On this blog you will find a wealth of information about traveling through the Balkans. I don’t know many other people, even people who were born and have lived their whole life in the region, who have traveled to as many places there as I have – both on the path and far off the path. While I have no familial ties to any of the countries aside from the fact that my Russian grandfather studied in Belgrade for many years, the Balkans has an incredible spirit that I’ve never felt anywhere else on my travels and I simply fell in love with all that it has to offer.
My first taste (and experience with rakija) was Croatia in 2007, but it wasn’t until the trip I made on a whim in 2011 through Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina that I truly fell in love with the Balkans’ hospitality, unassuming beauty and the constant surprises it kept throwing my way. The place just intrigued me and I knew immediately I had barely scratched the surface and needed to explore much more. By 2012, I finally made my way through Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania, and in 2013, I had my first introduction to Montenegro. By 2014, I started leading tours through the region and spent a total of seven months on the road, 90% of the time in and around all the seven aforementioned countries. In 2015, I decided to make the relationship official and ended up living in Prishtina, Kosovo for over two years. Believe me when I say we’ve been through a lot together.
In the Balkans, you never know what you’re going to get which is one of the things I love about it the most. It has been constantly changing for the better for travelers from the moment I first visited and it will keep changing for years to come. With that, be sure that anything you find on the blog may or may not be different by the time you arrive and any updates you have to any of these articles are always welcome. Whether you are on the fence about visiting or already have your tickets booked, I highly urge you to do so and/or am really excited for the journey you are about to embark on as I can guarantee it is unlike any other place you have experienced in the world. Chances are the places and the people will steal your heart as well.
