July the 25th, 2022 - Free Croatian holidays are very much in the realm of possibility, and people attempt them (sometimes even successfully!) all the time, but if an inspector catches you, be prepared to pay out more than you likely bargained for.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Adriatic Sea is full of tourists during the scorching and sometimes even oppressive summer months. There are those who like to jump in and cool off in the sea, then head to the place you're staying refreshed - completely free of charge. All this is possible here in Croatia if you're an illegal camper.

This year, there are many campers, tents and foreigners lining the coast who want free Croatian holidays, enjoying all this spectacular coastline has to offer for zero kuna. The Istrian team at HRT decided to check out just what the inspectors who are on the lookout for this get up to, not to mention the police and communal wardens. The excuses those seeking free Croatian holidays in the backs of camper vans parked in precarious locations use are usually very imaginative.

The sun had only just risen over the coast of gorgeous southern Istria, and it only took a few minutes for the inspectors to find their first illegal camper. This isn't unusual, given that the police, inspectors and municipal wardens all have their hands full each and every summer with such cases.

''You have to catch the person sleeping, then you have to wake them up in order to collect the fine from them,'' explained Denis Premate, a municipal warden from Liznjan.

Only 10 metres away, two more campers were parked up illegally. The rules on this are, as opposed to many of the rules about just about everything else in this country, extremely clear. But the Frenchman in question had a special reason for his decision.

''We're waiting for my cat, she runs away early in the morning because of the heat, and comes back only in the evening,'' he said.

When asked what some of the top excuses are, aside from cats that is, Denis went on to explain that there are all sorts of things people say to try to get themselves out of paying fines. Here in Croatia, it is strictly forbidden to camp on public land, in all parts of the country, outside of proper campsites, and the fine if you're caught is 1,000 kuna per person.

Although there are still plenty of illegal campers trying their luck, since they started actions to hunt down such people, and set up ramps in locations that could be attractive to them, there are fewer and fewer cases. The trend of seeing just if you might get away with it hasn't stopped, though.

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