Our amazing Croatian getaway wasn’t so much a holiday – it was more of an experiment and a leap of faith.

It was a very special time in our lives, when we’d decided to break away from the norm. We booked a couple of one-way flights, in order to figure our lives out.

It was hard don’t get me wrong – but I definitely don’t regret it. I’d also do it again in a heartbeat. We’d learnt so many important lessons along the way – and also got to see so many beautiful sights too!

Here’s what happened…

Our Amazing Croatian Getaway

Our new home was an apartment just off the main coast into the mountains of Dugi Rat. Our host Marco, and his wife Tina were very surprised when they’d met us at the airport. Just imagine two black girls with their whole lives crammed into a couple of suitcases. Not only that, but two long camping style travel rucksacks strapped onto their backs too. TBH we packed extra Shea Butter and Coconut Oil supplies as we didn’t know when we’d be leaving. Anyway, they were so friendly and helpful, but also very puzzled at what we were doing there. They asked why we’d booked their apartment for half the year, as opposed to their usual 1 week holiday bookings.

The answers that we gave to Marco and Tina were polite, but also very vague – as trying to explain what our amazing Croatian getaway was really about usually felt like trying to get others to see life from a different prospective, which isn’t always a straight-forward thing. Especially as we were tired from a flight, and our stomach’s were calling out for food.

Marco and Tina did a great job at showing us around the picturesque town of Dugi Rat in Omiš, and then dropping us off at our new home in the mountain. They lived a few hours away, closer to the capital – but assured us that they’d be available via WhatsApp or over the phone if we needed anything.

And once they’d left, the rest was up to us!

Our Amazing Croatian Getaway: What Was it Like?

We absolutely could not get bored of waking up at Marco and Tina’s apartment. The views were amazing, the weather was beautiful, the air was fresh and the people were so helpful and welcoming. I used to wake up early each morning, and climb out of my bedroom window and onto the patio to find Michelle already sitting out there with her headscarf on having a cheeky cigarette. We would sit there just looking around in awe, talking about how amazing it was, and what kinda rush hour traffic we’d probably be sitting in if we were back in London right now. It was truly an amazing experience!

However.. With all the positives came the negatives, with the main one being our (not so stable) internet connection 🙁 . It turned out that being way up in the mountains, and trying to get a consistent and fast internet connection became near impossible. Ugh, we started to get really annoyed – because we obviously needed to be making money and handling business online in order to support our new getaway lifestyle.

It got so bad, that we reluctantly had to say goodbye to Marco’s lovely apartment, and find somewhere in town, with a fast and stable internet connection for us. We’d decided to jump back onto Booking.com, and then head to the town of Podstrana in Split Dalmatia, which was only a 30 minute bus ride away.

Keeping it Moving: Part 1

Unfortunately we didn’t get the same 5 Star treatment of being shown around on arrival lol but I REALLY loved the apartment there! It was so modern, fresh, bright and airy with a beautiful patio garden that was connected all the way around to the front door that we left open 24/7. It was so close to all the local shops and supermarkets, with plenty of places for us to eat and drink by the beach. In comparison, it actually made me realise just how secluded the mountain apartment was – even though the mountain apartment is still Michelle’s all time favorite lol.

Podstrana was really nice, and I actually celebrated my birthday there. We went and bought lots of face masks, hair removal creams, Bananas and Avocados. We had a home spa day with pizza and lots of munchies 🙂

Keeping it Moving: Part 2

After staying in Podstrana for a while, we decided to keep it moving again, and jumped back onto Booking.com. We booked a house further into the town of Split, as we’d realised being in town better suited our needs. Fed up of bringing our whole lives onto the bus, we’d decided to get an Uber to take us to our new home this time (we were so happy that Uber worked there).

The set up of this new house was quite scary once we’d arrived and had taken a look around. It was a massive 7 or 8 bedroom house, with just Michelle and I staying in there. One night, Mishy said she’d heard a noise up the corridor – so we quickly brought our quilts into the living room. We decided to live in there for the rest of the trip lol.

It was so much fun, like having a sleep over every night with my best friend. We took it in turns to read to each other every night or we’d watch YouTube videos on:

• Spirituality
• Chakras
• Meditation
• The Third Eye

What Were The Downsides?

My only three issues with Croatia was:

• The food was very expensive. Almost everything was imported from neighbouring countries, and they’d imposed their import fees onto the consumers.
• Secondly, they point blank do not cater to vegetarians or vegans. I mean, I wasn’t exactly expecting them to have Veggie Patties in their supermarkets. But even McDonalds added bacon to the cheese sticks, and had no veggie burgers on their menu. If you want any alternative nut milks or cheese – just be prepared to pay triple what you’d pay anywhere else.
• And lastly, there’s no cigarette smoking ban in public places. I guess the smokers of the world would probably appreciate this. But as a non-smoker, oh my gosh I was outraged! People were lighting up cigarettes on the buses, in the restaurants and in the cabs! I couldn’t breathe half the time – but after a while I had to get used to it. I had to remember that it wasn’t London, and the same rules didn’t apply.

So.. What Were You Guys Doing Out There?

I was doing research, and sourcing new clients for my new business, as well as running my online business. I was also trading forex, crypto and commodities.

Michelle was trading forex, crypto and commodities too – and on a more spiritual journey. Half way through the day, she’d randomly disappear and be meditating somewhere by the water or in the mountains. Or she’d be hiding somewhere reading The Secret for the 100th time.

We were living the new age ‘laptop lifestyle’, and were down for travelling anywhere in the world. All we needed was a good strong internet connection, and service on our mobile phones. We had our sights on Thailand next, and the Caribbean after that.

Booking.com had our backs for accommodation, and Uber, public transport or walking got us around the city.

It was good while it lasted.

And Why Did You Come Back to London?

Well, my laid back clients were down with a quick phone call, a Skype meeting, an email – and an invoice. It really was bish bash bosh, and my job was done – and I’d never even met them (in real life)! However – my corporate clients weren’t down with this style of work. The laptop lifestyle wasn’t a recognised culture within the corporate world.

They wanted to meet me in person – and they were obviously expecting the traditional suited and booted, firm handshake interactions. They were definitely not accustomed to my new laid back, beach attire laptop lifestyle.

So once a couple of corporates were booked into the diary, it was time to head back to London.

And just like that, the dream was over.

Our Amazing Croatian Getaway – Was Over!

There was a sense of freedom to each day when we were in Croatia. It felt like life unchained from the social norms. I’d definitely urge anybody who’s looking for some direction and clarity to try it.

Just make sure you have a goal, a vision and a real plan. I’d also recommend having a bestie to roll with who’s just as mad as you. Trust me – the rest will take care of itself.

Book your amazing Croatian getaway today 🙂