Ask any Greek and we’ll tell you philosophy started with Thales in 624BCE (just about predating Confucius and Buddha). It’s important to have a philosophy on life, especially when trying to get a perspective on life’s big questions like ‘why are we here?’ So, with World Travel Market just around the corner, we thought it was time to deeply consider how various philosophies might be applied to the biggest travel event on the planet.

WTM AND HEDONISM

Many would argue that travel and holidays are all about hedonism and that is the true purpose and outcome of WTM. In which case approach the three days in total party mode, eating, drinking and being merry. Caution though, following this path has been known to lead to a hangover.

WTM AND TAOISM

More passive than active Tao simply means ‘the way’. It requires minimal effort – Toaists at WTM will simply be there because ‘that is what we do’. You’ll find them drinking green tea in a corner of the Asian Pavilion.

WTM AND CONFUCIANISM

Those who walk in the footsteps of Confucius to ExCel will be there because it is their duty to be there, as told to them by their mother and father, who almost certainly owned a travel agency back in the days when airlines paid commission.

WTM AND BUDDHISM

Of all philosophies, few align with travel so much as Buddhism – after all the journey of continual birth and rebirth very much informs the transmogrification from a short haul coach trip to Benidorm in the 1970s to an examination of the temples of Angkor Wat last summer. Eventually, given time, what goes around will come around (hopefully on an open-jaw ticket).

WTM AND STOICISM

Stoics hardly ever put in an appearance at WTM – with the belief that they have no control over anything they spend their time patiently waiting with fortitude to receive the new biometric passport that is forever ‘in the post’.

WTM AND SCEPTICISM

Yeah, yeah, yeah Socrates – nothing is for certain. Does Bali High really exist? Is the earth round? Does Bernoulli’s theorem really show that aircraft can fly? Isn’t travel really just a figment of somebody’s website? (That’s enough scepticism for now!).

WHAT’S OUR PHILOSOPHY FOR BEING AT WTM?

WE HAVE A BLENDED PRAGMATIST, FREUDIAN AND EXISTENTIALIST APPROACH!

On the one hand we’re pragmatists – we are enablers, doing what we can do to make travel and exploration happen in Greece and elsewhere in the world. The experience is everything and for us at WTM our approach is Freudian – let’s talk about it until we get things resolved and remove all the angst.

But most of all we’re existentialists. If we had one mantra it would be:

I TRAVEL, THEREFORE I AM

Whatever your philosophy at WTM if you would like to discuss exploring Greece by land or sea, or about exploring French Polynesia, or chartering a yacht, we’d love to spend some time with you on stand S12-430 and talk travel.

WHENEVER YOU WANT TO EXPLORE GREECE, WE’RE HERE TO HELP

We are your local expert in Greece. If ypou want to set up a meeting at WTM to discuss how we can help simply email:
diogenis@egh.travel

NB: there was a famous Diogenis, at the time of Alexander the Great,  who was a cynic. Just on a small point of philosophical clarification, our man Diogenis has a much more ‘I travel therefore I am’ approach to life.

Or call us on +(30) 21620 20021.

We love September in Greece. Most of the world is back to work, and the families and crowds that cause long queues at our World Heritage sites seem to have evaporated. The tight heat of July and August is past and you get the feeling there is room to breathe again. Having said that the evenings are still balmy and warm and eating al fresco at the pavement tavernas and restaurants, whether in the city or at an island waterfront, is a lot more laid back. The great news is that it will stay this way until at least the end of October – Greece may be cool (in every sense of the word) but summer lingers longer.

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT GREECE

We’re often asked ‘what is the best month to visit Greece?’ The answer very much depends upon what you want to do when you get here. For those who are young and want to come for a beach holiday, or who have a family and are tied to school holidays, the obvious choice is July and August. Those are the hot ‘dog days’ of summer when the daytime highs rise to about 33°c (mid 80s f) and evening temperatures hover around the low 20s c (70s f).

ALL THE CULTURE – NO SWEAT!

Older visitors and, in particular, culture vultures tend to come either side of ‘high summer’. The moveable feast that is Easter is traditionally the start of the tourist season, especially for cruising. The seas are pretty calm, you get a lovely cooling breeze as your vessel cuts through the deep blue Aegean sea and the next stop on your island-hopping adventure appears over the horizon. Upon arrival you’ll find the ancient sites and sights less crowded and less steamy. April and May offer the best climate for exploration and a lot of greenery and flowers into the bargain. June is a lovely month but due to climate change it’s been getting warmer year on year – some years we have a late spring, others an early summer.

