About Funky Tours

When the Siege ended and Sarajevo slowly opened up, some of the first travelers who arrived were remarkably brave. They came despite warnings from friends and families, despite the narrative the world still held about Bosnia, and despite the prejudice that surrounded this country in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Because they chose to come here – against expectations – I felt they deserved the full, honest, human truth about who we really were.
Not the headlines.
Not the stereotypes.
The reality.

And the moment they met the people, tasted the food, heard our stories, and felt the warmth of everyday life, their perception changed completely. They broke prejudice simply by being here – and I witnessed that transformation again and again.

It changed me, too. Seeing travelers challenge assumptions and open themselves to this place is what made me dedicate my life to travel. It shaped my mission: to help people understand the Balkans through real human experiences.

As someone who grew up in one of the most mixed cities in the world – surrounded by close friends from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, some of whom even hid in my grandmother’s basement during the Sarajevo Siege – I could never accept living in a world built on prejudice. And neither could Funky Tours. Our work had to reflect the diversity, complexity, and humanity I grew up with.

Our Mission is to break prejudice through travel by creating meaningful, human-centred experiences across the Balkans – crafted entirely by locals who live the stories they share.

We exist to build understanding, challenge assumptions, and show travellers the real Balkans: its people, history, culture, humour, complexity, and soul.
Every journey we design is intentional, personal, and deeply rooted in authenticity.

Our Vision is to become the most trusted and inspiring local travel company in the Balkans – a company that sets new standards for authenticity, storytelling, sustainability, and human connection.

We envision a region visited not for stereotypes, but for its richness.
We aim to redefine how travellers experience the Balkans – through deeper learning, genuine encounters, and responsible travel that benefits local communities.

By the time I officially founded Funky Tours in 2009 (though I had already been guiding tours years earlier through my father’s hostel in Sarajevo), I knew exactly what I wanted the company to stand for.

The name “Funky Tours” came from the book Funky Business, which I loved during my economics studies at the University of Sarajevo – a book about creativity, purpose, and doing things differently. That philosophy became the core of our identity.

From day one, I wanted to build:

• Not a mass agency.
  
• Not a reseller.
  
• Not a copy-paste operator.
  

But a local, independent, experience-driven company that helps travelers understand the Balkans through human stories – not stereotypes.

Over the years, Funky Tours grew beyond Sarajevo’s streets to all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, then across the entire Balkans.

Through it all, one belief remained constant:

Travel is one of the most powerful tools for breaking prejudice and building understanding.

This is why Funky Tours exists.
This is why I still personally design and oversee our itineraries.
And this is why we remain fully local, fully independent, and fully committed to quality.

At Funky Tours, our difference isn’t a slogan – it is built into our structure, values, and daily decisions.

1. Fully Local. Fully Independent.

We don’t resell generic packages.
We design everything ourselves – itineraries, logistics, guest care, and experiences.

Authenticity isn’t an add-on for us. It is our foundation.

2. Small Enough to Care. Large Enough to Deliver.

We are intentionally medium-sized: big enough to run complex multi-country itineraries and guaranteed departures, yet small enough to maintain personal attention, human communication, and uncompromising quality control.

3. Everything Built In-House

Our guides, drivers, sailing skippers, and travel designers are our people – not third-party contractors.

This is why our trips feel consistent, safe, personal, and genuinely local.

4. Travel With a Purpose

Our mission was born from real life – not a branding meeting.

We design trips that challenge assumptions, deepen understanding, and connect people with the authentic Balkan story.

5. Expertly Crafted Itineraries

Every route, restaurant, partner, and experience is personally tested, refined, and curated.
No mass-tourism shortcuts.
No generic templates.

Just meaningful, culturally rich travel.

6. Transparent, Honest, and Guest-Focused

No hidden fees.
No bait-and-switch pricing.
No unrealistic promises.

We treat every guest the way we want our own families to be treated when they travel abroad.

Our reviews across Google, TripAdvisor, and Trustpilot are all real, all earned.

Please notice that our oldest travel reviews on Trip Advisor (only major reviewing platform then) reach all the way into September 2010, meaning Funky Tours is being reviewed for more then 15 years, always excellent, always trustworthy.

We are proud to say that we have global community of travelers who felt safe, welcomed, informed, and inspired.

Today, Funky Tours works across three key hubs — the USA, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina — giving us both global reach and deep local roots. Our U.S. presence allows travelers to book with full confidence and clear communication, while our Croatian and Bosnian offices ensure that every itinerary is created and delivered by real experts on the ground. This combination of international credibility and authentic local insight is rare in the travel world, and it’s exactly what makes Funky Tours both trustworthy and truly unique.

Funky Tours has been featured in various magazines TV documentaries. Here we are listing down just a few, so you can get the feel of what we do.

• Sarajevo Sees a Brighter Future (BBC)
• The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan (BBC2 with Skender Hatibovic as co-host with Romesh)
• The boutique cruise that sails to Croatia’s lesser-known islands for £120 a day (inews.co.uk about Funky Tours sailing trips in Croatia)
• Reizen Waes Ex Yugoslavia (Skender and Tom exploring Bosnia and Herzegovina – VRT.be)
• Adnet Viaja Bósnia Episódio 01 / Adnet Viaja Bósnia Episódio 02 / Adnet Viaja Bósnia Episódio 03 (Skender and Marcelo Adnet exploring the Bosnian music origins: Part 1/2/3 – MTV Brasil)
• Nomade Magazine (Sarajevo, un diamant brut!)

At Funky Tours, we understand that when it comes to planning your travel adventures, peace of mind is of utmost importance.

We take great pride in our Peace of Mind policy, which is designed to provide our guests with 100% certainty that we will go above and beyond to ensure their safety, satisfaction, and overall well-being throughout their journey.

We at Funky Tours are proud to mention our collaboration with travel icon Rick Steves and author-guide Cameron Hewitt, helping bring the Balkans into the spotlight like never before.

Cameron’s “Balkan Odyssey” showcases the very best of what this spectacular region offers — the winding rivers, the mountain villages, the stories and histories often overlooked by mainstream tourism. In his article for Rick Steves’ blog, Cameron named Funky Tours “the single best resource I found for this trip” when exploring southern Balkans.

Working directly with Cameron and the Rick Steves team, Funky Tours provided on-the-ground expertise, local hospitality and logistics across Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and beyond. The result? A deeply rooted, genuinely local experience for travellers — guided, organized and enriched by our team in Sarajevo.

This partnership reaffirms something we’ve always believed: that travel isn’t only about the places you visit, but the friends you make, the stories you hear, and the authenticity you feel. From mountain hikes to cultural conversations, from local meals to region-spanning road trips, we helped elevate the Balkans story for an international audience.

If you ever wondered why now is the time to explore the Balkans, or what a well-designed, locally-supported tour looks like — check out the video linked below (timestamps approx. 17:25 onward) and let it inspire you.

Funky Tours is mentioned at 17:25 part of the video.

Whether you’re joining a small-group tour, creating a private custom journey, or sailing Croatia’s coast, we are here to ensure your trip is immersive, meaningful, and unforgettable.

Let’s explore the Balkans the right way – together.