Connecting on the Island of Ios in Greece: A Travel Story

Updated: 03/15/2019 | Original Posted: 5/25/2010 (Updated with new info on visiting Ios)

03/15/2019 | Original Posted: 5/25/2010 (Updated with new info on visiting Ios)

A few weeks from now, I turn one year closer to 30. It’s a reality that isn’t sitting well with me.

Thirty. It seems so old.

At the beginning of the year, I decided I’d spend the summer in Europe, with most of my time spent on the island of Ios in Greece.

During the summer months, the island becomes a haven for young backpackers seeking to soak up the sun, water, and the suds. I knew there wouldn’t be another chance to do this pre-30. It was time to do it now before I became that “dirty old backpacker.”

But like all the best-laid plans, this one fell through. I have to return to the US in June to speak at a conference, cutting my summer trip in half. Now there will be no spending the summer in Greece enjoying my “pre-30” crisis. My trip to the Greek islands will only last only a month before I move on to Italy, Hungary, and, finally, Sweden.

So, heavy heart in hand, I arrived in Ios more than two weeks ago to stay for four nights.

I stayed for seven.

Then, leaving for Santorini, I ended up returning two days later. I missed Ios too much. I stayed for another week before I left for Paros and Mykonos.

Now I’m back on Ios.

Again.

Pushing off the rest of my travels for some more precious time on this little rock.

I often talk about what travel is and what it means. What does it mean to travel? To backpack? Is one form better than the other?

Travel doesn’t fit into a box.

It’s a lot of things.

It’s more than seeing a place or a style of travel.

But one thing that permeates all discussions about the nature of travel is that, at the end of the day, travel is about making connections.

Not only with places, but with people, too.

Ios is a rocky plot of land with a main town growing like a vine up a pointy, church-topped hill with quintessential blue and white houses, small cobblestones lanes, and tiny storefronts. The island’s wide, yellow sand beaches are lapped by beckoning azure blue water. Small clusters of houses and terraced cliffs for wine and crops branch out from the main town. The island as a whole is a haven for young backpackers seeking to soak up the sun and to party.

There are more beautiful islands in Greece. (And, really, I prefer my islands to have more palm trees, jungle, and tropical fish.)

Ios’ main draw is still the partying, beaches, and crowds. I came for that because I wanted to party a summer away in Greece, but I stayed because of the connections I made with the people here on the island.

And I’m pulled back there because of those connections.

Arriving in May that year, before the crowds, I found most of the other backpackers there were looking for work. Ios’ economy in the summer runs on backpackers working the bars and restaurants in exchange for free food, drink, and enough money for a room.

I made friends with the owners of empty bars and restaurants. George at the Greek restaurant the Nest taught me some Greek. Alex from Blue Note Bar introduced me to a variety of Greek alcohol. Many nights, Demetri and Nicos from Slammers discussed the sad state of Greek politics with me over ouzo.

You meet a lot of people when you travel. Faces and names begin to blur after a while. You become friends on Facebook, but you rarely ever see each other again. I’ve met thousands of people on the road, but only a handful of people whose weddings I’ll attend and babies I’ll meet. It becomes a rare occurrence when you meet people you connect with on a deeper level.

It happened to me when I lived on the Thai island of Ko Lipe in 2006, where, four years later, all of us were having Christmas together. It happened on Haat Rin in 2007, where, two years later, I attended the wedding of my Australian friends.

It happened last year in Valencia, when three Americans, two Australians, and one Malaysian shared a dorm room for a week and clicked so well that people asked us how, when, and where we had became such good friends, given our different nationalities. “We just met three days ago,” we’d say to their astonishment.

And so again on Ios, a group of strangers came together and acted as though they’d known each other for years. Some will work the whole season on Ios. Others leave in a few weeks. Some stay half the summer. Some left before me.

But all of us impacted each other in some way, and each day I see a common update on Facebook from those who have already left: “I miss Ios.”

Most travelers stayed only a couple nights on Ios. They would party hard, sit on the beach, and, after a few days, stumble back onto the ferry, having checked Ios off their list.

My friends and I were here for the long term – them because they needed their travel plans depending on working and me because, having found a group of people I liked, saw no reason to leave. Staying put allowed us to create roots on a windy island where people blew in and out like leaves.

This was, at least temporarily, my family.

Days and nights together, we chatted little about our life back home and the memories there, and we laughed about our shared experiences. We gossiped over hookups, bickered over where to eat that night, traded book suggestions, and sparred over the politics of the Greek economic crisis.

Time is different on the road. Days feel like weeks and months like years. Two weeks on Ios felt like an eternity. When I left, people couldn’t believe I was only there for two weeks. To them, and to me, it felt much longer.

I don’t regret only spending two days on Santorini and Mykonos, though, because it gave me more time with friends on Ios. Now, I’m back and sad again I must say good-bye while they stay here.

Travel is about the people we meet more than the places we see.

And somewhere out there, other travelers are connecting and forming bonds that will last far into their futures, too. Somewhere in the world, they too are nicknaming themselves “a family” and just watching the world go by together…

4 Tips for Visiting Ios

Accommodation
When it comes to accommodation, expect to pay at least 30 EUR per night for a private room (and even more in the high-season). This will usually include a private bathroom, AC, a TV, and a mini-fridge. On Airbnb, shared rooms usually start around 15 EUR per night while entire homes/apartments can be rented for around 40-50 EUR per night.

Food
You can find gyros (meat, cheese, sauce, onions, and tomatoes served on pita bread) and other street food for only under 5 EUR. For a budget restaurant, expect meals to cost between 10-15 EUR, including a drink. For a mid-range restaurant meal, expect to pay almost double that. If you’re on a budget and want to cook your own meals, expect to pay 40-50 EUR per week for groceries (pasta, vegetables, chicken, and other basic foods).

