6 tips for surviving a Greek transportation strike
As someone who has been stuck at the Athens airport during a strike just like today’s, I understand how frustrating it can be. No flights, trains, ferries, subways, buses… and a queue for a taxi that extends farther than you can see. Here are a few tips I’d have for someone in the same situation:
- Relax. If your flight is canceled, it’s canceled. Stressing about the situation is not going to get you to your destination on time. You are likely to get to your destination in the end - it will just take longer than you thought.
- Consider your options. Facing a 2-hour wait for a taxi, a fellow passenger and I came to the conclusion that we’d rather stay at the airport hotel than go all the way into Athens for the night, anyway (we were both hoping to catch early flights the next day). By splitting a room in the luxury hotel, we still managed to come out almost even financially, and the solution was a lot less stressful than the alternative.
- Buy yourself a little comfort. If there’s room in my budget, I often find that throwing a little money at a difficult situation is more than worth it in terms of stress relief. Splurging on anything from a luxury hotel (see above) to a pricey phone call home might help you keep your sanity when travel plans get out of control.
- Inform yourself. Find out when the strike ends, what your alternative activities and transportation methods are, and what you need to do to get moving when the strike is over. Don’t be afraid to ask for information from others around you. Hotel staff are usually very informative, as are travel agents.
- Consider your priorities. Are you on vacation? Then come up with a creative way to entertain yourself while stuck. Need to get something done for work? Find a hotel with a business center that can help you meet your needs. Interrupted travel plans don’t have to lead to a wasted day.
- Know it will end. One of the good things about most European strikes is that they have set begin and end times, so you won’t be stuck indefinitely. Eventually things will work out, so (back to my first point) relax!
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POSTED IN: Transportation in Europe, the Mediterranean
2 opinions for 6 tips for surviving a Greek transportation strike
Andrew
Mar 21, 2008 at 1:49 am
Where would you go to find the start and end times? I’ve checked BBC, etc. but it’s not easy to tell when these things will end. (I’m flying into ATH this afternoon, if the atc’s are back at work)
jul
Mar 23, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Hi Andrew - I hope your trip went smoothly. For this strike I had seen reported that it was scheduled to last only 24 hours (I realize I’m getting back to you way to late for this information to be useful…).
I’ve been frustrated about the lack of international reporting of useful information about strikes on multiple occasions. If I can’t find timely information online, I try to contact someone who’s likely to know what’s going on in the country where it’s going on. In a pinch you could try calling ahead to your hotel to see if they know anything, for example.
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