Saranda Albania: 🇦🇱 Pros vs. Cons for Slow Travelers Living Abroad

Wandering Hartz | Abundant Living Full Time Travel

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Pros and Cons of Living in Saranda Albania as Digital Nomads
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In this video, we delve into our 24 Pros and Cons of living in Saranda, Albania as Digital Nomads, Expats or as slow travelers. These are our opinions based on our experience slow traveling in Saranda as Americans.
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Chapters:
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0:00 Intro
0:25 Slow Travel in Europe
1:28 Pros and Cons
2:07 Cost of Living
2:28 Food & Groceries
2:43 Accommodations
3:04 Dining out
3:28 Climate
3:38 Scenic Beauty
3:52 Expat Community
4:05 Mediterranean Lifestyle
4:23 Recreation
4:43 Beach
4:48 Historical Sites
5:18 Safety
5:28 Airport Access
6:15 Public Transportation
6:39 Construction
7:08 Touristy
7:23 Beggars
7:48 Driving
8:16 LGBTQ
8:32 Handicap Accessibility
8:53 Litter
9:12 Language
9:39 Cash Based
9:57 Building Codes
11:12 Conclusion
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#albania #prosandcons #saranda

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9 авг 2024

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Комментарии : 73

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

🟪 Don't worry about taking notes, you can read the article here 👉: wanderinghartz.com/travel/pros-and-cons-living-in-saranda-albania/ 🟧 Guides and Travel articles: wanderinghartz.com 🟥 Videos: Cost of Living Saranda as digital Nomads ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-fU6XGvo2ipg.html Slow Travel and Digital Nomad Life ru-vid.com/group/PLRQeRgAkY6bXF6zQJnfCtA_Ui16mFwfqC 📰 Subscribe to Our Newsletter: swiy.co/WanderingNewsletter

@STUDERRG Месяц назад

I have been living a month in Ksamil, which is right next to Saranda. Since I have a car, I did visit Saranda a few times. I do agree with most of your plus and minus points. For me being Swiss, I can only stay 3 months in Albania. This does change the optics of the apartment costs. In Ksamil I paid EUR 20.- per night for 30 days. Now in Progadec I pay EUR 25.- for 41 nights. All this changes, when you can rent for 6, 9 or 12 months. One more thing: I myself am a pretty good cook. On the other hand I do love dining out. Now the restaurants and indeed the entire hospitality industry as a whole in Albania is in it's infancy stage. Nowadays I cook in my apartment and go out for a drink. - The issue with the construction and the noise immissions is unfortunately all over the country. I had it in Ksamil and now I have it in Progadec. One almost can't escape it. I do agree that Albanians for the most part are kind and friendly people. Yet, for me it's also clear that the complete isolation this country has been in up until the 90-ties, the mindset and the personal development is unfortunately way behind the ateball. Most Albanians have no awareness of the value of travelling and speaking languages. So they do have ways to go, I am afraid to say.

@TheWanderingHartz Месяц назад

We found construction in Tirana as well. However we found a lot of people speaking at least some english and even Italian in Saranda and more english in younger Tirinana. We were told by locals that english is being taught in schools there as mandatory. Overall, Albania defiantly wants to "catch-up" especially in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

@STUDERRG Месяц назад

The younger generation oftentimes speaks english. But as mentioned before, the hospitality industry is an industry like any other one and does require it's skills and standards if one wants to make serious money with it. Albania has a long way to go. Re taxis: I was personally ripped off and got the confirmation from Albanians that their taxi drivers pose a problem.@@TheWanderingHartz

@TheWanderingHartz Месяц назад

A work in progress, nonetheless we still enjoy Albania and look forward to see their progress 😎

@ag5688 6 месяцев назад

Very accurate, the Albanian government need to listen to this and make improvements

@taraann-ms1oi 2 часа назад

Thank you.

