Closing Out Croatia
June 18, 2026
Hello Moondance Families!!
It is crazy to think that, as you all read this, the kids will be heading back to the USA! We have had so much fun having intentional, fun, and exciting conversations with each and every one of them!
We kicked off the last leg of our trip bright and early, departing from our beloved mountain hut. All the boys were ambitious and decided to wake up at 5 am to watch the sunrise before we left. They watched the fog below them cover the tops of the mountains, and it was truly incredible. Once everyone was up and ready for the day, we made some oatmeal, ate, and out the door in the van. Everyone enjoyed a long car ride nap while we made our way to our activity of the day… a cave tour. We got to walk through the inside of these old caves, which was absolutely incredible. Our guide shared tons of history about the cave, and the group found it fascinating to learn how long it takes for caves to form. At one point, we turned off our headlamps and experienced the dark and silence, which allowed for some reflection and gratitude for being right where we are! After the tour, we headed down to the beach for lunch. We ate pizza right along the crystal clear blue water beach, and the group loved it! AC and Martha Grace loved the strawberry drinks and enjoyed them while they relaxed in the lawn chairs. Meanwhile, Stokely, Caroline, and the boys headed to the outdoor gym. We were attempting to maximize our pull ups and try out some of the equipment! Everyone rinsed off in the water, and we headed back in the van to continue journey. We enjoyed playing music in the car and singing as we went, and before we knew it, we arrived at our hostel. The group was in shock by how quaint and historic the town was. There is so much history in Croatia and it has been so intriguing to learn more about it. Our hostel was absolutely beautiful, and the group was very excited to get settled in and take showers. We got all cleaned up and then headed into the old and historic town to walk around and do some shopping. We went into some local stores, and the girls were very excited to see a mango right by where we were staying. We enjoyed getting to walk around, and we sat outside for a delicious dinner as a group. Once we wrapped up dinner, we went to watch the sunset over the water. There were Sea Organs, sounds that were made from the waves like an organ, and the group loved getting to hear it. The sunset was as beautiful as ever, and it set as perfectly over the ocean. On our way back to the hostel, we stopped for some ice cream! The group has been loving the Unicorn Ice flavor, so we made sure to go somewhere that had it! We had a wonderful moonup as a group where we elected Stokely and Axel to be our LODs for tomorrow!
Yesterday morning, the group woke up excited for our activity of the day… ziplining! We packed up and headed downstairs for some breakfast of eggs, fruits, and toast to fuel us before our van ride. Duncan and Liam led the group to the coffee shop, which allowed guests at the hostel we were at to have one free coffee, and everyone indulged! Once we had some caffeine and food, we hopped in the van for a few hours to our ziplining location. We listened to some awesome music along the way (shoutout our LODs for being our personal DJs!) until we arrived. We had a safety briefing on how to use the equipment, and before we knew it, we were off on the ziplines. There were eight lines total, and the first one was nearly one minute long and took you between these two large mountains. Kyan absolutely flew down the ziplines – he went so fast! The views were absolutely incredible, and everyone had the best time! We got in the van and drove a quick distance to our campsite for the night. We got to camp in tents right alongside the water, and it was truly magnificent. AC got some of the girls to start making a new friendship bracelet before the trip ended with some Diet Cokes, and others decided to go for a swim. It was a relaxing afternoon, and before we knew it, we were getting ready for dinner. We had a delicious meat platter and calamari, which everyone loved. The best part was the music that came with it, though! Two friends of the owner of our hostel played traditional music right in front of our table. Sanders, Liam, Jack, Duncan, Ellie, Caroline, and Jake all got them to sing “Sweet Caroline” which was such a great song that many others in the restaurant were familiar with! After so many great tunes, we decided it was time to catch the sunset by the beach. Ann Wallace got the whole group fired up to take an awesome pyramid photo with the sunset in the background. It is a great picture! We did moonup and selected Duncan and Martha Grace to be our LODs for our final full day. And, before we knew it, we decided to spontaneously jump into the water led by Jack, Jake, Duncan, and Liam. Shortly after, Caroline and Lilly decided that despite the showers, the sunset swim was worth it. And everyone got in! It was one of those moments that felt out of a movie. Martha Grace kindly did everyone’s hair with our hair dryer in the hostel before our town day tomorrow, and all the girls appreciated it so dearly! Once everyone was ready, we packed it up and headed to bed for our town day in Dubrovnik tomorrow!