BUT NOW IS OUR FAVOURITE TIME OF YEAR

September and October may not be as green as early spring but by now the olive boughs and orange trees are laden with fruit, and grapes hang heavy on the vines. This is the best time of year to swim in seas which have been warmed steadily through the hot months until the water is almost skin temperature. It’s generally a mellow time as people relax after the busy tourist season. It’s also a time of industry – the olive oil and wine presses start to turn out the liquid gold and ruby red that runs through every Greek’s veins. This is the season of village festivals and dancing as life slows down, the nights get longer, and we prepare for winter.

WHENEVER YOU WANT TO EXPLORE GREECE, WE’RE HERE TO HELP

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

Today sees the start of the Olympic Games, a festival of hundreds of events across 32 sports in Paris. Interestingly we’re back where the modern day Olympics started when, in 1896, Frenchman Baron de Coubertin recreated the fabulous ancient Greek event which ceased to be sometime around 400 CE. This year contestants from more than 200 countries will participate in arenas from Paris to (amazingly) Tahiti – yes, French Polynesia still counts as France and they are holding the surfing events there.

BACK IN THE DAY IT WAS SMALLER BUT JUST AS IMPORTANT

Essentially the ancient games were a religious event honouring mighty Zeus and the sporting events were completed alongside sacrifices. Winners received a wreath made from a sacred laurel tree within the grounds at the Temple of Zeus. Legend had it that the first Olympic champion was Koroibos, a baker from nearby Elis who triumphed in the 600 feet (not quite 200m) sprint. Presumably fuelled by his own baklava!

OLYMPIA IS A WONDERFUL PLACE TO VISIT AND WE CAN TAKE YOU THERE

The relics at Olympia are a wonderful thing to see and one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. The amazingly well-preserved original Olympic Park, track and stadium have been very sympathetically excavated and the museum is a culture vulture’s delight. Quite rightly it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and we would put it on anybody’s ‘must visit’ list. You don’t need to be an Olympic athlete to be on track!

IT’S AN EASY DRIVE FROM ATHENS

You can easily visit Olympia from Athens and you can do it in a day – it’s an 11-12 hour round trip but well worth the effort if that’s all the time you have available. That makes it a flying visit worthy of the speedy Koroibos, but it’s also great to combine it with other iconic sites such as Delphi, Mycenae and Epidaurus on a road trip of the Peloponnese with an overnight or two in charming local 3 and 4 star hotels en route.

A FEW HOURS CAN TURN THE CLOCK BACK CENTURIES

Athens is an incredible base from which to explore Greece by all points of the compass, whether by road or sea or local flights. It’s our back yard in which we can turn the clock back just a short drive or a short cruise away. Come and explore it with us as your guide.

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

IF YOU NEED A HOLIDAY MUSE, NOWHERE IS MORE INSPIRING THAN GREECE

Creative people often talk about needing a ‘muse’ to get their best ideas and inspire their greatest work. Travel agents and tour operators are no exception – the world is a big place, and they can’t see it all. If you’re looking to explore new holiday ideas there’s no better starting point than Greece.

THE NINE GREEK MUSES

Not everybody realises that ‘the Muses’, celebrated as the personifications of knowledge and the arts, especially poetry, literature, dance and music, were figures from Greek legend. In ancient times there were 9 of them, all daughters of the great God Zeus and Mnemosine – Goddess of Memory and Poem. They presented themselves to mortals as water nymphs.

INSPIRATION WAS THE FAMILY BUSINESS

Whilst today we are more likely to come across them in words like ‘museum’ or ‘music’, and so too ‘amusement’, back in antiquity being a Muse was a family business. The sister that is probably most probably talked about in common parlance these days is Terpsichore who is the Muse of dance. But in Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Taalia and Uranus, we Greeks can tick the inspiration boxes from history, through rhetoric and comedy, to theatre and poetry.

SITES AND SIGHTS THAT WILL INSPIRE YOU

Throughout Greece and her islands sites and sights of antiquity yet celebrate the nine sisters. Indeed the famous theatre at Epidaurus on the Peloponnese still stages plays, dance, and every year holds a festival. The theatre can seat up to 15,000 in the audience. The acoustics are perfect and it is such an inspiring atmosphere that the main stage is a favourite place for suitors to propose marriage to a hoped-for intended high in the terraced seating.

NEED IDEAS? LET US DO THE HEAVY LIFTING

Just like the nine Muses we’re a family business that has been providing travel, cultural, and holiday ideas for 75 years. We can organise anything and everything you need around a Greek holiday. Give us a call and we’ll give you all the ideas you need.

