Did you learn anything new about Albania that you may not have known before? Is there something that we should know about Albania that maybe we didn't cover? Let us know. The links for the Saranda, Berat, and Tirana videos are all in the description of the video. Please remember to SUBSCRIBE, Like, and Share the video. Thank You all from our hearts.
Spot on, almost on everything. One thing though you got to know, panhandling and begging is a Gypsy, Roma thing. Have done that for centuries, especially using kids. I agree Albanian authorities should be more strict on them, but it has become part of acceptance of their culture this kind of behavior. During the communist years, the government gave them homes, found them jobs, yet they never gave up begging... As for driving, and traffic signs, you are 100% correct. Yes, so many stray dogs, it's heartbreaking.
@garyyakamoto2648 Thank you so much for all of this. We have been getting educated here in the comments section about the Roma community, and that's been a good thing for us. It didn't even dawn on us that it was always a very specific type until it started getting mentioned here in the comments section. So again, thank you for taking the time to educate us and make sure we get it right. And I'm glad that you enjoyed the video and found that we were mostly accurate in our assessment. We do believe that overall, Albania is an amazing place and would definitely love to go back at some point.
I was contemplating where to go after spending some time in Prague taking in the ongoing Jazz Festivals and now I know, Albania for sure. I found several Jazz Clubs in Tirana with a single Google search. Awesome. Liked and Subscribed.
@@The-Contractor That's great! We're happy that you found what you were looking for in Tirana. We think that you are going to truly enjoy yourself there. We can't speak on Prague, having never been, but have heard good things about it.
@artanndoni7048 Thank you for that. We always strive for being thoroughly honest about our experiences, both good and bad. So thank you for letting us know.
@YanaLoran Aw, thank you so much for that. Our love goes out to you and yours as well. We're always happy to hear when people actually enjoy our videos. Thank You.
@octavianciutacu6162 Lol. We're glad that you found us being fair and accurate with our assessment. The driving that we've experienced just feels like Speedracer cranked up. 😆
@octavianciutacu6162 yeah, those are definitely a couple of cons. But we still really enjoyed our time there. But yeah, breathing was a bit rough at times..lol
I dont know, I drove through both Croatia and Montenegro and both those were pretty orderly when it comes to driving. Albania has 0 law enforcement when it comes to traffic. Parking is a mess, no one waits in a line making it worse for everyone. If you did some of the stuff I have seen over the last few month is Albania in other neighboring countries you would probably be heavily fined.
Albania is a quiet country.. there is absolutely no danger to fear .. Travelling through this country its an amazing experience which today people needs.. With all this stress around Albania is the perfect therapy.. Thanks for 4he video 😊
You are more than welcome! Albania is exactly what you said. We NEVER once felt like we were in a sketchy situation or feared for our safety, apart from the drivers...lol. But seriously, the country was wonderful to us, and for us.
@@pauladuncanadams1750 We were there in Playa del Carmen, back in April for 3 days, so we didn't really see it. But that was 3 days in the Yucatan Peninsula
@NewLifeTravelers I live in California. In Tijuana, it's pretty common. Sorry, I thought that I made my own comment and didn't reply to another. My apologies to the person who wrote the original post.
@@AfrimRrukqi-qf5kr 😆 Yah, we were set straight on that a couple of months back. Since our time in Albania, we also encountered them in Skopje, Belgrade, Timișoara, Bucharest, and Istanbul.
@kevinsmith9899 Well.... I'm one of the idiots who still smoke even with everything. Nicotine and caffeine are my 2 vices. But I definitely get why you asked. Smoking is still a big thing in Albania, Macedonia, Serbia, and I'm sure other places as well. It's been weird down here in Thailand because you can definitely tell the difference. They are not big fans of smoking..lol
Hi mate i hope you enjoyed your stay in Albania. 🇦🇱🇦🇱American.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸people are always welcome to Albania We love America in Albania...Everything you said in your video is absolutely true....Albanian people are very proud people and we never beg on the streets....The people who are begging in the streets are Roman gypsies wich they been living in Albania for 100 years or so and that's how they are in their genetics they don't like to work they like to beg...which i don't like it too but us Albanians we can tell them off but tourists can't...anyway Respect to you two....Come back Again
@albania8982 HI there. Thank you so much for the kindness. We have been getting educated about the Roma community since we launched the video. Thank you for adding to our understanding about the situation. We truly enjoyed our time there and would love to come back when we're back that way. Thank you.