Our last day was a bittersweet wake-up, but everyone was so excited to go to a new town. We woke up to the clear blue skies over our campsite and the perfectly clear water in the distance. We got the camp packed up and our belongings loaded into the van. We had a long drive to town, so we wanted to get on the road early! Some of our group slept for the first part of the van ride, while the others listened to some music! Jack, Liam, and Axel were loving the Taylor Swift and Britney Spears tunes that came on the aux. We stopped for lunch at an awesome chicken-and-burger restaurant that the group absolutely loved. It was the perfect final lunch spot and right on the way to where we were going! We hopped right back on the road and continued our drive. Once we arrived, we started getting ready for our town day. Ellie and Stokely had matching dresses in different colors and looked so cute in all their pictures together!! We took a bus to the Old Town, which was immediately breathtaking. Jake and Caroline had done some research on our activity, and we decided to do the City Walls that wrap around all of Dubrovnik. It was so beautiful and truly incredible to learn about the walls’ history and see how they protected such a wonderful city. After walking the walls and taking many pictures, the group felt like it was time to go explore the town and shop. Ellie found an awesome souvenir shop, and the rest of the group quickly followed. Liam, Duncan, and Jack got matching Croatia jerseys (which the rest of the group purchased shortly after!!). We had a special town day because Croatia was playing in the World Cup, so it was extra lively. We had our banquet dinner in a quaint Italian/Mexican restaurant on a beautiful cobblestone street. Once we wrapped up dinner, the game was starting, so we caught the first half before heading back to the hostel to begin our final moonup. We had so much fun reflecting on our incredible memories these past few weeks.
We woke up early and hopped on a bus to the airport. It was definitely a bittersweet goodbye, and we were so sad to see the students go! We had such an amazing time getting to know all of them, and these two weeks truly flew by. We cannot wait to watch each and every one of our students thrive in their future endeavors, and we are so proud of them! Thank you again to all parents, friends, and family who made this experience possible. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.
Till next time ~ live in the moment! Caroline and Jake
Croatia, Crepes. and Crazy Views
June 14, 2026
Hello Moondance Families and to all of our friends and family! We have so much to catch up on since we last updated you all, so lets dive right in!
We picked up Liam and Ann Wallace as our wonderful LODs for our first full day in Rab Island. Caroline woke up the group with some fun music which made getting out of bed much easier and energized for the day! We were making a full breakfast this morning with eggs, yogurt, fruit, toast/bread, and more! The spread was delicious. We cleaned everything up and got ready for the morning huddle where the group learned that we would spend the day sea kayaking!!! It was the perfect weather for the activity: clear skies, smooth waters, and no wind. We made our way down to the beach, where we were greeted with the kayaks and a safety briefing of the activity. Before we knew it, we were in the waters ready to go! The mountains were upon the horizon and smooth waters made it feel like we were in a green screen. Ellie and Axel were absolutely speeding on the kayaks, and Stokely and Kyan were trailing not too far behind them. It was truly impressive how fast our group could move on the water! We took lots of group photos and eventually made our way to a beach where we took a break for lunch. Peaches are a fan favorite among the group and it made for the best afternoon pick-me-up. Jake, Ann Wallace, and Sanders enjoyed tanning in the kayak, while Caroline and the rest of the group went out in the water for a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to jump back in the kayaks and head back! Stokely and Jack were a brave two and decided to try to stand on the kayaks for a bit, which they surprisingly executed with ease. Once we all made it back, we headed back to the hostel to rinse the salt water off our skin and head down to the shops. Jack, Duncan, Jake, Kyan, and Liam all decided to take a pit stop at the outdoor gym that overlooked the ocean, and they all had a blast! Then the group enjoyed some delicious gelato and talked about everything we had done earlier in the day. It was then time for a group game… Jake and Caroline had been eagerly waiting to introduce their favorites… Shake and Pop! Lets say that the group absolutely loved it and Liam and Jack have some pretty awesome dance moves. We then wrapped up in the towns and headed up to begin making tacos for dinner. Our cook crew absolutely crushed the dinner. Lilly, Ellie, Stokely, and Caroline made friendship bracelets downstairs, while Liam revealed his secret talent of being a wonderful masseur. We all ate dinner like a big happy family, and then the trip guitar was brought out for the evening. Jake jumped on the guitar to play some tunes, along with Liam, and the whole group was enjoying the music. After many songs played and happy hearts, we had a wonderful moonup where Sanders and Ellie were elected as our LODs!!!
