The United States has asked for, and received, permission from Turkey to use airbases there to launch potential attacks against terrorist targets. No one yet knows how this will affect the region, or how frequently this permission will be used. Anticipate increased security in Turkey as well, which is often visited as part of Aegean island cruises. The brief shore visits to visit Ephesus or Istanbul may be limited or cancelled in the future. Other Turkish travel should continue as usual, depending on the degree of involvement in the region.

In a positive note, the Athens News Agency reports that many private Greek citizens have called the U.S. embassy to offer support and express outrage over this devastating act of terrorism.

The Athens Stock Exchange did open on Wednesday, though a closure had been likely. Most stocks lost value, despite official reassurances that the Greek economy is not overly dependent on the United States. At the end of the trading day, the ASE lost almost eight percent of its value. How much of this loss is related to the events in the U.S. is unclear, as the ASE lost over four percent of its value on Monday, in a slide which began well before Tuesday's attack. On Thursday, the ASE posted a slight gain, fostering hope that the downturn is over or slowing.

Have to Travel? Here's what to expect:

Airports in Greece are operating; however, there are still no flights to or from the U.S. as yet (Thursday). Other European flights are continuing; some European planes trapped in the United States will not yet be back in service. Obviously, airports and flight schedules will be a mess for some days to come. Several New York City area airports were the site of arrests today as apparent potential hijackers attempted to gain access to planes; the airports had been reopened for a few hours and then were abruptly closed for security reasons.

A major problem is that the planes still just aren't where they are supposed to be, necessitating massive relocations. Expect to delay virtually all travel plans for several more days. Don't expect scheduled flights in the U.S. to be operating as scheduled for at least that long. European international flights will be affected by the closure of airports in the U.S. and Canada; domestic flights should continue.

Also expect security to be extremely tight at the U.S. embassy and anywhere in Greece where there is a strong U.S. presence, including the Souda Bay facility on the island of Crete. U.S. companies operating in Greece will have increased security measures in place which may result in delays.

In times of heightened stress and attacks against the U.S., it is always a good idea when traveling in any foreign country to minimize your "Americanness" - this is not the time to be wearing U.S. flag-inspired clothing, clothing with logos of U.S. universities, or military-style fatigues.

The Greek government maintains friendly relations with the United States. There is no specific travel advisory against Greece, but U.S. citizens around the world are urged to use greater caution than usual. We all hope for a speedy resolution to this tragic situation.

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Some of The Best Greek Islands

Temple-crowned Aegina - Natural Alonissos - Traditional Carpathos - Chewy Chios - Cos, The Doctors' Island - Queenly Crete - Dignified Delos - Do it all on Donoussa - Hydra, Artist's Island - Odysseus' Ithaca - Kalokairi "Mamma Mia" Island - Spongy Kalymnos - Aphrodite's Kythira - Lesvos, More than Sappho - Lovely Leros - Mighty Mykonos - Paros Paradise - Pirate Islands - Pastoral Patmos - Volcanic Santorini - Sexy Skopelos - The Dreamy Small Cyclades - Easy Spetses - Symi Summers - Very Greek Syros - Honeyed Thassos - Tilos, Island of Elephants