April 5, 2020- As the number of digital nomads rises globally, some are choosing to spend some of their time in Croatia. Continuing our TCN series meeting international digital nomads calling Croatia their temporary home. Meet Mike and Tara Shubbuck from Washingon DC but now in Zagreb.

As recently featured on TCN, the world is projected to have a billion digital nomads by 2035, people from all over the world doing all manner of jobs and business with one thing in common - a flexible, mobile workplace connected to the Internet. If even a fracture of that number becomes a reality, the economic opportunity for countries which can attract these wealth-generating individuals has the potential to dwarf Croatia's current tourism revenues. And there are few countries better placed than Croatia to take advantage. Safe, beautiful, great gourmet scene, top tourist destination, English is widely spoken, well connected to other destinations, and a superb lifestyle. 

In order to look at the issue in more detail, we have decided to look at some of the digital nomads who have Croatia in their lifestyle plan, and to find out why Croatia, what Croatia offers, and what are the things that countries should be looking out for to take advantage of this economic opportunity. I am very grateful to Tanja Polegubic from Split's waterfront co-working space, Saltwater in Split (see location below) for her help in connecting me to various digital nomads using her space. 

Our next digital nomads in Croatia are Tara Shubbuck and partner Mike, currently in Zagreb, a long way from home in Washingon DC.

You are one of a growing number of digital nomads. Tell us briefly who you are and what you do.

We’re Tara and Mike, a married couple in our thirties from Washington, DC. At the end of 2019, we split off from our location-dependent jobs to pursue a fully remote lifestyle. Over the past four years, Tara created a side business doing writing work mostly for Skyscanner and The Washington Post (https://tarashubbuck.com). Once the frequency of projects reached a sustainable level, we decided that 2019 was the right time to start that transition to become digital nomads. We ended 2019 with Tara leaving her full-time marketing job to focus on her freelance work, while Mike transitioned to being a fully remote technical writer and trainer.

Working from your laptop rather than in an office seems like the dream lifestyle. What are the main pros and cons?

We’re still new to the digital nomad lifestyle, but one thing that has been really nice is living in a time zone ahead of those we work with. We’re more night owls than early birds, so we tend to stay up later anyway. This frees up the morning for personal activities, and then by lunchtime, those we work with are starting to sign online for the day.

Another major perk of this lifestyle (prior to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown!) is that you are, in a way, always on vacation. You can move whenever you want a change of scenery, and what you pay for housing, food, etc. are your standard costs of living, not additional expenses like those you would incur when you take a vacation away from your permanent residence. And because of that, we can select destinations that have a lower cost of living compared to the United States, and particularly DC, where rent and activities are expensive.

As far as cons go, both of us are social people, so not being surrounded by friendly coworkers all day is a bit of a negative. We had become really good friends with some of our former coworkers, so reduced socializing has definitely been difficult for us. We arrived in Croatia just days before the country closed its borders to foreigners and then shut down essential businesses due to the pandemic, so we haven’t had the opportunity to meet locals or other expats here. We’ve been doing regular happy hour video chats with friends and family, so that’s filled the void a little.

The lack of job security that comes with freelancing is also a con. Due to the current pandemic and the economic upheaval it’s caused, Tara’s work has been drastically reduced. Her assignment load has fluctuated over the years, so we already knew how volatile this line of work could be. It’s something we’ve prepared for, and anyone thinking of becoming a digital nomad should do the same. Creating a safety net for yourself is not optional. We wrote a lot about budgeting and saving for long-term travel in a book that we self-published a few years ago called Create Your Escape: A Practical Guide for Planning Long-Term Travel (more at http://createyourescape.today/).

Laptop living gives you the freedom to travel and choose your place to live. Where are the global hot spots currently for digital nomads?

If you put the pandemic aside, our plan for this remote work lifestyle was not necessarily to travel to cities that are set up perfectly for digital nomads. When we set our minds to being location independent, we had a strong desire to live in cities we had visited before and fell in love with, like Zagreb. 