We woke up that day eager for what our last day on Rab Island hold for our group. Our wonderful LODs, Ellie and Sanders, spearheaded the breakfast operation. They cooked up some eggs, sausages, and toast/butter/peanut butter. The group enjoyed breakfast, and before we knew it our LODs shared with us that we would be doing a boat snorkeling tour that day! Everyone was so excited to be out on the water and have a relaxing day. We arrived at the boat tour and everyone piled in where we were greeted by our outfitters Max and Mateo. They shared our itinerary for the tour that day and our first stop was a snorkeling spot in a cave! Stokely, MG, Ellie, AC, and Lilly were our brave five that went into the cave first. They came out saying it was truly spectacular and the rest of the group swam in and out of the cave! Inside, there were bats flying around which many people had never seen before as well as the rocks beautifully lining the inside of the cave. We then cruised along the water for a while and admired the beautiful views. At our next stop, Jake, Kyan, Sanders, and Liam quickly jumped in and immmediarely began adventuring for some shells. They brought back tons for the group to admire! Before we knew it, our wonderful boat day was coming to an end and we headed back to the dock. We got some refreshments and gelato for the group on this gorgeous day, before the group split up for the afternoon. The girls had a wonderful beach nap, while the boys headed to play a game of soccer. The group met back up at the hostel and began showering to prepare to our dinner. At dinner, we had conversations about the upcoming World Cup games and who everyone was cheering for! After dinner, we enjoyed the rest of our evening and Duncan hopped back on the guitar, and before we knew it we were heading to bed with our LODs for tomorrow being AC and Kyan!
We woke up bright and early this morning to begin our travel day to the Velebit mountains! We made a breakfast of eggs, sausage, and fruit which filled everyone up before we jumped into the van. We stopped at a grocery store to buy our groceries for the next few days with our LODs, AC and Kyan, and they did a wonderful job helping us meal plan and get everything together for the next few days. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stayed back with our AMAZING bus driver who continued to jam Croatian popular hits which the group loved! After some car naps and friendship bracelets, we arrived at a local spot for lunch. The group was able to eat some local Croatian dishes, such as calamari and risotto, and everyone loved it! Our waiters were even so kind to give us a complimentary dessert (chocolate crepes) to top it all off! We finished off our drive listening to some more music and singing our hearts out. The views from the car ride were absolutely incredible and had everyone appreciating just how wonderful the trip has been. We are staying at one of the highest mountain huts in Croatia, and when we arrived, the group was in shock of how beautiful it was. We unloaded our bags and groceries and made our way up to the mountain hut. We see where we just were on one side of the horizon and the rest of the Velebit mountains on the other. It is crazy that we are now in the mountains that we were looking at yesterday! We decided to do a mini hike up to the top of a lookout point, and the views were truly spectacular. AC had her camera out and everyone was taking pictures and soaking it all in. Liam, Sanders, Stokely, and Axel even found another trail that connects to another hike which we want to do at some point! We headed back and began to make dinner. Caroline led the cook crew through our delicious dinner of chicken stir fry! Lilly and Ann Wallace CRUSHED the chopping of the vegetables – seriously, everyone, they were literally cut to perfection!!!! Meanwhile, Caroline and Kyan monitored the stovetop with the rice, sauteed vegetables, and chicken. We all appreciated Duncan’s company with his DJ skills!! Dinner was put on pause as the sun was setting. We truly thought that we were in a movie. The sun was perfectly set amongst the sea and when you turned around the mountains were lit up with pink and orange tones. Truly spectacular and we all agreed it was one of the prettiest views we have seen. After the sun went down, we went back in to make our dinner and it was easily a fan favorite of the trip. There were no leftovers!! Our wonderful cook crew cleaned the dishes for the night, while Jake, Duncan, and Axel took turns on the guitar. We ended the night with moonup under the wonderful stars – we saw three shooting stars in just that one sitting!! Our LODs selected Jack and Stokely to be our LODs for the first day of trekking tomorrow!