The Gjirafa bustrip from Saranda to Tirana was a horific but nevertheless very interesting experience. 30 passagers in a 20 people capacity bus, because the original 50 people capacity bus broke down halfway. No airco (and 40 degrees outside). People fighting for a seat. Me and some others sitting on other peoples trolley in the aisle, 4 people on 2 seats in the front and they kept on loading in even more people on the way. And then in the end ask for a tip for the good service. Of course thé masstourism is a nice chance for more economical welfare. But the local society is not prepared or well-organised enough yet to handle this all well. Avoid Sarande in mid-summer by the way, it felt like they are trying to make it the next San Antonio Ibiza or Benidorm. Tirana was so much nicer for us. In any way we wont go back to Albania before i have my driver licence in order to be able to go to smaller less touristic places to taste from a more authentic culture and society.
As in any foreign country, you should keep a low profile and don't bring unwanted attention to yourself. Respect their country and culture, and you should be fine.
I’m Albanian, i live in States.! I’m so happy for you guy’s, looks like you have a good time in Albania. No country is perfect but the safety is very important.! Good for you guy’s.
Where abouts in the States did you move to? Brooke's from Missouri and I'm from Nebraska. Absolutely about "perfect countries", there's no such thing. But yes, we absolutely loved our 6 weeks in Albania. And if given the chance next spring, we'll definitely swing through there again. Thank you so much for the well wishes, and we wish you all the best as well.
Hi guys. The sincerity in your eyes about the things you said about Albania is evident. Even though there are some remarks and criticisms, it seems like you do like Albania. I would like to highlight a few points you mentioned earlier. It's true that cars drive at high speeds, but overall, there are very few accidents. Maybe because they are very skilled drivers. Regarding the stray dogs, tell me, where should they take these dogs? If there are many of them, does that mean that Albanians love dogs And that's why dogs are free around cities? 😁 And another thing is the begging of some children on the streets. In general, it has been reduced, but it still exists because mostly the Roma community is present all over Europe. It's in their genes to beg even if they are not poor. But i really enjoyed your video.
We are very happy that you enjoyed the video. The driving, is probably mostly culture shock for us. We are just not used to that amount of speeding, and to that degree. We will say, that in our 6 weeks in Albania, we did only witness one accident, and that was in Tirana. Ironically, it was at a red light and nobody was speeding to cause it. As for the dogs, we come from a place that has all sorts of humane societies available for stray pets. Off the top of my head, the only general solution that I could think of, would be to have some sort of adoptions in place for the strays. Now that would show how much they love dogs. Truth be told, it was mostly in Berat where we saw just an insane amount of strays running rampant. But it was sad to see how many malnourished, emaciated dogs we came across. On the subject of the children beggars, we did notice that it seemed to be very specific crowds that practiced it. And this is now the second time that someone has brought it to our attention about the Roma community. So it seems to track. So I guess the two of us have now learned a bit more on that subject. Thank you for that. Again, we are so very glad that you not only enjoyed the video, but that you took the time to give us some different perspectives on the subject matter. Thank you for that.
@citydesk4527 It is absolutely awesome, isn't it? Did you hike down to it, or did you take the little train? Also, did you get the chance to see just how clear that water was going over the little bridge right before the Blue Eye itself?
@valentinilie1560 Yeah, you absolutely can do that. It's gonna be a bit of a ride, though. Probably around 5-6 hour bus ride. I believe that you can fly into Corfu Greece and then just take the ferry across to Saranda.
@@shpresasufka6057 I'm not sure where exactly in the United States you're living, but we're both from the "cheap" Midwest of the U.S., and our time there was eye-opening on how much cheaper it was in Albania compared to the United States. But yes, we absolutely loved our time there. Honestly, we're kinda kicking ourselves for not staying there longer...😆
Yeah unfortunately these are Roma gypsies community who immigrated to Albania from Egypt.. it’s sad that Albania hasn’t manager to fully integrate these people… Glad you enjoyed Albania overall
1 Albania is know.n for the Land off Saint Mother Teressa,2 without the Albanian Hero George Kastrioti Skenderbeu who foght the Otomans for 25 Year to keep the Europe Free with out him will be no Europe Today ok,3 Albania is the Ancient Language off the World witch is the first in the tree of the Language,4 the most old River and the Wild one Left in Europe is in Albania,5 city of Pogradec next to Lake is the same Lake when Alexander the Great did swim. so u dint see jack shit over there Dude so far
You are quite welcome, and thank you for letting us know that you felt we were accurate on the assessment. We love Albania 🇦🇱 but we believe it's important to be honest about every aspect. Thanks again.
