I’m Off to Road Trip Through Croatia!

In the past two decades, Croatia has gone from a war zone to one of the hottest travel destinations in the Mediterranean. It’s absolutely staggering — only South Africa and Rwanda can claim an equally shocking turnaround in tourism.

I love Croatia — it’s definitely one of my top 10 favorite countries, and even sneaks into the top 5 every now and then. The beaches are glorious, the food is great, the people are so friendly, and the prices, while not dirt cheap, are less than what you’d pay for a similar experience in Italy or Spain.

But what I’ve noticed is that most travelers in Croatia stick to the same sights: Zagreb, the Plitvice Lakes, Split, Hvar, and Dubrovnik. There are exceptions, of course, but the vast majority stick to these much touristed places and don’t venture beyond.

But getting off the path in Croatia is so, so rewarding. One of my favorite regions of the world is Istria, the little heart-shaped bump in northwest Croatia — it was like Italy, with prettier beaches, fewer tourists, and giant truffle pastas for $12. And exploring with a car couldn’t have been more perfect, thanks to easy driving and excellent roads.

So when an opportunity came up for me to return to Croatia on an iambassador trip with the Croatia National Tourist Board , I was excited — but wondered if I’d really be seeing anything new this time around.

Well, it turns out it’s a trip highlighting off the beaten path destinations and activities in Croatia.

What I’m most looking forward to:

Krka National Park. This is known as a good alternative to the Plitvice Lakes, with bright teal lakes and waterfalls.

Plesivica Wine Road. Croatian wines are splendid, but they’re made from small producers, so it’s rare to see them outside the country. Plesivica Wine Road is near Zagreb and I hope the wines measure up to their Istrian counterparts.

Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb. I’ve long wanted to visit this museum, home to mementos from former relationships.

What I’m apprehensive about:

Rock climbing in Paklenica National Park. I’ve rock climbed once in my life — in Krabi, Thailand — and I hated it . But since then I went ice climbing in Iceland and loved it, so you never know.

Falconry in Sibenik. Um, I don’t do birds.

Birds and I don’t exactly get along.

Where I’m Happy to Be Visiting Again

Zadar. A bit off the beaten path, Zadar is a beautiful and quirky little city.

Split. I liked Split far more than I expected to, especially getting to stay in Diocletian’s Palace.

Dubrovnik. What can be said about this city? It’s gorgeous. I’ll be kayaking there this time around.

But as always, I’m glad to be returning to a country I love so much, and finally getting some actual summer weather after spending the last month in London and Ireland.

The company will be smashing, too — Matt from LandLopers , Rachelle from The Travel Bite , and Rob from Stop Having a Boring Life . I’ve spent time with each of them in various cities around the world, from Amsterdam to Durban to Chiang Mai, but never for more than a few days, so this will be interesting!

If there’s any goal I want to achieve on this trip, it’s to encourage you to break out beyond the typical tourist trail in Croatia, to rent a car and see waterfalls and drink wine and do things you never thought you’d do in this country.

Where’s your favorite place in Croatia? Let me know!

This campaign was created and sponsored by Croatian National Tourist Board in partnership with iambassador . All opinions, as always, are my own.