Living In Albania For A Month: What It's Actually Like!
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- Albania is a country few people consider travelling to, much less live in. I live in a new country every month and Albania was only number four on that list. Living in Albania showed me a culture much different to anything I've experienced so far. Albania has some of the friendliest people, the deepest history and feels far different than the rest of Europe.
In this travel vlog I dive into the things I enjoyed about living in Albania, the things I didn't like about the country and how it will affect my future travels. I talk about the cost of living in Albania, Albanian food, Albanian people and getting around this amazing country. Overall my review of Albania as a place to travel to or live in, is a positive one.
Every month I do a review style video like this one and always try to offer a unique and complete opinion on the country I'm living in. Albania was no different. It had positives and negatives. If you want to continue to see my raw opinion on every place I live then consider subscribing!
#livingabroad #travelvlog #albania #expat #backpacking #nomad #travel
Hi. I am from Scandinavia. Been to many countries. Started travelling to Albania in 2016 and this is the first place that I started to miss when I wasn't there. I feel at home here even though it's very different. Made friends here and the country is so varied, interesting and beautiful.
It’s such a great place, it really does have so much to offer! I could see it becoming a second home to many people because Albanians are so welcoming!
You probably lived there in a past life
because in scandinavia (been leaving there for 30y) and their ppl are so f**d up, its damn easy to love leaving somewhere elsewhere...🎉
Albania is the worst country in Europe. Rude, racist, violent people. Traffic is terrible. So is murder, child sex slaves, organ harvesting, drugs, terrorism, expensive prices, disgusting food.
@@gofortheunknown No they are not! Albanians are rude, racist, and violent! They hate foreigners.
From an Albanian, that's a great review. You are absolutely right about the driving, its crazy.
The only thing i would add is that as far as food is concerned, Tirana (the capital) has the safest choices. Most of the food you get there is amazing
Too expensive though.
Albania is a country that is still developing, that is why they are still figuring out how to do transportation right. 33 years ago people could not even travel freely within the country. But they are improving fast. They currently are building bus terminals in the major cities and they soon will put all information and ticket booking on line. Europe is investing in the rail infrastructure as well, in order to connect the whole region to the rest of Europe.
Honestly I should have mentioned not driving 30 years ago. I knew about this and should’ve pointed it out. Honestly it’s awesome that the eu is investing in transportation, it’ll make a big difference for tourists and locals alike. Transport wasn’t even bad just hard to figure out as a tourist. Overall someone with some travel experience would have no issue getting out. Just have to ask 😃
Albania travel free not 30 years ago but in 2009 (14 years ago) before it needs visa to come to Belgium or Italy and visa takes 3 years 😂🎉
@@airwaystravel That's not what the original commenter meant. He's talking about how before the end of communism very few people had cars.
@@bletrick3352I know Albanian are bad of themselves , how you know what he meant to say are you there ? Albanian see Europe without boats and small boat clandestine starting from 2009 (14 years before ) all Albania has achieved is for only less than two decades !
Too much auto but not new roads (this is Albania biggest problem) !
Have a nice august pal
The United States, I had a friend take Greyhound from Louisiana to Tennessee. The transportation service is a joke, it is worse than a disaster. I will bet Albania's bus service is better
We are Europeans not middle eastern but I think he means in Albania is not as in Europe because ppl are friendly and very warm, help each other more and very caring…
I love lots of warm albanien people there.. they are nice and honest! A great country with great people, great food, beautiful riveria countries..
❤❤
I enjoyed your review. I’ve visited Albania 5 times now, staying both in AirBnBs and with Albanians. I had mostly very good food - the salads tasted like they came fresh from the garden, though you have to choose the restaurants carefully. The best food of course was the food we had at the houses of Albanian friends.
Travel we found relatively easy - it is possible to find many bus routes online in Albanian. The roads are crazy though. Unlit bicycles on the motorway - once a car going the wrong way, so you really need your wits about you.
Coming from Germany, we did have an issue with the rubbish - but it does seem to be improving slowly.
As far as the friendliness of the people - they are amazing. When our car didn’t start - 3 people helped us and a cafe owner refused to accept payment for the coffee we drank while waiting.
Even the hospital we had to visit when my son got ill was not bad at all. The doctor and nurse spoke perfect English, we only had to wait for 30 minutes and didn’t have to pay.
Really great observations. I love watching videos of travelers where there is empathy for the places they visit. Here in the Balkans I read a lot of toxic comments from fellow Balkanians, and it is always nice to hear feedback that comes from a place of kindness and understanding.
