Where Can We Go?
While researching countries that were accepting US tourists at the time, we serendipitously found the perfect resource: Travel Off Path. They thoroughly research and share content on travel and entry requirements of countries all over the world. This information was invaluable to our travel planning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We especially focused our attention on the handful of countries listed in Travel Off Path’s article “Countries Without Any Travel Restrictions or Entry Requirements.”
Based on this article at that time, Croatia jumped out at both of us!
Croatia, Here We Come…
Initially, Croatia’s only entry requirement for US residents was proof of tourism like a receipt for paid accommodations. This meant all we had to do was book our flights and accommodations and we were good to go.
However, before we were able to book anything, they added another requirement: a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival.
What’s Our Next Move?
Travel planning during the COVID-19 pandemic felt like playing chess – we needed to figure out our next move as well as anticipate the future to plan our next ten moves.
The Problem
This new requirement with a 48-hour window made our travel plans more complicated because:
- There were no direct flights from the US to Croatia. We were originating in Orlando, FL and would have at least one or two connections to get to Croatia.
- There were no testing facilities with a 48-hour turnaround in FL. At that time, we only knew of places offering results within 5-10 days.
The Unknowns
These two facts raised a lot of questions for us. Here were some of our concerns:
- Could we find a testing facility with fast enough results and coordinate taking the tests so we had our results within the 48-hour window AND by the time we arrived in Croatia?
- If we did get tested in FL, what happens if one or both of us don’t get our test results by the time we land in Croatia? Would we have to go to a Croatian govt quarantine facility until we got our results?
- Similarly, what would happen if one or both of our results was (gasp) positive?
- If there was a quarantine camp or other required quarantine facility, how much would we have to pay?
- If only one of us had to quarantine in a govt facility, would we get separated for two weeks? What would the other person do for two weeks alone?
Our Plan
Our key goals for how we’d get to Croatia:
- Avoid the hassle of trying to coordinate PCR tests with flight itineraries and
- Mitigate the risk of ending up in an expensive and/or dystopian quarantine facility.
After a lot of research and discussion, we came up with a plan. We would have to first fly to a country with no entry requirements for US residents that was in in close proximity to Croatia.
By doing so, we would have more flexibility to get tested and plan our entry into Croatia based on out test results.
As it turned out, there was one country that fit the bill perfectly.
We’re going to… (drum roll, please)
Serbia? As in the Former Yugoslavia?
OK, I’ll admit it. My knowledge of Serbia was embarrassingly limited, and I couldn’t pick it out on a map. However, Serbia checked all the boxes for us to start our journey.
Also, it turned out Serbia is a pretty awesome and safe place after all!
Logistically, flying from the US to Serbia was really easy. Air Serbia had regular, direct flights between NYC and Belgrade. We snagged a really good deal using Chase Ultimate Rewards points for flights originating in Orlando and connecting in NYC. The total trip duration was very reasonable at around 16-17 hours.
SIDE NOTE: We booked roundtrip flights in and out of Belgrade just in case we needed proof of onward travel to enter Serbia. We didn’t know all our travel plans, so we booked our return two months out, confident we could figure something out when the time came.
Serbia also borders Croatia so we had several options for how we would get from Serbia to Croatia. We could take a plane, train, bus, or rent a car.
Our plan was to spend a week in Belgrade before traveling to Croatia so we could:
- Adjust to the new time zone
- Work remotely from a very affordable location
- See some Serbian sights
- Take our PCR tests
- Figure out how best to travel to Croatia based on the testing
Easy Day of Travel
Overall, our travels from the US to Serbia went pretty smooth and easy. The only slight complication we had was in transiting through JFK which I describe below in detail.
We even got to relax and eat breakfast in a Priority Pass lounge that was open at the Orlando airport before our flight to NYC.
We were surprised that at no point during our journey did anyone raise questions or concerns around our ability to travel to Serbia as US residents or anything around PCR test requirements. I suspect international travel requirements like that were too new at that point so it didn’t occur to airline staff question it. In contrast, see how we got questioned when flying from Serbia to Croatia in this article.
Unexpected Challenges at JFK Airport
We arrived at the JFK airport from Orlando in terminal 5 and had a 5-hour layover to make our way to terminal 4 to catch our connection to Belgrade.
To get to terminal 4, we had to leave the secured area and go landside. We then walked down the aforementioned long corridor (where I thought the guy with the baseball cap and face covering was going to rob us – haha) towards a huge parking ramp in order to catch a train to terminal 4. This route seemed like the wrong way, but we were told by several people that it was correct. *shrug*
As we approached the TSA checkpoint in terminal 4, an airport employee told us we needed new boarding passes before we could go through the security checkpoint. She told us to go to the Air Serbia ticket counter to get new ones. For whatever reason, the boarding passes we received in Orlando were not adequate. Still not sure why…
After several minutes trying to find the Air Serbia ticket counter, we asked another airport employee for help. He was wearing a tie and had a walkie talkie so he seemed especially official. He told us their ticket counter wouldn’t open for another two hours so we should just hangout and wait in the area.
Wait in the area for two hours? Did we hear him correctly? Fortunately, we had plenty of time before our flight so that wasn’t a concern.
We quickly realized other people were already lined up waiting for the Air Serbia counter to open, so we took our place in line behind them.
Once the ticket counter opened, we got our boarding passes without any issue. The only hiccup was Bill’s carry-on bag was too heavy according to their requirements so he had to check it which wasn’t a big deal. After that, we proceeded through the (confusing) TSA checkpoint process and ultimately to our gate.
Mexican Fiesta
As some of you know, I enjoy Mexican food. I think I was eating chips and salsa as a three year old.
As luck would have it, there was a small little Mexican restaurant that was actually open right next to our gate so we stopped for a bite to eat. It gave us some reprieve from wearing our masks but cost us $65 for six chicken tacos and two beers. We figured we wouldn’t be getting Mexican food for a while in the Balkans so it was worth it!
In the photo above, Bill demonstrates his plan to simultaneously cover his eyes to sleep AND stay mask-compliant during our flight to Belgrade. It’s only a coincidence that his mask has spicy peppers on it!
Flying to Serbia
The flight from JFK to Belgrade was pretty uneventful. We didn’t have any issues which was good because there were very few native English speakers.
Also, the in-flight entertainment was pretty outdated so I was glad I brought my iPad with some downloaded shows to watch.
The airport in Belgrade is small and signage is clear and easy to read in both Serbian and English.
At passport control, there was no line for non-Serbian residents. I guess not a lot of foreign nationals were traveling to Serbia that day! I handed the agent my passport. He asked me to pull my mask down for a second and then stamped my passport. Those were the only words exchanged.
Our luggage arrived very quickly at baggage claim, and with nothing to declare, we walked right through Customs with no questions asked.
The Drive to Downtown Belgrade
We pre-arranged a ride with our AirBnb host (for about $23-24), so he was waiting for us with our name on a sign just beyond Customs. This pre-arrangement was super convenient and stress free. However, if we return to Belgrade, we will likely just take a Pink Taxi (Belgrade’s version of Uber) for about $15-16.
SIDE NOTE: To use Pink Taxi, you will need to download the app to your phone and have a wifi connection. There is wifi in the Belgrade airport that you can use to order your taxi.
It was about a 25-min drive to our AirBnb apartment located near the Republic Square in downtown Belgrade.
Our host also handled the tourist registration and tax for us, so he took pictures of our passports and collected payment (I think it was $1-2 per day per person).
At this point, we were on our own in the city of Belgrade and ready to explore!!