FEEL Slovenia Podcast

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 for a portion of each year, and dove deep into the triumphs of Slovenian cyclists.
One of her latest articles with a meaningful title "Who the Hell Even Are You, Tadej Pogačar?" is a must-read for all who are keen on getting to know him and the Slovenian sports mentality.

Feel Slovenia the Podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and hosted by Dr Noah Charney.
Sound Production: Urska Charney

For more inspirational content, check out www.slovenia.info and our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tripadvisor.

This episode is about how to fly. Ski fly, that is. The sports of ski jumping and ski flying are hugely popular in Slovenia and throughout mountainous Europe, but not as well-known elsewhere. To learn more about this dramatic sport, Dr. Noah Charney spoke to Olympian Jernej Damjan. Jernej was a bronze medalist at the 2005 World Ski Championships and represented Slovenia over a career that spanned more than a decade, including four Olympic appearances. He is now a color commentator for Eurosport as well as a man active in the business and administration worlds, helping fellow athletes and his sport to develop.
The closest that a human can get to flying without any protective devices, like parachutes or gliders, is probably ski jumping or, when said human launches him or herself from an even greater height, ski flying. The joke is that ski jumping is “falling with style” but there’s so much more to it. And Jernej Damjan explains it in detail.

There’s no better place to enjoy ski jumping than at Planica in Slovenia. First established in 1930, this is a cathedral for the sport, the first place on Earth to introduce a higher hill, completed in 1934, which gave rise to ski flying. The first ever ski jump of over 100 meters (330 feet) was made here in 1936. Ski jumping is the term for the lower hills, while ski flying is for the big ones, those that enable jumps that are up to 66% longer than in ski jumping hills. Every March, the main tournament at Planica draws tens of thousands. It’s an informal national holiday in Slovenia, and has been called the Super Bowl of winter sports.

The best way to experience ski flying is to come to Slovenia yourself, and visit Planica. Planica is fascinating during the winter season, of course, and at its best when there’s a competition in progress, but it is also lovely in the summer, where you can enjoy a museum and climb to the top of the hill and imagine what it’s like to stand before tens of thousands of cheering fans, and prepare for takeoff.

Feel Slovenia the Podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and hosted by Dr Noah Charney.
Sound Production: Urska Charney

For more inspirational content, check out www.slovenia.info and our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tripadvisor.

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 have a significant positive effect in encouraging people to visit.
Dr Noah Charney should know. He has been writing about Slovenia for more than a decade, regularly covering it for The Guardian newspaper’s travel section, but also writing about it everywhere from Lonely Planet to National Geographic, from the Washington Post to Atlas Obscura.
His guest in this episode is perhaps the most prominent of all travel writers who write regularly about Slovenia: Alex Crevar. The American expat has written about Slovenia for The New York Times, Lonely Planet and National Geographic. What is more, he was also involved in the development of the Slovenia Green Gourmet Cycling Route, which attracted international attention. He also works as an editor and consultant on responsible tourism, though he's not sure he likes the term responsible tourism or consultant either.

He currently lives in Škofja Loka, Slovenia and was named Ambassador of Slovenian Tourism in 2022. Dr Noah caught up with him on the sun-drenched terrace of Hotel Plesnik in the Logar Valley, while attending the Transformational Travel Conference, which is the subject of its own episode.
Here are some of the most inspiring quotes from the conversation:
"Long story short, I am, for lack of a better term, a sustainable journalist because I actually care about the place that I cover. "
"I'm not the arbiter of whether or not the place has reached its limit. I know stories that I will cover and that I won't cover. "
"I think it makes more sense to replace it with responsible from the perspective of you know what you have, and in your heart, you know what you should be doing. You have a responsibility to balance the compromises that it's necessary to get there. Sustainable tends to be too much of an empty label."
"Would you do it if there was no money in it?"

Feel Slovenia the Podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and hosted by Dr Noah Charney.
Sound Production: Urska Charney

For more inspirational content, check out www.slovenia.info and our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tripadvisor.

