I took the picture in Rijeka, Croatia at the top of the Trsat Castle. It’s out of season so I got to go up all my myself and see the amazing view. That canal looking thing is a river that flows through the city, and the name “Rijeka” in Croatian means “The River”. That’s why! I didn’t realize there was a river going through the city until I got up on the mountain and looked down on the city. What a stunning view.
The sea in the picture is the Adriatic Sea between Croatia and Italy. To the right is Italy and to the left is Greece. If you go straight from this view, you would get to the visible island and after that over the sea you get to Italy and if you keep going straight over the land, you will get to Rome.
Getting rid of some stuff – well, storing it
The last few days I’ve been contemplating how to get rid of more stuff. Not really getting rid of it, but storing it so I don’t have to lug it around everywhere. I already got rid of everything I didn’t need before I left, but I still have too much to travel around – two bags and a carryon. I want to reduce it to one bag and maybe my backpack. But Croatia does not have storage units.
The thing is that I sold everything I own and what I have is the last things I own. Since I am not planning on returning to America anytime soon, if ever, I need a place to store things, but I don’t even know what country I’ll be living in, and I’m still working on Croatian residency – just to have an EU residency.
Croatia and the Schengen Zone
I got fortunate that Croatia just joined the Schengen zone (as of January 1, 2023), and got in by the skin of my teeth, because this means with Croatian residency, which is the only Schengen country I can get residency in for now until the universities start opening up applications, I have Schengen residence.
The Schengen Zone is composed of most of the countries of Western and Central Europe, and after years of planning, Croatia just got approved and started on January 1, and also switched from the Croatian Kuna to the Euro. I had to get rid of all my Kunas before January 1, because they would no longer be used. What Schengen means is that you can freely travel to any other country in the Schengen zone without needing to go through border checks, which also means you don’t have to use up stamps in your passport book. It makes travel much more convenient and much faster between countries.
Since my Schengen time was ticking down after January 1, I was really stressed out, because I didn’t know if I’d be forced to leave the country, since I only found out at the last minute that the FBI background check would take 2-3 months! Fortunately, Croatian law says that I can stay legally as long as the application is in, and I have put in the application. But I had to do it online, because in person I needed more documents.
Fortunately, I verified with the police ahead of time that it was ok, so I am legal now. Otherwise, my Schengen time would be about up and I would be forced to go to Bosnia or Romania. Of course, Croatians hate Serbia because of the war, so I wouldn’t mention to a Croatian if I planned on going to Serbia. But I wasn’t planning on it, because Serbia is farther than Bosnia while waiting for residency. Fortunately, I don’t have to leave.
Storing my bags in Hungary
But why go to Hungary? I researched the surrounding countries within a day’s bus journey, and Hungary has far better prices for legitimate storage units. Croatia and Slovenia don’t even have storage units, because they are generally poor countries. If they have one, I couldn’t find it – not the type where you get your own unit. Italy is close and has it, and Austria is close enough and has it, but they are expensive – 30 Euros per month or more for the smallest unit. Hungary is much more affordable, and since I’m not storing much, it doesn’t make sense to pay hundreds per year.
So my plan is to go to Hungary to drop off 2 suitcases worth of stuff. I would like to keep it all with me, but it simply is not practical and is really hindering my ability to travel. I was hoping to get a more permanent residence and leave it there, but since I don’t even know the country, this really isn’t an option. I’ll be a lot more free to travel, and save more money traveling, and more effort and energy and stress, by not having so much luggage carrying around the world.
I really don’t feel like going to a new country right now, especially not a colder one, but I’ll make the most of it! I do really need to drop off this luggage and put it in storage, so I am more free to travel around. Plus, by traveling, I can make more content in more countries, which over time might result in a new revenue source, although it will cost more money in the short term. So my plan is to get a plan down with getting income through freelancing. But one thing at a time.
I’ll probably stay for a week before returning – unless I really like it. But I do need to come back sooner or later because I need the Croatian residency. Hungary is OK though regarding Schengen, because Hungary has a bilateral agreement which allows me to stay in the country for I think it’s 60 or 90 days.
Plus, now that I am in Croatia legally awaiting residency, the police confirmed that Schengen doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t know if Schengen resets right away, but I do not it’s at least frozen, so the time isn’t ticking down anymore, since I’m now in process for Croatian residency via the Digital Nomad residency permit.
So this week or next, I plan to go to Budapest, the capital of Hungary for a week. I figure while I’m there I can do some sightseeing, take some pictures, and make some content. See you soon!
