Like my story from Barcelona (Check out the post here : Solo Female Traveler in Spain (sarahgrady11.wixsite.com) ) , I used the program Workaway and found a hostel to work in, in Fužine, Croatia. Fužine is a small town in the mountains of Croatia that I've never heard of. But it's beautiful. It is between the capital Zagreb and the coast, but closer to the coast.
At the time, in 2019, Croatia was not part of the Schengen area. The Schengen area is a group of 27 countries in the EU that have abolished border controls. It's like driving between states in the United States. This was a big deal because I wanted to stay 90 days within the Schengen area (which is permitted for US citizens without a visa). I started out in Austria in late May and wanted to spend my birthday in late September in Paris with my now husband. So, I left the Schengen area for a month and went to Croatia. I think Croatia has now become a part of the Schengen area, so if you want to do this too, double check the countries that are and are not part of the Schengen area.
At the time, this hostel was hosting guests going to a Tango festival (in the building next door to the hostel, it is a very small town). So not only was I working in the hostel for a free place to sleep and 3 meals a day, but I also got to go watch people tango at night. I personally don't dance, I have two left feet, but I love watching other people ! And tango is so intimate and sensual. As a solo female traveler, I loved using this program. It made me feel safer traveling alone. I was still independent but I wasn't totally alone. I took a day trip alone to the nearby coastal town of Opatija, but people were expecting me back for dinner duty (AKA washing the dishes). So, if something were to happen to me, it wouldn't be just my mom all the way in the United States who was looking for me.
I was working with two other women. We all shared a room and got along great. Luckily for me, English was the common language. One woman was from Colombia, the other Malaysia. We rotated with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, having to do the dishes and clean the floor in the dining hall after everyone left. We also had to do things like ironing and laundry. This was my first experience working in a hostel and I quite enjoyed it. There was a big lake next to the hostel where I would go for walks or occasionally swim. There was one bar in town that we all went to one night after everyone was finished working. So while this was not a big tourist destination, it was a place to relax and enjoy nature. There are many great opportunities like this through Workaway.
Wow😍❤️🔥