NFT could stand for New Format Tourism, but it actually means Non-Fungible Token, and it’s linked to blockchain technology. Slovenia was the first country to use NFTs to promote tourism. In this episode, Dr. Noah Charney visited the Ultimate Julian Alps Sensory Adventure, a groundbreaking three-day event, for which 15 esteemed foreign media representatives exchanged their exclusive NFTs given to them at WTM London last November. During the event, which took place in Bohinj, the journalists stayed at the exquisite Bohinj Hotel, providing them with a comfortable and convenient base for their immersive exploration of the region.

Dr. Noah Charney spoke with Klemen Langus, Director of Bohinj Tourism, Aljoša Ota, the Director of the Representative Office of the Slovenian Tourist Board in Italy, Tadej Slapnik, the CEO of Hashnet, and Tanja Bivic Plankar, the Chair of Blockchain Alliance Europe, and discussed both how cutting-edge technology is being used to promote tourism, and how Bohinj can become the “living room” for its guests.
The Ultimate Julian Alps Sensory Adventure represents an innovative approach to promoting Slovenian tourism, bridging the gap between digital assets and tangible value. By integrating advanced technology, the project emphasizes the importance of responsible attitudes towards nature and raises awareness about disappearing plant and animal species in the Julian Alps, such as the Alpine mynah and the wild rooster. The STB and the Julian Alps highlight the crucial link between nature and humans, underscoring that the future of the planet relies on this awareness.
During the event, journalists attended the International Wild Flower Festival, learned about preserving nature's balance and biodiversity, and experienced the fragility of ecosystems and the importance of sustainable solutions and responsible travel. The sensory experience served as a reminder to immerse oneself in the environment with all senses. The event also featured a special dinner prepared by Michelin-starred chef Uroš Štefelin.

Feel Slovenia the Podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and hosted by Dr Noah Charney.
Sound Production: Urska Charney

For more inspirational content, check out www.slovenia.info and our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tripadvisor.

In this special episode, our host Dr. Noah Charney reports from the front lines of the Frankfurt Book Fair. In 2023, Slovenia is the guest of honour at this world’s largest book fair. What is it like to be there and how is Slovenia presenting its literary output to the world?
Along with exclusive interviews with Katja Stergar, director of the national Slovenian Book Agency, and Miha Kovac, Slovenia’s program director for the book fair, Noah will be your insider guide.
The Frankfurt Book Fair stands as one of the most significant events in the German market, where the STB reinforces Slovenia's visibility through promotional and communication activities. For this reason, a series of intensive promotional activities, with a specific focus on addressing guests seeking cultural experiences, were held. Additionally, the STB also unveiled its main tourism promotional theme for 2024-2025: Art and Culture.
Leading up to, during, and after the Frankfurt Book Fair, the STB has promoteed Slovenia as a green boutique destination with a rich cultural heritage, using quotes from eminent Slovenian authors, poets, and writers like Slavoj Žižek, Srečko Kosovel, and Kajetan Kovič, complemented by captivating images of Slovenia. This advertising campaign ran from October 13 to 23, primarily targeting the German state of Hessen, with a particular focus on Frankfurt.

In addition, a special landing page dedicated to Frankfurt Book Fair was launched in three languages: Slovenian, English, and German. The site provides information about the fair itself and underscores the significance of tourism, emphasizing its role in promoting tourist products, Slovenian culture, and diversity.
At the beginning of the year, the STB created a landing page highlighting Slovenian art and culture, using it to launch a new cultural video that also served as an announcement for the book fair. The video features the host of this podcast, Dr. Noah Charney.

Read more:
Art and Culture
A video: Slovenian Culture: A bonfire of creativity, art, and craft

Feel Slovenia the Podcast is brought to you by the Slovenian Tourist Board and hosted by Dr Noah Charney.
Sound Production: Urska Charney

For more inspirational content, check out www.slovenia.info and our social media channels, including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Tripadvisor.