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

In most of the world we’re coming up to Easter, the most important religious festival in the Christian calendar. Actually that’s not the case here in Greece as the Orthodox church still uses the Julian Calendar – Greek Easter is at the start of May this year. But it seems a good time to tell you about the new religious tour we’ve added to our portfolio of Greek travel experiences.

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. PAUL

Of the 12 disciples of Jesus who became apostles St. Paul is one of the most important. Following the crucifixion and resurrection Paul travelled extensively around the shores and through the islands of the Eastern Mediterranean spreading the Gospel and establishing at least 14 churches during his journeys. He appears in the book of ‘Acts’ in the New Testament but is particularly famous for his ‘Epistles’ or ‘letters’, which are normally appended at the end of the Bible.

NO SMALL MATTER

In theological terms the Saint’s teachings are known as ‘Pauline doctrine’. Interestingly the word or name Pauline comes from an old French word meaning ‘small’. But Paul’s journeys were no small matter and he ticked off some notable cities on his visits – many of which we include in our new religious tour ‘In the Wake and Footsteps of St. Paul’. We needed to use both ‘wake’ and ‘footsteps’ as part of his journeys were on foot and part by boat.

ATHENS, THESSALONIKI, CORINTH, EPHESUS, AND MORE

The trip we have curated is a religious ‘tour de force’. Paul is known to have lived and preached in major Greek cities of his time. He is particularly know for his relationship with Corinth which, in antiquity, was Greece’s second most populous community. He later wrote two famous Epistles to the Christians there. However he also spent time and preached in Thessaloniki, Athens and Ephesus.

OTHER SIGHTS AND SITES ALONG THE WAY

In following Paul we pass close to other religious wonders which are simply too good to miss. So we naturally stop off at Meteora and see the monasteries and visit Delphi to hear about more ancient Gods. The optional cruise section of the tour, which takes you to Ephesus, includes a visit to the religious delight that is Patmos. The cruise itinerary also calls at Santorini, Mykonos, and Heraklion on Crete.

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

IT’S THE RACE ON EVERY MARATHON RUNNER’S BUCKET LIST – DON’T MISS OUT

The Athens Marathon is a world classic, run largely along the route taken by the Greek soldier Pheippides when racing to announce victory over the Persians at the Battle of Marathon in 490 BCE. It’s one of the toughest courses in the world, climbing over 332m (over 1,000 feet).  As one of the most spectacular events of its kind in the world it has rightly become a ‘must-do’ challenge for every serious runner. There are also 5km and 10km road races

MAKE THE EARLY RUNNING

he 2023 events were a complete sell out and we fully expect 2024 to be the same. Race registrations open next month in April 2024 but the Athens Marathon Experience can be so much more than just a road-race. we recommend a package of 6 days duration that includes:

A special guided Historic City Discovery Run
A visit to Marathon to see the museum 
A guided tour along the race route with an experienced running coach
A ‘day-after’ wind-down cruise to three beautiful local islands
A guided city tour to see the Acropolis and Parthenon

3 star and 4 star accommodation is available, located near the city centre within easy reach of the tavernas and restaurants of the famous Plaka neighbourhood.

MAKE A DATE WITH THE ATHENS MARATHON – SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10th 2024

The 2024 running takes place on November 10th so now is the time to start applying for race places. Mail your client database as you almost certainly have some keen runners on there, and runners always have running buddies.

Group registrations and entries are available for 10 people upward. Why not reach out to your local running clubs and offer to put a package together – it might introduce a whole new range of clients to your business. 

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING GREEK

We have a great tradition in Greece when we sit down to welcome friends to a meal – we take a small portion of the tastiest dishes from our amazing heritage and put them all on the table at the same time. We call it Meze, literally a taste or a bite, a mouthwatering combination of flavours and spices perfect for sharing.

ON HOLIDAY YOU EAT WITH YOUR EYES

According to the famous ancient Roman gourmet Apicus, who wrote one of the first recorded cookbooks, ‘first you eat with your eyes’, and we certainly wouldn’t disagree. In fact we think the same is true about being on holiday in Greece which has some of the most attractive sights in the Mediterranean. By a quirk of homophonic grammar, many of which are also famous historic ‘sites’, some on the mainland and some on our islands.

A FEAST OF EXPLORATION

The great news is that, just like a Meze meal laid out on a dining table, it’s so easy to get between these various classic ‘morsels’ picking and choosing amongst your favourites or even trying all of them. Many are within easy reach of Athens by road, others reached in traditional island-hopping fashion by boat. No matter how big your appetite for exploration, our country and waters are a feast for the senses.

LET US GIVE YOU GREECE ON A PLATTER

From the ancient and classic to the Venetian and the Ottoman, through man-made wonders and natural beauty, from fast-food budget snack to extravagant 5-star a la carte, we can prepare a menu to suit every taste and budget. Let us take care of you and your customers and, just like a top-class Maitre D’, we’ll show the very finest flavours of Greece.  

