Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
We travel all the way to Croatia and Slovenia to enjoy differences—to become temporary
locals. You'll experience frustrations. Certain truths that wefind“God-given” or“self-evid-
ent,” such as cold beer, ice in drinks, bottomless cups of coffee, and bigger being better, are
suddenly not so true. One of the benefits of travel is the eye-opening realization that there
are logical, civil, and even better alternatives. A willingness to go local ensures that you'll
enjoy a full dose of Croatian and Slovenian hospitality.
Most American travelers find Slovenes to be extremely gregarious and Croatians relat-
ively brusque. While tourism is big in Croatia, the finer points of service and hospitality
sometimes get lost. Before losing your patience (as I sometimes do), try to remember that
these people lived under a communist regime 20 years ago, followed by a devastating war,
and today are coping with an unprecedented tourist crush. They're scrambling to keep up.
Croatians, Slovenes, and Europeans in general tend to like Americans. But if there is a
negativeaspecttotheirimageofus,it'sthatweareloud,wasteful,ethnocentric,tooinform-
al(whichcanseemdisrespectful),andabitnaive.WhileEuropeanslookbemusedlyatsome
of our Yankee excesses—and worriedly at others—they nearly always afford us individual
travelers all the warmth we deserve.
Judging from all the happy feedback I receive from travelers who have used this topic,
it's safe to assume you'll enjoy a great, affordable vacation—with the finesse of an inde-
pendent, experienced traveler.
Thanks, and
sretan put
—happy travels!
From
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door
Travelisintensifiedliving—maximumthrillsperminuteandoneofthelastgreatsourcesof
legal adventure. Travel is freedom. It's recess, and we need it.
Experiencing the real Europe requires catching it by surprise, going casual...“Through
the Back Door.”
Affording travel is a matter of priorities. (Make do with the old car.) You can eat and
sleep—simply, safely, and enjoyably—anywhere in Europe for $120 a day plus transporta-
tion costs. In many ways, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and
what youtraveled sofartosee. Europeisacultural carnival, andtime after time, you'llfind
that its best acts are free and the best seats are the cheap ones.
