The lucky winners of our Trafalgar Unlocked Awards have set off on their fabulous 12-day tour of the Balkans! One of the winners was Leith from Australia, who took her husband David – her “best friend and forever travel buddy”. We caught up with Leith and David while they were on the road in the Balkans, to find out how they were enjoying the trip and what they love about traveling with Trafalgar.
My story begins just outside of Bergen in Norway…on a beautiful farm owned by the Ovre-Eide Family. This was the destination for our “Be My Guest” Dinner on our “Scenic Scandinavia and it’s Fjords” trip with Trafalgar in May 2019. The farm has been worked by the same family for five generations. My husband David and I were two of the lucky twelve that had the privilege of dining down in their 500 year old meat and food cellar! If you are ever asked to volunteer to “dine in the dungeon” do it! You just might be pleasantly surprised! It was truly special. We both came away saying “what an absolutely amazing, once in a lifetime experience!” Thank you to the Ovre-Eide Family for making our visit to your home so memorable.
Leith’s Trafalgar Unlocked Awards entry
EXPERIENCE IT: Balkan Delight
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What has been the highlight of the trip so far?
Leith: One of the highlights for me is the sense of family with our fellow travelers and it’s just amazing and I really love Dubrovnik. It’s just stunning.
David: The coastline and the islands are just majestic and breathtaking and there’s really nothing like it that I’ve seen in any of my travels.
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What were you feeling on the plane to Zagreb?
David: Gee I can’t wait to have a shower! But we were definitely looking forward to landing and starting this fabulous tour.
What are you most looking forward to?
David: Dubrovnik was definitely one of our highlights that we were looking forward to. But every place that we’ve been to so far has been an eye-opener because this is our first time in the Balkans.
Leith: I’m actually looking forward to going to Split and finding the Pandora shop so I can get a Croatia Pandora charm.
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What advice would you give your younger selves when it comes to travel?
Leith: Travel while you’re young. Don’t wait until you’re retired to travel. If you can do it, do it.
David: Definitely, there are younger people in our group who just put in the hours and walking is no issue, and they do it to the nth degree, and I guess that’s the advantage of being young. But even when you’re older you’re still enjoying it. There’s a whole range of people on our tour. Age doesn’t have to be a barrier but certainly the younger you are, go for it.
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Do you have any travel advice?
David: My message is don’t get hung up on possessions, rather life should be about experiences. Going with Trafalgar gives us so many great memories to cherish for the rest of our lives.
Leith: My advice would be to definitely do a tour with a company like Trafalgar because the only thing you have to worry about is getting your bags out, say 6:30 in the morning, and getting on that coach ready to leave. The rest of the day, Trafalgar will absolutely look after you amazingly.
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How would you describe a Trafalgar tour in three words?
Leith: Amazing, amazing, amazing.
David: I can describe it in one word with three letters: Wow!
RELATED CONTENT: The Trafalgar diaries: On tour in the Balkans with our winners, Pt. 2
Thank you to Leith and David for sharing their story on the road in the Balkans! You can read more stories from our guests on the Balkans trip on The Real Word blog.