We started with a simple idea: to show travelers the side of Romania and Bulgaria that only locals truly know. My wife Zoe, who is Bulgarian, and I, Romanian, founded Balkan Trails in 2009 as a boutique travel company specializing in private, tailor-made tours across Romania, Bulgaria, and the wider Balkans. From the beginning, our aim has been to help travelers experience this region through thoughtfully designed itineraries, shaped by local knowledge and genuine insight. Our travelers are typically experienced and culturally curious guests who value depth over checklist travel. They are often couples, multi-generational families, or small groups of friends—ranging from younger travelers accompanying family members to active senior guests. What they share is a genuine curiosity: a desire to explore the history, traditions, and everyday life of the places they visit. They seek authentic experiences and meaningful cultural encounters, whether that involves medieval towns, traditional villages, nature and wildlife, or regional cuisine. Because we live and work here, and maintain close relationships with local communities, we are able to offer experiences that go beyond standard sightseeing—whether that means sharing a home-cooked meal in a countryside village, exploring the medieval towns of Transylvania, discovering hidden monasteries in Bulgaria, or venturing into the Carpathian Mountains in search of wildlife.