This week we caught up with Kristie Sullivan from the US as we continued to interview the digital nomads that are coming to Dubrovnik as part of the project Digital Nomad Ambassadors project. Kristie is a slightly different nomad to the ones that we’ve interviewed already this year as she is travelling with her partner and not alone. She is also, and I hope she doesn’t mind me saying this, a slightly mature digital nomad, or more experienced, yes that sounds kinder. The life of a digital nomad is something that Kristie had been dreaming about for a long, long time. And it took a range of events for the moons to align for her to set off on her new life, and she hasn’t looked back. After years working in the corporate world as an accountant she still has a sharp financial mind, to say the least. The Digital Nomad Ambassador project is jointly organised by the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and the Saltwater Nomads agency from Split.

Well, we really love it here as this is our fourth time in Dubrovnik. The first time was in October of 2020 when Croatia was in the process of launching the digital nomad visa, and there was a conference in the city. That was really a long weekend but it opened our eyes as to how beautiful Dubrovnik is. This might be a little embarrassing but when I lived in the States I hadn’t heard of Dubrovnik before, I couldn’t have even picked Croatia out on a map. I knew where Italy was. But I think that’s a problem, our minds hardly get past Italy. 

A few months before we started traveling full-time, I found the courage to talk to my employer about keeping my job but working remotely full time. Even though I was financially stable enough not to work for an extended period of time, I kind of chickened out on just quitting all together.  I also  had a lot of loyalty to my employer so I wanted to see if I could stay with them but work remotely.

Really, it was my partner, Bill. He used to follow all the travel blogs and YouTube videos, and reading articles about people travelling and working. At the time I thought – oh, that’s for other people not for me, I have an office with a window. I thought that the life of a digital nomad was for the younger generations who were out partying and staying in hostels. It never occurred to me that that lifestyle could be for me. While a lot of the videos that we were watching were younger people there were still slightly older people doing it, so we thought we could do that to, and then the gears in our minds start turning. From the initial acorn of watching videos to actually starting out on journey took about 18 months. I spent about a year just getting my finances in order, don’t forget I am an accountant. I started selling everything. We were watching videos that stated "You can live in Thailand for $1,000 a month.” Not that I completely believed it, but I did use it as some kind of compass when starting to prepare financially.



It is interesting how your background influenced your future as a digital nomad

I thought it would be irresponsible to start our journey without planning the money side of things. I kept thinking what would I do if I ran out of money. And yes, this probably all comes from my background working as an accountant. 

The last day at my job was July 21, 2020, basically in the heat of the pandemic. So the question now was, where can we go? Most of Europe was closed. However, Croatia was open and welcoming US tourists. How this is going to sound like fate but Bill had a screensaver on his computer of a beautiful bay in Croatia. That sealed the deal. I had heard a little of Croatia. I knew a couple of people who had taken honeymoons here and they told me that is was stunning. I remember at the time there was lots of hoops to jump through as far as PCR tests, but it was all worth it. 

I think it is a great destination as there are so many interesting things to do and see. The history and culture make it a great spot. I do kind of think that maybe more of a destination for more mature remote workers. I think that they would really appreciate the culture scene here. It isn’t really a party town. It is a little more expensive than other cities we have been to in Croatia.

Over the past few years we have been bouncing back and forth over the Atlantic, either to see friends and family in the US or to stay in Mexico or Belize. I would say that if you can get away from the tourist parts of Croatia it is more affordable, and yes I know that is obvious. I think that the most expensive thing in Dubrovnik is restaurants, basically eating out. Coffee isn’t too expensive, but food can be. Of course, anything inside the city walls is pretty expensive, but I guess that’s to be expected. Although I have to say that people have been kind and friendly and explained to us the cheaper spots. Accommodation isn’t really crazy expensive to be honest. Zagreb for accommodation isn’t really that much cheaper for accommodation in our opinion.

 I have been trying to approach this trip with an open mind. And along the way I have been speaking to a lot of other digital nomads. Everyone one I spoke to, and I agree, has said that the internet connection is really good. And that is of course key to working remotely. On the negative side they also said that people don’t seem to be so outgoing here, and I agree. I think there are a couple of tricks you need to learn, like to be more positive and communicative yourself. As a visitor you have to make an effort to learn some of the language. I wouldn’t say that Dubrovnik is overly expensive, but the key word is value. You need to offer value for money. I don’t mind spending 30 euro on a meal if I am going to get 30-euro worth of food. Give people value for money. But to be honest the downsides are few and far between. One piece of advice that I would give is to get the special Dubrovnik Digital Nomad pass that lasts for 30 days, it really saves you so much time and money.      

You can follow and get in touch with Kristie Sullivan here -