These days, it feels like more and more Australians – and people across other Western countries – are reconsidering what “home” really means.
Since the pandemic, the rise of remote work, soaring living costs, and a growing sense of dissatisfaction – particularly among millennials – have sparked a quiet exodus.
Many are trading in the daily grind for something slower, sunnier, and more meaningful. One noticeable trend? A surge in digital nomadism, with Greece emerging as a surprising but increasingly popular destination for those in search of a better quality of life.
The Greek Herald spoke to Andrea Smirnneos, who left Sydney for Athens two years ago and hasn’t looked back.
Born and raised in Sydney, Andrea carries a rich cultural heritage – her father’s Greek roots and her mother’s second-generation Italian background which have deeply shaped her identity and outlook on life.
“I also spent five years living in Melbourne, which gave me a different perspective on life and culture,” Andrea explains.
Over time, her love for Greece only grew – something about the people, the warmth, the food, and the history just felt like home to Andrea.
“After working as a travel agent for five years, I started to really think about how I could bring that love for Greece into my work and help others experience it too,” she says.
Before COVID, Andrea had always toyed with the idea of moving to Greece.
“I was visiting every couple of years, soaking up the culture and dreaming about what life here could look like—but it was always just that, a dream without a solid plan,” she says.
But then the pandemic hit, and like for so many of us, everything was put on pause. Andrea’s dream quietly faded into the background over the next few years.
“Fast forward to two years ago, I was on holiday in Greece with friends and family when, completely out of the blue, a family friend offered me a role in the travel industry – right in line with my background back in Australia. It honestly felt like fate, and I haven’t looked back since,” Andrea remembers.
Andrea jokes that one of her first reality checks after moving to Athens came when she stepped out of “tourist mode” and discovered that everything was closed on Sundays. It was a small but telling moment that reminded her she was no longer on holiday – this was real life in Greece.
“Personally, I think my biggest challenge was really understanding the Greek way of life and the pace of how things are done in a casual and professional setting as someone who lives here and not just on holiday,” Andrea explained.
She also struggled with the language difference, not just as someone with heritage, but as someone trying to truly live and integrate in Greece. While she grew up hearing Greek, she quickly realised that understanding the local dialect, grammar, and expressions required more than just the version spoken by the Greek Australian community, which often includes lots of slang.
On a professional level, Andrea’s biggest challenge was putting herself out there in the tourism world.
“Greece is always full of tourists but also full of travel agents who can now provide the same thing, so working on my POD (point of difference) is my biggest challenge”, she explains.
Andrea started her travel agency, Get Tripped in 2023.
This was initially a Facebook Group with a few members, it’s now grown to a few hundred members, and expanded to a WhatsApp Group, with daily travel life updates and communities.
Andrea explains that being an expat herself, assisted in getting her business to stand out.
“I also am focusing on growing Get Tripped Girls which is a travel & event community based out of Athens (and hopefully more places soon) connecting girls who are mainly expat, but of course locals are welcome, and we have a few too! We run nights out, cafe catchups, soon to be summer trips and lots more,” she says.
The rise of in-person communities focusing on interpersonal connection (as opposed to digital connection), has meant many more people are seeking meaningful connections.
Andrea often says she wishes more tourists truly understood Greek culture and the lifestyle that comes with it.
“It’s best summed up by the phrase “siga, siga”—meaning “slowly, slowly.” It’s not about laziness, but about trusting that things will get done in their own time,”.
Learning to embrace that mindset was one of the most valuable—and freeing—lessons of her move.
Moving forward, Andrea wants to stay in Greece and has set some goals to achieve that.
“Ideally in the next 5 years Get Tripped & Get Tripped Girls will be a fully-fledged European Travel Agency that focuses on Greece & the Mediterranean, along with Get Tripped Girls growing to multiple different countries,” she hopes.
