We hope you enjoyed our Albania series! This is our last video on Albania for a while as next week we'll be posting from our next adventure. We made some big improvements with our gear on next week's video as well, we hope you'll notice the improvements. Thanks for watching everyone, see you next Saturday. 🥰 As always, if you have any questions about anything, let us know in the comments.
Life is more expensive now . In 2011 for two double bedrooms flat used to pay 150$ and was next to the cost every morning used to see the sea . I was a student there best time ever Vlora is beautiful
It really is, but you have to be careful of a few things. Don’t go during Jun-Aug, as it is the busiest season. You can go before and get an apartment for 6 months to a year directly from owners. When shopping for groceries, go to local farmers, they’re everywhere in the cities. This particular city is Vlore, southwest, near Greece. For the best deals use: www.merrjep.al
How have you only got 150 subscribers? That was a really good video. I loved it but then I do do like the smaller, simpler and unique, 'rustic' channels. You got a new subscriber from Cornwall in the UK. Thumbs up. Now about to check out some of your other videos. Btw Albania looks lovely. Beautiful coastline which is important to me as I've always lived on the coast. Been looking at moving to Montenegro but Albania has been crossing my mind too. Just me, an almost 58 year old Cornishman with my Greek dog Elpi. Driven to Greece a few times over the years. Love that part of Europe. It's beautiful.
Hi Mark, thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement! We just launched our channel a month ago so we are super grateful to the 150 subs we've gotten so far, so thank you so much for your support! We are working hard to make improvements. We love Albania, it's beaches and prices are hard to beat, we haven't fully explored Montenegro yet ourselves. Spoiler alert: in next week's video we'll be driving from Albania to Greece. 🥰
@@IcaKostika Don't work too hard on making changes to your channel. A lot of people make that mistake thinking they have to follow some 'magic' formula to gain 'success' when the real success remains in being true to yourselves and not what other people think of you. Just be yourselves and be unique. Down to Greece eh? If you make it over to Corfu I know the island like the back of my hand. Whizzed around those roads in my old Cornish from the UK many times. I love it there too. It's beautiful. Parga too on the mainland is lovely. Further south Arte is pretty cool.
Hi Lank, The one bedrooms and studios can be had for $200 with a one year lease. The ones we’re showing are higher because it’s not direct from owner, they’re a leasing company, whom are very nice and you can contact them on the WhatsApp link and even tell them that it’s from our UA-cam video. However if you want to go direct to owner, the locals do it here: www.merrjep.al. This can be accessed in English on desktop: www.merrjep.al/njoftime/. I just checked today and there’s still some for $200. The ones from the link we provide are all included, even internet. If you are thinking about going there, we’re happy to connect you with people. Just let us know.
Great information, nice videos, I think you two will be successful and build up your subscriber numbers. I am curious as to where you're from originally, maybe from this region? Please be a bit more open about the details.I did not see the $200 place to live that you mentioned in one video.Great music, good luck with your adventures.
Thank you so much avalinth, super appreciate your support. I was born in Korce, Albania and lived there for the first 13 years. Then my family moved to the States, where I grew up, school, college all of that. I met Ica in NYC, and she grew up in Seattle, Washington. We did the corporate life in the US for 10 years and although money was good, we were not happy, most people around us weren’t happy and it got to the point where we just couldn’t take it anymore. It was either start taking antidepressants or change our life. We chose the second option, and it felt scary and uncertain. There are still waves of fear but the hope washes them off. We kept saying to ourselves that despite the global problems there’s got to be a way to really fall in love with life, be excited about waking up and deep in our hearts feel actual joy and hope for the future. In the middle of the 2020, we started selling all of our belongings, reduced to two backpacks, two small carryons, one large suitcase and left on a one way trip to Mexico by the end of 2020. To our surprise, our jobs continued for two years while we worked remotely. We never bought a house and we don’t have kids, so it was easier to make these kind of moves. By the end of 2022, we went to Europe and made Albania our home base. At this time we made our most courageous decision. We decided to go completely on our own, quit our jobs, start consulting instead and whatever time that was left, educate ourselves on becoming content creators and start practicing. Since we were in Albania in the winter, we decided to start our UA-cam journey and jump in those waters whether it was freezing or not and kept on shooting and editing to this day. Now we find ourselves in the tropics of Panama, Costa Rica next then all over Asia. We have one north