Don’t Listen To Your Parents: Go To Serbia

Abi, an American exchange student in Budapest, wrote up a blog post recently that details her trip to Serbia. She points out that the reason that students study in Europe is to travel, and notes that a big problem is to choose where to go. In fact, for her, the choice was simple. She said that the obvious choice was the one place her parents said to avoid: Serbia.

Well, she went to Serbia, and arrived in Belgrade. She said that with her father in mind she was waiting to see “some bombed-out city with armed cops and mafia everywhere – total opposite“. She had an absolutely great time in Serbia, visiting Belgrade and Zlatibor. The best part is that Abi’s blog post also contains a note at the end: 

Other Things to Add:

-everyone in Serbia thought that I was Serbian, when Yong asked them if they spoke English, they would point to me and ask, Serbian?

-Safety: I think that the big question people have about going to Serbia is whether or not it is safe. My answer to that question would be that at this point, Serbia is more suitable for travelers than for tourists. NATO bombed the place only a decade ago, it is a miracle how friendly people were toward me in that situation. I would say that as long as you are respectful and do not make references to the communist era, Yugoslavia, NATO bombing, etc., you should be fine. But nobody likes a pack of loud Americans. I would recommend small groups only – no need to make yourself an appealing target. That said, I felt safer there than I did in Egypt, and in many parts of DC.

There are some things about Serbia that Abi knows (now) that older people (still) don’t know. Serbia is a safe and a welcoming land of many wonders. So my advice? Don’t listen to your parents: go to Serbia.