What a year!
Acclimating to a new life in Europe
What a year! If I were to choose one word to describe 2025, it would be acclimate — to adjust or adapt to a new climate, place, or situation. Living in Croatia — and traveling in Europe — has been nothing short of amazing and eye-opening — a true breath of fresh air. I’ve never felt more safe and secure. I am surrounded by kindness and generosity.
However, with all of the amazement of living abroad comes a whole new set of challenges.
One of those is knowing I do not have a home in the U.S. since I had to let go of my Napa apartment. (However, the flip side is I am free to live anywhere after my Croatian residency expires.)
As one of my expat friends said, “It’s the underbelly of being an expat that no one talks about.“ Only a few close friends know about my difficulties, because I want to stay positive. “Keep looking up... That’s the secret of life,” said Snoopy/Charles M. Schulz. So back to the awesomeness of 2025.
The highlight was getting my Croatian residency permit after four months of patiently waiting.
There were also many opportunities to travel — to Hungary (6 times), Slovenia (5 times), and one time each to the UK, Italy, North Macedonia, France, and Serbia. In Croatia, I visited Dubrovnik for the first time, and returned to Plešivica, Slavonia, Gradac, the Istrian Peninsula, and Split.
I also launched my Fora travel advisor business — thank you to my clients for your bookings! I am looking forward to growing my business and working with current and future clients to make travel dreams come true.
Thank you to those of you who came to see me or met me somewhere on this side of the pond — it was great to see you — and those who have helped me manage things in the U.S.
Happy New Year!
Elizabeth