May 24, 2021 - We sat down with Alyssa Isogawa, one of the digital nomads in residence in Dubrovnik, to try and craft five steps towards making Dubrovnik a vegan-friendly destination.

Alyssa is vegan and has been for eight years now. She comes from California which is known for having plenty of vegan-friendly restaurants, shops, and markets. However, she suggests this hasn’t always been the case. Her experience of Dubrovnik is overwhelmingly positive, but getting food was not always easy. She spent one month living in Dubrovnik through the Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. During that month she struggled to keep her diet healthy and balanced. There are some good vegan options in Dubrovnik when it comes to restaurants. Still, the selection is pretty limited. On the other side, there is very little information out there for any foreign newcomers to the city as to how and where to find suitable food.

Through a long coffee-fuelled meeting with Alyssa, we managed to craft a list of 5 steps that Dubrovnik can make in order to become a vegan-friendly destination. Most of these steps would also be of great help for local vegans. Not only that, but the local omnivores might find themselves interested in going vegan a few days a week. This would be good for the environment and the local producers.

Produce Markets and Shops

The main mission of a travelling vegan is to find a reasonably priced, good quality, diverse selection of fresh vegetables and fruits. The good thing about Dubrovnik is: there is plenty of locally sourced, seasonal produce around. There are also a few farmers’ markets, with the biggest one being in the Gruz Harbour area. Along with a few greengrocers in the city, the selection is actually not bad. The problem is, these places rarely advertise. They never advertise to foreigners. This is a clear consequence of short-stay tourism. The average guest to Dubrovnik coming to the city for 2 or 3 days is hardly looking for vegetables to buy during this time.

The potential solution calls for the higher visibility of these businesses. Advertising, branding, and inclusion in promotional materials promoting the city are obvious solutions. Another beneficial thing would be to educate the people selling their produce on the needs and market share of the vegan visitors and local people alike. Various food delivery services have become popular in Croatia. They would probably have an interest in cooperating with these businesses which could then offer online ordering and delivery of fresh produce.

Updated Restaurant Menus

Many Dubrovnik restaurants are lacking a decent offer of vegan dishes. Aside from two dedicated vegan restaurants, very few other places offer quality vegan options. Most of the offer comes down to grilled vegetables or seasonal salads. These dishes don’t have the main food groups necessary for a balanced meal. Carbohydrates, protein, and fats need to be present on the plate in all the vegan main dishes. They rarely are in restaurants offering vegan dishes only to satisfy the format.

Restaurant menus need updating. However, this doesn’t just mean additional work or expense incurred by the restaurant. This means a chance for more business. Most restaurant owners in Dubrovnik underestimate the share of vegan guests. Not only that, but they fail to realise vegan customers usually come to their restaurants with their partners or friends. If the restaurant is not offering vegan options, they will lose not just that vegan guest, but the people they are coming to eat with as well. In order to make their efforts worth it, restaurants need to be upfront with their vegan options. Things like HappyCow stickers or similar signs let the potential guest know the place offers vegan options.

Enriching Local Cuisine

Tied to the previous step, Croatian and Dubrovnik chefs might want to step up and make themselves heard about the vegan issue. The fact of the matter is, there are plenty of Croatian vegans that want the changes described here. There are also a number of talented and highly skilled local chefs. They might be encouraged to re-visit some of the most popular local dishes and create vegan versions of the classics. This action could be tied to promoting local cuisine to the vegan market. Creating new delicious dishes reminiscent of the traditional Dubrovnik cuisine is a great thing in itself. When these dishes are also modern, healthy, and environmentally friendly, the promotional opportunities are endless.

Labelling for Vegan-Friendly Food Items in Shops and Souvenir Shops

There are plenty of food items in Dubrovnik’s shops and souvenir shops. Spreads, preserves, sauces, or pastes are usually labelled in such a way that they are perhaps understandable to local people, but rarely are easy to read for foreigners. Additionally, sales staff often doesn’t know whether certain food items in the shop are vegan safe or not. Many potential buyers will refrain from buying these because of this lack of information. Clear labelling for food that is vegan-friendly would distinguish these items. Education of staff would help this innovation along as well. Much like restaurants with vegan options, shops offering vegan-friendly items could use signage or stickers to inform their potential customers. Sauces and spreads are a great addition to simple vegetable homemade dishes in order to take them up a level.