We got to start the morning a little later than usual which the group very much appreciated and was excited about the extra sleep! Our LODs for the day Jack and Stokely, did a wonderful job getting everyone excited for our first hike. We were summiting a mountain, which was ~2,000ft in elevation and 6.5 miles of hiking. Duncan and Ellie started the morning off strong with pancakes, which the group absolutely loved! Meanwhile, Liam was an excellent helper in setting up lunches for the day. Before we knew it, we had our packs on and ready to start our hike! The views were absolutely stunning… most of the time we felt like we were in a greenscreen! We got to the first peak in about 90 minutes, and we enjoyed snacks of dates, peaches, and pretzels at the top of the mountain. So many people tried dates for the first time and absolutely loved them! We took lots of pictures at the top before heading back down and beginning the next portion of our hike. Everyone is blown away by Kyan’s hiking skills, we all thought he could be a professional trail runner! Despite the steep elevation, the group had such a positive attitude the whole time and they were so appreciative of being in Velebit. With amazing conversations carrying the way, we blinked and we were at our next peak! We enjoyed our sandwiches for lunch and everyone was so proud of all the work that we put in. We headed back to the hostel for a much deserved downtime afternoon. Liam, Axel, and Caroline still had a bit more energy left in them and they decided to go exploring at a nearby mountain. They climbed rocks and discovered a hidden gem of a lookout spot on Velebit! Meanwhile, the rest of the group treated themselves to some Coke Zeros and sodas that definitely hit the spot! We had our cook crew that night make beef tacos. Stokely learned how to chop bell peppers and cucumbers to put into the salad from Jack and Duncan. They ended up cooking a delicious dinner that the group enjoyed while watching the sunset. While it was still light, we ran to the top of the hill to watch the rest of the sunset and enjoyed each other’s company. Martha Grace and Sanders befriended a sweet dog that became a group staple for the evening. Once the sun went down, we gathered the group for a lovely moonup under the stars where the LODs selected Ellie and Sanders to be our LODs for tomorrow!
Once again, we got to sleep in which was much deserved after our hiking day yesterday! We woke up this morning feeling well rested and excited for what was in store. Axel and Duncan were excited to surprise the group with french toast for breakfast, which everyone LOVED! On tap for the day, we had a longer hike (~10 miles), so we made sure to have a big breakfast to carry us through our day. Sanders and Ellie were rocking their matching LOD sunglasses throughout the trek (more pictures to come soon 🙂 ), and everyone was so excited to continue exploring the Velebit area. The group morale is always so positive and everyone loves just getting to talk for hours while we hike! Not to mention, the views are incredible! We walked through these massive rocks for miles, and the whole time we were wondering how in the world something so majestic was created. We stopped for a quick break with some dates and peaches to carry us through to our lunch spot. We hiked to a small hut on the side of the mountain, where we enjoyed some sandwiches that we packed in the morning. Before we knew it, we were on the way back to our hostel. On the way back, we were given an option to do an extra summit, and with some encouragement from Axel, Sanders, Liam, and Kyan, the group decided it was worth the extra push. And let me tell you, it totally was! We got to climb rocks on a steep incline to one of the most beautiful mountain peak views. Once we soaked it in, we headed back to the hostel. We had a relaxed evening where everyone got to hangout outside, play cards, and journal! Meanwhile, our cook crew, Jake, Lilly, and Liam crushed our dinner tonight. We ate chicken, mashed potatoes, and a delicious chopped salad. We had avocados in the salad which was quite the luxury and everyone enjoyed it. As we wrapped up dinner the sun was setting in the sky, and everyone ran out to take photos. It was genuinely incredible! Jake and Duncan ended the night playing some guitar – Noah Kahan was a big hit! We ended the night doing moonup under the stars and our LODs picked Lilly and Liam to be our LODs for tomorrow!
