Where: Santorini, Greece

When: Early May, 2018

The Basics

Data Plan: €20 for a month on Vodafone

Insurance: €56 using AXA Schengen Travel Insurance

90-Day Tourist Schengen Visa: €58.59

Flight from Athens to Santorini: €25.69 after discount with RyanAir. There was a promotion, and I was on Exchange a few months back so I still had the 20% discount and free 20kg luggage, so double discounts! I bought this two months in advance.

Flights from Santorini to Athens: €16.52 with the same discounts above. I bought both this three months in advance.

Accommodation: €6.18 a night (score!) at 6-bedroom hostel Youth Hostel Anna, Perissa. I booked this with a cashback website called ShopBack and Booking.com three months in advance to save even more money and got €1.11 of cashback. But if you just booked on the spot it was still just €8 per night anyway. - €11.25

Walking through narrow streets and small steps at Emporio.

Day One

6.35 AM - I reached the small Santorini airport from Athens at 1 AM, and had to camp out at the airport until the first bus to Fira which is the central station (€1.80) and then from Fira to Perissa (€2.40). - €4.20

8.30 AM - Checked in the hostel, and joined two Americans to have omelettes for breakfast. This breakfast is ‘indulgent’ for me in Santorini, and you’ll know why once you see the rest of the food prices. - €6

1 PM - After chilling at Perissa Beach and getting to know these new travel friends, I decided to take a hike to a village to the West of Fira. Joined by one of my new friends, we’ve decided to take a hike all the way to the Southernmost area of Santorini called Akrotiri. Along the way we went to lesser known villages, including Emporio to see the white houses with no other tourists. We hiked for 3.5 hours to see the Akrotiri lighthouse and it was getting dark, so we hitchhiked with two other tourists from the UK which saved money and our aching feet.

8.45 PM - The couple we hitchhiked told us of a supermarket that has €2.95 local wine. We filled the an empty water bottle to the brim with white wine and spit the cost. - €1.32

9.30 PM - We were starving and I ordered a huge chicken dish and I couldn’t finish the entire plate (€9 - didn’t see the price, whoops). He ordered a €3 falafel pita and told me a tip for male travelers: eating with female travelers are the best because they’re generous and usually wouldn’t be able to finish their food. I nodded and passed him more of my fries. - €9

Daily Total: €20.52

Day Two

8 AM - You can’t drink the tap water in Santorini, so today I bought two litre bottles of water (€0.60 each) from the next door convenience store. My friend bought me a banana and I’ll snack on that and a granola bar my friend got me from his office pantry (the Google office has the best snacks) during today’s hike. - €1.20

11 AM - We took a bus from Perissa to Fira (€2.40) and started our hike from there. I bought more snacks (€1.50). Fira is packed with tourists and really nice shops. I was tempted to get some olive oil to bring home and was nearly swayed by the shopkeeper that said “Apa kabar?” (“How are you?” in Indonesian) but my will was strong… or more like I just brought enough cash for the day to stop myself from moments like these. Oh well, goodbye divine olive oil. - €3.90

3 PM - We took a very long and relaxed hike to Oia. After a snack break accompanied by The Mowgli’s Greek Tragedy (how apt), I treated myself to a ‘Special’ Greek Salad. The lady spoke no English but it turns out ‘Special’ meant a slab of feta cheese on top. After nearly a week in Athens before this, I learnt to really, really love feta. - €8

5 PM - We made it to Oia! This is what happens when you love to take photos, you take forever to reach a destination and I don’t mind it. Oia is packed, but thankfully we came in May and not in June or July when there’d be even more tourists. We found a cute bookstore called Atlantis Books (read more about it here, the place is amazing) and though I promised myself I wouldn’t buy things, I caved and bought a book by Seneca titled On the Shortness of Life - Life is Long if You Know How to Use It (€8). There was also a card by the window of Plato with cucumbers on his eyes (€3) and well it might have slipped into my purchases… oops. - €11

10 PM - After seeing the classic Oia sunset, we were trying to find the last bus to Fira but couldn’t find the stop. Luckily, the accordion player performing in the streets that my friend photographed and was kind to was in his car and we asked for a ride to Fira, and he happily obliged. With minimal English, he told us of life as a local in Santorini. Yet another reminder to be kind to everyone, because you’ll know - they might give you a helping hand. This saved us money from the bus to Fira. We then took the bus back to Perissa (€2.40) and while waiting, I bought a postcard (€0.30). - €2.70

11.30 PM - We haven’t had dinner so we went to the 24-hour bakery that’s a two minute walk away from our hostel. I got myself a feta and spinach pastry and bread with a beef patty inside. They were amazing. And cheap. My friend scored some free biscuits too. Locals are so kind, and when you’re traveling on a shoestring, their generosity means a lot. - €3.20

Daily Total: €30

The perks of pebble beaches like this one (Perissa Beach): no sand stuck in your pants for days.

Day Three

7 AM - We both practically passed out from the six hour hike last night. I decided to take an hour hike up to the Messavouno Mountain to see Ancient Thera, an ancient city named after the mythical ruler of the island, Theras, and was inhabited from the 9th century BC until 726 AD. It was a calm morning and there was nobody there at all. I met my friend again who was running up the hill. I used my student ID to get a discounted admission ticket to Ancient Thera (€2) and walked around the ruins. - €2

11 AM - I’ve just realized this: I’ve never spent a day at the beach doing nothing at all. So my friend and I decided to do exactly that. We went back to our beloved 24-hour bakery and I got myself some sort of baklava that’s not a baklava and a pizza bread (€4.70). Then we walked to the black pebble Perissa beach to read our books, talk, and nap under the sun. After a swim I felt peckish so I bought an overpriced can of Pringles and stopped myself from getting an Oreo ice cream sandwich (€3.50) - €8.20

5 PM - We had gyros at the next door restaurant (€2.60). Unwillingly, I packed my bags and said goodbye to all the cool folks I’ve met at the hostel. I bought a litre of bottled water (€0.60 - the 600ml one was €0.50 and it’d be silly to get that instead). I am terrible at staying hydrated when I travel. Then, I took the bus from Perissa to Fira (€2.40). - €5.60

7 PM - I had some time to kill at Fira so I walked around with my bags and stopped at a Greek frozen yogurt shop to mainly use their bathroom. I got myself a frozen yogurt with mangoes and really good honey (€4.50). Enjoyed every spoonful as I enjoyed the comfort of the outdoor seats and their wifi. So much better than standing up and waiting for the bus at the terminal. I took the bus to the airport (€1.80) and bid Santorini adieu. - €6.30

Daily Total: €22.10

Budgeting Takeaway: Hitchhiking

You can actually survive Santorini by hitchhiking and walking. It was my first time hitchhiking and I learnt to target those who look like tourists going back to their cars because they would understand where you’re coming from and happily help you. I usually save my energy by hiking first then hitchhiking for the return, and I’d try to look for people to help at tourist sites or restaurant parking lots. I think it’s harder to just stand by the road, especially at night. Bonus is they tell you great stories of where they’re from and if you’re lucky, they would offer you a place to stay whenever you’re in their hometown!

Travel Money Diaries: 3 Days in Santorini for less than €25 a day