Education of Dubrovnik Locals

Perhaps the most important step is educating local people about vegan food. The majority of people are not aware of what real vegan food is. Many of them don’t know just how delicious, healthy, and balanced a proper vegan diet is. By raising awareness of the health and environmental advantages of vegan food, Dubrovnik would start a chain of dominoes resulting in becoming a truly vegan-friendly city. With more local vegans and people interested in having occasional vegan meals, businesses would be quick to adapt. The vegan community is tight-knit and dynamic. In an area renowned for locally sourced food, vegetable-based cuisine could be the next big thing, not just for visitors.

Majority of steps proposed in this text stem from problems caused mainly by lack of knowledge or interest. Informative events, pop-up food stands or food trucks celebrating vegan food would do wonders for the local food scene. The future is green. Let’s make Dubrovnik a city of the future!

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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May 22, 2021 – We caught up with another digital nomad in Dubrovnik and the career of this one is not what you would expect from someone working remotely. Meet Vanessa Anderson!

Vanessa Anderson is a digital nomad and a lawyer. Two things that hardly seem compatible. Yet, she is making it work. COVID-19 changed the way she and her colleagues do their work and it made being a digital nomad lawyer possible. She knows Croatia well having been here before and running a travel website Balkan Eyes specialising in this region. When she heard about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program, she applied. Originally, she just missed out on the opportunity to join the program, but due to some last-minute changes, we've got to see her in Dubrovnik, joining the other digital nomads in the group. Vanessa hails from Portland, Oregon, and is now enjoying her working and living experience in Dubrovnik.

DNiR Program

The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is a creation of Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The program is a collaboration between the City of Dubrovnik and the global digital nomad community it hosts, all done with great help from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board as well. The DNiR program is producing interesting and valuable results that could have a real impact on the local community

The Interview

In our short video, we asked Vanessa about her experience with Dubrovnik. Regardless of the fact she visited this area many times, this is her first working experience in the city. It changed her outlook on the city.

„Now I've been here for a longer period and it's pushed me to look outside of the walls as well. Before I had done more of the tourist things. You know, the walls are beautiful and I love just walking around, but also seeing other neighbourhoods has really expanded my view of Dubrovnik.“

She finds it easy to work here having adapted her work to constant travel.

„I have my practice mostly online so I don’t carry around binders of documents which is key to being a digital nomad. I can talk to my clients over the phone, on Zoom. With the pandemic, there's been more of an expectation that that's how things are going to go. Right now, the court hearings are still done over Zoom as well, so my presence is not needed in Portland.“

Make sure to check out the full interview with Vanessa below and hear her advice on making Dubrovnik a digital nomad-friendly place.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Winners announcement video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

May 17, 2021 – Among Dubrovnik digital nomads is also Zoltan Nagy, a Hungarian photographer, videographer, and a really cool person. He told us about his impressions of the city and the life of a digital nomad.

Zoltan Nagy is a landscape photographer, videographer, and web designer. He is not too far away from home in Dubrovnik as his homeland of Hungary is one of the neighbouring countries to Croatia. In fact, he considers Croatia one of his favourite foreign countries. He is a young digital nomad looking to explore the world and immortalize it in his photographs. One of the things that excited him the most about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is meeting like-minded individuals and working with them on the common goal.

DNiR Program

The Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program is the work of Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik support the project and make it possible. The program is a co-creation effort looking to utilise the experiences of ten digital nomads combined with local community members. The goal is to create a strategic direction for the city through the use of design-thinking workshops. It represents a step towards re-thinking Dubrovnik's tourism sector.

The Interview

Zoltan is always upbeat and ready to help. We’ve taken advantage of this and asked him a few questions about his experiences in Dubrovnik. He is very happy with the life in the city and the people he met along the way.

“I love it so far! We’ve met quite a lot of local people here and they were just so nice. They showed us around, gave us some tips and tricks on where to eat, where to find nice photo spots. And of course, the Old Town is just amazing.”

So, what does a person with such a positive outlook on Croatia and Dubrovnik find to be the most challenging thing for digital nomads here?

