Belgrade - Free travel across Europe is a concept as distant as space tourism to most Serbs, but there are places to see near home and countries to visit without visas, the web-based Serbian Travel Club (STC) reveals.

A group of young enthusiasts set up the site www. serbiatravelers. org to encourage their peers to travel despite their empty pockets and the prohibitive visa regime standing between them and much of the developed world.

"We're promoting Serbia, but also exotic destinations in Asia and Africa," says one of the STC founders, Lazar Pascanovic. "It's interesting how the political situation changed interests."

Nearly two decades since the outbreak of violence in former Yugoslavia, Serbia remains isolated and is experiencing economic decline with 30 per cent of its workforce unemployed and those working earning less than 650 dollars per month.

So Serbians are among the poorer Europeans and in addition often face huge, humiliating obstacles in foreign consulates. Now in their late 20s, operators of STC never enjoyed the benefits of easy travel that their parents tell them about.

"When our parents were our age in Tito's Yugoslavia, travel was easy and cheap. They could pack up and go to London, Paris or Vienna," Pascanovic says.

The late Yugoslav president Tito shaped the country as a balancing act between the Cold War sides, drawing billions of dollars in credits to finance comfortable life for Yugoslavs. Their red passport was also equally welcome in the West and East.

"Today we can't move around like our parents did, but we can go to former Soviet republics and cities in Asia and Africa," Pascanovic points out.

Visa requirements typically preclude the 1 million unemployed Serbs and give an outside shot to all earning less than what is deemed a guarantee that they would return.

Property and wage listing, invitation forms from business partners or relatives in the destination country and hotel bills paid in advance are usual demanded, but by no means replace a visa.

For those intent on travel, STC contributors recommend cheap, visa-free travel to neighbouring countries, then to Turkey, Egypt and also even-further east to Jordan, Syria, Azerbaijan and elsewhere.

"When we returned home, we also looked at the map of Serbia and realized that much can be seen here, as well," Pascanovic says. "We also have mountains, fortresses, monasteries, lakes and rivers."

"So we thought - why not get to know your hometown, your street, your mountain. So we started gathering Serbian material, as well," he says.

STC now offers tips, maps, illustrated reports and advice on travel through Serbia, not just for those staying in hotels, but also for hikers, hitchhikers and other adventurers of the shallow pocket.

With a full-English version, STC is is also a good resource for travellers, who are often wary because of misinterpreted or half- heard political reports.

"Just some stuff you may wanna know before setting your sails for Serbia - Where is it?," is what the English side of STC starts with under "basics," before offering "history," "geography," society" and other quick lessons.

"It's all about resourcefulness. After all, as the Chinese proverb goes, to a real traveller is less important where he travels than travel itself, so we just go where we can," Pascanovic laughs. (dpa)