Transportation
To get around the island, you can take the local bus. Just keep in mind that the local bus system only runs in the summer. Tickets cost 2 EUR and runs along the island’s main road. The local bus only runs until early evening after which you’ll need to take a taxi. More common for transportation are ATVs. You can rent ATVs for about 15-40 EUR per day to get to the beaches and parts of the island further afield.

To get to Ios you’ll need to take a ferry (there is no airport here). Ios can be reached best from Naxos, Santorini, Crete, and Piraeus (which is near Athens). Expect to pay at least 30 EUR for a one-way ticket from Piraeus to Ios for a basic economy seat. The journey will take between 4-8 hours depending on which ferry you take (the high-speed ferry will cost more but is much faster).

A one-way economy ticket from Santorini to Ios will cost around 13 EUR and takes around 1 hour.

Book Your Trip to Greece: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite places to stay are:

• Francesco’s – This family-run hostel has a pool, terrace, and gives you a free dirnk on arrival. What’s not to love?
• Far Out Beach Club – If you’re looking for a place to party on a budget, this is it. The hostel has a pool, bar, space for camping, and a non-stop party that goes until sunrise.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Want More Information on Greece?
Be sure to visit our robust destination guide on Ios for even more planning tips!

My Big Fat Greek Festival: The St. John's Festival on Ios

Posted: 07/05/2011 | July 5th, 2011

“Eat, it’s like deer,” Francesco said to me.

I was surrounded by little Greek ladies in black shawls with wooden canes, people doing traditional dances, kids running around, lots of wine, and cooked wild goat being shoved in my face.

Francesco, the owner of my hostel, had invited me to this festival of all things Greek. Francesco’s hostel is an institution on Ios. Everyone knows it. He and his wife remembered me from last year, and over the weeks, I’d become more and more integrated into the hostel family. It was like I worked there but didn’t have to do anything.

One night as I was turning up at the bar, Francesco asked me if I had any plans.

“You have any meetings now? What are you doing?” (It was 10 at night.)

“None, I’m just going to talk to people on the patio.”

“OK, I’m going to take you to the festival of St. John at the monastery in the mountains.”

“Uhh, sure.”

If there’s one thing people learn quickly on Ios, it’s that you never say no to Francesco. He has an imposing personality and is quite a big figure in the community. It may sound like he is asking, but he isn’t. Francesco has the great ability to phrase a command as a question.

Not that I would ever say no anyway. How could I skip an opportunity to have a truly Greek evening just to hang out with more tourists? I can do that any day. But the chance to be shown something like this? Wouldn’t dream of skipping it. This is the kind of stuff I travel for.

We headed up the mountain, me keeping my eyes shut as we veered along the tiny, winding mountain track in the dark. Francesco assured me we were fine, but I winced at every bump in the road. I don’t like heights, and I’m always afraid I’m going to tumble off the edge.

“You a city boy, huh? Don’t worry. I’ve been on these roads all my life!” he assured me.

Arriving at the festival at last, Francesco ushered me past the dancers and into the back garden of the tiny monastery. In front of me were Greek women cleaning large food bowls, as well as huge cooking pots heating soup and goat meat. Francesco grabbed me a bowl, poured some soup into it, and threw in some chunks of goat. I was merely a passive observer in this whole scene, following orders and doing what I was told.

I sat down at a table full of Greek men who looked at me inquisitively. Francesco said a few things in Greek, and the men smiled, making an eating gesture. They stared as I ate as I ate every bit of food, looking at me like I was an alien. Here I was, a stranger in their world, and these old, cigarette-smoking Greek men were enjoying it as much as I was.

I’d never had wild goat before. In fact, I don’t think I’d ever had any kind of goat before. It was delicious. Tender, falling off the bone, it tasted a lot like lamb. I don’t know what the soup was made of, but that too was good. It had a thick, rice-porridge consistency. The bread was thick and obviously homemade, soaking up the hot soup well.

After the soup came wine and bread, and then different cheeses — “from Ios.” The soft goat cheese I was given by an old Greek man was some of the milkiest and smoothest goat cheese I’ve ever had. I cleaned the whole plate as a small Greek grandmother with a wooden cane and black shawl stopped and watched.

I’d come to watch their festival, but in some ways, their festival was watching me. They didn’t speak much English and I speak no Greek, but I think they got the idea that I liked it.

After the meal and another glass of wine, I left the old patriarchs to go watch the dancing. Sadly, it was mostly over by the time I got there, but I did manage to watch a few traditional dances, as well as a few drunk Greeks making up some moves on the dance floor. I simply sat there watching it and enjoying the music. I noticed a few Greeks looking at me, unable to decide if I was a local (when tan, I look very Greek) or a foreigner.

As the band played on and the night got later, the crowd began to thin out. In the old days, they would have taken donkeys up to the monastery to stay the night. Now people stay until around midnight before driving back into town.

Francesco came and got me a little while later. It was time to go. “It’s good. You like it?”

“Yeah, it was the most cultural Greek thing I’ve done in my three trips to Greece.”

“Good. Write about it. It will make a better story than about you getting drunk with other backpackers. This is real Greece. Not that other bullshit.”

And you know what? He was right.

So I did.

Book Your Trip to Greece: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight to Greece by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines. Start with Momondo.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel in Greece with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates. (Here’s the proof.)

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. I never ever go on a trip without it. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. You should too.

Need Some Gear?
Check out our resource page for the best companies to use!

Want More Information on Greece?
Be sure to visit our robust destination tips on Greece for even more planning tips!