Parents, we have had the best time with your kids and we are so thankful for our time with each and every one of them! Here is a little shoutout from each of your kids:
AC:
heyyy fam!! I’m having a blasttt. We just finished our trekking portion in Velebit and it was awesome. We did a 10 mile hike and a 6 mile straight uphill hike. The views and sunsets are insane. Rab island was also so much fun! We rented a petal boat and did an inflatable water bouncy house thing. It is Gorgeous here!! We have to come back as a :fam. My leaders and friends are the absolute Best. I love my group so much but I can’t wait to tell you all about it!!! XOXO from Croatia😘🤍🇭🇷
Ellie:
Heyy mom, dad, oliver, georgie, vivienne, wells, and bingo! We just finished our trekking portion in the Velebit mountains! It was amazing! I got some really cool photos and I can’t wait to show you them! I love y’all sooo much and I can’t wait to come back and tell yall all about it! I’m having so much fun! See yall in a couple of days! ❤️❤️
MG:
Heyyy mom and dad we like 3 hours ago just finished our 10 mile make in the Velebit mountains crazy. I love all my friend so so so much I’m very cared here and so safe. Sorry dad I climbed a mountain like seriously climbed a mountain. When I get home and describe it you might freak out. Food has been 30% bread and 20% pringles 50 % bread AND Nutella. Love y’all so much!!!
Stokely:
Hii!! We just did a 10 mile hike and it was super fun and yesterday we trekked between two peaks and it was so much funnn!! Everyone is soooo amazing and our leaders are so lit!! This is the best thing in the world and my happy place I love y’all and thank yall so much for giving me this opportunity!! 😊😊
Lilly:
Hii family!! We just wrapped up our trekking portion of the trip and it was awesome. We have eaten mostly bread with either salami or Nutella for every meal which I’m not mad about. When I get home I want chicken fil a. We summited 2 peaks and the views were incredible and I am so excited to show you the great pictures! I’m so grateful to be here and so excited to see y’all in a few days!! Peace and love from Croatia ✌️🇭🇷♥️
Ann Wallace:
Hiiiiii I’ve been having so much fun here in Croatia. I did a ten mile hike today which was so fun but my feet hurt so bad. Im so glad that I was able to come here. Thank you guys✌️✌️ My leaders are so amazing and I don’t want to leave but I’m excited to see yall and all my friends. Love yall & see you soon 💓💓
Sanders:
Hey guys, I’m having such a good time here. We went on two really cool hikes today we hiked ten miles. We’re staying in this hut in the mountains and just surrounded by mountains on one side and ocean on the other side. We also went to the beach and went sea kayaking and snorkeling and we snorkeled in a cave. Croatia is amazing and I’m so grateful that I came on this. I miss y’all a lot and I’m excited to see everyone. Love you!!!
Kyan:
Hi, I have had so much fun in Croatia and I have made so many new friends and the mountains are beautiful. My favorite part of this trip is when we played soccer at the beach and it was really fun. I also really enjoyed the boat tour because we got to snorkel and a cave and see a lot of bats. I can’t wait to see you guys again when I return.
Axel:
Hi Mom and Dad! I’m having a blast on this trip. Jake and Caroline are amazing counselors, people, and friends. Caroline is energetic and always putting a smile on my face and Jake is always very calm and says all the right things at the right time. Both of them are incredible and I feel superbly lucky to have them as my counselors for this trip. My favorite parts have been the white water rafting and hiking in the mountain range. The views here are incredible and I have taken plenty of photos for everyone. All the kids on this trip are amazing people to be around. Some are great listeners, others amazing talkers, but they are all people who I find to be my kind of people. Although I love this trip and all the people on it, I can’t wait to see both of you and tell you about this trip. Tell Kat and Abuelala I miss both of them and I can’t wait to hear about the adventures Mom, Kat, and Abuelala had in Europe and the time Dad spent with his family in New Zealand.
Duncan:
Hey guys, I’m having some more fun here in the big C. Vibes here are great and the place we’re staying at right now is a piece of art. Beautiful views, amazing hikes, and just a great time. The locals are nothing but nice and the friends I’m with are amazing. Making wonderful memories as the days go and im excited for what is to come. Tell the fam I stayed hey and I’ll see you in a couple days. Love and miss y’all!
Jack:
what’s up with it, still having a great time and did 10 mile hike today. We have 4 nights left and we tamed a wolf. I want y’all to come out here so badly. It is amazing and the waters are best I’ve ever seen. The beach we went to was honestly one of my favorites ever. Can’t wait to tell y’all about it. And I’m sorry but I haven’t been filming as much as I should. Also our international guide is so funny. Can yall save this update so I can talk to yall about some of this if I forget. I love yall lots and I hope Wyatt is having a great time. We laugh a lot at night and Jake and Caroline are great.
