Montenegro

I squeezed Montenegro into my summer Europe trip with a day trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia. I booked a tour to Kotor through TripAdvisor, but there was one small problem: they forgot to pick me up from my hotel. After a slightly panicked phone call, they came back to get me, then drove me to catch up with the rest of the tour bus. I got to do the awkward walk down the aisle while everyone who had been waiting stared at me, understandably less than thrilled.

Fortunately, arriving in the Montenegrin town of Kotor was a much more positive experience. Its medieval walled Old Town felt like something straight out of a postcard. Wandering through its narrow stone streets and historic squares, it was easy to see why it’s considered one of the most beautiful places in the Balkans.