From 2012-2013, we took a career break and traveled the world (blogging about it at https://twotravelaholics.com). Along the way, we noted which cities we could see ourselves living in and promised each other we’d return. So that’s what we started out doing, first in Portugal and now Croatia. Others that we’d like to return to include Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Cape Town, and Vancouver. When the pandemic subsides and it becomes possible to travel freely again, we want to explore more of Eastern Europe (and Croatia, if we’ll have the opportunity for intercity travel before our tourist visa expires).

You chose Croatia and specifically Zagreb - why?

As mentioned, it’s one of the locations we fell in love with years ago. The people are friendly, there are many opportunities for outdoor activities, there are rich culture and historic sites, and you really can’t beat the food, beer and wine. We lived for the craft beer scene in the US, and while it’s different abroad, we haven’t had a Croatian beer that we didn’t like (we were introduced to Medvedgrad nearly a decade ago and still love its brews).

What are the most important things a destination should offer to be most compatible for the digital nomad lifestyle, apart from that all-important good WiFi?

The answer is going to change from person to person. We don’t want to put ourselves at risk, so safety and comfort are top priorities. After that, we gravitate toward larger cities. We love city life, being able to attend events, go to concerts, explore museums, and get lost in the winding streets of unfamiliar neighborhoods. Great cuisine and local beer and wine are important, too, of course.

We’ve been in coworking spaces in DC, but we haven’t had the opportunity to try them abroad yet. The concept certainly appeals to the digital nomad lifestyle. There’s the intermingling of businesses, work equipment, social interaction, and, of course, just the ability to work in an atmosphere where you can be productive that is outside of a café or where you are currently living.

What are the competitive advantages that Croatia has to attract more digital nomads?

Three things that make Croatia a very attractive destination for digital nomads are safety, affordability, and the fact that many locals speak English. We always want to learn as much of the local language as we can whenever we travel, but you’re only going to be so proficient even after a few months of trying your best.

One thing that destinations can supply that would attract digital nomads and make their transition easier is a centralized website that houses relevant resources like apartment rentals, coworking space information, an events calendar, and instructions for a visa extension. All this information is scattered across the web—some sites in the local language and others with an English option—so the more hurdles you introduce, the more likely you are to lose potential visitors. Digital nomads are going to be spending a lot of time and money in your city—not to mention posting about it on social media—so making an investment in attracting them should pay off pretty quickly.

Connect with Tara and Mike! They’d love to chat with other TCN readers (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeshubbuck/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarashubbuck/).

To learn more about Croatia for the digital nomad, check out the Total Croatia Digital Nomad guide. 

Are you a digital nomad in Croatia who would like to be featured in this series? Please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject Nomad

ZAGREB, April 4, 2020 - Residents of Zagreb came to their windows and balconies on Friday evening and banged at their pots and pans and blew whistles in protest at how Mayor Milan Bandić was running the city in the present situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the March 22 earthquake.

The protest was initiated by a civil society group called "Zagreb Is Calling You", who called on residents to come to their windows and balconies at 7pm and express their anger for five minutes at how the mayor was handling the crisis. The group said that the mayor was not up to the task.

"His arrogance and impertinence have reached a culmination. In these difficult times when volunteers, associations and initiatives are working round the clock to help their city, the quasi-mayor is turning his back on them," the protest organisers said.

"We hope that both he and the government hear us because in a time of crisis they can remove the mayor from office. Step down, you're guilty, we've had enough! You're the worst disaster that has ever hit Zagreb," they said.

The initiative was supported by opposition councillors and architects through videos posted on social media.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

April 4, 2020 - Online communities around Croatia are now bringing Croatian farms to your doorstep. 

A tough part about the coronavirus pandemic in Croatia is that, because of the stringent measures in place, going to outdoor markets have become a thing of the past. 

The once-bustling markets, loud with sellers luring in buyers by convincing them that their product is the best, are mostly bleak and vacant until we’re on the other side of the coronavirus battle. 

However, one small light in the coronavirus pandemic is that it has forced creativity in order to sustain businesses, and Croatian farms that formerly only had a presence at their market stands now belong to large online communities. 

