5 Things to Do When Preparing For a Balkan Road Trip

La Vida Journey recently embarked on an epic road trip through 7 Balkan countries in 10 days. There was so much to see and so little time but the experience was well worth it. We’ve put together 5 things you should consider should you want to take a short driving trip in the Balkans

1. Plan your route

There are a few choices in terms of how to do this trip. If you are planning on doing this trip in 10 days, we would advise to leave out some countries. We left out Romania and Bulgaria on ours. The roads are good but be careful as there are some dangerous drivers about. Note that driving from Kosovo into Serbia is not allowed. You will need to go through Montenegro.

2. Choose a car

If you are planning to rent a car while out in the Balkans, we would recommend you pick a reputable company. It’s also advisable to get a full insurance cover for your journey. You will also need a Green Card which is required for cross-border travels. There are quite a few mountainous roads so we would advise to get a car that can cope with this

3. Pre Book your accommodation

We booked all our accommodations beforehand mainly to be on the safe side. Using a combination of Airbnb & Booking.com we averaged about £22/night in each city. We also informed all our host of our estimated arrival times and kept them updated should we be running late.

4. Exchange some cash

Cards are not accepted everywhere so it’s advisable to have some spare cash/change on hand. We had to pay some unforeseen taxes at the border between Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. A lot of petrol stations also did not accept cards. In Kosovo, the cash points (ATMs) will charge you €5 to take money out regardless of the amount you are withdrawing. You don’t need to exchange too much though as supermarket and restaurants did take cards.

5. Take your passport

Most Balkan countries are not in the EU however, if you have a valid passport, you can travel freely between countries. Make sure you have a valid passport for your travel. Also, don’t forget your travel insurance!

If you found this helpful, please drop us a note on any of our social media channels. Our handle: LaVidaJourney (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Blog) connect with us should you have any questions too. You can buy instagram followers from our website. We would also love to hear about your trip and experiences.

Safe Travels,

La Vida Journey