What You Need To Do Before Going To Athens, Greece
If you are booking a trip to Athens, Greece, you are fortunate enough to be in for the trip of a lifetime. Athens is one of the most beautiful cities in the Mediterranean and is filled with history. The history is both ancient and modern. You can see everything from ancient ruins such as the Parthenon to remnants of the country when it was part of the Ottoman Empire.
There are certain things you need to do in order to prepare for your travel to Greece. You will have to do the following:
Get a valid passport
If you do not have a passport, you will need to apply for one before booking your trip as it can take several weeks to get this document. You will need proof of citizenship such as an original birth certificate in order to obtain your United States passport. You will also need other identification as well. A current passport photograph must be attached to your application. You can apply for a United States passport at your local post office.
Get an international driver license
If you are planning on renting a car in Athens, Greece, you should have an international driver's license. You can apply for this document at your local DMV once you have your passport. An international driver's license is not difficult to obtain and will enable you to rent a car in other countries including Greece.
Get immunized
Make sure that you are up to date on all immunizations when going to Greece. Your doctor will know if you need inoculations for any illnesses prior to your trip. Greece is a modern European country and does not have third world illnesses so you need not worry about catching Malaria or other deadly illnesses, but should make sure that you are up to date on all immunizations and are ready for the plane trip.
Learn a few phrases
Learn to say "please" (sega-poo) and "thank you" (eff-ga-tis-toh) in Greek. While most of the tourist areas have people who speak English, it helps if you know a few key phrases in Greek. The standard greeting in Greek it "ta-kan-ees" which means "how are you." "Ca-la" means "fine, or good." No is "oy-kee," yes is "neh," and okay is "doxie." It will not hurt to learn these simple phrases and you are sure to charm your hosts at least with your efforts to learn their language.
Learn currency differences
Greece uses the Euro so you can easily convert it to the American dollar. The exchange rate between the dollar and Euro fluctuates each day, for now they are nearly even.
Because you do not need a visa to go to Athens, Greece it is easy to make last minute plans to visit this exciting city. Enjoy your trip to Athens, Greece!