My name is Haakon Stratte. I am a 24 year old gay man living in Southern California, born and raised in Northern California. I work in development for an ethical apparel brand, with my main passion in life being sustainable fashion practices. I am an avid traveler, having visited many places in North America, Western Europe, and now Eastern Europe/Balkan peninsula. I hope my experience can serve as a guide to queer people planning to travel around the Balkans; showing that it is possible to visit this region and meet men, acknowledging that these are not the most queer-friendly countries. With that being said, I am not a journalist, queer studies expert, or Balkan anthropologist. This is an opinion piece. I apologize if anything in this article seems inaccurate or offends anyone. This is purely based on my personal experience.