When I turned 30, I gave myself an experience, a hobby I couldn’t share, since I was the only one among my family and friends who truly loved it.
I wanted to spend a week surrounded by horses.
After some searching online, I found exactly what I was looking for in the UK: an agency called Far and Ride. Holly Anthony and Sue Woodvine had built a beautiful concept: Horse riding holidays.
But what I got in return, turned out to be so much more.
I had already been dreaming of doing the Camino de Santiago on horseback, but living in the Nordics, the idea of riding through endless rain and cold-mild weather wasn’t very appealing to me.
Instead, I chose Croatia.
Spending a week at a ranch in the countryside of Croatia sounded like the very best plan.
A few years later, I returned to Croatia with friends and did the usual tourist places, plane to Zadar, visit to Split, Hvar, and Dubrovnik, and the contrast couldn’t have been more eye opening. The entire experience was okayish. But food didn’t taste like before, many places were overcrowded, and we didn’t have much chance to be with Croatians.
During the horse trip, I didn’t need to visit anything in particular to experience it fully. I immediately felt like I was truly living Croatia like a local plus, on a horse.
I explored the countryside, attended a local festivity centred around horses, ate tons of local fruits and veggies straight from the ranch garden, and enjoyed fresh fish from a nearby river that the mom of the owner cooked for us.
Every day was a full experience to share with just 4 of us: a girl from Japan who was living in Jordan, and a couple of Brits living in the UK. I picked up a few words of Croatian, to speak with the chef and matriarch, but also to communicate with the horses. Took a dip in the river, ate wild mini plums, and rode and took daily care of Olympia, “my horse”.
Whenever I think about Croatia, I remember this trip, and I smile.
This is why JOMO “the joy of missing out” is still so on trend today.
No guidebook or group tour could ever replicate 🧡
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