@msjannd4 2 месяца назад

I lived in Saranda for two months last year. More cons for me than pros; cons that I could not live with. (1) Can't flush toilet paper; this completely grossed me out. (2) Terrible, noisy, erratic drivers and traffic even during March and April, when I was there. (3) Wild dogs roamed the street at night, waking me up. I thought I was in a remake of Cujo. (4) The Call to Prayer 5 times a day. This seemed exotic at first, but I grew tired of it. (5) Gypsies. Really bad. One family's daughter sat outside my grocery store on a piece of cardboard, begging, often. I gave her food, but never money. Her mother would sit herself down on the main promenade along with an infant and another child, begging. It was horrible seeing another gypsy family member smacking a little boy in the face when he started to growl; literally growl. I think this child had been so abused he was acting like an animal; and this was in a cafe that is very close to where the busses drop you off when you arrive in town. Seeing children being forced to dumpster dive. Awful; I witnessed this a lot in Sarajevo, BiH, too. (6) The infrastructure is horrible. Example: sidewalks just . . . end. (7) There isn't much to do except look at the sea and drink, which isn't my thing. I did go on day trips to Gjirokaster and Blue Eye, etc. Butrint National Park is also close by. (8) I found groceries to be more expensive than eating out for some odd reason. PROS: I met some really nice people, Albanians, who I still stay in touch with. I like the proximity to Corfu, which is a Godsend compared to Saranda. Very economical rent during the off-season. I found a great pharmacist! I did need to see a dermatologist once, but there are no dermatologists in Saranda; you have to go to Tirana, five hours away by bus. And that is all.

@TheWanderingHartz 2 месяца назад

You raise some good ones, we have been here twice now and have to say points 3 & 5 have not been as disturbing this last time around. I would say the party boats music was the worst. Calls to prayer don't bother us. Music blasting at 1 am is no fun!

@fr0103 Месяц назад

The cons were exactly the experiences I had when living and traveling in East Bloc, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova and Romania. I found that having a positive attitude was the best medicine. The pros: a very helpful and insightful review by Hartz. Learning now about Albania tax law requirements if / when applying for residency. Very reasonable overall compared to any other NATO or non-NATO country. Go local for real estate ASAP is always a good rule of thumb. One suggestion is you might consider as a courtesy, is to breakdown and provide a total for monthly alcohol consumption. In that way, those who don't drink can deduct the difference from your aggregate monthly total. Thank You Hartz for the post, invaluable info!

@TheWanderingHartz Месяц назад

Thanks for your your suggestions. Not sure we will be breaking down the alcohol out of dinning and groceries for public videos. Maybe we can do that for our Nomadic Abundance project, our full unabridged budget for two people. It comes down to time vs. earnings. This is our business and those videos dont make enough ad revenue for us at the moment it. Instead we plan to just give price examples and estimates going forward on public videos. That way people can do some simple maths to estimate their personal costs.

@mendjelire8392 6 месяцев назад

Very thorough and true evaluation of Saranda. Just want to let you know that soon there will be a new airport in Gjirokaster, so I hope it will be tempting for you to try Saranda again in a few years. Vlora airport is about to finish and it will start intercontinental flights in 2025. First in line will be with New York and Toronto/Montreal. Also a tunnel through Llogara Pass opens this summer, which will result in shortening the drive from Vlora by 45 minutes. Regarding the fire alarms, that is really a non issue as all buildings in Albania are made of concrete or stones, no dry wall or wood, and even if something catches fire the walls are not flammable. Historically there are very few fire deaths in Albania, mainly due to gas tanks a few use for heat as mostly they use electricity, that is why they don't bother with the alarms but for your peace of mind, like you said, by all means bring one with you. The trash situation used to be much worst but they are working really hard to solve it.

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for the thoughtful and informative comment! We had a fire situation last year (it was a neighboring apartment in a different country) that startled us and so we are extra vigilant now. We are excited about the new airports and the completion of the new tunnel(s). We look forward to returning to Albania (hopefully soon). Cheers, Joel & Michelle

@invader7191 6 месяцев назад

Great informative video, I’m Albanian and I agree with all the Pros and Cons you mentioned. I will only add that they are building a new big airport in Vlore which is pretty close to Saranda and a new tunnel connecting Vlore to Dhermi which shortens the drive to Saranda by nearly an hour.

