The information on this page should help you prepare for your trip to Samos once you have been accepted as a volunteer. In addition, you will also receive the Samos Volunteers Handbook with more details. If you need further information, please send us an email at recruitment@samosvolunteers.org.
It is very important that you contact us via email two days prior to your arrival, to confirm your travel plans and start date of volunteering. When you arrive, we will add you to our WhatsApp groups, where we coordinate our daily activities.
Please note: it is the responsibility of the individual volunteer to arrange and pay for their own accommodation, transport and living.
When you arrive on Samos
Samos Airport is approximately 15 kilometres from Vathy and a taxi from the airport into town will cost around €30 (there is a small taxi rank outside the airport). Alternatively, you can come by bus (€1.80). The bus stop is very close to the airport arrivals hall.
The ferry terminal is on the outskirts of Vathy and a taxi from the port will cost around €5.
Unfortunately, we cannot arrange to personally meet and pick-up volunteers when they arrive.
Accommodation in Vathy
Volunteer Housing Scheme:
We have two houses in town that we share as 'volunteer houses'. Please be aware:
It is a dormitory set-up
The houses are privately rented by volunteers, and not by Samos Volunteers as an organisation
Volunteers must pay for their own accommodation
Normally we have availability here, but please email recruitment@samosvolunteers.org and we will direct you to the person in charge of organising the houses to check.
Alternative Accommodation Suggestions:
If there is no space available in a volunteer house, you will need to find private accommodation. If you cannot find a suitable place online, we suggest reserving the first couple of nights in a hotel, searching further when you arrive. There are many private apartments and studios which are not advertised online, and can easily be found when you are here on the island.
Hotels
The price of hotels in Vathy is around €25 per night. We suggest you look at the following links and contact hotels to secure reservations in advance, especially during summer:
Paradise Hotel: www.samos-paradise.gr
Hotel Artemis: www.hotelsline.gr/root/newhotel/dialogi_eg.asp?pid=2881
Hotel Emily: www.booking.com/hotel/gr/emily.en-gb.html
Pension Neapolis apartments: www.booking.com/hotel/gr/pension-neapolis.en.html
Hotel Kriton: www.booking.com/hotel/gr/kriton.nl.html
Pension Dreams: send an e-mail to dreamssamos@yahoo.com (and mention you are going to volunteer with us)
Airbnb: www.airbnb.com
Renting a car
All our working locations are within walking distance from Vathy town centre. Renting a car is therefore not a necessity. If you, however, would like to rent a car or scooter to get around the island, we suggest a few options.
If you rent a car from the airport, there is a choice of Hertz, Europcar, Aramis and AutoUnion. The price per day varies depending on how long you are staying. Generally, it is around €25 per day (fully insured). Renting a scooter is much cheaper (around €11 per day).
Auto Union: www.autounion.gr/car-rental-guide/car_hire_samos.html
Hertz: www.hertz.gr/en/Samos
Europcar: www.europcar.com/location/greece/samos
Aramis: samos-rentacar.com
Pegasus: www.samos-car-rental.com/en/
When you arrive in Vathy, you can also try Samos Auto Center Car Rental. They do not have a website, but they are located next to the Silk Oil Petrol Station.
Car Hire Excess Insurance: Protects you against car hire excess charges. Daily and annual policies available to residents worldwide: icarhireinsurance.com
What to bring with you
It is very important that we are mindful about what we choose to wear while working on the island, due to cultural diversity. As a general rule, we ask that shoulders and knees are covered at all times.
Raising funds to volunteer on Samos
Volunteers usually fundraise to support their stay and personal expenses on Samos. You can do so through crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe, CrowdRise, YouCaring or Generosity. Please note all these sites charge an administration fee.
Donations can also be received through a PayPal account, for which no fee is charged.
Raising funds for Samos Volunteers
If you also wish to raise funds to support our activities, you can use Samos Volunteers’ fundraising page, and use our helpful fundraising pack to help you get started!
And finally...
Upon arrival, we advise you to save the following numbers in your phone:
In case of an emergency:
Emergency: 112 (European emergency number) /166 (National emergency centre)
Police: 100
Fire Department emergency number: 199
Coast Guard emergency number: 108
National hospitals, doctors and pharmacies: 14944
Telephone numbers:
Hospital Samos “Agios Panteleimon”: (+30) 22730 83100
Police Department of Samos: (+30) 22730 22100, (+30) 22730 87315
Fire Department of Samos: (+30) 22730 22199, (+30) 22730 23062
Port Authority of Samos: (+30) 22730 27318
Forest Service: 27435
Road Assistance: 154 / 104