Escorted Tours of the Balkans - New Balkan Tours - Adriatic DMC

September saw us deliver a newly created excursion; one that combines sightseeing, culture and family history.

Our first ever ancestry excursion was created for an American traveler who had chosen to visit the Balkans for her vacation and wanted to explore her family’s European roots while in the region.

Prior to departure, Sandra contacted Adriatic DMC’s Ante Skracic, to ask if it would be possible to learn more about her Slovenian ancestry while on vacation. As our Istria Region Operations Manager, Ante is familiar with neighboring Slovenia and was more than happy to oblige.

Together with a historian named dr. Sc. Ivan Brlic, Ante arranged a trip to Sandra’s family’s home village of Gric pri Doblicah in southern Slovenia, just near the Croatian border. The tiny village of just 10 houses was explored by the group on foot and was a special moment for Sandra who learned that at the time of her ancestors’ departure, the village was then called Vidosici.

Sandra and the group also visited the local museum in Crnomelj where they learned about the history of the city, surrounding areas and the people with help from guide Janez. The museum’s collection of archaeological artefacts, photographs and documents gave the group great insight in to the 3,000-year history of the settlements in this Bela Krajina region of Slovenia and additional context to their visit to Gric pri Doblicah.

And if that wasn’t enough, to make the experience all the more special for Sandra, Ante took the extra steps to find out when her family left the area and where they went to.

Completely enthralled with the whole experience and the effort that Ante had gone to, Sandra’s positive feedback has confirmed that ancestry tours will continue to be a part of our offer for clients.

The month-long group tour organized by Adriatic DMC was tailor made for Sandra’s group of four and covers Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro as well as our week long cruise from Dubrovnik aboard M/S Splendid.

The travelers’ itinerary, created by our team of experts to ensure they see the best of the Balkans during their stay, has authentic and bespoke experiences to enhance every destination along the way.

How did the foursome find Adriatic DMC and decide on us as their group travel agent? Well, we were recommended by a US based travel agent and fellow member of the Ensemble Travel Group.

To find out more about custom made excursions or our group tours, please contact adriatic@adriaticDMC.hr