Hi.
Welcome the Let’s Learn Croatian Podcast home. This is where you will find all things LLC; including episodes, lesson transcriptions, and a way to contact us as well.
Thanks for stopping by!
Welcome the Let’s Learn Croatian Podcast home. This is where you will find all things LLC; including episodes, lesson transcriptions, and a way to contact us as well.
Thanks for stopping by!
That’s always a dangerous question. Some travelers are seasoned pros who know exactly what they need, others pack for every possible scenario short of a minor meteor event, and then there are the brave souls who travel with what appears to be a toothbrush and sheer confidence. I respect all of you. Our family tends to land somewhere in the middle of all those disciplines. We’ve traveled to Croatia enough times to know what to expect, yet somehow still find ourselves either overpacking, forgetting that one crucial item, or simply learning to live without it. The items below are things we’ve personally brought with us; or close equivalents that have earned a permanent spot on our packing list trip after trip. You may not need all of them, but if something catches your eye, we’ve linked everything here to hopefully make your travel planning just a little easier.
Packing Vacuum
This is a new addition to our travel gear. We are constantly trying to get smaller and save money. So here we are, we are now zip-locking our clothes into bags, this is the life, lol. Whatever your thoughts might be on this, I have to tell you, this works. I have won over many a doubting friend with this little kit. You will have no trouble packing what you need, just need to make sure you don’t get crazy and pack too much weight. This set linked here is the SMALL set, the bags fit perfectly into a carry on, fill a bag, suck out the air and you’re good to go. The Vacuum itself is small but mighty, charges with a USB-C, just like your phone. This one is a game changer!
Mosquito Bite Zapper
Ok, this one was new to me. We tend to travel Croatia during the summer, so we often run into Mosquitos and their treachery. Needless to say, I am somewhat of a delicacy to them, so I usually acquire quite a a number of bites. A friend shared this device with us on a recent trip. The idea is that, you get bitten and now must deal with that constant itch. That is, unless you notice is quickly and apply this device. The premise behind this product is to soothe away the bite with sharp heat before the bite becomes irritated and you start scratching for the next 3-4 days. Once you find the fresh bite, you zap it! The bite is now not as bad and shortens the duration or goes away completely. I have to say, it took some convincing, but for a guy like me that gets bit a lot, this has helped. If you are like me and are a Mosquitos favorite treat, I recommend this. Warning: The sharp heat is momentarily painful, not going to lie, but you. know.. Short term pain for long term gains and all that… *runs on 2 AAA batteries, bring back up, just in case.*
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“Over the years, we’ve learned that the best travel experiences usually have a few things in common: they’re well run, genuinely pretty informative, and considerate of real-world travelers; especially families. The tours and activities featured here were selected with those ideas in mind. We looked for experiences that balance education, scenery, local insight, and convenience, while still leaving enough room for a little spontaneity and wonder, that’s why we booked them and would book again!
Because sometimes the best part of a trip is learning something new while your kids ask if there’s sladoled nearby.” - DJ MOE
Should you find yourself on beautiful Otok Korčula, do yourself a favor and get yourself a guided tour of Old Town Korčula. The sights alone are worth it, add in some history and the whole place takes on a new life. This tour is similar to the one we took, we brought the kids on this one, we asked the tour guide if it was possible to make it a little more kid friendly to keep them engaged, and the tour guide obliged. Making sure to ask what they thought of what we were seeing, adding in fun tidbits kids appreciate and pointing out restrooms should the need arise. Check out a walking tour for yourself, Korčula is an amazing place.
This little adventure was something we have been wanting to do for a while. Everytime we walked Old Town Korčula, we always saw these water taxies coming and going. We finally asked and found that their cost wasn’t crazy and we got some nice bang for our buck with this 3 island jaunt about. What a wonderful time, kids had a blast, we got to see more neighboring islands than we could’ve done on our own; it was a fun experience over all.