It sounds like a decent review for someone who lived in the country for just one month. I appreciate the honesty too, I don't really like when vloggers talk only about positive sides. Yeah our country is getting better but it has a long way to go. Good luck with your adventures.
I really appreciate that, I really strive for honesty without sounding overly negative on the dislike. It can be challenging balance the two but I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😃
I bet you guys that Albanien will become a strong and rich country in Balkan. As a foreigner I really love it there.. It is starting to change very fast ,, many people are starting to show interestes in this country
I spent a month in Croatia several years ago and loved it! The market was an experience though. But I have a friend there now and will absolutely go back! Albania and Montenegro are on my list also.
Been going to Montenegro psst 8 years...Baybof Kotor is exceptional.
But definitely going to Albania next year I think
As an Albanian. You are welcome to Albania.
Montenegro is getting more expanisve but still great place to visit, I visit Montenegro Albania Kosovo and North Macadonia i fell like going back this year agin spacial in Albanian and kosovo
Nice! I liked Albania so much that I bought a house there.
Why??? Most expensive houses in Europe! Traffic is terrible. So is murder, child sex slaves, organ harvesting, drugs, terrorism, expensive prices, disgusting food.
Where are you from originally? Where did you buy a house or what was your favorite city there?
@@DJBILINGUAL Too expensive, dangerous, and racist in Albania.
@@Flat_Earth_Addy never heard that before. Expensive and dangerous???
@@DJBILINGUAL Very. Organ harvesters, child sex slaves, gangsters, and violent racists.
'The people' is a huge issue so glad you addressed this because most vlogs don't. This is especially true for would be retirees. Nothing can ruin a beautiful place quicker than rude people who don't want you there. Thanks.
Great video !
Albania sounds awesome!
It was, I really plan on going back one day!
lol no
It was a good video, I liked the pros and cons you mentioned.
Nice tips mate, specially the bit about not staying too long in one town.
Nice chap, great honest video. No BS.... excellent work
Cheers! 😁
I have enjoyed your clear explanations, very good job. Love Lida
Thank you glad you enjoyed this one!
thank you, great info
You touched a lot of good points, both positive and, let’s say, not so positive 😂.
Interesting that your next destination is polar opposite of Albania (in terms of rules and lack of chaos- let’s admit it that it is a bit chaotic in Albania to deal with transportation and other aspects of life.)
Have fun in your travels!
I will retire in Albania from Belgium 🎉 love Albania and specially the Durres city🎉
Beautiful people and country.Is English spoken?Also,can we open bank account?I like the coast
English all people under 45 speak fluent ! To open a bank account need just 1 hour and 1€ cost of the bank and the card is delivered at adress or picked up in bank ! Albania has perfect clima and perfect people and food many say is delicious
@@Fegga1955 for me best coast is DURRES , ancient Dyrrachium city metropolitan where Pompey and Ceasar make the civil war of Rome
Since I left my homeland and going back once in a while, i have been comparing these countries with their special habits and traditions all my life. It s like a hobby and it gives me a more interesting and richer view of life. Love to you both Lida
It fun to compare all the details of a country, both the good and the bad! Gives us a better understanding for sure! Cheers! 😁
Hi there I’m new to your channel. I’m Albanian living in the USA ( Florida) Please don’t compare us to Middle East , we are European’s .
Thank you for visiting Albanian 🇦🇱
Ottoman Empire
@@GUITARTIME2024yllrian empire ?
True,Albanians are great & the country too.✅🇨🇦Unique as Hungarians 🇭🇺.☝️🤩
You are Balcans like Greeks Serbians etc we are different than the europeans no offense
@@chrischris3638there is no difference between Balkan and the rest of Europe, what are you talking about? Europe is unique, where people with different nationalities, culture and language live together, but Albania is specific because of their religion, they are Muslim , their lifestyle is very different than the rest of Europe and yes they are more close culturally to Turkey and Middle East countries then Christian countries in Europe. Even though they are geographically in Europe they are more similar to Middle Eastern countries, he said nothing wrong
Hello, love your idea about exploring different countries around the globe!
Thanks for this Albanian Video. We're just visiting this country as well and it's such a beautiful place and we totally agree with you how the people are wonderful! However unfortunately not one local told us that it's usually to strangers but when it comes to "revenge" they could hate & harm others in very bad way. Also what was soooo sad to us was the garbage and tons of abandoned building in the south of the country 😥
Glad we could see your opinion! Keep our fingers crossed for your adventures, sending love from the Dolomites.
