With the they're developing their own individual economic strategies for surviving and

perhaps even thriving in the 21st century.

Hi I'm Rick Steves. Today on travel with Rick Steves we examine how nations

that used to look to the Soviet Union for guidance are finding their own way in the world.

Three of my tour guide friends from Slovenia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic will update us on the issues their countries are dealing with as the newest members of the European

Union.

And Lonely Planet Guidebook author Michael Cohn will take us on a spin through the Central

and Southwest Asian republics. These intriguing places, while challenging to visit, can be richly rewarding.

We're exploring the new face of Europe and the former Soviet stands, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

It's all just ahead on Travel with Rick Steeves.

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American Airlines knows why you fly. Remnants of the old

Soviet Empire are charting their own futures. Today on Travel with Rick

Steves we're getting an update on how ex-communist nations from Hungary to Tajikistan

are handling their independence.

And we'll find out why more Westerners than ever are happily enduring the headaches that come

with traveling there to enjoy the

splendour of Central Asia.

I'm Rick Steves, this is Travel with Rick Steeeves and today I want to check in with the new Europe

of course there's the old Europe that most of us are well aware of and in Maine 2004 a whole bunch

of new countries joined the European Union, most of them the former Warsaw

...