Who could have imagined a week ago, our babas and didas' eggs and produce would be advertised and sold online to be delivered to your doorstep? No one! But here we are.

With just one click, fish, fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, and eggs from your favorite sellers can be found on your doorstep the next day. 

The large number of virtual marketplaces that opened from Osijek to Dubrovnik testify that the OPGs, or Croatian farms, are determined to find a way to feed us all. 

A look at the online marketplaces around Croatia courtesy of Slobodna Dalmacija.

“Yesterday I ordered eggs, chard, young onions and radishes. A man brought me everything this morning, delivered to my door, and even left a small flower seedling as a gift. There was no contact, I paid them into their account, and they left me eggs and vegetables at my front door,” said a member of the Facebook group Virtual Pazar Split, which already has close to 12,000 members. Not only green products of local farmers are offered, but also delicacies from the continent, as well as lamb, cheese, and even donkey milk.

The virtual Zagreb market, however, gathered more than 35,000 members in a week. The group was founded by HSS spokeswoman Ivana Tomic. Food vendors can be advertised free of charge in Zagreb's virtual marketplace, where you can find everything from basil, to onions and mint, asparagus from Zadar. 

An official online marketplace was opened in Zagreb on Friday, and the launch of a drive-in purchase on the green market has been announced. About fifty family farms and artisans from the Zagreb area and its surroundings are offering products online.

On the page, you can see how they deliver the goods, delivery times, and what locations they cover. The profile of each OPG on to the platform has their contact information, product list and price. Besides calling them, customers can also place an order through a query that goes to the farmer’s email address.

Lana Šegetin from Dubrovnik founded the Facebook group Virtual Dubrovnik Market. It brings together members from Peljesac to Konavle, and all local food producers from the wider Dubrovnik area and the surrounding area can advertise and offer their products for free. More than 7,000 people from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County have joined the group.

Through the website kupujdomaće.hr, 450 Vrgorac family farms producing strawberries, apples, grapes, eggs, nectarines, honey, and quality wines could be found. Clicking on a fruit or vegetable icon opens a rich list of OPGs offering that selected product.

“I sell green onions, parsley, collards, leeks,” advertises an OPG on the page Virtual plaza - Neretva Valley. 

“We sell oranges, apples, fresh cow's cheese, seedlings of all kinds of vegetables, ajvar, lemons, sweet potato, and more,”

Citizens of Velika Gorica, Sisak, Pula, Osijek, Varaždin, Bjelovar can also enjoy virtual markets.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, April 3, 2020 - Standard & Poor's ratings agency has reaffirmed the credit rating for the Zagrebački Holding multi-utility conglomerate at 'B+', revising the company's outlook from stable to negative due to uncertainty regarding the city's ability to provide timely support in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the March 22 earthquake.

In September 2019, S&P reaffirmed the long-term rating for Zagrebački Holding at 'B+' with a stable outlook.

Following a rating downgrade for the City of Zagreb, the owner of the company, the agency revised the outlook on Zagrebački Holding on Wednesday, saying that it was not certain whether the City of Zagreb could provide timely support to the holding because of the combined effects of the coronavirus outbreak and the recent earthquake.

The agency also cited potential pressures on the holding's liquidity in the near term, which could result in a downgrade.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

Have you ever been in Zagreb and heard a loud bang out of the blue and wondered if the city was under attack or that a bomb had gone off? Probably. Never fear! Firing from the Gric cannon is an old Zagreb tradition and has been going on for more than 143 years, with a short break taking place during the First World War.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 2nd of April, 2020, current gunner Alem Tutundzic is the fifth generation of what are known as the ''Gric gunners''. He has been doing this job or eleven long years now, after succeeding Stjepan Mozar.

The famous Gric cannon, a long standing and very well known symbol of the City of Zagreb, has been announcing when it is noon to Zagreb's residents every single day since way back in 1877. Every day at 12 o'clock, the Lotrscak tower and other buildings in Zagreb's Old Town are shaken by a huge ''boom'', giving quite the shock to those who aren't familiar with the sound.

