Country: Croatia
Category: Tourism
Project Aim: The beauty of the Balkan Roads is that you’re tailoring your own route by choosing checkpoints you prefer and as to that – you’re determining your route adrenaline intensity. By doing Balkan Roads you’re getting a full insight in natural, historical and cultural beauties but even more in the life of the Balkan people. The mentality of our people define this area in the way it is described in the first sentence – exotic. We’ll make sure you’ll get the best from it because who can show you the Balkans better than the Balkan people? Me and my girlfriend/colleague Ana have been traveling all our lives. Ana drove the whole USA from east coast to west coast and back by a car and in 2016 I’ve been to Mongolia and back in a tiny car Yugo, Koral 55. I realized then that the Balkans have so much to offer. Since I’ve been organizing trips and travel arrangements for the past 8 years and I found myself in the tourism sector, although unconsciously at first, I knew that our country Croatia is a very popular tourist destination but still misses concrete types of tourist adventures. That’s when Balkan Roads was conceived. When we look at Balkan Roads, we don’t even look at it as a tourist product although that’s what it is by its form. We do it primarily because we want to show the Balkans to the people as it truly is and why we love it. We hope that everybody will discover a part of themselves on Balkan roads…
What does Balkan Roads do?
Balkan is a place of eternal love and conflict, beauty and ugliness, glamour and poverty. With that being said Balkan Roads is a circular road trip on old dusty roads of Balkan peninsula using equally old vehicles preferably of Balkan production (Read: Yugo, Zastava, TAM, TAS, Tomos etc.) while the guests will use more or less intense adrenaline checkpoints along with it. From highly adrenaline ones we single out few, such as Bungee jumping, Scuba diving, paragliding etc. and from less adrenaline ones there is sheep gathering and guarding, cooking traditional Balkan meals, horse riding and many more. By taking checkpoints participants will win points and compete for a prize. Checkpoints are minimally 30% more affordable when taken via Balkan Roads then by an individual arrangement and there are also some nights included in a price, BBQ-es, parties, gift packages, tracking system, public engagement etc. All carefully composed to provide an incredible experience for anyone who dares to brake their boundaries and test their skills through an active type of vacation. There are many banger rallies out there but there’s only one that gives you the most of experience such as Balkan Roads. But these aforementioned checkpoints are not just a service or a product. We call it a location of a necessary interaction with other people. And If you get yourself in any need for help and you probably will since you’re driving Yugo’s and Zastava’s through the Balkans, in the locals you will find a person of vital importance on which you have to rely on as long as on your own communicating skills if you’re lack of car repairing ones.
What is Balkan Roads’ future?
According to that we can conclude that this recognition means a lot to us because we are grateful for the opportunity to present our adventure and to share it with the rest of the Europe. Europe is a big market not just in an economic sense but also in a cultural meaning. We strive to intercept prejudices related to this area and help to create a better image of the Balkans not just in Europe but in the world as well. Why? Because there’s more to live in the Balkans.
