According to Maslow’s pyramid, safety is one of the most basic fundamental needs of every human being. As such, it’s natural that we react with fear to dangerous situations and places – it’s our instinctive way of getting back to safety. This also comes into play when planning a trip – are you going to be safe in Samos? Is it okay for solo travelers? Today, we’ll take a look at whether you have anything to worry about on the Greek island of Samos.
Safety in Samos
Samos is, generally, a very, very safe island. Of course, it’s still recommended to use common sense and exercise the baseline degree of caution but, in comparison with other places in the world, Samos tends to be a safe place. This also applies to solo travelers, as the residents of Samos tend to be hospitable and pleasant people.
Nature
The main thing that we’d recommend you look out for is more natural hazards: both on the ground and in the air. Firstly, you have various creatures, like snakes, wasps and scorpions, which can pose a threat if you accidentally stumble upon one in the wild. Secondly, you have the reminder that we have to give for every Greek island: it gets really darn hot in summer. In July and August, you can expect about 30-35°C on average during the day, so do be mindful of the sun, use plenty of sunscreen and protect your head somehow.
Roads on Samos
Apart from that, we also have to mention the experience of driving on the island. Whether you’re driving a car, a scooter (a popular means of transport on the Greek islands) or you’re simply a pedestrian, you may encounter lots of very carefree spirits not bound by the mortal fetters of ‘using indicators’ or ‘speed limits’. Perhaps we’ve simply had very bad luck but we had to be quite careful around the Greek roads, so we’d recommend you at least remain cautious.
Pickpockets on Samos
This is also a general advice that goes for pretty much every destination – even though crime rates on Samos are low and it’s not an island riddled with pickpockets, you should remain as cautious as you would anywhere else. Don’t leave your belongings alone or they’ll get very lonely and loneliness makes belongings sometimes disappear with the wrong crowd. You can also store them safely at the hotel room so that nothing bad can happen to your precious things.
Earthquakes
You may have heard of the deadliest earthquake of 2020 taking place in the area of Samos. It’s true – the 2020 Aegean Sea earthquake hit both Samos and the Turkish city, Izmir, very hard, with over a thousand people total injured and over a hundred killed. It’s formally referred to as the Samos earthquake.
This, however, was the first earthquake to affect the island since 1955. Prior to that, the last one was in 1904. As such, though it’s understandably a terrifying prospect, such major earthquakes don’t hit Samos on a regular basis.
Is Samos a safe island?
Yes, certainly. Of course, every place in the world will have something you’ll need to watch, though Samos has a very small list of such dangers. We hope you’ll enjoy your trip there, as it’s a lovely place full of lovely people.
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