hetismij2

Given the continuing failure of talks regarding Greek debt the Dutch government is recommending that Dutch holidaymakers to Greece take a lot of cash with them, rather than relying on ATMs.
Since there is now a very real chance of a Grexit there could be a bank run, which would make it almost impossible for tourists to get cash.
So, counter to the normal good advice to use ATMs in Europe for cash if you are planning to visit Greece it may be better to get your Euro ahead of time.
Keep reading the developments in the debt negotiations as well.

clausar

Just out of curiosity, has there been an official travel advice from the Dutch government ?

hetismij2

No it isn't an official travel advisory, just a suggestion. The only official advisory for Greece is a risk of potentially violent protests in Athens.

bilboburgler

Just checked UK HMRC and they have no change either, I guess the first that steps out of line will be accused of "attacking the cradle of civilisation".

sandralist

Sorry -- but I'm confused. The original post says that the Dutch government has spoken on this issue, but in response to asking whether the Dutch government hasn't spoken officially.

Have to ask: Is this just one more instance of Djisselbloem rumor-mongering to crank up a bank run in Greece?

sandralist

Sorry if my own post was confusing: Who is speaking here if it is the Dutch government but it is not an official travel advisory?

clausar

Have been reading warnings of this kind for a few years now.
Whatever will happen, will happen till the end of June.. if not sooner.

I had the same question Sandra, but it seems that it is nothing official.

sandralist

clausar, I thought I would ask to spare you the aggravation! By the way, best wishes from Italy. Sorry Renzi has been such a twerp about this -- since, you know, we're next!

Dukey1

Sandralist, aren't you involved in the tourist industry in some way or another?

twk

Shhhh...if we don't talk about it, it might just go away. It's not happening until its reported in the Guardian.

sandralist

No, I am not involved in the tourist industry in any way, shape or fashion.

Personally, my non-professional advice is to take a couple of credit cards to Greece rather than a suitcase full of cash, because if capital controls are imposed, people won't be able to take money OUT of Greece. That's the point of them.

As for the Guardian, it has been hyping the "capital controls" story for at least 5 months.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/...alexis-tsipras

twk

Even in the event of a Grexit, credit cards should still work wherever they are currently accepted, but, for whatever cash needs one does have, it may be hard to come by from an ATM (or even a bank)for a short period (one would hope only a matter of days) if Greece actually does leave the euro (still not a certainty). So, while I wouldn't take a briefcase full of cash, nor more than I would expect to use on the trip (as sandralist points out, capital controls might keep you from taking it out), I wouldn't count on being able to make ATM withdrawals during a Greek trip if such trip occurs during or immediately after a Greek withdrawal from the euro.

If I were planning a trip to Greece, I think I might prefer to pre-pay as many things as possible (like hotel stays). On the other hand, if Greece does leave the euro, the primary benefit would be seen through devaluation, so you might miss out on some savings if you pre-pay, so I guess it's sort of a certainty vs. possible gain trade off.

clausar

If Greece does leave the Euro, a devaluation would cause only pain to the Greeks, i wouldn't be happy about it , not even as a tourist !

sandralist

It's not only Greeks who would be pained in the wallet by the Greeks leaving the euro.

hetismij2

It isn't an official travel advisor, it is a suggestion, made by not only the Dutch government but other European governments, to those visiting Greece this summer
Official advisories are actually mainly concerned with personal safety due to risk of civil unrest or terrorism.


The fount of all truth (joke!!) The Daily Mail also ahs an article on it http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tched-off.html

It is entirely up to you of course, but I wouldn't rely on plastic in Greece this summer.

sandralist

There is no way credit card use is going to be affected in Greece this summer. You are just being silly beyond all measure, and pointlessly fear-mongering.

Furthermore, it is simply NOT true that other European "governments" are issuing advice to take cash to Greece this summer. Name one, and cite a reliable source.

I cannot find words strong enough to express how low an opinion I have of not just the Daily Mail, but anyone who would regurgitate its bilge into the face of travelers, to what purpose, I don't know.

nanabee

we were in Athens in October 2013 and there were protests (one violent) but it didn't affect tourism or travelers much. Also why can't people just use their Visa or Master cards for all purchases? Maybe get a few Euros for peace of mind, but we rarely used anything other than credit cards. And I think you get a better exchange rate as well.

clausar

hetismij2
what started as a recommendation of the Dutch government turns out not to be official travel advisor but a suggestion by some European governments?

Sandralist i was just reading your thoughts in another similar thread amd i must say, i couldn't agree more.

PetrosB3

Greece will never leave the Euro, it will cause a Global Crisis and the West will collapse financially. All these warnings are made to scare the Greek politicians and accept the deal of the Banks. Don't listen to them, every time Greece must accept a painful deal there are warnings like Grexit, just to scare. This has been going for 7 years, it's tiring, honestly.

BritishCaicos

Is one of the more comical posts on here.

Greece's GDP is 1.3% of the EU total.

Germany makes up 21%, Britain and France make up 16% each.

Put simply some of the provincial cities of Northern Germany have a larger impact on the EU than Greece.

If Greece left the EU/ Euro it would suffer hugely for probably two years, savings would be wiped out and it would probably suffer inflation and a huge devaluation of the drachma against the Euro. The EU wouldn't suffer at all.

The devaluation would give Greece a huge competitive advantage over EU member countries and over the following five years it would re-establish itself.

Argentina did the same.

The world economy would collapse?

Ridiculous.

The only reason Greece hasn't been thrown out of the Eurozone, is for fundamentally political and foreign policy issues. Economically Greece should have been thrown out.

And Petros, it has been going on for 7 years because Greece took on so much cheap debt in an unsustainable manner to fund personal consumption. The debt showed no relation to either Greek productivity or the size of it's economy.

It's tiresome but paying your debts after a spending spree generally is.