Trip Details:
Type of Trip: Semi-escorted, 10-Days through MyTourExpert (mytourexpert.com)
Month Visited and Temperature: End of September/first of October. Mid 60s to low 70 F (18-21 C)
Cities Visited: Athens, Crete, and Santorini
What to Wear?
Greece is slightly conservative when it comes to clothing, so please be respectful of that. What does that mean? There are exceptions for everything but generally, NO swimsuits in restaurants/bars, wear shoes (no bare feet) outside of the beach, NO short shorts or tube tops, cover your shoulders and legs if visiting a religious location. The Greek tend to dress up a bit a night when dinning out.
Note: In Santorini, be prepared for stairs and more stairs. The island has a beach side and a cliff side. The cliff side is chopped full of stairs, so keep that in mind for all that you do (e.g. shoes, luggage, drinking, etc.). In Athens, there were a few locations that had stairs to contend with (Parthenon) but nothing too taxing.
Luggage: For this trip we each took one (1) 24” soft-side wheeled suitcase as our checked bag and one (1) smaller personal size bag that we carried on to the plane. I would NOT take that size bag with me again to Santorini; I would stick to a lightweight carry-on. Depending on where you arrive (ferry or airport) and where you are staying you will have stairs to content with (major thank you to the guide who managed our luggage from the ferry to the hotel!). Keep it light and self-manageable.
Note: Suitcase zipper broke in Santorini. Thankfully I was able to find a locking luggage strap, now I always pack one for any bag I check.
Note: Do not forget your TSA approved luggage lock(s).
Personal carry-on bag contained: sweatpants, one (1) pair of undies, travel slippers/socks, blowup travel pillow, cashmere travel wrap, earplugs, earphones, Kindle, snacks, glasses/contact, and toothbrush/paste. Highly recommend a change of clothes in your carry-on if you check a bag.
Toiletries: Even though we checked a bag, we streamlined our toiletry bags to essentials. There was no need to bring a hairdryer as the hotels had them, either in the room or via the front desk.
Note: Most of European hotels do not supply washcloths, so if you need them for your trip you will need to pack them. I have packed old washcloths and tossed them. You can also buy a pack of 6-8 inexpensive ($3-5) ones at Target or compressed towels (just add water) from Amazon.
Note: Do not forget to pack a European plug adapter(s) and a converter.
Samsonite 24″ soft-side suitcase (checked bag), two-wheels
Athens
Packing List:
Because this trip was combined with a visit to Turkey, which was cooler, we packed a bit more to accommodate the weather. Below is a list of the items we packed:
3-4 Short sleeve t-shirts/tank
1-2 Long sleeve t-shirts
4 Pairs of pants (one (1) dressy black pair, two (2) linen, one (1) denim)
11 Undies
2-3 Bras
10 Pairs of socks
2 Pairs of PJs
1 Pair of sweatpants
2 Pairs of shoes (one (1) pair of ankle boots and one (1) sandals)
1 Lightweight utility jacket
1 Lightweight scarf
1 Crossbody anti-thief handbag (Pacsafe in black)
This trip was before packing cubes became a thing. Also, we did not choose to do laundry during this trip.
Toiletry Kit:
Streamlined makeup
Travel shampoo & conditioner
Travel toothpaste
Toothbrush
Deodorant
Lotion
Moisturizer
Contact solution, case, and drops
Tweezer
Small sewing kit
Q-tips
Hair twisty and clip
Door stopper (for hotel security)
Razor
Glasses
Alarm clock
Alpha Travel Kit from Tumi (one of Nicole’s favorite toiletry kits)
Small First Aid Kit:
This is jammed pack with a few of everything. Band aids/plastics, tummy medicine, allergy medicine, aspirin, antibiotic gel, flu medicine, etc. I leave this packed and in my toiletry kit.
Electronics Case:
Kindle
Camera
Phone power cords