Rest assured, we’ll also point you in the direction of our favourite restaurants for Meze!

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

SUMMER 2024 ALL CRUISES ARE ROMANTIC – THIS ONE ESPECIALLY SO

Few things in the world of travel are more romantic than hoisting sail and venturing out into the wild blue yonder on Homer’s legendary ‘wine dark’ Aegean sea. In Greece it’s been this way since the dawn of time – albeit the creature comforts you find on board these days are rather more superior and luxurious.

There’s something rather lovely about a small vessel. Well, there has to be as with no more than 4 cabins and 8 people on board (plus the skipper and host) you need to be fond of each other. This stunning ‘Big Cat’, Satyam Melody, is equally as wonderful and relaxed for honeymooners, a three-generation family, or a group of good friends. Romance, affection, fondness – what’s not to love?

CRUISE IN THE WAKE OF ROMANCE

Our cruise starts in Athens, named for Athena the Greek Goddess of Wisdom – so it’s a smart sort of place to kick-off from. The itinerary encompasses the Saronic Gulf, a stretch of beautiful water lying between the Attica and Argolis Peninsulas. En route we hop between the islands of Hydra, Spetses and Aegina and also call into Epidaurus, Poros and Ermioni on the Peloponnese mainland. These are places Odysseus would have called at, on his way home from the Trojan wars, in one of the most legendary love stories of all time – his 10 year journey back to find his wife Penelope.

BEST WISHES FOR VALENTINE’S DAY ET AL

Every day in Greece is someone’s ‘Name Day’ and, unsurprisingly, February 14^th is the name day of everybody called Valentine or Valentina. But today is also a moveable feast of celebrations – in other places around the world it’s National Library Lover’s Day, National Ferris Wheel Day, Pet Theft Awareness Day, and even National Cream-Filled Chocolate’s Day.

Somewhat rather more appropriately, it’s also National Flirting Week. So here’s a rose for you!

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.

SUMMER 2024 STARTS HERE

Typically, the tourist season starts in Greece at Easter. Well, Greek Orthodox Easter anyway. Here in Greece we work to the old fashion Julian calendar rather than the more globally used Gregorian one. That means Easter in Greece falls later than in most of the rest of the world. Technically it all depends on the date of the first full moon after the Jewish celebration of Passover, which is the festival that caused Christ to be in Jerusalem before the crucifixion. More practically in 2024 it falls on Sunday May 5^th, whilst Easter Sunday elsewhere is March 31st.

THE BEGINNINGS OF ORTHODOXY

The Orthodox church was founded following the Pentecost, by Christ’s apostles. Two interesting Greek words here – ‘orthodox’ means ‘right opinion’ and Pentecost means ‘fifty’. Traditionally the church was founded 50 days after Passover when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, and they found themselves speaking in foreign tongues so that they could go abroad and spread the word.

AS SURE AS EGGS IS RED

In family terms Greek orthodox Easter is rather like Thanksgiving in America – people tend to go back to their hometowns and villages and celebrate with their families. There are processions, feasts of spit-roast lamb, and flamboyant fireworks. And, of course, the traditional smashing of hard-boiled eggs that have been painted red to symbolise the blood of Christ and the cracking of his tomb for the resurrection. In Athens the celebrations are quite a spectacle.

TO CORINTH, IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. PAUL

St. Paul was one of the first apostles to travel to Greece, arriving in 50 CE and settling in the important provincial capital of Corinth, working as a tentmaker. He preached the Gospel to both the locals and the large Jewish community, in total visiting Corinth three times. The legacy of his Letters to the Corinthians are examples of some of the finest early scriptures. The history of Corinth goes back way beyond that and the site has been occupied since 6,500 BCE. It was a place of great strategic importance throughout the bronze ages, was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE, then rebuilt by Julius Caesar around 51 CE.

ENJOY A TWO-CENTRE EASTER BREAK

If you’re interested in Christianity, or religion at large for that matter, the great thing about Corinth is its proximity to Athens. That makes it easy to come for all the excitement of Easter in our wonderful capital and then drive east for just over an hour and visit both the ruins of old Corinth and the new city for a perfect two centre holiday. Or add more interesting Christian sites and make a week or two of it.

If you think and Easter with a difference would be interesting, why not take advantage of our egg-celent service?

YOUR INBOUND AGENT FOR ALL THINGS GREEK

For more information about our wide range of holidays & trips in Greece get in touch with our experienced team on our contact us page.

Or by calling +(30) 21620 20021.