The property will have 3 fully equipped wooden treehouses named Earth, Water & Wind with the main house representing the Fire element, the gathering place.
Back in 2018, at the age of 29, Ivona Ercegovic, a girl from Croatia bought 4 acres of forest in the middle of the country, next to the beautiful Korana river. In 2021 her dream of redefining the concept of travel will turn into a reality. After being employed in the tourism industry for the past 16 years, she wants to change the way tourism works and thinks.
Hence she coined a term "eco-kind" meaning that in addition to being ecological and sustainable in the 21st century, we should also be socially aware of the time we live in.
She is in the process of creating a zero-waste, zero-plastic retreat and a healing center called "Tree Elements". The property willhave 3 fully equipped wooden treehouses named Earth, Water & Wind with the main house representing the Fire element, the gathering place. The size of each treehouse is 40 m2 (430ft2), all containing a living space, fully equipped kitchen and a bathroom on one floor, while the gallery features a king size bed. It can easily fit 4 people. The living room opens out to a lovely wooden terrace through beautiful glass doors, so it almost feels like you are outside amongst the trees.
"By staying in our eco-kind retreat travelers will help the members of society who lack much-needed healing. We’ve partnered with associations and organizations in Croatia helping abused women, children, cancer patients and with your contribution, they can enjoy free stay, and participate in healing programs."
She believes that by healing the mind, the body can be healed as well. Her desire is for a traveler to develop a growing sense of one another, our world and our place in it.
“Tree Elements” will be built with sustainability in mind. To reduce the impact on the environment, the retreat uses ecological infrastructure such as heat pumps, rainwater harvesting and bio septic sewage systems. Water-saving showers and low-water toilets add to conservation efforts, along with locally sourced furniture. Most products will be bought from small local producers making a difference, neighboring farms, or from their own organic garden.
"Our promise extends beyond environmental sustainability. We aim to touch each and every soul so one can leave the forest as an improved version of themselves. This means helping visitors embrace zero-waste policies and raising awareness about how our impact affects the society and the planet as a whole. To build on our promise, we’ll support a child’s education with 10$ off of each booking, and that is just the beginning."
Environmentally conscious travel does not mean compromising on comfort, nor socially aware travel should. It can only bring more value for the money. The desire to give something back to the places we visit is wholesome and ought to be encouraged.
Due to the unfortunate situation in the tourism industry caused by the spread of Coronavirus the banks are at the moment not investing in tourism-related projects. Ten different banks refused her application and now, she is in the process of fighting for a housing loan, the amount of which is still far away from the necessary. The loan is only possible because her parents are willing to take out a mortgage on their home. The possibility of her parents losing their house is a huge motivation for her, to keep working extremely hard," in a coal mine if needed".
That's why she is starting a Kickstarter campaign on the 30th of November where she offers great rewards to those willing to help her. One of those will be a stay in one of the treehouses with a special rate available only to Kictsarter backers (40-50% discounts). Kickstarter backers will also be able to plant trees, name a tree, adopt a barn, glasshouse, help build birdhouses and bee hotels, among many others. If you wish to support the project, get early access to the rewards and follow her on her way of making the kindest retreat in the world, subscribe on her landing page.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
