Writing about Slovenia is particularly rewarding, as it so often feels like your articles open up a hidden doorway for readers with limited or no preconceptions about a country they will inevitably love. Readers have an idea about what travel to, say, Italy or Spain, Thailand or Costa Rica might be like. But while most will have heard of Slovenia—and heard good things about it—it does not have the immediate recognition of other potential travel destinations. That means that each article can...

There are trips we take that, without our expecting them to, transform us. They help us grow, broaden our horizons, feel closer to other cultures and people. Perhaps we even find love or a spiritual moment while abroad? Those moments are precious and turn a holiday into a life-altering experience for the better. In this episode, Dr Noah Charney the annual gathering of the Transformational Travel Council, an organization that promotes this sort of travel experience and helps design trips that...

In this episode, over brunch at Ljubljana Castle, Dr Noah Charney interviews American journalist Kate Wagner. Kate has a diversity of interests, but is best known as a cycling journalist. She's covered La Vuelta, the Tour de France and all the biggest races, and has profiled and extensively interviewed Slovenian cyclists, including Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, who are also the ambassadors of Slovenian tourism. They spoke about her love for Slovenia – where she hopes to move, at least...

Sara Isaković is a world-class swimmer from Slovenia. She won a silver medal in the 200 meter freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Not only did she take home a silver, but her time of 1 minute and 54.97 seconds made her just the second woman in history to swim that race in less than 1 minute and 55 second. She was also the first Slovenian swimmer to win an Olympic medal. But that’s just part of her story. She’s a great athlete but also a top scholar, coach and entrepreneur. After her...

In this episode, Dr Noah Charney talks about the world's oldest vine, which is over 450 years old.  The Old Vine is considered the jewel in the crown of Maribor, Slovenia’s wine-loving second city located in the north-east of the country. To unveil all the fun facts connected with the Old Vine, he talked with Aleš Jenuš, Maribor City Guide,  two renowned Slovenian sommeliers, Nina Bratovž and Jernej Lubej, who organises the Big Guy's Wine Tour, and Michael Manske, an expat to Slovenia, the...

Slovenia's best ambassadors are its elite athletes. This small country has an astonishing number of world class athletes, and many–including top cyclists Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, who are official ambassadors of Slovenian tourism. Slovenians love sports and engaging with the outdoors – the country is perfect for it. Whether you're interested in mountains or plains, coast or hills, Slovenia has it all. Tourists looking for a sporty holiday need look no further. And this diversity of...

Welcome to this special episode of Feel Slovenia the Podcast celebrating World Bee Day. May 20 is a day dedicated to celebrating the wonders of the bee, an absolutely critical animal to the planet’s ecosystem. Without bees, our flora could not exist—three-quarters of all food crops depend on pollination—and so the bees need to get the credit they deserve. For this reason, the United Nations declared World Bee Day in December 2017 —  and this was originally a Slovenian initiative. Slovenes...

Regardless of your faith, there’s one thing we can all agree on: holidays that bring together family and involve good food. So for this special Easter episode of Feel Slovenia the Podcast we’ve focused on the culinary traditions around this, the most important of Christian holidays. It’s a very special episode, too, as our host, Noah Charney, chatted with five different people to bring you a broad array of thoughts about Easter. This included a pair of curators at the Slovenian Ethnographic...

Ever wanted to eat cream cake in a treehouse? Who hasn't, right? In the latest episode of Feel Slovenia the Podcast, expat writer Dr Noah Charney set off into the trees to visit Garden Village Bled, an eco-friendly resort that recalled his childhood fantasies. Then it was time for a bite to eat. Noah already knew about Bled's famous cream cake, so he was curious about what other local specialties there were to try. Turns out there are many... A visit to Garden Village Bled is a journey back...

On Slovenia’s Adriatic coast, near Koper, there stands an olive oil farm run by the Lisjak family. They produce not only some of the best olive oil in the country, used in Slovenia’s top restaurants, but it is among the best in the world.  Dr Noah Charney visited them for an olive oil tasting and was particularly intrigued by their single source indigenous varietals the sort of product that is not only best here, but which can only grow here. He spoke with Matej Lisjak, who runs the family...

This time, Feel Slovenia the Podcast takes a trip to the seashore. Dr Noah Charney speaks to Irena Fonda of Fonda Fish Farm, one of the world's best, specializing in sea bass. Fonda Fish Farm is also one of the providers that hold the Slovenia Unique Experience label, which guarantees that you will experience Slovenia’s originality in an unforgettable way and with all of your senses. What's the secret of their success that makes their farmed sea bass nearly indistinguishable from line-caught...

Though Slovenia has a small population, it has enjoyed a great deal of success in world sport at the highest level. Nestled in the Alps, it is no surprise that skiing, in a variety of disciplines, is among Slovenia’s best sports. In this episode, we spoke to downhill ace Ilka Stuhec about her career, her hometown of Maribor and the best foods to eat prior to a World Cup championship. 

In our first episode, Noah describes how he came to live in Slovenia, after having “auditioned” numerous other countries, and why he thinks so highly of it, as a place to visit or move to full-time. In the process, he spoke to many fellow expats from a diverse array of countries to learn why they love life on the sunny side of the Alps.