July 24th. I woke up in a car. In the forest.

No, that’s not a poetic metaphor about reconnecting with nature. I literally opened my eyes to pine trees, a car dashboard, a water bottle, and a sleeping position that neither my spine nor neck had signed up for.

The others were sleeping in tents, like proper wilderness folk. But since I joined the trip at the last minute, I didn’t have time to prepare. So I embraced the humble life — a car nap counts as shelter in my world. I’m a simple person: fresh air, solitude, and a low chance of serial killеrs behind the bushes — that’s my idea of luxury.

Just being on the road already made me happy. I love adventures, and a forest car-camp doesn’t scare me. What does scare me are people who bring a hair straightener and slippers on a hiking trip.

For fellow travelers those who roam with tents, vans, or just vibes — I highly recommend the Park4Night app. It helps you find overnight spots pretty much anywhere in the world. There are filters for nature spots, campsites with showers, or peaceful little hideaways. I’ve been using it for thrеe yеars — ever since I traveled across Europe in a camper van and chasing freedom 😅

That’s how we found our first stop: an abandoned cabin in the woods. We arrived at night. It was dark. Too quiet. My brain started writing horrоr movie scripts. I was too afraid to walk more than half a meter from the car. While brushing my teeth, I heard something rustling in the bushes. Then a squeak.

With the help of the internet and mild panic, I concluded it was probably a fox, a marten, or a tiny woodland rave.

In the morning, I found fresh pооp next to the car 😅  Based on shape and content I confirmed it was a fox. A polite one — she didn’t attaсk, just left a review about my car apartment.

Honestly, I slept well. Luckily, I’m short (158cm) so I can stretch out on a car seat without folding into a origami. I brought a travel pillow and a blanket… and boom!

mobile five-star accommodation.

In the morning, as true adventurers do, we went on a little hike. Slovenia’s nature as I’ve said before — is absolutely stunning. But I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have one obsessive thought circling in my head:

“It’s only 2.5 hours to Croatia…”

That thought. You know, that one that starts like a whisper and ends in a road trip.

I suggested it to the guys and to my surprise, they all said yes. Maybe I pitched it well.

After our hike, we had dinner and hit the road. Along the way, we found a small village and a house we could stay in — not a castle, but it had a roof, a bed, and most importantly, hot water.

Guys starting to feel sorry for me: all the driving, sleeping in a car, hiking… I was running on caffeine and stubbornness.

All I wanted was to stand under hot water for 15 minutes and think about absolutely nothing. No forest sounds, no fox pооp, no existential dread. Just hot water and bliss.

To be continued…