My Upcoming Travel Plans

Where I Am Headed Next

Lately, I have been fascinated with the Balkans. I haven’t quite figured out what the pull is yet, but I am trusting the universe and going with it. Three years ago, we spent several weeks in Greece including five gorgeous islands in the crystal-clear, blue Adriatic and a stop in Ephesus, Turkey. It was an amazing trip; so many brilliant and enduring memories. To date, that is the extent of our Balkan exploration.

“It’s time to change that!

This fall we are headed back to the Balkans to continue what we started. This time we are hitting:

• Slovenia
• Croatia
• Italy
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Montenegro
• Denmark

It will be our first time in all of these countries. Croatia and Slovenia will make up the bulk of the agenda with day trips into Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Copenhagen, Denmark will be a long stopover, but the excellent public transportation and the fact that the airport is conveniently close to downtown will allow us to dip into the city for a few fleeting hours.

“I could not be more excited!

I honestly tried not to pack our days too tightly,.. to leave breathing room for open exploration and spontaneity. Currently, trip highlights will include the following destinations:

• Zagreb, the inland capital of Croatia
• Ljubljana, winner of the European Green Capital Award for 2016
• Lake Bled, with its postcard-perfect castle topping a tiny island in the middle of the lake
• Hisa Franko restaurant, voted one of the top 50 restaurants in the world; chef Ana Ros was voted world’s best female chef, 2017
• Rovinj and exploring the beautiful Istrian peninsula
• Plitvice Lakes, natural beauty and one of Croatia’s top tourist draws
• Zadar, another seaside city with its Roman and Venetian ruins
• Split, picturesque location of the 4th century Diocletian’s Palace
• Dubrovnik, coined ‘the jewel of the Adriatic’ and a UNESCO world heritage site
• Mostar, across the border in the mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Kotor, the seaside resort in Montenegro

 “Lots of firsts on this trip!

With each trip, we try to learn from our prior experiences and parlay that into becoming more connected and conscientious travelers. We prefer to travel independently, but love to meet other travelers on our journeys. We snagged an excellent price on airfare, so we are excited to fly Norwegian Airlines for the first time. We will also be using AirBnB in an effort to travel more slowly, connect with locals and enjoy a more authentic experience and keep costs down.

Have you been to Slovenia or Croatia?

Is it on your bucket list?

What are your top tips?

Note: All images on my blog are my own and are protected, with the exception of the header image to this post. Special thanks to Moritz Bechert (alias ‘Momonator’) from Dresden, Germany for use of his stunning CC0 public domain image on Pixabay.