📌 Triskaidekaphobia 📌
[…] from Ancient Greek τρεισκαίδεκα (treiskaídeka) ‚thirteen‘ and Ancient Greek φόβος (phóbos) ‚fear‘)[1] is fear or avoidance of the number 13. […]

(Source: wikipedia.org)

 

Sometimes it takes 13 years before you realize that you are not living the life you actually imagined. You put off dreams because they seem too big, too unrealistic or simply too scary. And then, suddenly, it hits you like a bolt of lightning: why wait? In this blog post, you can find out what ultimately convinced us, why we chose Croatia instead of Spain and what hurdles we encountered along the way.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)it all here.

 

The moment of realization: not just dreaming dreams

The idea of emigrating had been haunting our minds for a long time. But as it happens, we were always talked out of it: No money, no language skills, fear of failure – the list was long. Until this one day. It was a conversation in a retirement home that opened our eyes.

 

💡 Why wait until it’s too late? 💡

 

This sentence got us thinking. Do you want to regret at the end of your life that you never followed your dreams? That was the moment when we decided: better to fail than never to have tried.

Croatia instead of Spain: The surprising choice of our emigration destination

 

Spain – our unattainable dream?

Spain was always our dream – the Mediterranean climate, beautiful coastlines, and vibrant lifestyle fascinated us. But one major drawback kept holding us back: Spain is simply too far from Germany to quickly visit family or friends by car.

 

Istria: The “Little Spain” on our doorstep

Then we came across Istria, a region in Croatia that is often referred to as “Little Spain”. Why? The region offers Mediterranean flair, a mild climate, an impressive coastal landscape – and best of all, it’s accessible by car from Germany! This compromise was perfect for us. We quickly realized that we could make our dream come true here without completely losing touch with home.

 

Challenges when emigrating: Our first hurdles in Croatia

 

The Croatian real estate market: Pets not wanted!

The start was anything but easy. Finding a rental apartment in Croatia was a real challenge. Many landlords don’t want pets, demand minimum rental periods of one year or set horrendous prices. We needed a creative solution – and we found it: a caravan was to become our first home. You can find all the information about caravans here Caravans: From the idea to (almost) perfect accommodation

 

Furniture and storage space: a logistical adventure

Take your entire household with you? Unrealistic. Furniture? Too much, too heavy, too complicated. So we decided to rent a container and store everything we might need later. But even that was easier said than done. Finding a suitable storage space in Germany was a game of patience. After many rejections, we were finally successful – with a three-month wait included.

 

From “You’re crazy!” to full support for our family

◉ 1. The skepticism was huge Our family thought we were completely crazy at first. “It’ll never work!”, ‘You’ll fail!’ or ‘What will you do if you can’t cope there?’ were the most frequent comments.

◉ 2. From horror stories to doubts: It didn’t take long for the first horror stories to emerge. From robberies to completely failed emigration projects, everything was there. Some told us about people who ended up on the street in Croatia. Thank you.

◉ 3. Teamwork- Strong together: after the initial shock, the skepticism slowly subsided. Instead of talking us out of it, friends and family began to actively support us. There were lots of tips, help with packing and even a few words of encouragement. In the end, our family was our biggest support – and without them, many things would have been more difficult.

 

Why a caravan was our emigration gamechanger

A caravan was the perfect solution. We wanted to remain flexible, be independent of strict rental contracts and have the opportunity to arrive first. And that’s exactly what helped us. With our small mobile home, we were able to get our bearings, explore the area and decide where we wanted to settle down for the long term.

 

Conclusion: Emigrating is hard, but dreams are worth it

The road to emigration was anything but easy, but every hurdle made us stronger. We have learned to solve problems creatively, remain flexible and never lose heart. Croatia is a real new beginning for us, which shows us that dreams can come true – even if the road is sometimes rocky.

 

We hope these tips help you master your expat life even better! Do you have your own experiences or further recommendations on the topic of moving abroad? Feel free to leave us a comment! Share this post with others who could benefit from these tips, and stay tuned for more inspiration from life as an expat.

Your Steffi & Marius