Cost: Is the Balkans a Budget Traveler's Dream?

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

23-DAYS IN THE BALKANS
The least researched part of our itinerary was the Balkans region.  We planned on just "winging it", once we got there.  Therefore, we had no idea what the cost would be to travel through this region.  With a strong Western European influence, we anticipated higher prices; but also hoped for lower costs since these are still emerging countries with less developed tourism. 

The reality?  Reasonable lodging costs, cheap food, bargain wines, and even cheaper beers.  So, we were shocked to discover that we were actually OVER-budget in the Balkans!!  How could that be?  We were so proud of having so many days where we spent less than $150, but apparently the few budget-busting days in Croatia put us over.  Regardless, at an average of $160/day, we fully experienced the Balkans without feeling like we skimped on anything, so it was worthwhile.  

We spent 7 days in Croatia; 4 days in Bosnia and Hercegovina; 3 days in Serbia; 7 days in Macedonia; and 2 days in Bulgaria.  If we were on a stricter budget, we would've limited our time in Croatia to just a couple of days since it was the most expensive place in the Balkans.  Instead, Macedonia was a cheap place to hang out, where we stayed in nice accommodations, ate good meals, and indulged in bottles of wine for hardly anything.  Even the most touristed Lake Ohrid was a steal.  

Overall, the Balkans can be done on a budget even less than ours, and is a great budget destination for an authentic experience in a less traveled region.  

Quirks and Difficulties of Traveling Through the Balkans

From Sarajevo, we literally didn't have an exit plan because we couldn't make a decision on which direction to head.  We thought about going south towards Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH), then Montenegro, then Albania, but we found out that Albania does not allow public transportation to cross its borders from some of the other Balkan states.  It didn't sound like something we wanted to hassle with.

We considered taking a more off-the-beaten-path route, but again, cross-country transportation outside of major cities is sparse and lodging unreliable.  

We really wanted to raft down the super-deep Tara Canyon river in Montenegro, then go east through Kosovo, then Serbia, but getting to and out of Tara Canyon sounded like it would take many extra days.  Also, we're very glad we didn't do this route because Serbia would not have allowed entry had we gone through Kosovo first.  It has to do with territorial disputes about Serbia's claim over Kosovo, and it's complicated, but Serbia considers going through Kosovo first, an illegal border crossing.

Basically, we've considered several different itineraries each time, but most are eliminated due to transportation or border crossing issues.  The places we've been during the past 2 weeks represent the path of least resistance.

Day 126: A Busy Sightseeing Day in Sarajevo

Akiko in kitchen of 17c.
Bosnian nobleman's house -
The Svrzo's House.

Blog covers 3 main sites visited this day: Sarajevo War Tunnel, Svrzo's House, and the National Museum, plus a few others!

SARAJEVO WAR TUNNEL
Sarajevo is also dubbed the City of Hope, for enduring the 3.5 year Siege from 1992-1995 by the Serbs, who were literally neighbors and living amongst each other in Sarajevo.  It all started when Bosnia and Hercegovina declared independence from the socialist federation of Yugoslavia - made up of Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Slovenia.  The Serbs living in Bosnia had a different plan than those who declared independence, so they encircled the city of Sarajevo by stationing themselves in the surrounding hills and assaulted the city - civilians, women, children, and especially cultural and religious buildings of significance - with mortar, machine guns, grenades, etc. Snipers stationed themselves in high-rise buildings and picked-off anyone in the streets.  Over 11,000 civilians and 1,500 children were killed in Sarajevo.  This became the longest siege in modern warfare.  Air strikes against Serbian military strongholds by NATO, of which the United States played a large role in, finally pressured Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia (yup, THAT guy) to come to the negotiation table to end this war.  The Dayton agreement was signed in....Dayton, Ohio of all places, at the Wright-Patterson AFB.

Sarajevo - A Religious and Cultural Melting Pot, Or Is It?

Tasli Han ("stone inn") ruins against
backdrop of minaret from Gazi
Husrev-Beg mosque and Clock Tower.

We are so excited to experience the diverse and complex city of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH) where religions have coexisted for centuries; where the 1984 Winter Olympics was hosted; where major historical events occurred such as the assassination that ignited WWI; and survived a major civil war atrocity in the 1990s called the Siege of Sarajevo, for which the city shows permanent scars.  But, the people have proven resilient and all outward appearances seem optimistic about the future with their fledgling independence and ethno-religious peace agreement.  They have definitely made Sarajevo into a must-visit destination.  

Train Ride From Zagreb to Sarajevo

We found out that taking the train is a pretty simple way of getting from Zagreb, Croatia to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH).  At the main train terminal in Zagreb, we checked the published departure schedule, looking for the train that goes to Sarajevo.  It was difficult to find within the fine print, but saw there are 2 departures daily.  The first one leaves daily at 8:53 am with a final destination to Ploce, stopping at Sarajevo along the way.  The other is an overnight train.  We read that the Croatian and BiH scenery is not to be missed, and the numerous interruptions by ticket verifiers, passport controls, customs personnel, etc. would prevent anyone from getting much sleep anyway; so we chose to travel during the daytime.