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

Glad you liked the video! We didn't include the airport at Vlore since we were not certain when it would actually be finished. Great point about the new tunnel! Thanks for your helpful comment! Joel & Michelle

@telluwide5553 26 дней назад

As a fellow American, I, too, have lived in Saranda. I choose to stay there in the off-season and leave for 3-4 months when tourist season picks up. Unfortunately, tourist season started earlier this year, when compared to last year. Although not as many tourists so far when compared to last year from what I've heard since I left a month ago, time will tell. I'll be returning in October for another off-season. You pretty much hit all the pros and cons. I'll add two more cons. 1. The indoor smoking 2. The beachchair and umbrella mafia, which take up most of what's left of the small beachfonts that haven't been taken over by the hotels, cafes, bars, and restaurants. Then charge 10-15 Euros. Good luck finding a square space for your beach towel.... Good video review. 😊 Thank you 👍

@TheWanderingHartz 26 дней назад

We noticed the earlier start to the season this year as well 🙄 Good additional points! We will have to do an updated version or just a cons, because I've a much longer list after this year Appreciate your comment!

@telluwide5553 26 дней назад

@TheWanderingHartz "because I've a much longer list after this year.." lol! Love it! I said the same exact thing after my second, but, full off-season....Funny how those cons seem to acrue over time... Still, life is all about trade-offs. isn’t it? Besides, if the cons were so bad, I wouldn't be returning myself, although I have to admit, part of my pet peeve on Saranda is that it feels so isolated in the off-season, I do get island fever staying there for a long period of time... But it's not easy to pop in and out in the off-season since there is just one ferry a day each way... But it's important that people know both sides instead of the usual new undiscovered nomad paradise videos complete with meal photos and cheesy drone footage...

@TheWanderingHartz 26 дней назад

For sure! We keep going back as well. There are lots of places we like that others don't. It also changes as we travel more and just have more experiences, our needs change. Our goals is to give a more rounded idea of what is like to stay for weeks or months for fellow slow and full-time travelers.

@user-zf9no7ft6x 3 месяца назад

great video, complete and comprehensive info for Seranda

@TheWanderingHartz 3 месяца назад

Thank you and thank you for watching!

@annavsmith1 Месяц назад

It's "Saranta" from Greek andd the GR Orthodox Indigenous Ethnic group that lives in what is today's Albania, and it means 40! :: could "40" mean 40hills?

@annavsmith1 Месяц назад

Argyrokastro, too is Greek, meaning SilverCastle...

@MKRossiter1968 2 месяца назад

I am loving your videos. Just found you after your interview with Warren and Julie. We are not retired yet but want to spend a month in Sarande. You are making e-books (your project) can you provide a map with bad/good/better/best locations in the town to rent? Or potentially where you would rent for convenience of shopping/restaurants, etc.? Appreciate your videos. Keep up the good work.

@TheWanderingHartz 2 месяца назад

You must be reading our minds! We are working on ebooks that answer those very questions! Glad to have you onboard and thanks for subscribing!

@bartstewart8644 4 месяца назад

I was a little confused when you mentioned that the rents go up (up,up) in tourist season. Would a retiree be able to rent an apartment long term, like for life, without having their rent shoot up during the summer? Is it only tourist towns like Saranda that has this situation? I hear that Portugal is the same, and is no longer an affordable place to retire.

@TheWanderingHartz 4 месяца назад

Hi Bart, short term rents go up in tourist season but you can find long term lets for very reasonable pricing that won't vary in price if your staying for a year or more. Those long term prices are lower than the short term rents. As for this being common through Albania... From what we have seen it is common in Albania just like most tourist towns worldwide. I keep hearing about Portugal getting expensive but "expensive" is of course relative. Our time in portugal's Algarve region was still far less than what you would find in an equivalent place in the U.S. You can check out our two cost of living videos for Portugal if you like. Those were short stays of a month each in the off season of Jan-Mar. Thanks for your comment, it really helps out our channel. 😃

@livingworkingoutsidebox 5 месяцев назад

Binge watching your podcast playlist. Your pros and cons came across well balanced. Where you able to branch out and find some perhaps smaller beach/ fishing villages one could stay to avoid that tourist congestion? 🤔🌞👍

@TheWanderingHartz 5 месяцев назад

Thank you! We really try to be as objective as we can with our Pros and Cons videos. As for the smaller villages, in Albania, we have visited Ksamil (near Sarada) and Gyrocaster. We are hoping to visit a few more this spring when we head back to Saranda (spoiler).

