Looking to move abroad and get more bang for your buck, well the specialised website expatistan.com has released a list of the most expensive destinations in the world. The most expensive city in the world, in terms of cost of living, is Hamilton on Bermuda, whilst the cheapest is Odessa in Ukraine. But where does Croatia compare on the list?

If you have ever considered packing up your bags and moving to pastures new, or looking for that place in the sun to retire to this price comparison list will give you an idea on how far your cash will go.

According to expatistan.com the most expensive cities in the world to live in are Hamilton, Geneva, Zurich, Grand Cayman, Reykjavik, New York, San Francisco, London and Oslo. The site basically compares a few important factors to come up with the cost of living index and then starts with a base point of 100. Or as the website states “To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague. Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.”

Zagreb has an index rating of 105, making it a little more expensive than Prague, and placing it in 231st position in the world, but 5th place in Eastern Europe. Split on the Dalmatian coast has an index of 107, placing it above the capital and in 226th position in the world. Whilst Rijeka has a ranking of 94 making it the most affordable Croatia city on the list. There is no mention of Dubrovnik, however we presume that it would have taken the top position in Croatia.

Croatia’s neighbours are considerably cheaper on the cost of living index, Sarajevo has an index of 78, Podgorica 89 and Belgrade 85.

Hamilton, a British Overseas Territory, on Bermuda has a whopping 297 ranking on the cost of living index. For example, the average monthly rent of an 85 metre squared apartment in a normal area of the city will set you back 3,743 Euros a month, a basic dinner out for two in neighbourhood pub 74 Euros and a cappuccino 4.50 Euros. In Zagreb the same apartment will on average cost you 465 Euros a month, a meal for two in a pub around 18 Euros and a frothy cappuccino 1.57 Euros.
Check out the full list of the most affordable cities to live in here.

Speaking to The Dubrovnik Times a former resident of Bermuda, who now lives in Dubrovnik commented that "Bermuda is a beautiful island but being stuck in the middle of the Atlantic has it's challenges. Everything is imported, even water at times. There is little fresh produce and little to no fresh meat, a few chickens and turkeys. I once paid $70.00 for a Christmas bird. Exempted company business is the first pillar of the economy with tourism running behind, despite the recent success of the Americas Cup. Croatia has much to offer the visitor and resident alike. In most places you do get very good value for money. Living in an isolated paradise is not always what it seems."

Cost of Entertainment in Zagreb from Expatistan.com

By far the largest increase in tourists in Croatia in 2017 were travellers from China. Statistics released by the Ministry of Tourism show that on an annual level there was a huge 53 percent increase in the number of tourists from China arriving in Croatia last year, far more than any other nationality.

A grand total of 191,428 Chinese tourists enjoyed the beauties of Croatia last year, which is the first time ever that Chines guests have made the top twenty list of nationality markets. This is a trend that has been continuing for a few years and to the delight of many travel operators the majority of these travellers arrive outside of the main tourist season.

Mario Rendulić, The President of the Chinese Southeast Business Association (CSEBA), Mario Rendulic, commented that “We never had more Chinese tourists than this year and the number is just going to increase in coming years. CSEBA together with Croatian Tourism Ministry and the National Tourist Board, is trying to speed up the removal of administrative barriers and obtain permits which form the basis for the establishment of direct airline connections. The direct links are necessary if Croatian tourist destinations want to attract more Chinese tourists.”

It would appear from the Croatian Tourist Board data that Chinese guests avoid the warmer, and more crowded, summer months. The majority arrive either at the end of spring or in early autumn, thus helping to prolong the Croatian tourist season. And if indicators are to be trusted as many as 300,000 Chinese tourists could land in Croatia this year.

If you are travelling north from Dubrovnik be prepared for some traffic delays. Temporary traffic lights are in place in the village of Orasac because a new petrol station is being constructed on the main road.

These construction works will continue until the 30th of January and delays are possible especially during peak hours.

This region of Dubrovnik is in fact in desperate need of a petrol station, the nearest one at the moment is either in Zaton Doli (33 Kilometres) or in Komolac near Dubrovnik (17 Kilometres).

International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), which include Iberia, British Airways and Aer Lingus, plan to increase their operations to several cities across Croatia this summer season – EX-YU Aviation News reports.

Iberia will head the growth, by maintaining up to eight weekly flights from Madrid to Zagreb, which is an increase from five flights a week last year. Four flights will be added to Dubrovnik, while Split will also benefit with daily services to be maintained from Madrid this year, up from three per week in 2017. The resumption of its flights to both Dubrovnik and Split will also be brought forward. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said its capacity to Croatia will grow by over 30 percent inn 2018 for a second year in a row, noting that demand is being driven by leisure travellers wishing to visit the Adriatic coast.

