Baltic Expert Peter Kalnin Joins Forces with Baltics and Beyond Travel

Baltics and Beyond Travel is delighted to announce that Peter J. Kalnin will be assisting with the development and presentation of new travel itineraries in 2022 and beyond.
 
Kalnin, a fluent Latvian and German speaker with a master’s degree in European history from the University of Chicago, also will personally lead Baltics and Beyond tours in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia and other European countries beginning in 2022. He is relocating to Riga, Latvia, in September and will perform translating and other projects for the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, in addition to his work with Baltics and Beyond.
 
“Our travelers will benefit from the deep knowledge and on-the-ground connections that Peter Kalnin will bring to every Baltics and Beyond tour, not to mention his ability to speak multiple languages in addition to his native English. As a former language teacher, Peter also is well experienced in making foreign travel and new cultures come alive in engaging and interesting ways. I’m especially pleased that he will help to design unique tours that travelers will only find with our company,” said Baltics and Beyond owner Cindy Bielke.
 
Peter was born in Minneapolis and was raised in Oregon. His parents were immigrants from the Republic of Latvia and always spoke their native language at home. For the past 20 years Peter has been a teacher, mostly of high school German in Minnesota, but also English as a Second Language, and primary grade German at an international school near Berlin, Germany. He also has maintained an active involvement in the Minnesota Latvian community, singing in Latvian choirs and ensembles, as well as teaching the language to children and adult learners.
 
With his own two daughters now grown and independent, Peter is excited to take advantage of an opportunity to live and work in the Latvian capital of Riga, and to join forces with Baltics and Beyond to help create and present unique tour opportunities in the entire Baltic region, as well as combination tours with other European countries such as Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Poland.
 
“The Baltic countries are a great travel destination. They are physically beautiful. The gently rolling landscapes, filled with lush fields, forests, and wetlands, are peaceful and much less densely populated than most European countries—and they offer great opportunities to travelers that enjoy active vacations. The cities and towns are filled with charming, centuries-old buildings, but are also open to the 21st-century world. Unique cultural and culinary delights on par with more well-known European destinations are also available,” Peter said.
 
“The Baltics have not been over-touristed or overdeveloped and are a relative bargain for a budget-conscious traveler or simply people eager to get off the beaten path and experience a part of Europe that is entirely new. I’m eager to shape tours that highlight facets of European history, crystallized in real living places, that can still be experienced in meaningful ways today,” he added.
 
 Check back soon for a post from Peter!
 

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