Liam:
Hey Family, I’m having the time of my life right now. I’m very grateful that you sent me on this trip. Everyone on this trip is so fun and Jake and Caroline are awesome. Croatia is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been and you definitely need to visit it when I’m in college. The Velebit mountains are so cool we can watch the sunset from the top of a mountain, which is the coolest thing ever. We are going to be in Dubrovnik when Croatia play England in the World Cup and we plan on watching it while we are there. This trip has gone by so fast and I can’t wait to tell y’all all about it when I get back.
Current Status: Living the Dream in Croatia!
June 9, 2026
Bok families! We are so excited to begin this adventure with your kids, and we are going to have the best two weeks ever!
We began our trip by greeting everyone at the Zagreb airport, where we enjoyed some snacks and settled in before meeting our wonderful guide, Pauline, who will be with us for the next two weeks! We gathered up our bags and jumped into the van to head to the Plitvice area to start the first section of our two-week adventure. In the van, we enjoyed a variety of music spearheaded by Ann Wallace, AC, Martha Grace, and Stokely. They were providing awesome recommendations that were getting the group ready to go! We even discovered Jack’s music taste involves Brittany Spears! We then jammed out to some of her songs. About halfway through the drive, we stopped at a local Croatian bakery and let everyone pick out something from the store. We were so proud of Lilly and Axel for trying (and loving!) the Croatian pastry. On the back half of our drive, Pauline showed us a variety of villages that overlooked the beautiful Croatian mountains. We drove in awe! The kids then took a well-deserved nap to help reduce the jet lag before we finally arrived at our hostel. Immediately upon arrival, we jumped into a group game of hacky sack where Duncan showed us his awesome tricks. To top it off, we taught Sanders how to play for the first time – and he crushed it! We were then greeted with a delicious dinner, where the group continued to get to know one another and share their excitement for the upcoming weeks. Post-dinner, we headed into moonup, and we elected Lilly and Jack as our first LODs (leaders of the day) for tomorrow! The group went to bed with full hearts about what the next adventure may be.
We woke up on our first morning to a cool summer day, and the sun was shining bright! We ate a delicious breakfast to start our day off strong before our first activity – kayaking the Mrežnica River! As we got into the van, our LODs began our very first MORNING HUDDLE!!! Woohooooo!!! Lilly and Jack shared some inspiring words, played a hype song, and set the morale for the day. Once we arrived, we met our guide Beli (and Pauline!) who briefed us on a quick safety lesson before we got in the water. As we entered the river, we were quickly greeted by our first waterfall that we would raft down. The kids were in pairs of two, and Ellie and Liam were the brave two to go first! Everyone was having the best time, and right as we thought it couldn’t get any better… it did! The guides took us to a cliff jumping spot, and we were able to jump over waterfalls into the crystal blue waters. Stokely was the first one to jump with the encouragement from our guide and the group – she executed flawlessly. We were so proud of all of the students for jumping, especially Axel who faced his fear of heights. After some frolicking and jumping, we got back into the rafts to continue our paddle downstream where we faced waterfalls that the students got to smoothly (and safely!) glide down. As we were loading up the van, we were incredibly impressed with Kyan and Axel. They helped out Beli put all the boats back on top of the van – they looked like pros! We wrapped up the rafting with a picnic and a side of hacky sack + handstand contests. Jack, despite never having any handstand practice, was our winner! The crew was still excited and full of energy, so we decided on our way back to stop through the Slunj village we passed by yesterday and hike down. The hour-long excursion blew everyone away. The clear blue waters in Croatia will never get old!! We learned more about the history of Croatia and their somewhat recent independence 31 years ago. Pauline also pointed out an elder flower, which AC and Stokely loved, and proceeded to carry with them for the rest of the hike. After soaking in the beautiful views, we came back to the hostel and sat down for a pasta dinner. The group loved it, and before we knew it we were back outside playing games, hacky sack, and taking a nice shower after being on-the-go throughout the day. Jake brought out his guitar and started singing, and Duncan and Axel quickly jumped in to show us their skills. We sang some of our favorite songs in a circle like Follow You to Virgie (led by Duncan!) and Landslide. Before we knew it, night fell upon us, and it was time for our moonup. Axel and Stokely were elected as our LODs for tomorrow, and the group went to bed that night staring at the shooting stars that swung across the sky (which AC, Ann Wallace, and Ellie pointed out!).