British Airways will also increase its number of flights to Croatia this year after adding Pula as its fourth destination in 2017. The British carrier will operate twelve flights a week between London Gatwick and Dubrovnik this summer, which is an increase from nine last year. They will also strengthen its services from Heathrow to Split by introducing an extra flight a week, which will make it a total of five. The number of flights from London to Pula will stay at two per week. EX-YU Aviation News states that carrier is also considering adding flights between Heathrow and Zagreb to make up for Croatia Airlines' service reduction on the route. British Airways' leisure unit, British Airways Holidays, has listed Croatia in its top eighteen must-see destinations this summer. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said, "We are pleased with the performance of our routes from Croatia to London, which has resulted in additional flights and capacity this year. Our customers on these routes range from passengers travelling point-to-point to those taking advantage of our extensive international network which serves 199 destinations".

Aer Lingus, the Irish carrier, will also boost its number of flights to three destinations in Croatia. They will add an extra flight from Dublin to Dubrovnik, so it will operate daily, while services to both Split and Pula will also be increased by one additional flight for a total of three and four per week "We are delighted to announce the further strengthening of our network to Croatia with these additional flights. The extra frequencies to Dubrovnik, Split and Pula will allow us to continue offering the choice, service and value that delivered our Skytrax four-star accreditation and we look forward to welcoming guests on board these services to Croatia in 2018", the airline said to EX-YU Aviation News. Asked whether it could add Zagreb to its network in the foreseeable future, the Irish carrier noted, "Flights could be introduced if we determine that this route matches our customers’ needs, is economically viable and makes a positive financial contribution to our business as a whole".

The Dubrovnik Times has teamed up with Break Time to celebrate their appearance at the London Boat Show this year. This popular Croatian brand, with stores in Dubrovnik and Split, made their UK debut with a range of handmade nautical style bracelets.

And we are offering you the chance to win one of these unique bracelets with our Facebook competition! And to make it even more special the bracelet will be engraved (you choose what you want) and delivered to your door by our friends at Break Time.

Follow this link to enter (you’ll find all the rules here) and win with Break Time today.

As Dubrovnik is the setting for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones it seems only fair that we mark the fact that today is Appreciate a Dragon Day.

According to Donita K. Paul, the creator of this special day which he started back in 2004, you are encouraged to learn and explore the cultural and historic significance of dragons.

But we thought we would just have a little bit of fun! To all you dragons out there have a great day.

CNN Travel has published an article few days ago where it brings 14 hot new global restaurants for 2018. Since it's a sort of global gourment guide for 2018, it's a great honour to be on the list. 

-Here are 14 additions to the culinary must-try list for those keen to get in first at the hottest tables around the world – writes CNN.

And suprisingly or not – Dubrovnik found its place on this list too. Sensus, restaurant of the Hotel Excelsior was placed 9th.
-With one of the finest views of the beautiful walled old town of Dubrovnik and the Adriatic Sea, Sensus at the Excelsior Hotel already had much in its favor even before the plates from chef Petar Obad were added into the mix. His interpretations of Mediterranean classics and local Croatian delicacies brings in diners as much as the Instagram-worthy backdrop – it's written in the article.

Author was especially delighted with a signature dish of ravioli with sweetbreads, truffle, prosciutto and a sauce made from Malvasija wine, which according to CNN demonstrates the chef's melding of flavors, ingredients and textures.

-Herbs from the kitchen's garden and local sun-ripened produce are crafted into lamb with rosemary, artichokes and onion marmalade, while "grandma's flan" is Obad's dessert homage to a beloved family recipe-writes CNN Travel.

Sounds tempting, right? You can check the whole list here.

Spain will replace the United States as the second most popular tourist destination in the world this year, while France retains first place, according to UN World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) data.

The organization's report shows that the total number of international tourist arrivals rose last year by 7 percent to 1.3 billion. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018, with a growth rate of 4 to 5 percent.

Europe is “in” for 2018 with all the Mediterranean destinations, including Croatia, looking forward to a successful year. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that the country recorded a record of more than 82 million visitors in 2017, an increase of 8 percent compared to previous year. In the preliminary analysis of tourist data for 2017, UNWTO said: "Guided by Mediterranean destinations, Europe is remarkably impressive for such a large and quite mature region." Last year, Europe saw an increase of 8 percent in international arrivals.

The Croatian National Tourist Boars have announced that this year there will be a 25 percent increase in international flights to the country and as well as strong connections expected in the post season.