Trogir

Flying by the seat of your pants, as advised by the Lonely Planet editor Don George, is a quintessential part of the traveller's act and art.

You can call it whatever you like. You can call it flexibility. You can call it no-matter-what mindset. Some might call it a secret sixth sense that you never know where the journey will take you - while others might go so far as to call it the eleventh hour.

Our recent trip to Croatia was the perfect example. Accommodation booked from the site Airbnb, to our chagrin, went south at the last minute. We found out that the lodging near Central Dalmatia wasn’t ready only on arrival.

Duh!

Disappointing, I know. I was not quite frowning, but certainly not smiling, my heart running at a gradually faster tempo.

Before darkness, we made up our mind and went to Trogir, a historic town on the central Adriatic coast. That turns out to be a wise choice. Trogir, in fact, is an Unesco World Heritage site, in recognition of its architectural and cultural importance.

Like so often in life, all it takes is a leap of faith. And a whole lot of trust in your seat-of-the-pants.

Plitvice

Open any Croatian travel guidebook and you'll see turquoise ribbon of lakes lined up in a maze of awe-inspiring waterfalls.

That's World-Heritage-listed Plitvice Lakes National Park.

To prepare for our family trip this summer, I'd decided to buy the newest edition of Lonely Planet Croatia. I then checked out few more from the public library: National Geographic Traveler Croatia, Insight Guides Croatia, Croatia Unpacked. And then the pocket guide by Rick Steves.

If there's just one activity you can't experience from reading, I'd put money on getting up-close views of the travertine formations, a porous sedimentary rock also known as tufa, that make up Plitvice's many waterfalls. Nobody shall miss this forested karstic terrain in Croatia, period. We headed to the trails exploring the lakes early in the morning - on two consecutive days.

The water is real clear for you to count every trout. And why is this so? For one thing, I was told, it comes directly from high-mountain runoff. Water around Plitvice is supersaturated with calcium carbonate and spills over the edges of the lake. For that reason, the water calcifies everything it touches, preventing the creation of mud. Another mineral, magnesium carbonate, keeps the water highly basic, preventing the growth of algae and other plant life.

The sight of Plitvice, by itself, is a good reason to visit Croatia. You will never be able to experience the breathtaking natural beauty simply from guidebooks.

Slovenia

It's hard to imagine running in countries with magical landscape. Add to the temptation of photographs, throw in a few Instagramable castles and wayside villages, and it's clear to see why we resist lacing and tying running shoes on the road.

During my summer vacation with family this week, I confirmed that Croatia and Slovenia's scenic credentials are impeccable. As a bonus to the trip, I picked the hour with less promising weather to give myself an excuse to sneak in a jog and put in serious miles. That means an excuse not to bring my camera. An excuse to go solo for a self-indulgent experience.

The running experience turned out to be as memorable as the one with my camera and great shots. When I'd finished my run, I loved the country more than I had.

Inspired

Be proud of who you are. Love yourself.

Right. That's what my nine-year-old reminds us. All embedded in nice handwritten notes.

Oh, and lest I forget.

Do your very best.

It's her summer holiday, and not ours. My daughter has much free time when we're at work. She designed a lovely box filled with those heart-warming notes.

It was such a joy to read and share quotes, and that's natural. We learn more from a simple sentence than a thesis. I happened to be reading Together is Better this evening. The quotes from this book never ceases to inspire me:

A boss has the title. A leader has the people.

When we are closed to ideas, what we hear is criticism. When we are open to criticism, what we get is advice.

A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him become stars.

The mind can be convinced but the heart must be won.

When we tell people to do their jobs, we get workers. When we trust people to get the job done, we get leaders.

Faced with the inspiration from my daughter's treasure trove and that little book by Simon Sinek tonight, how could I be anything but grateful?