DUBROVNIK, CROATIA
On the shore of the Adriatic Sea, this beutiful city and surrounding area has so much to offer:
pristine waters, lush islands, gorgeous hikes, and plenty of history.
Why do we love Croatia?
Cerulean waters. Historic stone fortresses. Family owned vineyards. You might assume this is describing the eastern beaches of Italy, but instead, we’re talking about Croatia, just across the Adriatic Sea. It’s no mystery why people have been flocking to this country—you can have all the perks of a Mediterranean locale without the crazy costs and masses of tourists. From the olive groves to the strong coffee culture, it’s certainly competing with Italy for travelers’ hearts! And we are not the only ones who feel whisked away to another time and place when we visit: this country was a top filming location of Game of Thrones for this very reason. It also boasts some of the most balmy weather in the region, which is now being called the “riviera of Eastern Europe.” For people who love nature and history, you just can’t beat this location.
Why take a wellness retreat to Croatia?
If you can’t relax while sitting by a turquoise sea, where can you? In all seriousness, the pace of life is slower here, much more simple, giving the time and space to go inward and reflect on life, and the beauty of the surroundings give an easy entrance to practices of gratitude and perspective. We believe that yoga can be experienced both on and off the mat, and that it is a practice that can improve our lives and lead us into the present moment. Traveling to a new place and experiencing a new culture also helps lead us to the present moment by heightening our senses and putting a mixing up our day to day
What is there to do?
Croatia is a land rich in history, culture, and natural wonders. The entire area is full of some of the clearest waters you'll ever see, with countless islands to explore, beaches to enjoy, and rocks on which to sun bathe. The land is rich and fertile which gives the produce, and wines some amazing qualities. We explore the agricultural and wine regions during the retreat to learn more about the tastes that come from the soil here. And one glance at Dubrovnik and it's easy to see how hours can be lost just roaming the walls, gazing at the beautiful vistas, and visiting the various shops and sites.
FEATURED CROATIA BLOG POSTS
At EPM we absolutely love animals! We find their spirits to be both calming and loving while at the same time curious and adventurous. On retreat we get to encounter a variety of different animals from around the world, interacting with some and just marveling at the beauty of others.
We are thrilled to introduce our collaborator ALEXA DERIGGS, who will be leading our CROATIA retreat in June 2024. Dedicated to taking her practice on and off the mat, Alexa is a student and teacher of Yin, Power, Hatha, and Vinyasa yoga.
We got an update from the recipient from our Give Back program for Croatia, Erika from the Croatian Scholarship Fund. Erika has been in college, and is nearing the end of her degree, preparing for final exams.
This week, we got an update on life in Croatia from our Give Back scholarship recipient, Erika, on life in Zagreb. If you think things are bad here, they got an extra dose of hardship.
If you have been following us for a while, you know that as a part of our Give Back program, we sponsor a student through the Croatian Scholarship Fund. Our scholarship funds all go to one particular student, Erika, who is just the best source of inspiration and joy to our team. She updates us from time to time on her life, and she is the embodiment of what we believe adds up to a full life.
As many of you know, our Give Back partner for our Croatia retreats is the Croatian Scholarship Fund. We were lucky to sponsor a student named Erika, and we never fail to be delighted by her joy and energy for life. She recently sent us an update, so we wanted to share what she’s been up to and what it looks like to give back to someone who is doing good in the world. Erika embodies what we at EPM believe creates a full life: her love of travel, movement, relationships, time in nature, meaningful work and giving to others always inspire us.
Well, it's that time again. We have an anniversary to celebrate:
EAT.PRAY.MOVE has now held 75 RETREATS!
In the next round of our Traveler Testimony, I spoke to Catherine from New York City. Catherine was an actor in NYC and London before transitioning to writing and producing. She is a repeat guest, one of the people we lovingly refer to as our EPM family. She has already joined us in Marrakesh, Croatia, Goa, Tuscany and Iceland! We asked her to give us a little of her perspective on what it's like to travel with us on retreat.
