it hard or even impossible to access cash through ATM machines. And yes, there could be a forced conversion to a relatively worthless dracma, which is why people rush to the banks to withdraw their money in times like these. There has been a $20 billion outflow of euros in the past two months, and the only reason the banks are solvent is that the ECB is propping them up.

The solution? Just carry a wad of euros with you instead of relying on an ATM card.

welltraveledbrit

I took my mother and aunt (who were in their 70's and 80's) to Athens at the beginning of the crisis in December of 2008. WE stayed right on the main square where the riots had been a week earlier. My aunt had spoken to people she knew at the Irish embassy and while she and my mother were a little nervous about going we had an amazing time!

The hotel upgraded us to joining suite overlooking the square with balconies where we could see the stage set up for New Years Eve. The manager treated us like royalty. On NYE he looked up from the square (where he was with the revelers) and brought us a bottle of champagne at midnight when he saw us toasting the New Year on our balcony with red wine.

It was an incredible trip, go to Greece you'll have a great time and they will appreciate ever euro you spend.

IMDonehere

On our trip to Turkey we visited Chios for a couple of days which was at the start of the recent economic crisis. If you hadn't read about it, you would have never known there is a problem.

mlynnf50

Well, have just booked, so off to Greece, I love Greece and the people, I wish then all the best in sorting out there problems, thank you all