That's Great!! We are so very happy to hear that we were able to help someone learn a bit more about Albania. It's an amazing country. Thank you for letting us know, we truly appreciate it.
Thanks a lot Sir for your kind words, we love you as well, and sure Albanian homes are homes of friends( as we say). Thanks again and my GOD bless you both.
@KatK36 Oh believe me, we would love to. We are planning on making the jump to southeast Asia in October or early November. Hopefully, things will be going smoother by then, and that would allow us to move around all of the beautiful countries down there, including the Philippines🇵🇭. We were looking at Cebu. Do you have any recommendations on where to go in the Philippines?
Pretty much everything you mentioned I know about, I agree with you on the children issue, not a whole lot different than when I was in Gallup, NM. Saw a lot of the same thing. That being said, Albania looks like a place I could retire to.
I'm glad that you feel we were accurate with our assessment of our time there. Some topics are not fun to bring up, but we believe in honesty,no matter what. But like we said, definitely WAY more pros than cons with Albania 🇦🇱
@Rezarta-ec3fr Every place has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter where in the world you are. And honestly, Albania has pros galore that outweigh the cons by a long shot. But thank you for finding our assessment accurate.
Its funny how certain things change your perspective. We spent the last 3 years living in Mexico and they have a SERIOUS stray dog problem. Not just strays, but virtually ALL of them look starved. Now here in Albania in both Elbasan and Vlorë and seen lots of stay dogs as well, but most look much healthier than the dogs in Mexico. Its not right, but I have seen much worse. I saw one sitting outside a few homes and all the homes had food outside for this dog and that dog was FAT! The problem Albania has is it is the stray dog dumping ground of neighboring North Macedonia and Montenegro. Its well known that those countries use Albania as a place to send their dogs to keep their dog populations down.
Interesting point about the dogs being dumped into Albania. We were recently in Skopje for a month, and they had a bit of a stray dog problem as well. Just nowhere near the amount we saw in Berat. I will say that I do remember a couple of occasions when we saw nice folks leaving some food around for the dogs. That was nice to see.
@husseinabd6937 First off, we're glad that you enjoyed the video. Always good to hear. Now for your question that you asked. It would, in part, depend a bit on where you wanted to move to. We only went to 3 cities in our 6 weeks there. What I can tell you is that there were noticeable differences between the 3 and their costs. Out of the 3 we went to, Berat would be the cheapest and Tirana would be the priciest. We know that we overpaid on accommodation in all 3 cities because we went the Air BnB route, which is easily 50%-75% more than what the local market runs. So keeping that in mind, our experience, for the 2 of us, was that Saranda ran us the equivalent of about $1600 for a month. Berat was about $1300 for the month. Tirana would have been around $1800 for a month. Those numbers are based off 2 people and at the Air BnB rates we paid. So obviously would be a chunk cheaper with the local market. I'm also not sure about the retirement visa requirements, but you do get 365 days visa free as an American. 😁
@@SlowTravelNomads Thanks very much, I appreciate your input. How $1600, $1300 and $1800 Monthly expenses all inclusive. Housing, transportation, food and trips etc etc. Thanks 🙏 again
@@husseinabd6937 You are more than welcome. Albania was quite good to us and so I have no problem recommending it to anybody that's interested. If I had a pick, it would be Saranda for sure....lol
Hi good point of view of you guys it needs help as a country roads are 1940 ish accidents are big because of infrastructure not much has been done beside new asphalt it demands at least two way lines of roads this actually is a problem all over the world more cars demand more roads but Albania is still at one and it is a problem people are good but they are struggling wages are not capable with the expenses and that’s why so many people migrate and that is the biggest Albanian tragedy that politicians don’t care to fix it ? anyway good video peace?
Thank you for making this video for my country. I’m very happy that foreigners are finding their way there. I believe exposure will help my country grow…I pray for the people, for the government to become more fair and help our country. I hope that one day I can become of help. May God bless you both. Enjoy your travels!
