Should I cancel my holiday to Greece?

August 7, 2021 7:48 AM

We planned a group trip to Western Greece next week, but wildfires abound.

I'm hesitant to go on this trip but then again, I'm a "worst case scenario" type. The rest of the gang is up for it. One party is already there. The Greek government has a map designating wildfire risk, but it seems to only be an immediate forecast. We're staying for ten days on a large island, which seems to me just more likely to go up in flames. We are in an isolated spot, though with a car. Temperatures there are not bad, in the early thirties. Am I being paranoid?

posted by kolendra to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (15 answers total)

perhaps relevant?
posted by melamakarona at 8:13 AM on August 7, 2021

I think so long as you stay aware of the situation and follow instructions from the local authorities, your chances of, like, dying in a fire are very low; your chances of needing to leave (potentially being evacuated and losing all or some of your luggage) are higher, and your chances of encountering poor air quality are higher still.

It's a vacation, it's supposed to be fun, don't go if you're going to be constantly checking your phone for alerts and scanning the horizon for smoke.
posted by mskyle at 8:27 AM on August 7, 2021 [4 favorites]

We're staying for ten days on a large island, which seems to me just more likely to go up in flames.

What leads you to believe this?
posted by DarlingBri at 10:09 AM on August 7, 2021

Response by poster: What leads you to believe this?

More forest cover, particularly where we are.
posted by kolendra at 10:16 AM on August 7, 2021

I don’t know where you’re traveling from, but if you’re considering COVID, Greece is now on the US do not travel list.
posted by FencingGal at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2021 [3 favorites]

Just met some people returned from greece yesterday. They said even on the island they staid on it was too hot to have break fast outside and air quality was poor overall, smell of smoke indoors.
posted by 15L06 at 10:36 AM on August 7, 2021 [1 favorite]

Checked which island, they were on Euboea. Also return travel was horrible, flight delayed for many hours and inside Athens airport it was unbearably stuffy, and they had to remain masked. Outside was worse due to smoke. Personally i would not go.
posted by 15L06 at 11:39 AM on August 7, 2021

@15LO6: Euboia / Evia is not in Western Greece and is the site of one of the worst, if not the worst fires. This doesn't have much to do with the OPs question, except maybe the bit about Athens Airport.
posted by melamakarona at 1:20 PM on August 7, 2021

It really depends on your tolerance for risk. I would absolutely cancel my trip. The heat (which makes additional fires more likely), plus the existing wildfires, plus Covid would be too much for me personally. But you don’t need an Internet stranger to tell you it’s OK to cancel or that it’s OK to go. It doesn’t really matter what other people have decided. It helps if, like me, you don’t really care what other people think. If something feels too risky to me, then I wish my friends well and just bow out. That’s because I know I won’t have a good time because I’ll spend most of my trip being anxious. And that’s not my definition of a vacation. Good luck!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:41 PM on August 7, 2021 [3 favorites]

Beyond personal risk, other factors to consider are whether, in case of fire, your being there could pose an added burden to emergency responders or anyone else, and whether flights out are likely to be affected. Also, as mentioned above, Greece is currently in the midst of a big wave of covid infections.
posted by trig at 3:03 PM on August 7, 2021 [5 favorites]

Californian here, which I mention as we hit our 3rd straight year of horrific wildfires. I'd probably say go but it depends why you're hesitant.

Are you worried about the physical danger of being surrounded by fire? Fires like this do not usually cause a big loss of life. It's the property damage and the fact that it takes heroic efforts by people fighting it that matter. Obviously if the area you're in gets evacuated you won't have the vacation you planned.

If you're on an island not currently burning the fire isn't going to "jump," obviously, so the risk is all driven by hot, dry weather (which is us every year, part of the reason I'd lean towards going.)

If you're worried about adding to the burden on locals, I'd say everyone not directly impacted is trying to go about their lives. They don't shut down because there are fires a few hundred miles away so most would rather have your tourism dollars..

But air quality is probably going to be bad--possibly really, really bad. If I wanted an active vacation (biking, swimming, etc.) and I could reschedule I probably would. Hanging out with friends in a rented house? Impossible to get everyone together again later? I'd probably go.
posted by mark k at 6:13 PM on August 7, 2021 [3 favorites]

I live in the Peloponnese and have recently returned from a short holiday in the Mani on the western side. It really depends what you’re worried about, as others have said above, and where specifically you are going. I’d be inclined to skip if the island is sort of small and already battling fires. Otherwise the main issue is air quality. I went out in Athens two days ago and while you can’t smell the fire, walking around outside gave me a terrible headache and sore throat. But you know, that was really very close to several big fires and it was dumb of me not to wear my n95 outside. (Nobody on the street was doing it so I thought it was okay.) All in all, it’s probably okay but it’s certainly not an ideal time.
posted by Concordia at 2:33 AM on August 8, 2021 [1 favorite]

It is perhaps also worth mentioning that in the last couple of days, other European countries have sent firefighters and equipment to Greece to help out with the fires. There is an English version of one of the daily newspapers here: www.ekathimerini.gr
posted by melamakarona at 12:19 PM on August 8, 2021 [3 favorites]

That URL didn't work for me; try https://www.ekathimerini.com if you have the same problem. Great idea, though.
posted by Bella Donna at 12:26 PM on August 8, 2021

Ah, sorry, got it mixed up with greek version at kathimerini.gr
posted by melamakarona at 1:50 PM on August 8, 2021