A few years ago, Natalie Holmes wrote a well-worth reading article for the Independent about Kopaonik, noting that Kopaonik was welcoming more British skier. She also pointed out the standard reaction of friends on learning she was taking its children skiing in Serbia: “Don’t forget your flak jacket”. Of course, that’s pretty ridiculous. Serbia is safe to travel for families, clean and offers adventurous activities for any age group all around the country. Unfortunately, the legacy of Serbia’s recent past leaves pre-conceptions in the minds of people unfamiliar with recent changes.
I understand quite well that ‘I’m going to Serbia with kids’ is a statement that evokes many concerns and warnings for family safety from family and friends, but they are totally unfounded. Hopefully, many travelers have come to realize that Serbia is a great place to visit for all the family. The latest example is a recent blog post by Alex, an Australian citizen travelling around the world in 243 days. He stopped at a small village (9 000 inhabitants) called Sremski Karlovci for lunch. What he found inside the village, was not a dangerous village filled with inhospitable people, but instead a safer environment than London for kids.
“Along the way we stopped at a small village called Sremski Karlovci for lunch. Someone heard us talking English and before long a bloke sat down with us, we thought he might be there to interpret the menu for us. Instead he introduced himself as Dragan (scary name, nice bloke) and proceeded to tell us all about the local area, what to see, where to go and lots about the history. It turned out that he had lived in London with his English wife Karen and after having 2 kids they decided to move back to Serbia. Why? Because Serbia is a safer environment than London to bring up kids. It might sound crazy but it’s true, the area feels like its still stuck in the 1950′s in some ways, the kids just roaming around being kids and no one worried about it at all.”
This is yet another example of why the fears of violence are unfounded in Serbia. Don’t let ignorant people spoil your holiday, Serbia is one of the safest places to travel with kids.
