To ring in 2021, tour guides Ben and Andrew tackle a big fish, the issue of Russia and Turkey being part of Europe or not. Do these countries belong in their own special category or are they really Europe? Ben waxes poetic about his first time in Bosnia where a still war-torn Sarajevo had not revealed all of its charms. Andrew recalls rubbing elbows with a soon to be Croatian President during his first time in Croatia.

Tour guides Ben Curtis and Andrew Villone discuss Eastern Europe.

Eastern Approaches admit their shortcomings with a focus on those destinations they know little about including Slovakia. Learn about holiday traditions and the Christmas scene in both Czech and Slovenia. Andrew recounts some memorable travels with his father through Poland and the Baltics. We focus on great places for hikes and nature in Montenegro and Slovenia.

Tour guides Ben Curtis and Andrew Villone discuss Eastern Europe.

Eastern Approaches admit their shortcomings with a focus on those destinations they know little about including Slovakia. Learn about holiday traditions and the Christmas scene in both Czech and Slovenia. Andrew recounts some memorable travels with his father through Poland and the Baltics. We focus on great places for hikes and nature in Montenegro and Slovenia.

Tour guides Ben Curtis and Andrew Villone discuss Eastern Europe.

Eastern Approaches admit their shortcomings with a focus on those destinations they know little about including Slovakia. Learn about holiday traditions and the Christmas scene in both Czech and Slovenia. Andrew recounts some memorable travels with his father through Poland and the Baltics. We focus on great places for hikes and nature in Montenegro and Slovenia.

Tour guides Ben Curtis and Andrew Villone discuss Eastern Europe.

Ben recalls many of his not-so-fond memories ‘surviving’ his first time in Romania. Andrew waxes poetic about Sunday brunch and double-features in Prague. And they both discuss why Zagreb and Plovdiv are two great cities that aren’t on most travelers’ radar (yet).

Tour guides Ben Curtis and Andrew Villone discuss Eastern Europe.

Ben recalls many of his not-so-fond memories ‘surviving’ his first time in Romania. Andrew waxes poetic about Sunday brunch and double-features in Prague. And they both discuss why Zagreb and Plovdiv are two great cities that aren’t on most travelers’ radar (yet).

In this episode we explore one of the least-known cultures in Europe: the Seto people in Estonia. Setomaa ("the land of Seto") is a fascinating place, and our guide Helen Külvik brings it to life. She tells us what makes the Seto people distinct, all about their most notable traditions and customs, and how they have survived until the present day.

Contact Helen, your guide for Setomaa: helen.kylvik@gmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/setotours

Ben and Andrew pick a few different towns and cities in Czech Republic NOT named Prague. We play a little game called ‘You Know You’re in Central Europe If…’ where we pick out specific characteristics like its superb cafe culture, good train networks, tasty palacinky & dumplings and its pastel Baroque churches that easily let travelers know where they are. We wrap up this episode where we reveal the inspiration behind our name Eastern Approaches.

In this week’s episode, Andrew’s shares stories about his first time traveling in Estonia. He and Ben discuss their biggest SNAFU on a tour and their top off-the-beaten-path picks in Austria & Slovenia and so much more!

This is Andrew’s and Ben’s first episode with a guest. Listen in as “Our Man in Yerevan” discusses a whole host of expat issues in Armenia, including making friends with locals and surviving as a vegan/vegetarian in Armenia. They also discuss the current conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh and how it's impacting life for those in Yerevan.