If you've been following our Give Back program, you may have seen that for our Croatia initiative, we partnered with the Croatian Scholarship Fund to donate to a student named Erika. She is studying at the Teacher's University in Zagreb, the largest city in Croatia. We get regular updates from Erika, so we thought we should share what she's been up to!
This month, we decided it would be fun to introduce our readers to one of our retreat hosts, so we interviewed Nika, our host on our retreat location in Croatia.
This is a new series written by our Give Back coordinator, Eugenia. She's in charge of being a liaison between our Give Back partners around the world and we are so happy to have her on board as this program, which is so close to our hearts here at EPM, grows. Follow our journey in getting to know our partners through these updates - and see how our guests are making differences in people's lives on a global scale. DO GOOD + TRAVEL WELL.
We are excited to bring your our next TRAVELER TESTIMONY! This edition's blog guest is Stacey from Ontario, Canada! Stacey is a dental hygienist and active volunteer in her community. She loves yoga, art, good food and wine, so we were thrilled to get her take on what it's like to experience an EAT.PRAY.MOVE retreat from her perspective. Here are her impressions on a MINDFUL MOVEMENT yoga + meditation retreat in Croatia with Jen Carter.
Well happy summer to you all. It's been quite a season so far over here at EPM and we're looking forward to some amazing more retreat weeks ahead this year - Iceland, Marrakesh, Croatia, and our newest in Venice, Italy!...
GUEST CROATIA TESTIMONIALS
First I can’t explain how much I enjoyed Croatia and our group- it was the time of my life truly- exactly what I needed!! I came home and first thing was trying to figure out where’s next! I want to go everywhere now. I am so glad I came across EPM and took a chance outside my box and booked- Amazing, truly amazing.
I know all of us on that retreat are huge Erin fans and can’t sing the EAT.PRAY.MOVE praises loud enough. It is the most incredible way to travel. Erin has every detailed covered and it takes the stress out of international travel. I know I am getting an amazing travel experience at an incredible value. The accommodations are always world-class and the activities and adventures always provide cultural immersion with local experiences.
CURRENT DUBROVNIK RETREATS
PRIVATE RETREAT / YOGA + CULTURE - This special private Croatia retreat will be a celebration of springtime on the gorgeous Adriatic with an upgraded experience! Wine tastings, spa, and blue waters combined with yoga and sea views.
PRIVATE RETREATS - Contact us for a private group booking - from reunions, corporate team-building, or just a special occasion! Choose from our extensive list of locations, itineraries, and themes - and join us for a balanced and enriching adventure.
CROATIA GIVE-BACK PARTNER \ CROATIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUN
The CROATIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND was established in late 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area by a group of Croatian Americans for the purpose of providing university scholarships for Croatian students who could not otherwise afford a higher education. In 1991, as a direct result of the war and devastation in Croatia, CSF and its Board of Directors became deeply concerned about the severe impact this war would have on future generations as the country began to rebuild. Assistance provided by the United States and other countries in the form of humanitarian contributions helped Croatia considerably. However, in looking ahead, it was clear that there was an urgent need to establish programs not only to help rebuild the infrastructure of the country during the post-war period, but most importantly to establish sound programs which would benefit the growth and development of Croatia’s most important resource — its future generations of leaders, workers and citizens.
Therefore, this newly established non-profit organization focused on the sole purpose of providing financial scholarship aid for Croatian students from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to attend universities in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The CROATIAN SCHOLARSHIP FUND's first Executive Board, elected to provide the leadership and direction for the organization, determined that CSF’s mission would be to raise funds in order to provide scholarships to help educate young, bright and financially needy Croatian men and women who would someday become future leaders in medicine, agriculture, transportation, technology, economics, law, engineering, political science, education, and other academic fields.
We are so excited to introduce to those of you who don’t already know her, our newest collaborator for our yoga + self care + cuisine retreat in Tuscany, Amy Commander! Amy has been friends with our founder Erin for many years and after last years Puglia retreat (Amy is also half of Boxerina) they have finally found the perfect collaboration in Tuscany.