Kayaking Through Croatia for Free- Our Rewarding Experience
Last month we had the most exciting trip through Croatia. Thanks to our reader’s votes, we set off to paddle one of Europe’s most interesting coastlines courtesy of our American Express Gold Rewards Card.
We had known very little about Croatia before our arrival but our guide Bafo was quite the history buff and we learned about its tumultuous past and rich culture as we kayaked beside its dramatic sea cliffs.
Our Guide Bafo with Deb and Dave
Croatia has a history dating back to the days of the Roman Empire and only recently has seen respite from years of struggle.
Did you know that Croatia was also once a part of the Venetian Empire? Strategically located on the Adriatic Sea it has been an attractive country for Kings and Emperors to conquer through the ages. Ruled by such countries such as Austria, Turkey and Hungary until it was finally absorbed into Yugoslavia until 1991. It has had people fighting for control of its waterways and land for centuries.
During our eight -day excursion we visited several of the country’s 1000 islands containing ancient cities with narrow passageways and medieval buildings, old churches and Roman archways.
We camped on quiet beaches beside crystal blue waters and explored an old political prison where enemies of the Socialist Regime suffered in silence for decades after the Second World War.
We kayaked through sea caves and rock arches, crossed rough seas and spied nesting vultures on high jagged cliffs. Divers mimicking James Bond villains drove by on dark zodiacs armed with long spears to hunt for the day’s catch and old men powered their fishing boats in search of octopus and lobster.
High Sea Cliffs in Croatia
Croatia’s people are a strong and proud breed whose hospitality is second to none. With hearty smiles on their faces, they’ll do everything in their power to make sure you’re having a great time.
And a great time we had indeed.
As you may know, we’ve been test driving and loving the American Express Gold Rewards Card this past year and Amex generously added 300,000 Membership Rewards points to our account for us to show just how flexible the Card really is.
For our trip to Croatia, we’ve decided to give the TripFlex redemption option a test drive. With this option we can book any travel on our Card and use our points to cover the charge, including taxes and fees.
Using our points to plan our vacation was easy; we did as we usually do. We found a tour that we wanted to take and went ahead and booked the latest leg of our around the world adventures on our Amex.
Enjoying our Kayaking Adventure in Croatia
Since we were already in Italy for a conference, we saved a lot of money on flights, and since the TripFlex option covers any travel, we used our points to pay for our ground transportation to Croatia.
We paid for our trains at automated machines with American Express, from Rome through Florence and Venice to our final destination of Rab, Croatia. Our hotels before and after the trip were also paid for on our Amex. We took comfort in knowing that once we return to Canada we could use our Membership Rewards points to cover all of these travel purchases with one simple phone call to Amex.
View from our Hotel Room Paid with Rewards
We are lucky to be test-driving the American Express Gold Rewards Card and you can too.
When you sign up for a new American Express Gold Rewards Card, you can try the first year for free and receive a Welcome Bonus of 15,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $500 within the first three months of owning the card. Points never expire and you can continue to accumulate them until you are ready to redeem any travel with no blackouts or restrictions.
Taking Advantage of the Airport Lounge via Travel Rewards
It’s easy to earn rewards when you use your card for everything. It’s the only card we use and earn points for every purchase. When we fill up at gas stations, use it at drugstores and grocery stores in Canada and make any travel purchase we earn double the rewards, and earn one point per dollar everywhere else. We are going to spend the money anyway, so why not earn rewards while we pay for our everyday expenses?
There are so many benefits to having the Gold Rewards Card from automatically receiving 15 days of travel medical insurance to being able to transfer your rewards 1:1 to Aeroplan and Avios. Your points are transferable to other rewards programs as well such as Alitalia, Delta, Cathay Pacific, Hilton Honors, Starwood Preferred Guest and Priority Club.
We love flexibility and choice and that is exactly what the American Express Gold Rewards Card offers and can’t wait to see where our travel rewards take us next!
For more information on Kayaking in Croatia visit Sea Kayak Croatia for packages and details.
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Wow, this trip looks amazing. I’m going to Croatia next month and you guys have made me even more excited. I can’t wait to get in that water!
Have a great time in Croatia! If you go to Rab, make sure to say hi to Jogi and Bafo at Sea Kayak Croatia. They’re great guys and they offer day trips as well to see the island. It’s truly beautiful.
Looks like a fun adventure, can’t wait to hear more. I love my amex card – for years I didn’t have them because they weren’t accepted at a lot of the smaller places but I’ve found its perfect for travel – hotels, airlines, and rental car companies all accept it. And since that makes up a rather large portion of my expenses, the rewards points add up quick!
You said it John. They are our main expenses too and yes, they do add up quick. It makes filling up the car less painful as well:) We’ve found the AMEX us accepted nearly everywhere now. I think that it used to be the case that people didn’t accept, but so far we haven’t had a problem during our travels. We even bought groceries at the supermarket in Kazakhstan last year during the Mongol Rally. Amazing!