start ahead of us, which is to deep in our hearts, fall in love with life and show the world our journey. We’re not there yet, but we believe that we can do this, without changing anything in the world but ourselves. Now, back to Albania, and rent costs. This is how things actually work. Many locals and first or second generation Albanians who invest in properties there, do it as a way to grow their money by appreciating property or flipping. Rent and Airbnb is not quite that profitable yet but it’s rapidly gaining popularity and growth. You want to meet the landlords and if you stay any period of six months or more, you can negotiate $200/month, for a one bedroom. One American there negotiated $100, but it was away from the beach. We didn’t get good enough footage of this as we shot that when we were really bad at it, so didn’t include. The couple that we rented from in Vlore, has such priced apartments, and there’s also the Albanian website that all locals use to buy/sell rent anything which is: www.merrjep.al. In major cities like, Tirana, Durres and Vlore, almost everyone speaks English. Albanians are all about face to face meetings at cafes and negotiations. However, in the summer months: Jun-Aug it is almost impossible to find a deal because everyone wants to be there. The funny part is that, in April-May, and Sept-Nov you can the have warm sunny days, which the locals avoid entirely because the calendar overrules reality. Lastly Albania, allows US citizens to stay for one year, no questions asked, no visa, nothing. I’m not sure what happens with other passports, but for US is also a nice place to go in and out of Schengen. There are many nuances, which we’ll cover throughout our videos, because it would be super long to do in a few, and quite boring. Instead we’ll do our best to entertain and sprinkle the boring like salt and pepper. Hope this clarifies things a bit, and do now that your words made our day and fuel our hope. Thank you!
We were still swimming in January and it's pretty far south in Europe so not very cold, in the mid-50s Fahrenheit is normal, so you do need a jacket. It doesn't snow in Vlore but it does snow in other areas of Albania in the mountains and every few years the cities get snow but very mild. It really depends on the location some areas get more snow than others.
@@Dghehtyr We run a consulting business in the footwear industry, you can watch our first video on "how we escaped the 9-5 and live our dream life" we talk about all of the challenges of getting to live this lifestyle. When we first moved abroad we were both working remotely for companies which made the transition much easier.
I like your presentation and your suggestions…:nice place Albania 🇦🇱 and agreed a real good place to set up a base and work from there …..Thanks for sharing your video….until soon ……Alex🇬🇷
Hi Natalia, thanks for the kind words, up top. Yes indeed, if it’s in a remote location, it will cost more for the car but even less for the apartment as everyone wants to be near lungomare. It is very important to note that these deals can be found outside of the high season (Jun-Aug). Since we’re new to this, we’ve been experimenting with different video styles and this one took off more than others. We realize now that it could have been better and focused more on the $200 apartment, and to help the viewers get these deals,we’ll list the Albanian website that the local use to go direct to owner: www.merrjep.al. If you check there, you’ll find out studios in lungomare for even slightly below $200. Appreciate your engagement 😊
@@Wanderer-dh2og that’s interesting you point that out. I thought it was just our relationship. Ica is naturally more reflective, analytical and shares her thought and feelings better than me. I lead some of our upcoming videos, let’s see how they’re received.
Hi Ele, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We have been traveling out of Albania for a few months now, but I will have Kostika check with his cousins in Tirana to see what the situation is.
Hi Ele, I looked into it with the Albanian government sites and they’ve agreed to receive 36,000 migrants per year. We did see islamic families when we went to the embassy to renew our passports. About half of Albanians are Muslims, including half of my family, so it’s definitely a welcoming place.
@IcaKostika 36,000 migrants per year, would include Americans, Canadians or any other Country migrating to Albania. Albania has definitely become a Hotspot for the USA. I am fascinated by Albania, as a retiree. My main thing is Cost of living, and Healthcare.
We hope you enjoyed our Albania series! This is our last video on Albania for a while as next week we'll be posting from our next adventure. We made some big improvements with our gear on next week's video as well, we hope you'll notice the improvements. Thanks for watching everyone, see you next Saturday. 🥰 As always, if you have any questions about anything, let us know in the comments.
Life is more expensive now . In 2011 for two double bedrooms flat used to pay 150$ and was next to the cost every morning used to see the sea . I was a student there best time ever Vlora is beautiful
It certainly is, nice, two double bedrooms that’s a great deal. Yeah that sea area makes you feel so good, every morning.
😮 is this Albania ? 🎉 really adorable ! Where is this city ?
