Summer Trips Growing Up: Greece vs Canada
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Growing up, summer vacation varied greatly depending on which motherland home I was visiting. My maternal grandfather is from Greece, and my maternal grandmother is from Canada—so summer never meant just one thing.
My first trips to both Greece and Canada happened before I even turned one. These trips were a constant throughout my entire childhood, and even now into adulthood, as I’m in my 20s.
Most summers, we alternated between Greece and Canada.
There were a couple of years where we did both in the same summer, which made for a very busy few months. We would still spend a minimum of six weeks in Greece, come home for about a week, and then pack up again to head to Canada.
Typically, Greece meant six to seven weeks away, while Canada was closer to a month total, with most of that time—about one to two weeks—spent at our family cabin.
I loved going to both places, and each came with its own positives and negatives.
Greece was exciting and felt like a big adventure, but it also meant missing out on friends back home and things like summer camp.
Canada was more manageable since we were usually only gone for about a month, but it meant not seeing my Greek friends and still missing summer events at home.
Packing for Summer
If we were visiting Greece, we were packing for essentially the entire summer. Light clothes, swimsuits, sandals—everything we needed to live mostly outdoors for months at a time.
If we were visiting Canada, we were visiting family all over British Columbia. There was no real luggage limit—just whatever could fit into my dad’s SUV. The focus was less on weight and more on size, since we had to pack everything for a family of five traveling for a month in one vehicle.
As soon as I was old enough, I was in charge of packing my own suitcase. Packing for Greece came with stricter weight limits, while packing for Canada was more about fitting everything efficiently.
No matter the destination, I always packed my swimsuit, flip-flops, and books to read.
I was always excited to pack, but also felt overwhelmed—I wasn’t very good at it for most of my life. Over time, though, I got better each year by learning what I actually needed and used.
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Greece Summers
Summers in Greece moved slowly and stretched late into the night.
We spent most of the summer at our family’s home in the Peloponnese, with at least one trip to my grandfather’s village and usually an island or two.
Most days started with breakfast—fresh bread with jam and pastries—before heading to the beach, where we’d spend most of the day.
The warm Mediterranean ocean was always nearby, making swimming feel less like a planned activity and more like part of daily life.
Evenings were spent outside with family and friends. Greece felt very safe, and I was given a lot of freedom to explore the neighborhood with my cousins and friends, especially at night.
Most evenings were spent in the neighborhood square with other kids—sometimes playing soccer, sometimes playing on our Gameboys, and sometimes just sitting on benches talking. We’d often go on walks around the neighborhood as well.
Once we arrived in Greece, time felt more open and unstructured.
Canada Summers
Most of our time in Canada was spent in the Vancouver area and on Vancouver Island.
Similar to Greece, summers were centered around family and cousins, but I didn’t really have long-term friendships there—most friendships only lasted a summer or two.
The Pacific Ocean was cold, even on the warmest days, making swims quick and refreshing rather than something you lingered in.
Instead of soccer, we played street hockey with our cousins, turning driveways and quiet streets into makeshift rinks.
There were hikes through forests, time spent in nature, and long car rides connecting one family visit to the next.
Transportation in Canada was mostly by car, which meant less independence compared to Greece, where walking was more common.
There was more rain and cooler temperatures to deal with in Canada, though it was usually still warm enough to wear shorts most of the time.
As I got older, I wasn’t always able to go to Canada with my family, since the trip often fell in August when soccer tryouts were happening.
Both places shaped how I spent my summers—one defined by warmth, late nights, and the sea, the other by movement, nature, and long drives.
Growing up between Greece and Canada meant experiencing two very different versions of summer, and both played a big role in shaping who I am today.
If you were to travel to Greece and/or Canada during the summer, where would you want to go? Let me know in the comments:
