The Hidden Europe

The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us is a travel narrative based on Francis Tapon's trips to Eastern Europe.

Target publication date: August 21, 2011, the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Soviet Union.

Background

Francis spent nearly 3 years traveling and backpacking in 25 Eastern European countries. It started with a 5 month trip in 2004. He returned in 2008 to spend 2.5 years exploring all the countries again. The Hidden Europe is Book Two of the WanderLearn Series.

There are 25 chapters (one for each country). Each chapter:

• Examines an Eastern European country's history, food, language, sites, stereotypes, and funny habits.
• Covers Francis Tapon's personal adventures in that country.
• Ends with a one page summary of what practical things you can learn from that country.

Download sample chapters!

Download the first three chapters of The Hidden Europe for free! They are drafts, but they should give you an idea of where the book is going. As this is a book in progress (final manuscript due in February 2011), Francis welcomes your feedback. The best way to give feedback is to post your thoughts The Hidden Europe Forum, but you can email him too.

3 ways to influence the look and content of The Hidden Europe

Francis is wants your input so that the book is as strong as possible before it's published. Your opinion will influence the book cover design as well as the book's content. Here's how you can weigh in:

1. Vote on the best author photo. Rate the 9 candidates in 1 minute.
2. Participate in the $1,000 book design contest. Design the best book cover and win! Once all the candidates are in, their will be a public vote on them.
3. Become a Beta Reader. You'll get to preview the book before it's published. Every month Francis will send you at least one chapter. Beta Readers will get a digital copy for free. The top 10 contributors will get a free autographed copy of the book; others will be able to buy the hardcover at half price. Here's a simple project if you want to be a Beta Reader. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell him what you think of this tentative text on the book's dust jacket...

Dust Jacket

For many Westerners, Eastern Europe is about as appealing as a deodorant-free French armpit. That didn't scare Francis Tapon because not only did he learn how to rough it by walking across America four times, but he is also half French, so he kind of smells too.

He yearned for adventure and Western Europe seems so tame and passé. So he traveled for nearly 3 years visiting every country in Eastern Europe—all 25 of them. The voyage will teach you:

• How Slovenians learn languages so quickly.
• Why Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia broke up.
• What Hungarians have given to the world.
• When Poland disappeared from Europe.
• What is worth seeing in Romania.
• Why the Balkans is so screwed up.
• How Moldovans creatively stretch their money.
• What are the 10 ways that Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians are different.
• How Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are going to evolve.
• Why communism really sucked.

The book will have color photos and maps!

Dust Jacket flaps

When someone says, “I’m going to Europe,” everyone assumes they’re talking about Western Europe. But what about the other Europe, Eastern Europe? You don’t really know Europe until you visit the mysterious Eastern Europe.

Francis Tapon’s quest was simple: visit every country in Eastern Europe from the Gulf of Finland to the Black Sea. Starting in the Baltic countries, he moved through Belarus, Poland, Slovakia and got as far west as Slovenia before heading south into the unpredictable Balkans, including the recuperating Kosovo. He headed northeast into the countries that are still ripping out their deep Soviet roots: Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. He left Eastern Europe by crossing the Black Sea and exiting through the gateway to Europe, Turkey.

He hit every country in 2004 and then returned in 2008 to revisit all of them to see what had changed. He leaves in 2011 to share a side of Europe that few know. Nobody has ever traveled all 25 countries in Eastern Europe and written about it, until now.

As Book Two of the WanderLearn series, The Hidden Europe isn’t just another entertaining travelogue. It shares practical lessons that can impact your day-to-day life. You won’t just learn about present day Eastern Europe, but you’ll also understand the complex history of this fascinating region. You’ll see how the locals live and realize that they do some things better than most of the world. You’ll understand why smart money and ground-breaking tourists are flocking to this largely undiscovered territory. Best of all, you won’t have to deal with the grumpy train ticket vendors.

About the author

Francis Tapon is a public speaker, world traveler, and life coach. Author of Hike Your Own Hike: 7 Life Lessons from Backpacking Across America, he has traveled to over 75 countries. He was born and raised in San Francisco. He is a first generation American, born of a French father and a Chilean mother. He has a degree in Religion from Amherst College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.