Can you believe it is September 1st and nearly the end of summer…
It has been one hell of a 2020 and the good times just seem to keep on coming.
With everything going on this year, I felt more compelled than ever to get away and have some kind of change of pace, change of scenery, and some sort of normalcy as a summer vacation. After all it is kind of tough keeping up with a fashion and lifestyle blog when you never leave your house and basically live in your pajamas. So I pulled the trigger and booked a last minuet trip to Croatia. Don’t worry, I definitely socially distanced and it wasn’t one of those party vacations in the slightest. If you guys didn’t know I am actually half Croatian, and that whole side of the family still currently lives there, so this vacation was just more about visiting with family, enjoying the beautiful country and beaches, and just getting out of my own four walls in New York for a bit.
While I completely agree that COVID19 is still very real and relevant, and by no means am I advocating to just carelessly travel. But for those who do feel the need to get away and plan on doing so anyway, I feel it could be helpful to share my experience while traveling during the pandemic.
So I am going to be honest. Organizing everything prior to leaving was a bitch. Granted I booked my flight on a Friday night/Saturday, I can’t even remember which anymore, and flew out on a Tuesday (and just so you know I wouldn’t consider myself a light packer in the slightest). However, in addition to the normal stresses of traveling there were a couple additional factors that I had to deal with. For one, to travel to Croatia, I needed to have a COVID PCR test that was done no longer than 48 hours from the time the swab was taken to the time I arrived at the border. This is not necessarily as easy to find as the free tests that are available at any Urgent Care and many of the locations that do provide PCR testing are booked up weeks in advance. PCR tests also generally cost around $150. Had I not completed the PCR test I would have had to quarantine in Croatia for two weeks and would have to test upon arrival at my own expense. Thankfully, I was able to get it done in the knick of time.
In addition to the PCR Test, I also had to create documentation via the Croatian Embassy/ The Croatian Board of Tourism to state my purpose for traveling. This summer, Croatia was open to tourists, however the situation in the country and it’s borders seems to change on a daily basis, so if you are looking to travel to Croatia or any other country, make sure you have the facts(as best you can) before booking. One other note was that due to reduced airline service, many of the flights involved overnight layovers, or awkward travel times. I actually got really lucky with my own but it was an anomaly compared to the other routes. So be prepared to play with your dates and times of travel.

For the actual traveling part, I did feel some anxiety due to COVID and the debate of whether masks work efficiently blah blah, whether I could catch something from the recycled air or by touching things, and just some paranoia being amongst other people in general. Once you get passed that personal fear, I can honestly say things ran as smoothly as they could considering the situation. As I said, I am sure this statement is not all encompassing for traveling these days, but had there been no COVID, this would have been the most seamless travel experience of my life. I don’t know whether it is due to fear and less people traveling or if airlines are running at half capacity, but all my flights (going, coming, and connecting – 4 total) were empty and I had a whole row to myself each time. All flight attendants and airport staff always had masks, and more or less the airports were empty as well. There weren’t long waits or huge customs lines, no long waits for baggage, nor any delays with the flights. I actually enjoyed the overall travel experience thoroughly.
As this is such an overwhelming topic and I’m sure I didn’t even scratch the surface of it, please don’t hesitate to reach out if you guys have any questions either privately or in the comments down below.
Otherwise I can’t wait to share all the amazing content I gathered from my summer in Croatia.❤️
23 thoughts on “Traveling During COVID19 and My Summer Trip To Croatia”
Oh my gosh I can’t wait to hear about it! I’ve heard Croatia is just stunningly beautiful! I can’t wait to travel again!
It’s beyond amazing! I’m so excited to share ❤️hopefully things will all get back to normal soon!
That is not envy. It is my natural green
😊
I hope you had a great time!
xxxxx
It was amazing thank you! ❤️
It looks gorgeous there!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
Beyond amazing!
I heard that Croatia is such a beautiful country to visit and I hope some day I get to travel there too!!
Yiota
PinkDaisyLoves
It’s so amazing! Highly recommend💕💕
oh wow you’re so lucky you were able to travel at all this year! I’ve also always wanted to visit Croatia, hopefully I can soon! Thanks for sharing your travel experience during these times!
Life is a Shoe
Yes, I am definitely grateful I made it. it was so worth it 💜💜
I’ve been meaning to go to Croatia! It looks so beautiful. x
Zoey | http://www.zoeyolivia.com
Its definitely a must!! ❤️
Oh my gosh, the cover pcr test, so glad you were able to get it done and you didn’t have to quarantine. Glad you were able to visit your family. Honestly, I’m not brave enough to get on a plane just yet. In July we enjoyed a mini vacay in Palm Springs, but we traveled in the middle of the work week so we could avoid the weekend crowds. In August, we traveled in the middle of the work week as well and drove to San Louis Obispo and stayed at the Madonna Inn. I still get a little anxiety traveling, but we’re just trying to be extra careful. Hope you had a nice summer 🙂
https://www.chicnpink.com
I have heard amazing things about Palm Springs. A little nerve racking but I am glad you were able to get away a little nonetheless. Any change of scenery is better than nothing. Hope that you also had an amazing summer ❤️❤️
Looks like fun!
~Samantha
http://goldcoastgirlblog.com
So much 😍
It sounds like the prep was way worse than the actual flight- I’m glad you had so much space to yourself on the plane rides! That seems so important. And Croatia is so beautiful!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Yea for sure was! But so worth it — Croatia is amazing 🥰💖
Croatia seems like a great place to visit. I’m too scared to travel during all this but it’s great to hear that you traveled safely and all the precautions that were taken. Hopefully things with COVID get under wraps so traveling can be more of what it used to be, but on the other hand… traveling with an empty airport and an entire row to yourself doesn’t sound bad AT ALL. I hate crowds. Lol. Thanks for sharing your traveling experience with us.
Des | https://www.itsbetterinheels.com
Completely agree. My pleasure🥰 Hope things become less uncertain and more comfortable soon! Safe travels when you do get back out there!
Your Croatia posts have given me severe wanderlust! I’m glad you were able to travel and enjoy your time there. It’s interesting hearing what travelling is really like – I would love to get one trip in this year but like you say, it’s best to monitor things closely before deciding anything!