“The only challenge I found here is the accommodation. So, as a digital nomad, I of course have a monthly budget I can spend on food and just living in a place, and I couldn’t find really good deals in terms of accommodation here…”

Check out the full video below.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Winners announcement video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

May 17, 2021 – Our interviews with digital nomads in Dubrovnik continue with Charlie Brown, a freelance writer and wine expert from the UK. 

Charlie Brown comes from the UK and she is a freelance writer covering themes of wine, food, finance, and entrepreneurship. Her skills are many and interests diverse. Together with her husband Sam she used to own a wine shop and bar outside of London until the couple decided to sell the business and their house to dive into the life of digital nomads. They are no strangers to Croatia nor Dubrovnik, but it was the Digital Nomads-in Residence program that enabled them to come and live in the “Pearl of the Adriatic”. Charlie is always keen on exploring new places and local culture. She is especially interested in the traditional food and wine scene. This is why Croatia was always high on her travel list.

It was through Facebook groups that Charlie and Sam found out about the possibility of joining the program in Dubrovnik. She applied and it didn’t take long for the people in charge to decide a person with an intimate knowledge of wine and food is always a welcomed group member.

DNiR Program

Saltwater Nomads created the Digital Nomads-in-Residence program in partnership with Total Croatia News. They found amazing partners in the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik which support the project wholeheartedly. The program gathers ten digital nomads of different profiles whose experiences of living and working in Dubrovnik will be used to craft a strategic direction for the city. Dubrovnik is moving towards a more sustainable future and digital nomads might be a contributing factor in those efforts.

The Interview

Charlie is always hard at work and it is not easy to get her time. So we’ve made sure to keep the interview short and sweet. Through our chat she revealed her insights into the city and being a digital nomad in Dubrovnik:

“It’s been great weather which really helps. There’s plenty to do here as well and it’s really nice to meet the digital nomads here as well. So, so far it’s been a really great experience.“

"It’s a new thing here, digital nomads in Dubrovnik. So, aside from us ten and our partners, it would be great to be able to meet more people – if there are people – doing this here as well. So, anything like meetups and that sort of thing would be good as well."

She also had plenty of chosen words about her colleagues in the program and the beautiful co-working space in Dubrovnik’s Lazareti complex. Make sure to watch the full interview below.

 Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.

The winner announcement video:

May 17, 2021 – Our digital nomads are paving the way for their future colleagues in Dubrovnik as a part of the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. We caught up with Kaisu Koskela to get her thoughts.

When it comes to being a digital nomad, Kaisu Koskela is the „real deal“. She has been embracing the life of a digital nomad since before the term existed. Originally from Finland, Kaisue feels at home anywhere she finds interesting. She holds a Ph.D. in social sciences from the University of Helsinki and an MSc in social anthropology from the Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies at the University of Amsterdam. Her Ph.D. research dealt with skilled migrants, their communities, and social identities. All this makes her outstandingly qualified to take part in a project dealing with digital nomads in Dubrovnik.

DNiR Program

The Digital Nomads-in-Residence program was created by Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. With both the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik supporting it and collaborating on it, the aim of the program is to create a strategic direction for the city. Through design thinking workshops the potential future of digital nomads in Dubrovnik will be described.

Kaisu found out about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program through a friend. She applied intrigued by the prospect of contributing to such an interesting project. Today, she is one of the ten nomads in residence in Dubrovnik.

The Interview

She shared some of her thoughts with us during a short interview. It was interesting to hear her opinions on living and working in Dubrovnik as a digital nomad. Also, Kaisu was clear about her personal likes and dislikes about the experience.

„I think the challenges are to do with the tourist season being so intense and the prices hiking up in that period. Because, as a nomad, you have the whole world to choose from. You have so many locations you can go to at any one time. Personally, for me, what is most important is to have nice sunny weather, which we have here currently and through much of the year. You get to experience really nice weather here, so that's great.“

She is also happy with the colleagues in the Dubrovnik DNiR program as well as the participation of the city and the local tourist board.

„...the fact that the Dubrovnik city and tourism authorities are a part of this I think is a really encouraging sign for digital nomadism in general. So, I am very happy to be a part of the whole program.„

Check out the full interview with Kaisu Kaskela below.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Programme

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Here is Kaisu's application video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

May 16, 2021 – We caught up with Albert Cañigueral, a digital nomad from Barcelona who is a consultant freelancer dedicated to exploring the future of work and the effects of digitization on the labour market and workplaces.