Dogs you are right are ai big problem even for the locals begging for the Gipsy community is like a regular job there. They are a marginalized community with their style of living makes it very hard for them to find ample resources on daily base to sustain themselves.
@besnikmanushi9552 Thank you for watching our video and finding that we seem to have been fairly accurate. We are both animal lovers, so it was mostly a shock to the system to see so many that were hurt, in pain, malnourished, and emaciated. And thanks to the many good people, including yourself, that have come into the comments section and educated us on the Roma community, we have a better understanding of it now.
Saranda captivated me too the 1st time. I wish to retire there. I also live seafood nad no better place in Albania to enjoy seafood and fresh mussels than Sarande.
@I_am_who_I_am_who_I_am Oh you definitely don't have a seafood shortage in Saranda Albania for sure. It was just an absolute paradise for the 2 of us. Definitely wish we would have been there longer than one week.
@@SlowTravelNomads the panhandling is disguising for us too. It should be criminalized. I won’t dwell deep into that because it’s a long cultural debate. As for the stray dogs (animals in general), if you noticed, most of them have ear tags and enjoy good health. Municipalities take care of stray animals as much as possible, including civilians out of their own pockets.
@oblivionzzzmike As for the panhandling, we've been to a few more countries since our time in Albania, and have noticed it's a BIG problem almost everywhere. So it's definitely not just Albania. As for the 🐕, we noticed in Saranda and Tirana that almost every one was tagged. It was our month in Berat that we noticed most were not tagged. But we did notice plenty of good people taking the time to give them some food and water. Again, in the few places we've been to, since our time in Albania, we've noticed quite a few strays constantly running around. So, to be fair to Albania again, it's not just there.
@@SlowTravelNomads ofc, we’re not there yet for a lot of things. Including lack of proper infrastructure or a failing garbage disposal system, especially during high season. Which I’m sure you’ve noticed but were kind enough to not mention. Thank you again 🙏
@oblivionzzzmike I knew about the road infrastructure, but that didn't bother us too much. As for the waste, sure you'd get hit with it as you passed by, but that was it. The air quality was a bit rough in Berat and Tirana, but that's about it. Getting back to the waste issue, the video that I'm currently editing right now, that will be released in the next couple of days...THAT...has put any place I've been to on this planet to shame, when it comes to their waste system. With zero exaggeration, you could not step outside ANYWHERE in that city, and not get hit with a smell that could only be described as raw sewage invading your nostrils.
Driving in Europe is a lot better than in the UK. People don’t lane hog and move when needed. The begging has been going on with grandmas and grandchildren for centuries. Never noticed the smog? Good video
@RyanandSaz-TravelLife Thank You. We appreciate that. We have not been to the U.K. yet, so we'll have to remember that for when we go. Saranda had next to no smog or haze to it. But when we got to Berat in late May, it was super thick. Same with Tirana a month later. Still great places though.
@ELITETRADEr294 That is a good, and interesting question. My wife and I just spoke about it, and we remember seeing plenty of Asian people there. But we can't say whether or not it was a community or not. I'll have to research a bit and then get back to you on that.
I just checked around a few websites and articles, and I didn't really see where there were many Asian communities. But the good news regardless, is that Tirana is REALLY safe. There's next to no crime there. The data and statistics back that up. Also, I wouldn't sweat it about whether or not a certain ethnicity is prevalent or not. Not really a big deal either way.
@@SlowTravelNomads Much respect, Australia is out of control expensive and is finished for our son , He will just live a poor life here , and over work ,
@ELITETRADEr294 Oh, I'm well aware of how expensive Australia has become. I was just looking up Perth Australia last week because I was trying to get my wife and me out of the rain, heat, and humidity that I put us in 4 weeks ago, by having us come to Bangkok Thailand during the monsoon season. When I saw the minimum of what I would have to pay for accommodation and the cost of living, I let out a few expletives and said, "No Way." What about Indonesia for your son? That's relatively close to Australia, and the cost of living is 1000% better.
Thank you SO much. Albania is amazing, and we're happy that you found out the same. Best of luck to you as well with your endeavor. I wish we ALL could live this way.
@@RyanandSaz-TravelLife Thank you again. We were blown away by the sheer amount of monuments and statues in Skopje. Europe has been enjoyable for the past 3 months.