Good morning!!! Let’s get day three started! We woke up once again to the sun shining and ready to begin our morning activity…. hiking through Plitvice National Park. Our LODs, Axel and Stokely led us through our morning huddle and got everyone motivated to crush the hike. We played two truths and a lie, and the group learned some awesome fun facts about people – like Ellie being a triplet of two sets of triplets in her family and Ann Wallace having the same birthday as her sister! Within seconds of our hike, we approached one of the most breathtaking views looking down into the national park. There were waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, and bridges that allowed us to walk from place to place. We stopped to take plenty of pictures to really soak it all in, and the group always appreciates AC’s camera during our photoshoots. We learned about the history of the park from Pauline, who told us an ancient tale about how the Plitvice National Park was created. We continued hiking through the parks and Stokely and Ann Wallace were helping keep the group morale high by asking everyone in the group a series of questions and trying to memorize all the answers. After some time on our feet, we approached our spot for lunch and got to enjoy a well deserved lunch. Some of the group went into a convenience store and bought some souvenirs to take home with them to remember such a special place. Arguably, the coolest part of the day was taking a ferry across the lake to the upper lakes to continue our hike there. Caroline, Duncan, Kyan, and Jack led the group for the first bit of the hike. We hit a break point, and the group decided together to add an extra two miles to our hike to go to a summit point that overlooks the park. We absolutely loved the high energy and excitement from the group for the entirety of the trip! Jack, Kyan, and Axel decided to be ambitious and run up the big hill for the first part of the hike. Everyone else was trailing not too far behind them. The views were absolutely incredible and so worth the extra hike! Once we wrapped up the hike, we headed back in the van and to the hostel. Jack, Stokely, and Liam took a nice nap in the van and the rest of the group took some downtime. We ate a delicious dinner of ribs, beans, and a salad which the whole group LOVED! It was a fan favorite for sure! We were treated with muffins, which was a wonderful surprise! After dinner, Jake took Jack, Liam, and Axel to a nearby field to go explore and they saw a beautiful sunset and horses. Caroline stayed back with the rest of the group and we had so much fun sitting and talking about anything and everything. The whole group reunited together for a lovely moonup under the stars led by our LODs. Martha Grace and Duncan were selected to be our next LODs!
Day 4 woohoo! Caroline and Jake were pleasantly surprised when Jack was up before them, so we had him help wake up the rest of the group with some awesome music to get everyone pumped for the day. We are leaving our beloved hostel in Plitvice this morning, so we packed up our bags and headed to breakfast. Everyone was sad to say goodbye, but super excited when the LODs told the group that we were headed to Rab Island that day for the next part of our trip! We had a good bit of travel ahead of us, and the van was bumping with some great tunes and everyone sang along. Caroline put some Taylor Swift on the queue, and she was pleasantly surprised to see the excitement from the group – especially Lilly, Stokely, and AC (Shoutout Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince). Taylor Swift rolled on the queue for a few more songs after that. We arrived at our ferry stop and loaded up the boat for a short boat ride over to Rab Island. The group was in awe of the views and had a photoshoot led by Caroline on the ferry. Once we arrived, we headed to the grocery store where our LODs, Martha Grace and Duncan, helped Caroline and Jake pick out all the food for the next few days – they did great! Stokely and AC quickly moved to the front of the van to hear more about our beloved driver Marco’s life stories, and before they knew it, the van was having a huge dance party to some Croatian music. It has officially been added to our playlist! We arrived at our hostel, ate lunch, and quickly changed so we could begin our beach afternoon. Caroline, Lilly, and Ellie made friendship bracelets, some of the boys played soccer, and a group went swimming. It was quite literally a picture perfect afternoon! After our beach day, we rinsed off and got changed to go out to dinner in Rab Island. We went to a delicious pizza restaurant and everyone LOVED it!!! We ordered Hawaiian, Pepperoni, and Margarita pizzas for the table. We left no crumbs on the plates. After pizza, the fun did not end there. We headed over to grab some gelato nearby. Duncan and Kyan were bold and decided to try to Sour Apple flavor, which they ended up loving. We walked over to the beach and ended our day with moonup under the stars that lined the Velebit mountains in our near horizon. The LODs for tomorrow are Ann Wallace and Liam. We cannot wait for our next adventure.