Albert Cañigueral is a man on a mission. This freelance consultant is out to learn about digital nomads by becoming one of them. He will use this knowledge later in his work that revolves around the impacts of digital technology in society, the future of work, and the collaborative economy. In his professional life, Albert is exploring the impacts of digital innovations on societies and traditional companies. He is currently working on a documentary on how the changes in the workforce and workplaces affect the cities. He is also a published author and a very interesting guy. Albert comes from Barcelona, one of the jewels of the Mediterranean.

After learning about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program, he wasted no time applying. It was clear from the start, Albert is a great match for the program dealing with issues so familiar and important to him.

DNiR Program

The Digital Nomads-in-Residence program will create a strategic direction for Dubrovnik in order to show the way for the city to adapt to digital nomads. Saltwater Nomads created the program in partnership with Total Croatia News. With collaboration from the City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Tourist Board, design thinking process workshops are organized to facilitate the co-creation model the program is based on.

The Interview

We took Albert Cañigueral away from his work for a few minutes to ask him about his impressions of Dubrovnik and working with his fellow nomads. Through a short interview, he was able to tell us a lot. His views on the city and the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program are very interesting. As one of the main advantages of being a digital nomad versus being a tourist, he emphasizes time to explore and engage with the city.

“I like the sights of the city. I came here 15 years ago, more or less, so I’ve had a more touristic perspective, and now, being here almost more than 15-20 days already, you learn more about the other parts of the city. We are in Lapad, in Akademis. We’ve been enjoying all this area which is probably not so well known for someone who comes here for just one day or one weekend. As a digital nomad, you enjoy more of the city, the diversity, other beaches, other areas… more time to explore in a more relaxed pace.”

When it comes to working within the program he is very happy with the group. The initial meeting and introductions set the correct tone from the start.

“I think the landing was super smooth. I really enjoyed… the welcoming dinner. We met and that was very important. That social part, to create a group. From very early on, I’ve spent quality time and energy on that. Because it smooths the rest of the process. “

Below is the full interview with Albert. Make sure to watch it and find out more about his views on the program and living in Dubrovnik.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Program

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

Here is Albert's application video:

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

cToday’s interview is with Rob Schubert. Rob is a young entrepreneur and tech wizard from the Netherlands. After coming to Estonia to get his master’s degree in the area of digital health, Rob eventually started a healthcare startup VocDec. VocDec is a tool for early screening of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in newborns. Rob and his team won an award for the most impactful healthcare startup in Europe. After a success like that, it is clear to see why he exudes optimism and is looking forward to new challenges.

Through LinkedIn, he found out about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. Seeing how he wanted to visit Croatia, which he knew to be a beautiful country, Rob jumped at the possibility of applying. After a strict selection process, he ended up being one of the ten nomads selected for the program. Rob will undoubtedly bring a valuable perspective on working and living in Dubrovnik.

The Digital Nomads-in-Residence program was created by Saltwater Nomads in partnership with Total Croatia News. It will utilise the collective experiences of ten digital nomads living and working in Dubrovnik. Using design thinking process workshops, a strategic direction for the city will be created. Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the City of Dubrovnik both support and collaborate on the program. It represents a push towards the diversification and sustainability of Dubrovnik as a destination.

Paul caught up with Rob recently to ask him a few questions and get his impressions on living in Dubrovnik and being a part of the Digital Nomads-in-Residence program. Particularly interesting were his views on Dubrovnik as a destination prior to the program:

“Before, I knew that this was a highly touristy destination. Mainly, people were visiting for Game of Thrones sights.”

Having spent some time living and working in Dubrovnik, his views of the city as a travel destination have changed:

“ …I see that there are way more opportunities for other types of tourism…”

“I think the city can also communicate something different than being this Old Town… and the set of Game of Thrones.”

In the short video, Rob shares his experiences of working alongside his fellow nomads in a unique Dubrovnik co-working space. Check out the full interview below.

Learn more about the Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program.

Saltwater Nomads' Tanja Polegubic on Dubrovnik Digital Nomad-in-Residence Programme

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic on Digital Nomads, US Flights, 2021 Season

The winner announcement video:

For the latest digital nomad news from Croatia, follow the dedicated TCN section.