We entered Serbia on Thursday the 28th of March, 2024 via kayak on the Danube. The small town we bought a Serbian SIM card in is called Apatin. Here’s our recommendation for a Serbian SIM card, how we got it, and how it works in neighboring non-EU countries. Contents1 Which Serbian SIM Card is Best?2 How We Bought a Serbian SIM Card in Apatin3 Which Yettel Data Packages to Buy as a Digital Nomad?4 Other things to know about the Serbian Yettel SIM card5 Serbian SIM Card FAQ + Internet Freedom5.1 Should I buy a Serbian SIM card at theContinue reading
Europe
Here you’ll find lots of articles about my hitchhiking and kayaking travels in Europe. As you may know, Europe is my ‘homing’ continent where I’ll – like a stinky pigeon – always return to even if I’m trying to stay away from it. And to be honest, it’s not bad; there’s always more to explore.
I undertook many of my trips around Europe while at university in Maastricht (the Netherlands) and Aarhus (Denmark). That’s why I dropped out. I honed my hitchhiking skills here and set the most personal records and firsts such as:
- First solo hitch: from Kirkenes Airport in Norway to Kirkenes town with a military guy with his son
- Longest distance hitched in 24 hours: ~1200 kilometers from Maastricht (the Netherlands) to somewhere east of Lubljana (Slovenia)
- Most hours in one ride: 3 days with one British driver with a rental car in southern Spain and Portugal (his contract said he couldn’t take the car across the border)
- First plane hitch: over Malta (A to A)
- Longest sailing yacht hitch: from Corfu (Greece) to Malta, which was 340 nautical miles over 2.5 days. Here’s my CrewBay profile
Besides hitchhiking, I also kayaked a long distance in Europe down the Danube river in an inflatable canoe named Zucchini. But before I did that trip with my partner Jonas, I returned to university to finish my degree to erase my student debt. Thesis here.
As you can see, it’s not always a fun continent for me; it’s also the locus of worry about the people and pets I’m close to, of bureaucratic fuckery, and of most of my childhood memories. For most of my life, Europe has tied me down. Now I’m trying to experience it from a place of choice and freedom.
If you are not interested in the Danube trip, you can click this link to not show the Danube posts.
Kayak Trip Day 55: Novi Sad to Stari Slankamen – Frozen Toes
Our 55th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 17th of April, 2024. We paddled from Serbia’s second-biggest city Novi Sad to the village of Stari Slankamen. This is about 40 kilometers and it was very cold. Contents1 Low Expectations2 Paddling Out of Novi Sad + Novi Sad Bridges3 DTD Canal + New Bridge at Kovilj + A Stop in “Ko Chang”4 Sailing to Stari Slankamen + Beška Bridge5 Arriving in Stari Slankamen6 Our Stay in Stari Slankamen7 Thanks for reading! Consider buying me a glass of wine8 Good read? Feel free to share Low Expectations During our week in NoviContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 54: Ilok to Bačka Palanka to Novi Sad – Goodbye Croatia, Hello Serbia
Our 54th paddle day was on Wednesday, the 10th of April, 2024. Our hosts in Ilok helped us cross the land border bridge between Ilok and Bačka Palanka to get the paperwork right. They dropped us off at a suitable launch spot on the Serbian side and we immediately began paddling to Novi Sad. This was our fifth day on the Danube in 2024 and our 54th day in total. Contents1 Croatia to Serbia via the Ilok–Bačka Palanka Bridge2 Kayaking Out of the Croatian–Serbian Border Zone3 Making Distance4 Two Ferries + Paddling Past Fruška Gora5 Dredging Fuckery6 Entering Novi SadContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 53: Vukovar to Ilok, Croatia – Zucchini Leaks