The Gric cannon has not been performing its function since the 28th of March, 2020, for the very first time since it took a temporary break during the First World War. The actual cannon that is still in use today in the tower has been around since 1987.

The city confirmed the circulating information about the Gric cannon ceasing fiting. They said the shots from the Gric cannon and the resulting vibrations further upset the citizens of Zagreb's Upper Town (Gornji Grad) following the recent devastating earthquake and all of the smaller but no less disturbing ones that followed it.

After consultation with the Crisis Management Office and Crisis Headquarters, a decision was made to put a temporary stop to the daily noon tradition from the 28th of March until further notice.

For more information about Zagreb, follow Total Zagreb or check out Zagreb in a Page for all you need to know about the bustling Croatian capital city.

ZAGREB, April 1, 2020 - The coronavirus and recent strong earthquakes in Zagreb have led to a fall in rental prices in the capital of up to twenty percent while sales have slowed down drastically, the Večernji List daily reported on Wednesday.

There are some prospective buyers however their contact is mostly over the phone and of an informative nature, one realtor told the daily.

Before the outbreak of the epidemic, real estate prices in Zagreb and along the Adriatic coast were increasing by about 10% a year however that trend will temporarily be suspended. No one can be certain how much prices will fall, the daily said.

"We expect real estate prices to fall but it is difficult to estimate just how much. As soon as uncertainty grows, buyers and banks are more cautious," said Chief Economic Consultant at the Croatian National Bank Vedran Šošić.

There is a risk that salaries will fall, banks will see which activities are requesting loans and whether their employer has been affected and to what extent. People, said Šošić, are focused on more fluid assets.

The centre of Zagreb and environs have been affected by the 22 March strong quakes. According to the city's authorities 7,000 buildings were damaged in the earthquake and about 30,000 family homes.

More Zagreb news can be found in the Lifestyle section.

April 1, 2020 - Don't let your four walls keep you from experiencing the beauty in Croatia all around you. Take a virtual tour of Zagreb County!

At a time when self-isolation is needed, most of us have resorted to our trusty screens - and virtual walks have become a real hit.

While we’ve already told you all about virtual Croatian museums, did you know you could visit destinations virtually, too? In addition to panoramic cameras, some destinations, such as Zagreb County, also offer a virtual walk through the destination via social networks, reports HRTurizam.

In order to stay in touch with what awaits us and what we can look forward to after self-isolation comes to an end, the Zagreb County Tourist Board is promoting a virtual “experience” of its destinations and museums with the hashtag #TravelVirtually, #ostanidoma and #ExploreZagrebCountyOnline.

Thus, you can virtually walk through the municipalities and all nine cities in the county, as well as virtually visit all the museums in the Zagreb County area.

"Virtual walks have been around for a long time, and in these moments, they give us the safest path out of the isolation that has plagued us. Through a virtual walk, guests can see the attractions of Zagreb County through natural, historical, cultural and gastronomic sights from the comfort of their own home,” points out Ivana Alilović, director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board. Alilović added that this is an opportunity for those who may have never seen the beauties of the green Zagreb ring and, therefore, suggests that guests visit it all virtually.

You can see the virtual walkthrough Zagreb County here, while you can visit the virtual museums here.

Furthermore, it is great content for all accommodation and service providers in Zagreb County.

While it is not the best time to talk about tourism, it does not mean that you do not need to communicate. Under the mantra "Don't cancel your trip but postpone it”, or but telling travelers to explore their future trip, all tourism professionals can use this content to communicate on their social networks.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, March 31, 2020 - Croatia's COVID-19 crisis management team said on Tuesday that there was no surge in the number of coronavirus cases that could be connected with the aftermath of the 22 March strong quake that hit Zagreb and its surroundings, claiming one life and causing extensive damage.

The head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ), Krunoslav Capak, told a news conference that first analyses did not show a higher number of new infections due to the developments in Zagreb on 22 March when larger groups of shocked people fled their buildings to be outside.

