We planned a two weeks road trip in Croatia back in 2018, but, because of personal reasons, we had to postpone it.
But we didn’t give up. So, this year, it finally happened. We were on a two weeks road trip visiting three countries. We were driving 3500 km, all the way down from Bucharest-Belgrade-Zagreb- Plitviče- Zadar- Split- Dubrovnik- Montenegro- Kruševac (Serbia) and then, back to Bucharest.
I know this is a long trip and you need to prepare many things in advance. So was the case for us, especially as we didn’t have any accommodation booked. We just went with the flow in one of the best adventures, exploring Croatia with its beautiful Dalmatian Coast.
But, mostly, we stayed in a camping. And this was the most exciting part of the whole experience. I honestly, don’t feel quite comfortable to sleep in a tent, but now I’m in love with it! The opportunity to be surrounded by the nature, to hear the birds chirping in the morning, to cook outside, or just admire the nature, this is something that I haven’t experienced so far. It’s a must to dedicate a whole article to this topic, so stay tuned for it.
In this article I would like to just point out some essential things that you will need for a two weeks trip:
- Book the first night accommodation. If you’re an adventurous spirit and you want to experience the unknown without making a reservation, that’s great and I encourage it. Although, I would recommend you to book something for the first day and of course, the last one, if you know exactly when you’ll come back. We booked the first night in Belgrade and just went with the flow for the rest.
- Don’t over pack. I know a 2 weeks vacation seems to be long, but don’t bring the unnecessary things with you. Bring some clothes for a normal week and take into consideration that you can wash the clothes and wear them in the second week. Here you have a list with some interesting travel accessories that you may bring with you.
- Make a plan on what you would like to see along the way, or the cities you would like to stay in more. Then, take a map and split your vacation according few days for each city or place.
- Take it slow. If you have a pretty long vacation, you have all the time you need to do everything that’s on your list. This vacation wasn’t meant to be on a rush as usual, but to enjoy everything that’s around us and spend as much time as we could in the nature. We were driving a lot, visiting few cities, but we also had the time to just lay back in the hammock, have a beer and look at the trees or just take a walk around the camping.
- Always bring more money then what you initially considered. In a 2 weeks road trip you may have some surprises that you can’t be aware of and it’s always good to have some extra $$$.
- Speaking about money, try to have some cash on you all the time, no matter if you’re in Serbia, Croatia or Montenegro. Usually, you can pay by card, but, for example in Trogir or Dubrovnik, most of the shops for drinks, sweets or souvenirs, ask for cash. Don’t ask why. I wouldn’t know that.
- Make sure you do a technical check on your car before leaving. Remember: safety first.
- Try to respect the speed limits in each and every country. If you come from Germany, I know 70 or 80 km/h may seem too slow, but that’s the good way to avoid a fine.
- When you stop in the Gas Station for toilet, please remember that you may find the door locked. You just have to ask for the key inside and then, bring it back when you’re done. I saw this in all three countries.
- If you want to save some money for this long vacation, bring some food with you. We had some convenience foods which helped us a lot. It was easy to cook and good to eat. Plus, it saved us some money.
- Choose your roads wisely. We wanted to go through Montenegro because we knew the road will be beautiful, but keep in mind that’s long. Too long not to get bored. It’s nice to admire the mountains, but it is also very tiring. Check the map, see what’s the shortest road and compare with the most beautiful one. Then, decide if you want to choose the landscape, by driving more.
- If you don’t have internet connection in one of these countries, download the offline maps and try to make your itinerary before you hit on the road. It’s super important not to get lost.
Photo by Stanislav Kondratiev on Unsplash
We usually traveled on a faster speed: visit more in a short time. But, now everything was different and we had more time for us. I didn’t feel the need to check my phone, I didn’t want to check my social media accounts, but just be there, be present. And I believe this is the travel purpose.
We shouldn’t be back more tired then before, but relaxed and happy about a new experience in our life.
Now I think I know what’s my kind of travel.
Thanks for reading, M.