Our 53rd paddle day was on Saturday, the 6th of April, 2024. We kayaked from Vukovar to Ilok in Croatia along the Danube. Our inflatable kayak Zucchini was unfortunately malfunctioning, which resulted in a lot of stops. This was our fourth day on the river in 2024 and our 53rd day in total. Contents1 Excitement for Today + Taxi to Vukovar Kanu Klub2 Are We Paddling in the Danube, or in Denial?3 Egrets and Regrets4 Kayak Sailing + Opatovac Channel5 Mohovo + Šarengrad + Lovka6 Arriving in Ilok + Finding the Leak7 Punctured Inflatable Kayak: Fixing Zucchini’s Hole8 Four NightsContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 52: Erdut to Vukovar – Entering Croatia Legally
The events in this story happened on Wednesday, the 3rd of April, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Erdut to Vukovar in Croatia. This was our third kayaking day down the Danube in 2024 and the 52nd in total. Though we had slept in Croatia the night before, we hadn’t properly entered Croatia on paper yet until Vukovar. Contents1 Paddling Two Days in a Row + Zucchini Leaks2 Stress About Sinking Before Vukovar3 Paddling Past Dalj + Our First 100 Kilometers4 Borovska Ada + Borovo5 Arriving in Vukovar + Bad Information6 Croatian Police, Customs, and Immigration in Vukovar7 ThreeContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 51: Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia – Straddling Schengen
The events in this story happened on Tuesday, the 2nd of April, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Apatin in Serbia to Erdut in Croatia. This was our second kayaking day down the Danube of 2024 and the 51st in total. Since Croatia is in the EU and Schengen and Serbia isn’t, we had to deal with immigration—on one side of the river… Contents1 Preparing to Cross Back to Schengen2 Starting to Erdut from Apatin3 A Beachy Break in Croatia4 The Confluence with the Drava5 Aljmaš + Kayak Sailing Around the Bend6 Croatian Police Boat + Arriving inContinue reading
Kayak Trip Day 50: Mohács in Hungary to Apatin in Serbia – We Meet Again, Danube
The events in this story happened on Thursday the 28th of March, 2024. We paddled our inflatable canoe Zucchini from Mohács in Hungary to Apatin in Serbia. This was our first kayaking day down the Danube of 2024 and a continuation of this trip in 2019. We intend to paddle to the Black Sea in 2024 this year. Since we’re crossing from a Schengen country to outside of the EU, this required some paperwork at the police. Contents1 Our (Second) Stay in Mohács2 Hungarian Immigration + A Call with a TID Participant3 Leaving Mohács for Apatin: Day 50 or DayContinue reading
Zagreb by Kayak: Paddling the Sava River from Brežice in Slovenia to Croatia’s Capital
We kayaked down the mighty Sava River from Slovenia to Croatia on Friday the 15th of March, 2024. This was the first time since 2019 that we loaded Zucchini with full luggage—including our laptops in a dry bag. We started at the reaction ferry in Mostec near Brežice in Slovenia. The Sava is fast, so we arrived in Croatia’s capital city Zagreb in no time after 32.5 kilometers. Contents1 One Day in Brežice: Sava Rapids, Research, Pizza and Beer2 A Terrible Taxi Driver + A Terrible Entry Spot3 A Fast Flow on the Sava4 Crossing the Border from Slovenia toContinue reading
Ljubljanica Kayaking: Vrhnika to the Ljubljana Marsh and the Capital’s Iconic Bridges
We did this kayaking trip down the Ljubljanica River on the 7th of March, 2024. Starting in Vrhnika, we paddled down through the largest marsh in Slovenia to the capital city Ljubljana. In Ljubljana we paddled through the center a bit before returning upstream to go home and deflate our boat. This trip is in preparation for paddling the Danube again. Contents1 Ljubljana, Slovenia: the Long Way to the Danube2 Taxi to Vrhnika + Inflating Zucchini Under Pressure3 Down the Ljubljanica to Podpeč4 Kayaking the Ljubljana Marshes + Lunch Break5 Entering Ljubljana + Ljubljana Kayak and Canoe Club6 Padding UnderContinue reading