@malcolmnicoll1165 That seems to be a very true reality. The more popular an area becomes, is quickly followed up by ridiculous prices. Strangely enough, we are dealing with that exact problem right now in our brief current location.
Thank you for your feedback guys we are actually more interested to the cons side coz this is how it makes the government work more. Hope some of them watch this video! God bless you and enjoy your staying in Albania.
You are more than welcome. We loved our time in Albania 🇦🇱 and definitely wouldn't mind going back. We understand that the truth can bother some folks, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't speak the truth. We believe in always being honest about ALL aspects of the journey. Thank you so much for your support. We appreciate it.
@@SlowTravelNomads if the truth hurts somebody then let them be hurt cuz I’m Albanian myself and what you said is accurate and you were so soft coz there are way more other issues that need to be fixed also. When tourists talk about the downside it helps the government act a little bit faster. Stay blessed guys!
@fluturimkasmi3019 We appreciate you. Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where the truth is often sacrificed for the sake of someone's feelings. It's refreshing to hear you say that. Thank you.
@EaglesPerspective 😆 We are kicking ourselves for not taking more time in Albania. We wanted to visit Vlore, Shkoder, Durres, and a couple of other places. We'll have to rectify that at some point and come back through.
@@SlowTravelNomads I personally think you guys missed out with Vlore… and i dont say it because Im from here but if you thought sarande was breathing i got news for you pal 😄
@EaglesPerspective It was 💯 on my original list of places in Albania to explore. I truly feel that I jumped the gun too fast in moving us through Albania. We will definitely have to come back through there so o can see Vlore and a couple of the other cities I was looking at.
Very honest opinion and rates about my country,i love thanking you guys, and i will give you 98% of my points because always there is a tiny BUT!? 😂 Have a good day!
We're happy that you found our assessment accurate. We just keep it honest. That's all we can do, and will always do. Thanks again for appreciating the video.
As an albanian living in usa totally understand what you say, I feel sory about dhe culture that you were exposed to, and About tha air quality. There are better citys than tirana and berat like Gjitokaster or Korca, Permet
It's quite alright, nothing to feel bad about. Sure, the couple of negatives mentioned aren't great, but we really did enjoy our time in Albania. Whenever we get to go back, we were looking at Shkoder, Durres, Vlore, and Gjirokastër....oh, and definitely gonna squeeze Saranda back in there again.
@kredy163 Texas??...Really? Wow, just like us, you're a loonngg way from home. Well we hope that you are enjoying your time there. The heat is about the same, so there's that.😅
I've been thinking about going to Albania for several years now. I've heard the driving and public transportation is crazy lol This county is definitely on my list though. Great video guys! - Cheers!
You absolutely should go!! The driving is insane. It's like they all saw The Fast and the Furious as a Driver's Ed video. However, public transportation was just fine, and cheap. It cost 30 lek in Berat and then 40 lek in Tirana. Translates to 32-43 cents.....that's it. Or do what we mostly did and just walk. BONUS: You can get around the whole country by taking shuttle buses, and they too are dirt cheap. We spent like $30 total to get from Sarande to Berat. And then spent $just over $10 to get from Berat to Tirana.
Is not crazy man. Is our style of driving. Traffic lights are inexistent in most part of the country, except Tirana.. and we have to improvise sometimes!
@pokekid2014 I can definitely vouch for the no stoplights really, outside of Tirana. I remember one in the tourist zone of Berat, but that was it. Saranda didn't have them either from what I remember.
@trevorvardy9224 Yes, we were given some missing information about that. It was a very specific group that was doing it on repeat. After some people started pointing it out here in the comments section, my wife and I started recalling all the times it happened, and it tracked that it was a very specific group doing it on repeat.
Sure. But how about neither occurring? I'll take that. But I do have to say, since our time in Albania, every country we've been through all have a large population of stray dogs. So it's definitely not just Albania.
@torikeqi8710 Using Google translate: "You opened our stomachs with this inferiority complex of yours." Umm...ok. Not sure if something was lost in translation or what. Doesn't sound good though.
isnt sarande(is the albanian name)...is agioi saranta (40 saints) and is the place that exist- a how to say- a "civil" war bettween albanians policians/authorities and greeks minority for that area ...many places there had greeks owners and forced to sell and those that refused now have hard time...next time go to tirana to feel the safety...lol
