From deTraci Regula,
Your Guide to Greece Travel.
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Sea, sand, sun, fun, and freedom defines Greece travel at its best. Just the term "Greek island hopping" conjures up these images.

But the reality is that "island-hopping" may not be for everyone, even the youngest and most freedom-loving. Truly independent travelers face cancelled ferries, missed connections, questionable rooms accepted when tired and hungry, and a number of other challenges. If you're on a limited time budget, island hopping starts to look out of the realm of possibility for most.

That's where Greek island-hopping tours come in. Offered by many companies and also put together on the spot by almost every travel agency in Greece, these trips avoid some of the bumps of truly independent travel, but retain some of the mostly-unscheduled freedom island-hoppers crave.

Greek Island Hopping Tours

Most Greek island hopping tours provide two things: hotel reservations and ferry tickets. The hotel generally provides breakfast, so that's included as an "extra". Often, at the beginning or the end of the "tour" there will be a half-day tour of Athens or a party night in the Plaka. But that's it. For the rest of the time, once you set foot on the island, your life is your own until the time on your ferry ticket.

And those ferry tickets can be interesting. Since Greek ferries can be somewhat irregular, especially in the off-season and periods of rough weather, financial or atmospheric, the tours offer the traveler some advantages. First of all, they will tend not to book ferries that they feel are likely to cancel. This may limit some island selections, but it also assures a smoother trip. And, if a ferry is cancelled and you do end up on an island a day longer than intended, they can extend your hotel reservation or find you another place for the night.

The Downside of Greek Island Hopping Tours

The only big difference in terms of freedom is that your moments to island-hop are decided for you. You can't just decide to stay one more day on this island and trim a day off of that island - that's not the way it works. But what you do with your time there is up to you.

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