Your new subs Natalia&Michal 😍
It is a beautiful country with awesome people but I could see some unsavoury people flexing their muscle so to speak! I did a video on the abandoned buildings because it’s not something I wanted to gloss over but I agree it’s a bit unsightly. By the end of the month I didn’t even notice much to be honest. Thanks for the sub and kind words! 😃
Revenge its not revenge , its blood feuds, if u kill someone , the guy you killed familys can kill one of your own even if he had nothing to do with it or they can forgive you, its a dying tradition mostly in deep rural areas,but best to not just go around killing people 😅
Hi. Please elaborate on the revenge more. Don’t forget it has mafia.!!!
Love the people, very friendly
Thinks fort the good informations and cool video 👍🏻 Albania is so awesome 😍 I uploaded yesterday a short Albania travel video too 🎥 best cinematic greetings from Germany
Much more straight forward and descriptive than most
I appreciate that, it’s always hard to put a whole country into one video and not ramble on. 😂
Thx for video. Greetings for dubai
Hope your UA-cam carrier goes well!❤
Cheers!
Its okay bro,we really drive like maniacs 😂🤷♂️ i hope you enjoy my country ✌️
Nothing to enjoy.
Hi Zac, great video! We are from Canada and we will be visiting Albania this September for 3 weeks. I was wondering if you have any suggestions about sim cards or e-sim for Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. Thanks for any suggestions, looking forward to watching more of your videos. Enjoy Japan, our son is visiting there right now. Cheers!
My suggestion is to download Airalo so you have data on arrival for maps and what not, after that I don’t have any suggestions for SIM cards because I exclusively use Airalo for data. Enjoy your trip 😃
Thanks Zac, much appreciated!@@gofortheunknown
I visited Albania last summer for 10 days and was lovely .. so I think if you were staying for a month in Albania for summer might able to explore more specially in south for beautiful beaches etc
Yeah might be a little be more enjoyable!
No it wasn't. It's a nightmare. Why do you think 90% of Albanians live abroad?
Completely agree about the food
Absolute nonsense, Albanian food is spectacularly good, you went to the wrong places, north Americans are naive
@@kippsguitar6539 Albanian food is disgusting. And expensive.
driving in Albania: try it, it's not too bad! They bob and weave, but speeds are pretty homogenous -- nobody driving 70 among 30ish traffic. And they don't honk their horns aggressively. However, nobody uses their signals, and folks will even stop their car right in front of you to have a chat with somebody on the side of the road they know.
Anyway, I recently rented a car for 850km in Albania, and liked driving more than in Germany or, say, Sardinia.
If I go back I may try to drive! I did see the people stopping in the middle of the road to chat and it was a touch concerning haha 😂 I’d be more comfortable if insurance was easier/cheaper to get. 😁
You must be new to travel, Albania traffic is no different to anywhere else in Europe and the food is sensational
@@kippsguitar6539 boyo, you need to up your reading skills.
Wonderful Video! So glad both of you had a good time in Albania!! Japan? That's expensive. If you ever head to Brazil, let me know, I know of a great off the beaten track city there - Curitiba:) I went there for work once.
South America isn’t on my list anytime soon, just have so much in Asia I want to see but I will definitely let you know if I do! Japan is a little pricey but we went in 2019 and really want to go back and experience it a lot deeper! I’m offsetting some of the price by going much cheaper later on. 😃
@@gofortheunknown For Asia, I have only been to big cities, Bejing, Hong Kong, Bangkok & Singapore. Thailand in general is the best:)
Bangkok will happen at one point, you have to tell me about Singapore though, worth the visit? I imagine the price is insane but I still really want to go! You really seem to have been around the globe! 😄
@@gofortheunknown Many of the places I've been were for work so super short visits (except for some) I was in Bangkok for over a month. I was in Singapore for 2 days and yes, it is expensive and seemed very similar the USA - clean, lots of shops & green areas (didn't seem very Asian, even though it's in Asia) - I didn't see much but what I saw wasn't unique in any way compared to Thailand where everything was unique. I haven't been to Indonesia, but everyone I worked with who went there loved it, look into Lombok Indonesia. Maybe go there instead providing you check up on any new laws they have. Always check, like in Singapore it is against the law to chew gum.
In many countries chewing gum is low class?,especially when you’re facing or talking to somebody!!
It’s like a cow regurgitating food!!!
True.Bad manner.Those people please just stay at home. Same with spitters!!! Stay hidden in your homes!!!!
Ironically, as the narrator is sitting on his balcony describing the crazy driving, the few cars visible in the street below are all proceeding at very moderate speeds and in a very orderly fashion. C'est la vie.
Traffic isn't bad at all and like most European cities, food is absolutely fantastic, naive video
@@kippsguitar6539 Traffic is terrible. So is murder, child sex slaves, organ harvesting, drugs, terrorism, expensive prices, disgusting food.
