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What is the ‘Greek Islands’ Travel Hack?

13 December 2024
What is the ‘Greek Islands’ Travel Hack?

What if I told you there was a common flight booking trick that could save you thousands of dollars when you are crossing a country or an ocean? It’s called the Greek Islands Trick.

Why is it called the ‘Greek Islands Trick’? This travel hack refers to a strategy where you book a cheap flight to Athens, the mainland of Greece, and then use a separate travel method (short, regional flight, ferry, etc.) to get to your desired Greek island. 

Essentially, the Greek Islands Trick is about getting a killer deal on the long portion of your travel as long as you land somewhere where you can book any method of travel to your final destination. 

Here’s an example:

Say you want to go to Glasgow, Scotland, and you live in Los Angeles, California. You’ll do well by finding a round-trip ticket to London, then hop on a regional carrier or high-speed train for the last leg. You’ll save money on a well-traveled route across the ocean rather than trying to force the complete route to your final destination on a single carrier. 

Here are some more examples:

  • Flying into Paris and taking the train to Brussels.
  • Landing in Bangkok and taking a budget airline to Phuket.

Here’s what every traveler should know about this useful hack.

Why you should try the Greek Islands Hack

Beyond the obvious reason of saving money, there are several reasons you should try this travel hack:

  • You can add in a little ‘extra’ travel. The longest flight can land you in a place you’ve always wanted to visit. Plan a longer layover and explore the stopover location before heading to your final destination.
  • You have time to plan. If you find a great price on a flight to a hub well-connected to other cities, buy it. Then, you have time to figure out the remaining logistics.
  • Your body will thank you. Jet lag is no joke, and breaking up the flights will give your body time to catch up.

The Greek Islands trick gives you a lot of flexibility. Once you snag that long flight, the rest is filling in the dots.

What to know before you use this trick

It’s important to understand that using this trick comes with a side dash of caution. If you’re using flights to get to and from the final destination, the airline(s) will not know about the other tickets. If one flight is delayed, it can start a chain reaction disaster depending on how much time you give yourself.

Here are some tips for using this travel hack right:

  • Give yourself plenty of time between flights or trains, etc., including the time needed to collect checked bags if you do that to yourself.
  • Carefully check the airport codes. If your cheap long-haul flight lands at one airport and the second one flies out of another across the city, you’ll need a plan to get there. 
  • Plan extra time for immigration and customs. The officers don’t know (or care) that you are entering the country simply to leave again. Give yourself loads of time to get through immigration and customs and go back through security again.

Be sure to check the paperwork required to enter and leave the first stop on your trip. Again, they don’t know or care that you are entering just to leave, and you don’t want to get stuck there without the proper paperwork.

When not to use the Greek Islands hack

While the Greek Islands Trick is a useful trip-planning tool, there are some scenarios where implementing this hack is not ideal:

  • When the traveler has limited time and can’t afford long layovers.
  • If the layover city has strict visa requirements or expensive entry fees.
  • If the cost of the second leg is too high.
  • If the traveler doesn’t have time to do the extra planning it takes.

The Greek Islands Trick is also not recommended when you must check baggage. The extra time it takes to claim your bags and get them on the next carrier can be too risky, not to mention the added cost.

How to use the Greek Islands Trick

Essentially, there are two steps to implementing the trick:

  1. Book a ticket for the least expensive international fare across the ocean or continent you want to visit.
  2. Book a second fare on a local carrier or train, ferry, or bus to get where you want to be.

This multi-step approach does require more logistical planning, but the benefits are worth it.

Here’s how to use Google Flights to find the cheapest international/intercontinental fare:

  1. Once you’ve entered your starting place and desired destination, click Search.
  2. Don’t look at any of the fares yet – and don’t get scared! 
  3. Click the Explore button to see a map with flight prices. Clicking each of the airplane icons will show you the current price to fly there. 

Look for destinations near where you want to go, then open another browser window and check the fares from each intermediary destination to your final destination.

If Valencia is the place you want to end up, for example, flying into Madrid and then taking a bullet train for $47 is a lot cheaper than paying full price to fly directly to Valencia. If you have time, you can even add a stopover of a day or two to explore Madrid.

Damian Tysdal
Author
DamianTysdal

Damian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip, and is a licensed agent for travel insurance (MA 1883287). He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006.

Damian Tysdal is the founder of CoverTrip, and is a licensed agent for travel insurance (MA 1883287). He believes travel insurance should be easier to understand, and started the first travel insurance blog in 2006.