I have only been to Dubrovnik, but I really want to see more of Croatia. While the camping and kayaking is definitely not my thing, this sounds like a really cool trip. Glad you had a great time!
Hey Ali, We want to see more of Croatia too. We hear that Dubrovnik is awesome. The kayaking was definitely a cool trip. The great thing is the guys from Sea Kayak Croatia also offer day trips as well. You can go to Rab, enjoy the beach and kayak around the island. You don’t have to commit to 8 days like us.
Sounds like a great trip – made even better by the fact that Amex covered the cost! Since we’re starting our trip in Asia it’ll be a while before we make it over to Europe but Croatia is definitely on the list. Have you tested out any other credit cards? I recently opened the Chase Sapphire card which offered a 50,000 mile bonus after $3000 in spending in the first 3 months. Same thing for the Citi Thank You premiere card.
Hi Vicky, Have a great time in Asia, it’s the perfect place to start your around the world adventure. We want to go back to Croatia, we feel that we barely scratched the surface. We’ve tried other credit cards in the past, but now only use AMEX. It is in our opinion the ultimate rewards card. The tripflex and the fact that we can transfer 1:1 to airline rewards is amazing. We’ve got a lot of points under our belts for a couple of free flights by using our AMEX and concentrating on booking only through one airline network – Star Alliance.
We were just in Croatia as well. Loved it! We’re kayakers, too, so this looks like it was a blast.
Hey Guys, you would love it. The islands that Bafo and Jogi took us to were off the beaten path and far away from the hustle and bustle. yet they were very beautiful and interesting destinations unto themselves.
Looks like a great trip! Totally something that would be right up my hubby’s alley. Since this part of Croatia is so close to us, I might have to surprise him and sea kayak around the islands!
Oh wow! You are lucky to live so close to Croatia. It’s so easy to get to by train. We just took the train to Rijeka and then the ferry to Rab. Jogi from Sea Kayak Croatia was at the pier to pick us up and take us for a nice cup of coffee before we started our adventure. If you go, you must let us know all about it.
Just gorgeous photos! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Pamela, glad you liked it!
Oh wow this looks awesome! My wife and I are traveling to Europe in August and we will definitely have to look into spending some time in Croatia. Thanks so much for this. Love your blog!!
Alex
Hi Alex, I hope you add Croatia to your list. It’s a great location to visit. Enjoy your travels through Europe and thanks for the compliment.
Would love to kayak in Croatia – and the more I hear about the country the higher it goes on my ever expanding bucket list.
I agree Leigh. We’ve been hearing so much about Croatia lately and are thrilled that we finally had the chance to visit. We are looking forward to going back and kayaking there is definitely an adventure.
What a beautiful place to kayak! The water looks so turquoise and clear, wow.
That looks like a lot of fun and an incredible way to see Croatia, a country I’d really love to visit someday. Beautiful photos!
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Wow! Sounds like a great card to have. I should get on that. Croatia looks beautiful!
Looks gorgeous there! I quite like my amex, very handy and the points are nice. I bought few weeks back a kindle for my sister as a birthday present with the points. But you can’t rely just on your amex when you travel, as you will often run into places that don’t accept it.
Points never expiring is cool. Back when I had a corporate career, I used to love the perks that I got from cards like this – but always seemed to have to use the points before they ran out!
That looks so beautiful! We may be going to Croatia later this year!
Wow! You just added Croatia to my destination list!
Beautiful pics! I like the free way you travel! Well done
This looks amazing. I keep hearing how amazing Croatia is, but haven’t been yet. I’ve got an American Express Gold card and love it (I normally use my points for flights), but wasn’t aware of the flex option – sounds very convenient.
Looks like you guys had a good trip. Looking forward to more pictures and in depth stuff of the islands you say. I did a Split-Dubrovnik cruise a few years ago and really enjoyed it. The water is so clear.
I didn’t make it that far up, but I have a friend who goes to Rab every summer and loves it. Would love to see if when we get a chance to do Croatia.
Looks like a lot of fun not to mention beautiful! Croatia is definitely on my list of places to see.
I’ve been kayaking a couple of times and would love to try this. Looks spectacular. I actually have an AMEX Gold card and had no idea about the TripFlex option. Go figure.
WOW! An amazing trip!! I love how excited you guys always look when out on an adventure!
A beautiful country with such an interesting history. Their Adriatic coastline is just breathtaking.
You said it Kurt. We were surprised with you beautiful Croatia was. We really didn’t know what to expect.
Awesome experience, guys! We were able to sea kayak for a day on the island of Hvar when we honeymooned in Croatia in 2010. Would love to go back and do the whole coast. We, too, were fascinated by the history. Incredible country!
Thanks Ellen. I know eh. Croatia has such a rich history! We too want to go back and explore more. We only saw a few islands and want to explore that whole coast. The sea kayaking gave us just enough of a taste to want to go back soon! Glad you had the chance to kayak, the waters there are pristine. So blue.
I have always wanted to visit Croatia… it seems like such a beautiful place, and I just love the Eastern European cultures. I never thought of kayaking there before… this seems like a really great way to see the country.
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