Broken down by age, of the total of 867 Croatians diagnosed with COVID-19, as many as 187 are aged between 50 and 59. They are followed by those aged between 40 and 49 (165).

In Croatia, 41 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are under the age of 20, and 100 are above the age of 70, Capak said.

He informed the news conference that 50 doctors, 10 dentists, 41 nurses, five pharmacists and seven hospital administration staff were among the positive cases.

Also 1,200 employees in the healthcare system are in self-isolation.

More news about the earthquake can be found in the Lifestyle section.

ZAGREB, March 31, 2020 - Esplanade Zagreb Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Zagreb, is closed due to extensive damage caused by the March 22 earthquake, exacerbating the difficult situation concerning the coronavirus, which has been adversely affecting business since January, the hotel's managing director has told Hina.

"In the earthquake, the hotel suffered extensive damage, on the facade, on the floors, in public spaces, and in many rooms. Therefore, it's with a heavy heart that I decided to close Esplanade for the foreseeable future, as a precaution," revealed Ivica Max Krizmanić. He added that the last few guests had been evacuated and put up in other hotels in Zagreb, and that the staff, apart from a few who are taking care of the hotel, had been sent home.

Krizmanić added that a detailed inspection conducted by structural engineers established that the building was structurally sound due to the fact that the hotel was built as an exceptionally stabled, high-quality, and massive luxury building back in 1925.

However, Krizmanić noted that it would take a lot of time and money to repair the damage. The managing director remarked that the last large renovation took place 16 years ago, and that the biggest challenge in the renovation after the earthquake would be finding wallpaper, tiles, lamps, and decorations identical to the unique ones that were damaged in the earthquake.

When asked about the way they were coping with the coronavirus crisis, Krizmanić stated that they had closely followed developments since the epidemic broke out in China, the rest of the world, and in the region. Since the epidemic reached Croatia, they kept implementing stricter measures, from cleaning and disinfecting the hotel's public spaces and areas and implementing obligatory hand disinfection for guests and staff, to procuring masks, thermometers, disinfectants, and increasing caution in preparing and serving food, complying with mandatory distance, allowing work from home, etc.

"Esplanade is famous for its high standards and first-rate service in every segment of its business, which is confirmed by numerous certificates and strict standards for staff, and our guests felt safe the whole time. However, due to the earthquake, we had to close," Krizmanić said.

He emphasised that the hotel registered business disruptions as early as January, when the epidemic broke out in China, and that it was obvious even then that 2020 would be a very hard year for tourism.

More news about hotels can be found in the Travel section.

March 31, 2020 - Tourism might be on hold right now, but there are still virtual ways to travel - meet the original Badass Women of Zagreb. 

Terrible times in the Croatian capital at the moment, as it battles the triple whammy of corona on the outside, earthquake aftermath on the inside, and economic downturn everywhere. 

But Zagreb and Croatia will survive, because Croatians are very resilient and full of character, and have been that way forever. 

To give you some historical perspective, meet the original Badass Women of Zagreb, a wonderfully unique tour designed by Iva Silla from the fabulous Secret Zagreb. 

Join this tour to hear stories about women who believed in themselves and their talents, who pursued their dreams, who exposed themselves to the criticism of public, about the boldest heroines…

Opera singers, car drivers, models, scientists, soldiers… Learn about uncompromising, tough, bold, gamechanging women of Croatia, who lived or worked in Zagreb during their lifetime.

And, as travel to the Croatian capital is not an option right now, we have decided to bring the Badass Women of Zagreb to you. 

Shortly before all this madness began, I gave a task to our three interns from Zagreb University - Paula Anic, Janja Sestak and Ana Samodol - meet up with Iva and take her badass tour. 

They did a great job, and you can see the results of their work in this video tour below, which was filmed by Paula. 

Tourism will be different in the future, but the quality will remain and thrive I believe, and agencies such as the pioneering Zagreb will once more soon be taking visitors to the unknown stories of the Croatian capital. 

You can learn more about what will await you from Iva's official website.

And here is a previous TCN article on the Secret Zagreb experience - never have I seen my kids so keen to abandon their gadgets.