Santorini explosive argument

Most of them leave during the winter anyway. I'm close to someone who lived there 3 decades and left in 2020.
He said it was always 'shaking'.
He's still in touch with many friends who have businesses based there and none are too worried, just cautious. Those that could live elsewhere during the frequent tremors that occurred just left for a while. It wasn't a 'fleeing in panic' scenario.
Many who work and live on Santorini never spend the winter there anyway (most own homes on mainland or abroad) and it always empties out from November anyway.

Anecdotally he's heard the season about to commence is terrible. Very low advance bookings etc which is maybe why you found a good deal.

Just go

Just to clarify
She's saying that if you cancel the whole trip, she'll pay you her half

But otherwise she won't? That's insanely unreasonable.

It's not 'reimbursement' really.. she should be paying for her part of the holiday anyway whether she goes or not. Is she suggesting that you lose all the money because of a decision she makes? Does she think its an all or nothing situation? In which case I'd say the friendship would be in trouble anyway..
If she decides not to go it should have no bearing on your decision.

I'd ask her to refund you her share but that you will look for another friend to take her place to try and get some of the money back to her.

She's being ridiculous.

It would have been better to get her share of the money before booking.

Do you get a partial refund if you cancel? Is that why she isn’t willing to pay her share and let you go alone?

Otherwise it makes no sense at all that she won’t pay up if you go it alone.

@JifNtGif Is there any chance you could do a name change for her booking and take someone else? (I'll come! 😂 )

Why has she not paid you already if you booked at Christmas?

Keep the trip, lose the friend.
No true friend would leave you stranded like this. She should at the VERY least reimburse you.

Did she agree to pay before you made the booking? If so she should still pay up. This year might be a good time to visit Santorini if numbers are slightly down as the island is usually massively overcrowded. I don’t think there is any immediate risk of eruption and all volcanic areas are monitored by scientists constantly.

If you can cancel the accommodation for free you could also go to another island. Santorini is a good gateway to some of the other Cyclades eg Amorgos, Folegandros, Naxos, Milos etc

Have you asked her why she thinks it's appropriate to not pay her share of the holiday if you choose to go regardless?
I can't imagine that she will be able to give any logical and acceptable reply. It's an awful way to treat a friend, and I think it will probably be the end of the friendship.
I would tell her I'm intending to make a money on line claim to recover her share of the holiday. And I would follow through on it.

Well done. I don’t suppose you have another friend who could take her place and reimburse her and so you have company? I guess it may be hard/costly to change the flights to their name. But she may at least get her money back for the hotel.

I’m sure you’ll have a lovely time. If it was really risky the UK Foreign Office would advise against travel there. It actually says:

Earthquakes
The area around the Cycladic islands of Santorini (Thira), Anafi, Ios and Amorgos, experienced increased earthquake activity in early 2025. This increase has since subsided and the tourist season is expected to continue as usual.
There is a risk of earthquakes and earth tremors in Greece. You should:

• familiarise yourself with safety procedures in the event of an earthquake
• follow advice given by the local authorities
• call the Greek emergency services on 112 if you are in immediate danger

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece/safety-and-security

Well first of all, she needs to pay for her share of the holiday that she agreed you should book on her behalf way back in December. How come she hasn’t paid you yet?

Only when she has paid what she has been owing you for the last five months and all is square between you, do either of you address the issue of whether to go or not …taking into account all the implications of risk and cancellation costs etc.

I would still go unless there were official warnings not to travel there. But of course your friend is entitled to feel differently in which case she takes the loss of cancellation or the loss of transferring her part of the deal to somebody else.

I hope you can manage to keep the friendship.

So she’s already got a fear of natural disasters, so hardly surprising she’s spooked, especially after the fires in Greece a couple years ago which reeked havoc. Can you find someone else to take her place?

She should be paying you for her half of the booking regardless of whether you’re going or not.

went there recently. No earthquakes, absolutely beautiful and quieter than usual.

What is he reasoning for not wanting to reimburse you if you still go?

Don’t let it destroy your friendship if she’s got a true fear understand that. she can’t go. But of course you can she should pay you but I think if she offered 50% I would take that Santorini is absolutely beautiful and if you get a chance, get the ferry to Folegandros because that’s the island on which my mother was born.

I would get her to pay and then go yourself if you want. If the friendship dies it dies

or tell her to refund you and she can find somewhere else but you wont consider y and z

The best solution may be for someone else to go with you instead. If you can't find a replacement the original party should reimburse you if there are cancellation costs for one person not going.

Why does she think she doesn't have to pay her half if she decides not go but you do? I would never be booking a holiday wit this awful friend again. What a cow.

There's no reason to expect an earthquake this summer but perhaps the thought of it has made her too scared to go.
I don't understand what you said about her not paying for you to go. Surely she will be willing to pay the money you've paid out so far on her behalf, deposits or whatever? If you get that back, you can work out what to do next - go with a friend or on your own.

We can't cancel without losing a lot of money and friend said she would rather pay not to go. She won't reimburse me if I go by myself though

So she wants to cancel? And that means both of you lose out financially because of the cancellation terms and conditions? But she isn't bothered because she's too scared to go? That would mean you lose out even though you want to go.

And she won't pay for her half if you go on your own?
So that means you'd have to pay for the whole lot?

Bloody hell, why do people do this to themselves and book holidays with friends. It's the sort of thing that seems like a good idea at the time until someone wants to pull out for whatever reason.

I think you should cancel and she should pay you back the amount you will lose out by cancelling. After all she said she'd pay not to go, so she should pay you back because it's her who wants to cancel or she should just pay her share and not go and let you go on your own.

I think she's being awful saying she won't pay if you do go.

Why Won’t she pay if you go, would it increase the amount that she has to pay? I think either way, the relationship is damaged. You either bend to her and resent it, or you go and she resents it.