It really is, but you have to be careful of a few things. Don’t go during Jun-Aug, as it is the busiest season. You can go before and get an apartment for 6 months to a year directly from owners. When shopping for groceries, go to local farmers, they’re everywhere in the cities. This particular city is Vlore, southwest, near Greece. For the best deals use: www.merrjep.al
How have you only got 150 subscribers? That was a really good video. I loved it but then I do do like the smaller, simpler and unique, 'rustic' channels. You got a new subscriber from Cornwall in the UK. Thumbs up. Now about to check out some of your other videos. Btw Albania looks lovely. Beautiful coastline which is important to me as I've always lived on the coast. Been looking at moving to Montenegro but Albania has been crossing my mind too. Just me, an almost 58 year old Cornishman with my Greek dog Elpi. Driven to Greece a few times over the years. Love that part of Europe. It's beautiful.
Hi Mark, thanks so much for the kind words and encouragement! We just launched our channel a month ago so we are super grateful to the 150 subs we've gotten so far, so thank you so much for your support! We are working hard to make improvements. We love Albania, it's beaches and prices are hard to beat, we haven't fully explored Montenegro yet ourselves. Spoiler alert: in next week's video we'll be driving from Albania to Greece. 🥰
@@IcaKostika Don't work too hard on making changes to your channel. A lot of people make that mistake thinking they have to follow some 'magic' formula to gain 'success' when the real success remains in being true to yourselves and not what other people think of you. Just be yourselves and be unique.
Down to Greece eh? If you make it over to Corfu I know the island like the back of my hand. Whizzed around those roads in my old Cornish from the UK many times. I love it there too. It's beautiful. Parga too on the mainland is lovely. Further south Arte is pretty cool.
So....what exactly is your "ONLY $200/MONTH?!" referring to? If there is an apartment or hotel for that price please reply with its name.
Hi Lank,
The one bedrooms and studios can be had for $200 with a one year lease. The ones we’re showing are higher because it’s not direct from owner, they’re a leasing company, whom are very nice and you can contact them on the WhatsApp link and even tell them that it’s from our UA-cam video. However if you want to go direct to owner, the locals do it here: www.merrjep.al. This can be accessed in English on desktop: www.merrjep.al/njoftime/. I just checked today and there’s still some for $200. The ones from the link we provide are all included, even internet. If you are thinking about going there, we’re happy to connect you with people. Just let us know.
Thank you.
I just subscribed 🎉 great job
Yayyy! Thanks so much for watching Howard 🥰
Thank you very informative subscribed 💖
Yayy!! Thanks so much Maria 🥰
@IcaKostika 😉
Good information guys
Thanks so much 🥰
Great information, nice videos, I think you two will be successful and build up your subscriber numbers. I am curious as to where you're from originally, maybe from this region? Please be a bit more open about the details.I did not see the $200 place to live that you mentioned in one video.Great music, good luck with your adventures.
Thank you so much avalinth, super appreciate your support.
I was born in Korce, Albania and lived there for the first 13 years. Then my family moved to the States, where I grew up, school, college all of that. I met Ica in NYC, and she grew up in Seattle, Washington. We did the corporate life in the US for 10 years and although money was good, we were not happy, most people around us weren’t happy and it got to the point where we just couldn’t take it anymore. It was either start taking antidepressants or change our life. We chose the second option, and it felt scary and uncertain. There are still waves of fear but the hope washes them off. We kept saying to ourselves that despite the global problems there’s got to be a way to really fall in love with life, be excited about waking up and deep in our hearts feel actual joy and hope for the future. In the middle of the 2020, we started selling all of our belongings, reduced to two backpacks, two small carryons, one large suitcase and left on a one way trip to Mexico by the end of 2020. To our surprise, our jobs continued for two years while we worked remotely. We never bought a house and we don’t have kids, so it was easier to make these kind of moves. By the end of 2022, we went to Europe and made Albania our home base. At this time we made our most courageous decision. We decided to go completely on our own, quit our jobs, start consulting instead and whatever time that was left, educate ourselves on becoming content creators and start practicing. Since we were in Albania in the winter, we decided to start our UA-cam journey and jump in those waters whether it was freezing or not and kept on shooting and editing to this day. Now we find ourselves in the tropics of Panama, Costa Rica next then all over Asia. We have one north start ahead of us, which is to deep in our hearts, fall in love with life and show the world our journey. We’re not there yet, but we believe that we can do this, without changing anything in the world but ourselves.
Now, back to Albania, and rent costs. This is how things actually work. Many locals and first or second generation Albanians who invest in properties there, do it as a way to grow their money by appreciating property or flipping. Rent and Airbnb is not quite that profitable yet but it’s rapidly gaining popularity and growth. You want to meet the landlords and if you stay any period of six months or more, you can negotiate $200/month, for a one bedroom. One American there negotiated $100, but it was away from the beach. We didn’t get good enough footage of this as we shot that when we were really bad at it, so didn’t include. The couple that we rented from in Vlore, has such priced apartments, and there’s also the Albanian website that all locals use to buy/sell rent anything which is: www.merrjep.al.