@@Flat_Earth_Addyyou are a 🤡
@Flat_Earth_Addy, you really hate Albania. What did they do with you ? 😢
@@karilang9377 Albania has child sex slaves, drugs, organ harvesting, terrorism, guns, racism, high cost of living, high taxes, horrible and expensive food, poor infrastructure, lies, scams...
Some advice there’s never any schedule for busses and transport there’s usually a main area in every city where busses or vans going to other cities gather to pick up people and you just have to go there find the buss or van with the name of you destination on top and talk to the driver
Man, you should have visited southern Albania also it would be cool if you could learn a little bit of history about the country. Still good 👍
I know if I could do it again I probably would have done southern Albania, it was just a lack of knowledge when we booked a week before going. I learned as much history as I could but Albania has a deep history that’s hard to learn in a short time unfortunately. One of the downfalls of the way I travel 😕
Observation is everything and you touch on it beutifly
We have a thing called hospitality code in which a guest coming to our house is treated and get better things than ourself. The same with a tourist visiting our country you are guest and are treated the same way. You are given the best help when you need it. It is a great shame in Albania not to give such treatment.
What country?
@@Flat_Earth_Addy If you meant which country I was talking about it was Albania.
@@amstatistic5603 Albania has no hospitality. Lol Its the most rude, racist, violent nation in Europe.
Other videos I have watched about Albania they explained there was no main bus terminal in the main city, Just a big parking lot!
I think they’ve become better drivers
I went back 2 months ago after a 4 year hiatus. If you thought now was bad, you can’t imagine 4 years ago.
Enjoy Japan
😂 that kind of scares me!
Not enough English for me. ( ? ) -- A language barrier is a pain in the ass - for an old retired person like myself. -- The Philippines is even cheaper - all speak English - and they offer a renewable 3 year tourist visa. They are the happiest friendliest most welcoming people on earth as reported by many ! -- Hawaii like weather and most beautiful white sand beaches with best scuba diving anywhere on earth..... My retirement destination differs from your reason for being there. > Old people want comfort ! 🤗
Make sure you actuallycall Amex to make sure that rental car thing is activated or whatever. It should charge you for each rental, if its like it used to be.
Hello there... great video....are. You planning on traveling Europe for the whole year....???
No next up is Asia, Japan specifically! You’ll be seeing that in a couple weeks most likely
You’ll be complaining so much about Japan.
Specially about the prices!!! ✅🚦Just stay home.
Hard to listen to the content with the repetitive music in the background. Not sure this trend of music in the background is helpful. Wonder if there are studies regarding.
Transport from a city to another is not problem . There are so much buses and vans but is not that regulated , so if you dont arrive a bus you dont know that there are so many minibuses that do that road just because they depart in different places
Took some time to learn 😁
It takes some getting used to for sure. My advice to anyone is you just have to show up to the bus terminals and ask. And even then they dont always know but they will try really hard to help you.
Oh boy .,so beautiful
Thank you, much love from Albania. What are your thoughts with more experience in hindsight after 9 months?
We have deep history that is largely undiscovered and to rest of humans we seem like outcasts and a mystery
Yeah, the American Express card is the “black sheep” of credit cards since so many places refuse to take them even in the US. The reason? They charge almost double what Visa and Master Card charge the business that accepts the AMEX card. Not the best choice for travel.
How to settle in Albania
Was going back to Canada part of the plan? Hope everything’s OK!
Ahh indeed it was, we came back for a few reasons but the main one was some friends were having some wedding festivities that we needed to attend. We will be back on the road soon!
Oh no Canadian view..helped oot..
Don’t cha know it
Donairs are only Canadian too. Created In NS
The second scenery at 0:01 shows the old town hall in Leipzig?!
Yeah… I was there for a month, I was explaining living in a new country every month and that was one of the four. I showed Grenoble, Leipzig, Split and Durrës.
@@gofortheunknown I just assumed that the intro would only show Albania...
