How to survive in Bela Krajina without a signal? A guide for disconnected people

A handbook for disconnected people (and anyone who wants to become one)

Imagine:
You have arrived in Bela Krajina. You throw your backpack out of the car, get comfortable in a tent, a glamping tent, a log cabin, or an apartment. You breathe. Okay. You get out, you go for a walk. You look around. Nature. The silence. Dandelion. A butterfly on your leg. You grab your phone and... nothing. One line. Sometimes two, if you hold it up to the sky and stand on your toes. ''And now what?'' - you wonder.

Welcome! If you think you've lost touch with the world - we'll tell you something: you've just got it back. You won't click on a notification here as soon as Irena likes a post you made two years ago. But you will listen to the Kolpa, the sound of the wind, the chirping of the birds, and the bleating of the sheep. You won't be refreshing TikTok, you'll be watching a leaf fall into the water. (And your will to live.)
You won't just follow some profiles. You will follow - you.

Here's your guide to surviving in the signal-free Bela Krajina. It's for anyone who needs a break. Who has had enough of beeping, dialling, swiping, zooming, and googling. And who finally wants to - unplug.

Turn off your phone. Seriously. If you can't do it, airplane mode.

Come on, be honest. How many times a day do you even look at your phone just because... it's there?
You're here now. In Bela Krajina. Where the signals are a little rarer - but the relationships a lot more genuine. Where people still know how to talk in person and not through a screen. Where they give you a spritzer and ask you '' So? Where are you going?' Answer them, they will surely give you some tips and point you to hidden corners.

So the first step should be simple, but crucial: turn off your phone, you have no signal anyway. If that sounds too drastic and you absolutely have to take pictures, at least turn on airplane mode. Leave it in your backpack. And trust us - the world will survive without your posts, or even worse, replies to emails, for a few days. And you'll breathe for the first time in a long time.

Know your natural signal

The Kolpa doesn't need 5G. It has its flow, its peace, and its message. When you step into it, you know: it's not just a river. It's a kind of natural reset button. Don't believe it? You won't until you try.
You don't need 450 GB/second here, while you watch 600 litres/second of cold, blue flowing water of the Krupa coming under a huge limestone rock. ''OMG I have to post this!'' - Calm down a bit. Take a picture - of course. Post it - a little later.

Let Bela Krajina become your relaxation app.
- SUP on the Kolpa is your "story".
- Walking along Divji Potok is your "reel".
- Jumping in the water? Yes, that's a pure "viral moment".

And the best part? No comments. No likes. Just you. And maybe one mosquito.

Your new social media: fire pit

Life in Bela Krajina doesn't move to the screen when night falls. No, here it moves to the wooden bench, by the barbecue, under the stars. Or to the nearest local pub.
The deepest conversations, a couple of beers, maybe an accordion come out in campsites like Podzemelj, Adlešiči, Krasinec, Damelj, Radenci. Sit down. In a circle. Without a phone in your hand. With your eyes open. With stories that are born there and stay there. If you don't want company, lie on the pebbles or grass by the Kolpa and listen to the frogs croak.

You don't need a GPS in Bela Krajina. Follow your gut feeling and smell.

Smell the smoke from the barbecue. The river. By the freshly mown meadow. For forage. Smell the storm and the rain? Hide. No idea where you are or where you are going? Buy a map from the TIC (in Črnomelj, Semič, or Metlika) to help you instead of Google Maps.
You don't need a watch - you know it's morning when the sun comes up. You know it's lunchtime when you're hungry. You know it's evening when it's getting dark outside. Don't complicate your life. Don't check your battery - ask yourself when was the last time you felt so alive.

Food without a filter.

No Wolt here. And McDonalds.
Here, if you don't make something yourself, there are the pubs where grandma still bakes the best Buckwheat Potica, where Belokranjska Pogača has been baked for generations, where locally produced ingredients are eaten. Here, they tell you which pasture the cow grazed on that produced the cottage cheese for the povitica. Here are the taverns that still produce seasonal vegetables from their garden. Come and taste.

And the wine? Yes, we have that too.
Metliška Črnina, Blaufränkisch, Rosé? Your choice, just don't order Cviček because you'll get the side eye. Here, with a glass of wine, we start talking about the floral notes, the composition of the soil, and the sunny days that help to produce quality wine. And by the way, we're not going with the trend yet - we don't have wine without alcohol.

Bela Krajina is the place where "no signal" means:
- that you have finally connected to something more real,
- that you have finally taken time to breathe,
- that you have realised how much you needed to disconnect.

So if you've ever wondered how to survive without a signal - now you know. So here you are. With us. With the river. With wine. With stories. And above all - with you.

As for the signal - we do have it, we're not in the Stone Age, we're not herding cows and sheep anymore (by ourselves, they are in a fence). This blog was mainly meant to make you realise that you can disconnect here when you need it. And also that you don't need to panic if you are without signal in the Kolpa canyon during rafting or on a walk in Ponikve (there isn't any). You can be on your phone, of course, and you can post whatever you like, whenever you like. For our sake, you can also answer work emails while you are sunbathing.

But if you ever get so fed up with your job that you'd really rather herd sheep than answer emails - we'll work something out, don't worry..

Author: Tamara Lončarič, DMO Bela krajina