@livingworkingoutsidebox 5 месяцев назад

@@TheWanderingHartz 👍😉🌞

@mkoschara 4 месяца назад

I am really enjoying your videos. My wife and I moved to Costa Rica and a few of the cons you listed are what we're experiencing here (The driving here is TERRIBLE).

@TheWanderingHartz 4 месяца назад

Thanks, we thought the driving was bad in Nashville until we went to Balkans. 😳 sounds like it may be a more common theme worldwide.

@lankstephens6374 2 месяца назад

Thanks for the info. Does Saranda have ridesharing (Bolt/Yandex/Grab, etc), and if so what is the cost of trips from AirBnb to restaurants/grocery? If no, how much is a conventional taxi going across town?

@TheWanderingHartz 2 месяца назад

Sort of... there is an app called Clust but I haven't got it to work just yet. Otherwise it is 99% taxi. Across town it can vary between 500 -1500 lek. You have negotiate them down often especially as it gets closer to tourist season in the summer. From the port to 5th road you can expect 1000 lek ($10).

@STUDERRG Месяц назад

There are buses, as mentioned and taxis. Now taking a taxi is a highly explosive endeavour. Most of them do not use a taxi meter, which makes you pay a multiple of the actual price owed. So before entering the vehicle, you absolutely must negotiate the price, better yet insist, that the taxi meter is being used. However there will be little chance, they will use one, so just keep negotiating. - I would rather rent a car or a motorbike. These taxidrivers are just crooks. But Albania is not the only place one has issues with them...

@TheWanderingHartz Месяц назад

@@STUDERRG Taxi's are super hit and miss in Saranda. We didn't experience this in Tirania. In Tirania there are several apps that work like an uber and we got a ride from center of town to east bus station for $11.

@FindingFinley 6 месяцев назад

Hi guys, I've been following for a long time. I am almost ready to move to Europe. I'm planning to pick a location and buy a home to use as a base to return to after traveling. If you had to pick a country to buy a house and get a long term vias, which country would you choose at this time? Also, Bulgaria is at the top of my list but I haven't heard anything good about the medical system there. Thanks

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

Hi @hellbind47, That is a great question! We would like to eventually do the same. Hmm... as of right now Portugal would be at the top of our list if we got a long term visa. Bulgaria is also high on our list as well. As for the medical system in Bulgaria.... we are not versed in the ins and outs and have not had to use it ourselves (knock on wood). A lot of the expats we have met in Bulgaria rely on private doctors instead of the Bulgarian Healthcare system. Our understanding its that is affordable as compared to the U.S.. We are excited for you on your move. How's your preparation for your move been going? Any sticking points?

@FindingFinley 6 месяцев назад

@@TheWanderingHartz Sticking points: Three cats and a budget of $2200 per month!

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

Ahh, totally understand about the cats. $2200/mo has been doable for us as a couple. Of course it all depends on lifestyle and other obligations. We sold everything (except our car) so we dont have many outside expenses beyond our travel costs and business expenses (costs to create and run this channel and our website, etc.). We travel slowly which saves us money on accommodations and flights, etc.

@roundtheworlddiva8610 6 месяцев назад

It is my understanding that Bulgaria and Romania are joining the Schengen visa effective 3/31/24. Can you confirm?? Thanks

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

@@roundtheworlddiva8610 yes this is correct, it goes into effect for air and sea travel.

@teresa606606 13 дней назад

I’m leaving Florida on Aug 6, 2024 what preparation do I need to do? Are there any certain apps that I need to download? Is iPhone or Galaxy better? I have one of each and T-Mobile. I am going to get a SIM card in Albania for one phone and the other use for stateside. I’m coming there for a couple of weeks to prepare to move there for 6-8 months. Thank you for any heads up.