This is a recommendation straight from the Doktoriza. We have seen these buggies for years, but on her most recent solo trip, she took the tour and had a blast. For someone that has been to Korčula too mnay times to count, her seeing it via open air buggy was really cool and different. Great for couples, friends, older kids, wedding parties, you name it! It’s a perfect mix of adventure and scenery, not a combo you see too often.
We like the walking tours apparently. This was a fun one, we have been to Dubrovnik a few times and decided that we needed to see the city the way it needs to be seen; with an understanding of where it came from, its roots. We love this city for its beauty and scenic backdrops, but once you hear the stories in front of the buildings, walking the streets and traversing these ancient walkways, it’s one of the best ways to take in Dubrovnik.
We chose this tour because we have already walked the walls on a separate trip, but if thats on your list, those tours are out there too!
This was a really fun experience. We left the kiddos with the grandparents for the night and snuck out for a ghostly night on the town with Marija’s Ghosts and Mysteries Walking Tour. We read up on this one to make sure we had good shoes for walking while we braved the night. We met up at a central meeting location, Marija was ready and waiting, garbed in all black, with her signature lantern. From the scenery, the rich history, Marija’s story delivery; this tour really made you start looking behind you and wondering where that sound came from. Marija guided the group to all the choice sights and really took us to another world. 10 out of 10, would highly recommend this one. If you like spookier tales and want to try something different on your trip to Dubrovnik, look no further, this is it!
Wow, this was a fun tour. When we can, we try and book with our kids in mind, but by no means was this a kids tour. The tour guid made sure to keep a nice balance, he made sure to keep the kids involved and did a great job holding the adults attention too. I have to say, this tour was fun, educational and was a good outing for the whole family. I would highly recommend this one.
This is a new one for us. This will be our second attempt to see Plitvice Lakes, we had a surprise ankle injury right before we were supposed to make our way to the National Park last time, we instead opted to take it easy and not push ourselves. Needless to say we are excited to see what Plitvice has in store for us this time around. Over the years, I have seen so many pictures, read so many articles and we cant wait to check this one out first hand. I will be sure and follow up, but this is the company we opted to use, fair price with the park ticket included, not to mention a bus ride from Zagreb. Super good deal.
European Power Adapters
These are the exact same ones I have had for years. They have made multiple trips to Croatia, they are sturdy and and don’t take up too much space in our bags. I prefer these over the multi option outlet as those have failed me in the past, these are European only and do the job well. Have also used these when we cruise for extra outlets, as those tend to be limited.
Water Shoes
If you have listened to the pod, I have been recommending these things for years. Croatia has some pretty jaw dropping beaches, but remember sandy beaches are few and far between. If you plan on getting in the water, you will absolutely have a 100% better time if you’re wearing a pair of water shoes. I have seen locals navigate just fine without them, I am no local, I want to enjoy my vacation, so avoiding injuries is a top priority. Rocks are small and will get in everywhere, so linked here is a good example of what you should be considering. This is a pair we picked up for our daughter, the reason we picked them? No places for little rocks to sneak in through the sole, we have made that mistake before. There is no inside sole that can come loose when walking on land. Lastly they are light and will dry fast.
Wine Travel Bags
Ok, let’s get real, what are you planning on bringing back home with you? I’ll tell you what, if its not wine, it should be Olive Oil. Either way, these bags got you covered. We have used these bags over the years with great success. They are made of solid plastic and lined with bubble wrap. They have made their way back and forth a few times, so they are reusable! They also pack small on the way there and will earn their keep on the way home. We have chanced it a few times, wrapping things in clothes, but its a gamble; potentially ruining our luggage, our clothes, the wine! With these, a lot of the shock will be negligible, I’ll still pack soft things around the bottles to be extra safe, but at least, a sharp drop from a baggage handler or a fast slide down a luggage shoot with a sudden stop won’t harm your prized possessions.
