Weiner is a former journalist who has worked as a business reporter for The New York Times, an award-winning foreign correspondent for NPR, and an essayist for a number of publications. Since leaving that field, Weiner became a travel writer whose work traces a variety of concepts by retracing their geography. For The Socrates Express, Weiner traveled to the places where some of history’s greatest ancient and modern philosophers lived, exploring their ideas through their environments. For The Geography of Genius, Weiner visited the places that experienced a bloom of ideas and novel thinking. These works led Weiner to his project for The Geography of Bliss: Describing his journeys to countries where he believes he may find happiness.

Ruut Veenhofen is a Dutch researcher who runs the World Database on Happiness. Residing in Rotterdam, Veenhofen is in his early sixties.

Andreas Gross is a Swiss parliamentarian. Gross shows Weiner a medieval town, and describes his political activities over recent decades.