Tradecraft Travel today announced that deposits are now open for its 10-day small-group Cold War Espionage Tour through Berlin, Leipzig, Prague, and Vienna. The inaugural departure will be personally led by John Sipher, a retired senior Central Intelligence Agency officer and former Chief of Station, in partnership with Kensington Tours, one of the world’s leading bespoke tour companies.
The journey is designed for a limited group of approximately 10–15 travelers and will explore the front lines of 20th-century intelligence history while maintaining time for independent discovery. Guests will enjoy boutique accommodations, private transfers, curated site visits, and expert local guides in each city—augmented throughout by Sipher’s firsthand perspective on espionage tradecraft, counterintelligence, and Cold War history.
John Sipher served for nearly three decades in the CIA’s National Clandestine Service, including multiple overseas tours and assignments as Chief of Station on three continents, including Europe. Since retiring from government service, he has become a respected commentator on intelligence and foreign policy and co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, advising writers and producers on authentic portrayals of espionage. His operational background provides context and credibility that few public-facing programs can offer.
Tradecraft Travel was founded by Jack Buchanan, a retired U.S. intelligence professional with decades of analytic and field experience supporting senior policymakers. The company was built on a simple premise: travel can be more than sightseeing. It can provide decision advantage, historical clarity, and informed perspective. Drawing on a professional network that includes former intelligence officers, historians, regional specialists, and security experts, Tradecraft Travel designs espionage- and history-focused journeys on demand—each tailored to the interests and intellectual curiosity of its guests.
While Europe offers no shortage of historical tours, this program represents a distinctive collaboration: the operational sophistication and on-the-ground execution of Kensington Tours paired with the lived experience of a senior intelligence officer who spent a career practicing the very craft the tour examines. It is an uncommon alignment of access, expertise, and logistical quality.
Pricing will be finalized once the group size is confirmed, with the first departure contingent on reaching the minimum number of participants.
