A leading expert on the former Communist world, he travels there as a visiting university lecturer, tourism consultant and tour leader. He read Chinese at Cambridge and has worked in tourism in China, Russia and many developing countries. His latest publication is Estonia: A Modern History (published by Hurst, July 2018) and others include The Bradt Guide: Estonia, The Bradt Guide: Tallinn, The Bradt Guide: Baltic Cities and A Footprints Guide to Berlin.