A traveller has shared her experiences of island hopping in Greece and warned others to watch out for ways you could be scammed out of money if you’re not careful
If you’re hoping to visit any of the beautiful islands in Greece this year, one tourist says there are three different areas you could get ripped off and revealed how to beat the potential ‘swindlers’.
Many Brits will be planning their summer holidays for the coming year as they dream of warm, lazy days sipping cocktails on a beach or by a pool. Those looking to travel abroad could be considering Greece as it remains one of the most popular destinations for UK travellers.
As well as the mainland, Greece has a huge number of stunning islands which make for the perfect sun-soaked getaway. A great way to enjoy them is to take an island hopping trip to ensure you get to experience more than one of these Mediterranean jewels.
However one traveller has revealed how she believed she was ripped off during her trip and has warned others what to look out for if they choose a holiday around the islands. Erin Fang shared her experiences on her TikTok page thelittlebasketco and said there were three main areas to be wary of.
With a video of her walking down a pretty cobbled street on a Greek island she urged: “If you’re headed to Greece this summer, beware of these common scams.” She claims the first area she lost out was on the ferry. They are the most common way to travel from the mainland and between the islands but she thinks she was scammed. “We got our tickets at the ticket booth and they charged us to go from Naxos to Athens even though we were getting off in Paros,” she revealed. “So I highly recommend buying your tickets online.”
When it comes to travelling about on the islands themselves she believes the local taxis aren’t the best or cheapest option. “Next up the taxis, they are known to overcharge and say they have broken meters. Instead just take public transit, so affordable and you don’t have to worry about haggling,” she advised alongside her video from an island bus.
As she shows the stunning whitewashed houses and cobbled streets with pretty souvenir shops from one of her destinations she warns to take care when shopping for gifts and trinkets. “All the islands have very similar shops so save yourself a third of the cost and buy your souvenirs on a more affordable island,” she says.
Followers of her page discussed their thoughts and knowledge of the Greek islands and one asked if there are Uber taxis rather than the normal local ones. Another replied: “No Uber but have something called BEAT which is basically the same thing. We used it a lot and it was very affordable.” A local backed this up and said: “As a Greek, only use beat for taxis and use them for short distances.”
However, lots of people disagreed with her opinion on the ferries and thought there must have been some kind of error. “The tickets for the ferries are not a scam, there was probably a mistake, did you ask them to change them at the reception of the ship?” one asked. Another concurred: “Totally agreed, a mistake is not a scam.” A third remarked: “The booths do not scam you girl u probs just chose the wrong ticket.” While another who claimed to have worked on the ferries said: “I’m so sorry about the one with the tickets but I have worked at a booth and never had we sold different ones!! I tend to believe it was a mistake.”
When it came to shopping, one follower asked what islands are more affordable, to which a local resident replied: “Cheap islands: Samos (my island), Ikaria, Fourni, Chios, Lesbos, Psara, Spetses and then some VERY small ones.” Someone else offered: “Paros and Antiparos are expensive. As an islander, these islands are hella expensive.”
If you’ve visited the Greek islands tell us which is your favourite in the comments below and why.