A gap year in Greece
Gap years in Greece
Greece! The land of happy hour, photograph menus, and drunken teenagers looking for summer romance. Or... the land of rocky mountains, olive groves, swooping eagles and sea turtle hatchlings. Whatever your impression of Greece, a Gap Year will give you the chance to confirm or change it. Don’t forget – there’s a reason that Greece became the tour operator’s favourite... so why not come and find it? Anyone who fancies a gap year full of windsurf and ouzo, step this way.
Gap Year Opportunities
Conservationists will find plenty of opportunities for voluntary work on the beautiful Greek islands. Greece has a diverse wildlife population, including deer, wolves, snakes, sea turtles, eagles, hawks and vultures. Want to work in the wilds? Avoid the seaside resorts (wild though they may be). Study and help protect the sea turtle population, track wild wolves, or work in a wildlife hospital – look for a package that includes free or discounted accommodation.
Watersports enthusiasts, look no further – you can learn to sail, windsurf or instruct in Greece. It’s flipping gorgeous, no matter how many fat Brits live here. Turquoise oceans, serene Mediterranean winds and challenging currents – wonderful for watersports of all kinds. Schools in Rhodes, Poros, Skiathos and Kos offer water-skiing, sailing, windsurfing, snorkelling and diving courses.
Getting Around
Bus (leofori'o) and train (tre'no). These will become your friends during a year in Greece – you’ll soon pick up the terms used to find the right platform and get off at the right destination. From Athens, it’s easy to get to Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey by rail; hop on a bus, and you can get as far as Istanbul, Paris or Sofia.
Hiring a car is horribly expensive and the bus and train systems are so good that you can explore most of the country and its islands without needing to show your driving licence. In Athens, unless you’re travelling with a native, it’s better to stick to the Metro –announcements and signs in Greek and English make it easier to find your destination (while the city’s bus system is notoriously tricky to navigate).
About Greece
Greece has seen rising salaries, decreasing unemployment and lower inflation in the last few years, and has managed to stabilise its economy very successfully. It has a moderately wealthy population with a GDP per capita at £16k (which comes close to the UK’s £17k). Today, the Greek economy is driven by tourism, shipping, and agriculture – with 70% of the national income deriving from the tourist industry, 12% from agriculture, and 13% from manufacturing (which mostly covers the production of olives and other food products).
Culturally, Greece is pretty well-off, too – aside from all the museums, you’ll find plenty of music and art to enjoy during your time off. Traditionally, music has always been an important part of Greek life – the ancients listened to lyre, Byzantiums chanted, and Ottoman Greeks loved easy-listening. The modern scene reflects all those influences: whatever type of music you like, you’ll discover new heroes of the world classical (Theodorakis), easy listening (Nana Mouskouri or Yanni) and new-style folk (Despina Vandi or Sarbel) music scene.
What to see in Greece
Athens is your introduction to ancient Greece, and history buffs will be in their element. Visit the Acropolis and the Parthenon, the National Archaeological Museum, and the Museum of Engravings and Graphic Arts.
Liberally scattered with historical monuments and grand stadiums, every part of Greece holds historic treasure – if you look. There’s the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Athens, heavenly Delphi, the Epidaurus Theatre and Olympia – where, in 1896, the world’s first Olympics was held.