I understand, just like to show where I’ve been! 😃
Hello
Do you suggest bhying property there? What are the prices? If you can help in with this information
Definitely yes ! A full home can be found with 80-100K , property tax for a home is 0€ still now in 2024! But even seacost Villa are super for 350K or more 😊
@@airwaystravel wow thanks for the information
I live near the sea in my homeland and rarely go to see 😂
I would love a scenic greenery area
@@user-hw2hy8fz1i same as you always i prefer to see the sea coast but from a mountain or a gorge view , probably in Albania city like Durres or like Tirana or even Kruja offer a view to horizontal both of mountain and sea , yes and even prices are lower and options are higher ! If I were you I would buy a home in Dajti area of Tirana , in Kavaia area of Durrazzo , and in the area near Shkodra or Vora area , with 50k-80k you can find a big big diapason , depend even by lucky to find a good and affordable home but for the moment albania is Greta
@@user-hw2hy8fz1i same as you always i prefer to see the sea coast but from a mountain or a gorge view , probably in Albania city like Durres or like Tirana or even Kruja offer a view to horizontal both of mountain and sea , yes and even prices are lower and options are higher ! If I were you I would buy a home in Dajti area of Tirana , in Kavaia area of Durrazzo , and in the area near Shkodra or Vora area , with 50k-80k you can find a big big diapason , depend even by lucky to find a good and affordable home but for the moment albania is Great
So what you're saying is the people in Albania?Drive just like the people in Atlanta, Georgia or Tampa, Florida or any other large u.S city
What about power 24/7?
lol no
How was internet data?
Wasn’t bad at all, really didn’t have any noticeable issues, it would randomly slow down for a minute at times but nothing crazy!
$10 for 10GB! 🤗
If you don't go to South Albania you didn't do anything bro Come back to se Southern Albania, or go to North Albania to see beautiful mountains
Too dangerous!
You being a good Canadian citizen , the best place on earth 🌎 for many people living or have travelled all Canada 🇨🇦 ,this is a great short review for a small country undergoing big changes like it is 🇦🇱 Albania. But I hope it doesn't change to much because it will be really boring for the people of Albania. Mixed up with more good and bad will be more exciting, because perfection is really boring after 1 week.
I think it has a ton of things to look forward to but it’ll be a long long time before it becomes even kind of bad for Albanians. It’s still so unknown for most North Americans and so change will likely be slow but hopefully it gets a little bit easier for people to live and work. 😃
You have been unlucky, I'm a 40 years traveler to 60+ countries and a massive foody and Albanian food was unbeatable and extremely cheap, sensational food as good as Italy, a month isn't enough and I assume you went to fast food joints, pity
Albanian food is expensive and disgusting.
We all want to be somewhere where we feel like we are humans 🎉 not just like we are just usd and eur alive money or status of society more and more people will start to looking for humanity around the world where every human cinnections are pure and honest and emotinally connected with respect towards each other wealth and money is good but don't forget that its better to be wealthy around good people instead of rich and poor "robot like " people 🎉
What is this guys name? He never said it.
What about uber or something like that
I'm curious about how sick you will feel after the first meal in Canada..?
Video coming on that topic
@@gofortheunknown I'm dead serious btw.
I've heard about chemicals, preservatives, food colours and additives that are all banned in the EU, but not in USA/Canada.
Every American/Canadian reports the same thing, when eaten at home...sick for days.
@@Kivas_Fajo oh that's a big thing for the last couple of years! even the big brands eg CocaCola have totally different ingredients using in the US & Europe.
How does an American get a driver’s license in Albania
Yak fast food
2~3$ lunch? What did get always gyros?😂
All food is expensive in Albania.
Is he high?
I lived in Vlora for a year. I would have stayed there for longer, perhaps forever, but the wild dogs...no thanks.
7USD a gallon? wtf
F
?
Come to kosovo
Not happy with the quality of hamburgers in Albania.
Let's just park that thought.
Been to Albania not at all my experience couldn’t wait to get out of the country
Horrible place.
Than go to Egypt 🇪🇬!!!
🥱🫣🥹😅😂🤣🙃😡
@@nicolasmaximus2286 why?
Doesn't sound like a good place to live, maybe for a quick vacation, but that's about it! Croatia sounds better for living. Not speaking enough English is fine if you want a challenge and are just visiting a place. However, if you are going to live in a place not speaking enough of your language, it would be a real problem. If food is sub par that would also be an issue if you were living in a place. What I've realized is every cheap place like albania is usually cheap for a reason and is only good for a cheap vacation spot
Croatia is very bad in fact only Albania has many welcoming people and food is super ! I sold my home in Belgium and bought two in Albania I will stay there as a retire teacher 🎉 Albania is perfectly great
60% of the young people speaks good English!!!Most foods are very good. Just like in your country. This guy is quite 🥱 boring.
I'm sorry but I think this Is such a stupid point of view. If you move abroad and plan tò live in another country in long terms, one of the first things you should consider is learning the language of the country.
Crime?
Any nonwhites in Albania?
Kush është shqiptar 🇦🇱🇦🇱🇦🇱
👇
Language barrier makes it impossible to visit.
you totally missed the southern part of the rivera
I knowww, I couldn’t do it all