@TheWanderingHartz 12 дней назад

Wow, that is very soon! Depending on where your going there are some taxi apps MerrTaxi or Speed Taxi (Tirana). Check out our video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wBo65HQEFb8.html Ultimate Guide: 23 vital steps for preparing to travel abroad. It should help, also we have other videos too. If you have a T-mobile Magenta plan you get 5G high speed internet and can use wifi calling to the states. Local calls will need a local number (sim) or though an app like google voice or skype for a per min fee (set up prior to leaving U.S. and add a few bucks to the account). Hope that helps 😎

@teresa606606 6 дней назад

Yes I have magenta military plan. Thank you! 😊

@Node256 3 месяца назад

Is it difficult to find organic produce and grass fed beef?

@TheWanderingHartz 3 месяца назад

Great question... What we have been told and even seen is that a lot of fruit and veggies are local sourced and farmed without pesticides. As for the beef... we would have to ask the local butcher, but beef is not as widely available, at least in Saranda.

@rudolfohisena5701 4 месяца назад

Very fair, accurate presentation.

@TheWanderingHartz 4 месяца назад

Thanks 😊

@robertscheinost179 3 месяца назад

I can see myself renting out my house in Connecticut for a year and renting in Albania, probably Durres. My dog came from Germany as an 8 week old puppy 8 years ago and I never abandon pets (and look down on people that do) so he would have to come wherever I go. He has his own EU passport. Jumping through the usual hoops, do you see any problems with animals traveling to Albania? Also, what is the "street dog" situation in Albania? Thanks!

@TheWanderingHartz 3 месяца назад

I don't remember how easy it is to bring a pets to Albania. I dont believe it is very difficult. We did an interview with a couple who brought their two dogs from the states to Albania but i haven't edited the episode yet. My memory is a bit fuzzy. I plan on editing that episode in the next few weeks. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. - Joel

@sherrielynnmalcolm4722 8 дней назад

@TheWanderingHartz I am also interested in the Pet information. If you make a video, or have one can You supply the link.

@andreaskaphengst8121 День назад

Cash is king in my opinion is a plus!

@maureenmitchell3297 4 месяца назад

Another con is the inability to safely drink the tap water.

@TheWanderingHartz 4 месяца назад

Ahh yes! That's a great suggestion!

@avnirustemi1948 4 месяца назад

Albania has the cleanest tap water ! All the water in all the cities other than Tirana comes from springs and is fresh . No other countries have spring water coming to the house faucets

@TheWanderingHartz 4 месяца назад

@@avnirustemi1948 The water may come from springs but this is not necessarily true for Saranda due to the old pipes and infrastructure. The locals told us to use bottled water here as they do.

@user-irj1nxa3cof2z 3 месяца назад

That’s not a problem at all guys. 1.5L of water is less than 1$

@TheWanderingHartz 2 месяца назад

Actually you can get 7L water for $1.35. We go through about 4 a week. Michelle is a self proclaimed camel 😉

@florss777 6 месяцев назад

They have changed the Visa term for American to only 3 months!! Please update your information! This changed did happen over a year ago!!

@TheWanderingHartz 6 месяцев назад

Our info is Accurate. That was returned back to the 1 year shortly after it was announced. 1 year on arrival after which you much leave for 90 days before you can return without a residency permit. Here is the link to the Albanian Embassy. al.usembassy.gov/entering-and-residing/

@livingworkingoutsidebox 5 месяцев назад

@@TheWanderingHartz Thanks for clarification and providing the link.😊

@JayandSarah 3 месяца назад

No they have not changed the Visa term for Americans.

@DavidFletcher566 29 дней назад

Thanks for the informative video. Suggestion: place your cue cards right next to the camera so that your eyes stay close to looking at the camera. It's distracting to watch a presentation where the presenter's eyes are looking away from you. It's also better to have an outline of your topics and then speak naturally on them from your mind, as opposed to reading text verbatim to your audience. Cheers and good luck to you.

@TheWanderingHartz 28 дней назад

Thanks for your comment and for watching the video! 😊 We use notes to stay organized and ensure we cover all key points. Eye contact is important, and we'll keep working on balancing structure with a natural delivery. Appreciate your input!