Thank you families for sending your children on this adventure of a lifetime! Both of us have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each one of your kids and this is just the beginning. Until next time! 🙂
Shoutouts:
Liam: Dear Mom and Dad, I’ve had so much fun, thank you for sending me on this trip. I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back. Say hi to Winnie for me.
Duncan: Hey Mom and Dad, I’m having tons of fun in Croatia and I’m making lots of new friends. I really appreciate you guys letting me do this amazing trip, I’m super grateful. Please say Hi to the brothers and I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures to bring back to ATX. Love y’all!
Martha Grace: hi mom hi dad!!! Having the best time ever thanks for sending me on this gorgeous trip. I hope my stories entertain yall with the best times. Love y’all!!!
Lilly: hi mom and dad!! Thank you so much for sending me here. Croatia is so beautiful and I’m so grateful to be here! Sending the best to everyone at home!! Love y’all!!!
Axel: Hi Mom and Dad! Thanks for allowing me to go on this trip! I’ve met so many interesting and unique people. I’ve had some amazing conversations and everyone is extremely nice. All the boys are hilarious and all the girls are great people. Tell Kat I’m expecting her to continue the snap streaks I told her to continue. Also, love all of you and tell Abuelala I miss her French Toast.
Ellie: Hi mom and dad! I’m having so much fun and I miss you guys soo much! Thanks for giving me this experience! I’ve met some really cool and nice people and I can’t wait to tell you about it. Yesterday I also visited a national park and saw so many pretty things and I can’t wait to show you guys all of the pictures! Also on the first day I jumped off a waterfall! I can’t wait to show you the video! Anyways, I’m having so much fun and told Oliver, Georgie, Vivienne, Wells, and Bingo I said hi! Hopefully Bingo doesn’t miss me and my bed so much! Can’t wait to see you guys! Love and miss you!
Sanders: Hiiiii mom and dad!!! 👋👋👋 miss u guys!!! Tell sterling and Mae Mae and Leni and Lachlan and everyone else that I say hi and miss them so much!!! I’m having sm fun we went on a really cool hike and jumped off a cliff 😮😮😮😮 love u guys I’m having sm fun byeee ❤️❤️❤️ also send this to dad pls
Stokely: Heyy Mom and Dad!!! I’m having the best time everrr!! We went on a super duper cool awesome hike in a national park and it had the prettiest water I’ve ever seen and we went kayaking down waterfalls and it was so funnnn!! Thank y’all so much for sending me on the best trip everrrr!! 💛💛
AC: Heyyy Mom and Dad!! I am having the BEST time everrr!! I have the best group ever with my bsfs and best leaders!! So far we have sea kayaked the Mreznica river/jumped off lots of waterfalls and also hiked in Plivitice National Park. Everything is gorgeousss!! Can’t wait to tell you all about it!! Love+Miss yall🤍🤍
AW: Hiii mom and dad!! I’m having so much fun here in Croatia!!!! I have made so many great friends and I love them so much. I have the best leaders ever as well. I have seen so many beautiful things and I jumped off a cliff into water. I’m so grateful yall send me here every year now. We are headed to an island right now and it’s gonna be so pretty. I miss you guys a lot but having so much fun! I love y’all so much and I’ll see yall soon! Tell dad I say happy Father’s Day if I don’t send another update until then.
Jack: Hey mom and dad, Croatia is awesome and I am very grateful I was able to go on this trip. I appreciate y’all and I hope everything is going well at home. I love y’all lots. We are headed to the coast right now and are going to a beach. We have seen some amazing places already and we kayaked down an awesome river.
Kyan: Dear Mom and Dad, I hope you are both doing well. I wanted to write and tell you a little about my Moondance adventure in Croatia. One of the most amazing things we have seen so far was a beautiful waterfall. The water was crystal clear and surrounded by green trees and rocks. It was such a peaceful and breathtaking sight, and I couldn’t admire the unreal and beautiful atmosphere. Standing there and listening to the sound of the water made me appreciate how beautiful nature can be. Croatia has been wonderful, and I am having a great time exploring new places and learning about the country. Even though I am enjoying my trip, I am thinking of you both and wanted to share this special experience with you. I can’t wait to tell you more stories and show you my photos when I get home. Take care, and I hope everything is going well there.
Safe Arrival!
June 6, 2026
Hello Croatia Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely in Zagreb! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure!
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