In major cities like, Tirana, Durres and Vlore, almost everyone speaks English. Albanians are all about face to face meetings at cafes and negotiations. However, in the summer months: Jun-Aug it is almost impossible to find a deal because everyone wants to be there. The funny part is that, in April-May, and Sept-Nov you can the have warm sunny days, which the locals avoid entirely because the calendar overrules reality. Lastly Albania, allows US citizens to stay for one year, no questions asked, no visa, nothing. I’m not sure what happens with other passports, but for US is also a nice place to go in and out of Schengen.
There are many nuances, which we’ll cover throughout our videos, because it would be super long to do in a few, and quite boring. Instead we’ll do our best to entertain and sprinkle the boring like salt and pepper.
Hope this clarifies things a bit, and do now that your words made our day and fuel our hope. Thank you!
What is considered really cold in January?
Is it zero and freezing? Any snow?
We were still swimming in January and it's pretty far south in Europe so not very cold, in the mid-50s Fahrenheit is normal, so you do need a jacket. It doesn't snow in Vlore but it does snow in other areas of Albania in the mountains and every few years the cities get snow but very mild. It really depends on the location some areas get more snow than others.
I have 🎉 just subscribed to your channel
Where are the links for the apartments?
For all the ones in the video: instagram.com/elmar_touristic_office?igsh=MXVndnI5eTF1MHl0bw==
For more apartments in Albania use: www.merrjep.al
Very nice, is it Vlor?
Yes, it is! Our favorite place to live in Albania 🥰
Thank you for your response. Do you live in Vlore now?
@@Dghehtyr Not currently, we've been in Central America most of this year, as we're traveling full time. ☺
What do you do for income when you’re traveling?
@@Dghehtyr We run a consulting business in the footwear industry, you can watch our first video on "how we escaped the 9-5 and live our dream life" we talk about all of the challenges of getting to live this lifestyle. When we first moved abroad we were both working remotely for companies which made the transition much easier.
I like your presentation and your suggestions…:nice place Albania 🇦🇱 and agreed a real good place to set up a base and work from there …..Thanks for sharing your video….until soon ……Alex🇬🇷
@@BigBear59 Thank you Alex, we are glad that you enjoyed it :)
You are a very beautiful couple😊
Thank you 😊
If its remote locations, one will need a car and cost will be way more then $200.
Hi Natalia, thanks for the kind words, up top. Yes indeed, if it’s in a remote location, it will cost more for the car but even less for the apartment as everyone wants to be near lungomare. It is very important to note that these deals can be found outside of the high season (Jun-Aug). Since we’re new to this, we’ve been experimenting with different video styles and this one took off more than others. We realize now that it could have been better and focused more on the $200 apartment, and to help the viewers get these deals,we’ll list the Albanian website that the local use to go direct to owner: www.merrjep.al. If you check there, you’ll find out studios in lungomare for even slightly below $200. Appreciate your engagement 😊
Të Dua Shqipëri
What places in Europe have you found the best deals on rent?
Lungo mare is not long sea but "along the sea".
🇦🇱
🇦🇱❤️🇦🇱❤️🇦🇱❤️🇦🇱🙏👍
why is it always from a woman's point of view
@@Wanderer-dh2og that’s interesting you point that out. I thought it was just our relationship. Ica is naturally more reflective, analytical and shares her thought and feelings better than me. I lead some of our upcoming videos, let’s see how they’re received.
I've heard Italy is cut a deal with Albania do send islamic migrants to Albania. Have you guys notice anything and or got to know about this deal?
Wtf !!
Hi Ele, thanks for bringing this to our attention. We have been traveling out of Albania for a few months now, but I will have Kostika check with his cousins in Tirana to see what the situation is.
Hi Ele, I looked into it with the Albanian government sites and they’ve agreed to receive 36,000 migrants per year. We did see islamic families when we went to the embassy to renew our passports. About half of Albanians are Muslims, including half of my family, so it’s definitely a welcoming place.
Wtf, the immigrants they are not let loose in Albania they are locked up in high security detention centres..
@IcaKostika 36,000 migrants per year, would include Americans, Canadians or any other Country migrating to Albania. Albania has definitely become a Hotspot for the USA. I am fascinated by Albania, as a retiree. My main thing is Cost of living, and Healthcare.