You know what’s worse than turning 40?
Not celebrating it.
I have always been a big believer in celebrating all of life’s milestones. I never understood people who treated their birthdays like another Tuesday. I mean, I get it. We’re not kids anymore and I don’t need a clown. But 40? That’s a big one and I was going to do it right.
So what’s the plan?
A big party on a boat? A fancy restaurant? Another beach club?
No, no and no. I didn’t just want to celebrate my old ass. I wanted to celebrate the beauty of life and the thing I love the most: Travel. So why not blend the two together and have a #Destination40 somewhere in the world with those who know how to grab life by the testiculos?
Enter Permansio Deluxe Getaways: A luxury concierge service based out of Croatia. There to make all of my wildest dreams come true including organizing my entire #destination40 experience from top to bottom. That’s right. I got to… actually relax.
I can’t tell you how fun it was to get emails and text messages with itineraries and activation ideas all laid out for me to choose. Like a travel menu out of a choose your own adventure book.
“How about a chef made villa dinner and cocktail party”?
“Are you and your friends interested in a private city tour”?
“We can take you to the waterfalls in Bosnia”?
Sign. Us. Up.
Working with Permansio Deluxe Getaways allowed me to relax and take the planning off my hands while I focused on what mattered most: Which lucky bastards I was going to invite and my outfits! I just emailed them my preferences, do’s and don’ts and they took care of literally everything. That is the sheer difference between traveling and vacationing.
Permansio did us good. Our villa was a bonafide backdrop to a renaissance movie. 6 spacious bedrooms, a fully kitted kitchen, a glamorous pool and courtyard with plush loungers and views of the sea, and a private chef and villa staff, there to fetch you whatever you need. Oh… and did I mention… a GONG?
YES. A GONG. Because why ring a bell when you can bang on a gong?
Let the festivities begin. (goooooooooooooooonnnggggggg *********)
Our trip was off to a good start when all 7 of us gathered around the pool to take in the Croatian sun, sip cocktails and get excited for what’s ahead. The travel gods blessed me with a crew of people who blended so perfectly and happily, like we were meant to be together forever (and maybe move into this villa permanently).
“Does the villa have a way for us to play any music?” – I ask in the concierge group chat.
“Yes, but all we have is a JBL” – they respond. “We will bring it right over”. The 7 of us were busy cooking dinner in the kitchen like a modern day partridge family when the door opened.
In came a larger than life, portable, bluetooth JBL speaker about 4.5 feet tall, ready to blow the roof off with two subwoofers. Way to exceed our expectations, Permansio;)
One of my DJ friends in the villa let his playlist loose and that was it. We were up dancing around like we were at some club in Mykonos, vibing to old school classics and remixes that made us realize: we are about to have a very special trip.
After a chef-made breakfast of locally baked pastries, fluffy eggs, muesli, fruit and cold cut meats, we got into the car with our private transfer partners, M Dub Transfers, to head into the old town center. Famous for acting as the backdrop to Game of Thrones, but also famous for just being straight up beautiful.
Old Town Dubrovnik is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its medieval walls and Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings. The walls are known to be the largest and most impressive in all of Europe and are considered a “defense masterpiece” considering Dubrovnik was never conquered by a hostile army during the Middle Ages.
It’s a tiny old town center comparatively speaking, but loaded with secrets and surprises worth diving into. It almost felt like a movie set! So well preserved, clean and respected. Ancient streets, hidden wells, impressive stairs and tucked away alleyways made our heads spin.
In comes the rain. 7 wet and hungry explorers headed back to the villa for rest and recovery before the big celebration evening began. Tonight was the night. Time to turn 40 in style. Time to howl at the moon.
I tried to take a nap but my excitement wouldn’t allow me to relax. The jet lag, my allergies, the sheer exhaustion that only travel can bring, was starting to pile up on me. So fuck it! I got out of bed and started my beauty routine. Shower, hair, skin, makeup, smack my face a few times and shout in the mirror “You are awake. You are not tired. You are ready to party”.
Let’s do this girl.
Permansio Deluxe Getaways is not just a travel agency. They are magic makers. The dining room table was set with white tablecloth and gold. The chef didn’t make dinner. He conjured up a feast. All that was missing were goblets and flagons. All of our jaws dropped.
Locally baked fish and oven baked potatoes, fried shrimp tempura, homemade seafood risotto, seafood paellas and garden salads laid out for our hungry souls. A toast, a moment to applaud the chef, dig in. The rain grew louder and so did our music. Another night, another impromptu dance party, another moment of bonding.
The 7 of us changed out of our glam outfits and into our pajamas and just sat around the table drinking wine, telling stories, randomly dancing, randomly laughing and just…talking. What a beautiful thing it was to see a group of people all driven by the same thing: living life to the fullest. That night, I finally slept like a baby. The next day was spent recovering by the pool.
“Everybody be ready by 10:30 am sharp” – I shouted like a camp counselor on one of our last days. The group scurried around the villa grabbing towels and water, prepping for our biggest excursion yet: A day trip to Bosnia Herzegovina to visit the famed Kravice Waterfalls.
A plush 2 hour drive with M Dub Transfers to cross the border and stamp our passports. Kravice is a small but impressive waterfall system with cascading rivers and protected parks. Last time I was in Croatia, I stayed in Split and got the chance to visit KrKa Waterfalls and Plitvice which are both enormous and absolutely jaw dropping but very hard to get to and exhausting. Kravice is the perfect no fuss day trip and provides a similar beauty.
Warning: experiencing a trip organized by a concierge service may cause deep relaxation and “spoiled child” syndrome. “I want ice cream” and “can we stop for snacks” were things touted by us 35+ year olds and it was completely acceptable. There’s always the fear of people not getting along on a trip. But not us. We were so connected, so made for each other that we even suffered withdrawal when it was all over.
Kravice was the perfect excursion to end our trip on. On our journey back, we were taken by the winding roads, cliffside scenery, rocky beaches and archipelagos of Adriatic islands. “Wow. Just wow”. We all said.
Dubrovnik blew us away. Croatia blew us away. Permansio blew us away.
It was officially our last night and some of us were contemplating squatting in the villa. The weather blessed us with a perfect sunset as we danced and cooked in the kitchen one last time. As fun as it is to do adventures together, it’s just as pleasurable to experience a community under one roof. Taking care of each other, hugging every five minutes and just…being at home.
Perhaps that is what’s missing in modern day society. Are we too alone? Too “self reliant”? Have we forgotten how to create a community and how important it is to be with others? This trip taught me that travel is even better with the company of your friends.
So find “the others”. The others who think like you. Appreciate the same things as you. Accept you and champion you. Because once you do, you will finally understand what life is really about.
I cannot thank Permansio enough for arranging not just any vacation, but one of the most memorable experiences for me and my beloved friends. It was a match made in heaven and I am forever grateful.
Thank you to my friends who flew from all over the world to celebrate this special milestone with me. I can’t wait for more adventures together. You’re stuck with me now.
Love always,
Your Digital Nomad.
Saliet Golan
