Saranda Albania: Pros AND Cons Revealed! What to EXPECT! 

Everything was spot on. About the aeroport there will be another one in Gjirokaster too. Not as big as Vlore and Rinas, which next year will have direct flights to Noth America. New York for sure but it is very likely to Toronto too. Gjirokaster currently has a fild for small private planes. I would send this video to Edi Rama, the Prime Minister. He is proactive with these things. Tourism industry is his priority.

Thanks for the insight. I have no idea how to send it to Edi Rama to see it. Not sure he would want to?!

@@georgiacampbell4399 what was the hot chips comment? I missed it.

you nailed it for the most part - loved the comments on the driving it is crazy, but more crazy are speed signs where the speed limit changes every 10 metres or so in places

@@jusuftheeagle6772 all the traffic related stuff in Albania is merely suggestions. From children hanging out of car windows with no seatbelts, to people riding scooters while smoking, using a cellphone and trying to deliver pizza. It's chaos!

@@FranHenderson-x4k 20 euro fare from ferry port at promenade to your place in kodrra? Absolute ripping of people off. That is not the local fare for a taxi ride in Saranda. Shame on them exploiting people.

Thanks! We know roughly where you are up that way, you probably shopped at the local planet market near us. Not sure if there was one further up your way. We were happy to be leaving when we did. You can see the influx, and the infrastructure does not exist to handle it. We were right next to the Dorchester hotel which was essentially vacant for 80% of our stay, but the few times they were open and had people it was noisy as can be. I can't imagine it with a full hotel and people out on their balconies, it would be hell. We've been a few times of the year, agreed on October.. we enjoyed our October stay last year. As you say, you have to look past the faults, and we have no problems with that - we are VERY easy going people and stuff that would bend others out of shape is like water off a ducks back to us. We would consider residency, we just need to understand that taxation consequences. There are virtually no tax treaties, and tax on worldwide income for residents in the range of 20%. I'm not paying double tax to live in a place where we are spending lots of money to be there into their local economy.

@JayandSarah Yes same Planet that we shop at. We are early retired just living off savings interest until our pensions ' finally ' kick in 🙄 so no tax for us. It was a no brainer for us really looking to get out of the UK in our 50s. Brexit shafted us everywhere else. We did live in Spain for 7 years a while back but too many hoops to jump through now after Brexit took away our European passport 😠 So here we are, lol 😆 and we love it. Our building is quiet only 20% occupied. Tourists here in July/August, but we are so far out of town that it's never crazy here.

Albania and UK have no tax treaty. My understanding is that investment income is taxed at 20%. What has your experience been on filing returns? There is no mention of tax relief if you have paid tax on those earnings overseas where you earned them. Every resident in Albania is subject to worldwide taxation according to their tax code which was just revised and in effect Jan 1 2024.

Absolutely! We love making videos of our lives wherever we travel. We are currently in Montenegro. Yes I found Patrick online as he was getting ready to retire and move to Albania and started following his journey as well. Thanks for watching and subscribing!

Glad you like them. Yes the bus will be perfect for you in town to do Butrint and Ksamil. I would say you should also maybe try a day trip to Gjirokaster, we did a video exactly on that day trip so you can see what it entails. Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching and commenting. We completely understand your sentiments. In our time in Albania we met many people, from tourists to longer term stay folks like ourselves. The responses are so varied, everyone has different perspectives on what makes a good place for them. We have had everything from "Love it, will be back", "Would love to live here", to "This is not a great place at all" and "I will not return to this country."

Thanks 🙏 for your feedback and experience. I’m a solo traveler 🧳 and I felt the agony of loneliness and lack of English there and I had to run out. Thanks 🙏.

A lack of English can be isolating for sure. In Saranda this is not really a problem, there are so many people there long term that are Americans. But yes, we understand. We are in Montenegro now and just last night was the first time we have had a reasonable English conversation for any period of time in a week... with 2 people from the UK. They said they too hadn't had anyone to speak English to in about a week.

In Albania, Credins Bank (one of the major ones) charges $0 for ATM transaction fees so the only thing you lose in the process is that banks always have unfair conversion rates. Most people carry US or EURO cash and then just convert it at local currency exchange shops. But I also know some people that were staying there long term would also just send themselves money via Western Union through their online banking. Anyway, Saranda is limited with credit card payment options, but I feel like once you know Tirana, you can navigate with using just your visa / mastercard if that's what you prefer. Almost all big supermarkets like Spar or Big Market take credit cards, as do most stores in malls and an increasing number of restaurants.

@@dxa17 Credits bank USED to be 0 for ATM charges. That was the situation on our first two visits. This is no longer the case, Credins charges just like all the other banks now. That has been since some time in 2023. The option always exists to withdraw in LEK and not allow the foreign bank to do any conversion. We use WISE cards, the only fee we pay to Albanian banks is their service charge in LEK, the rest is all handled by Wise wit full transparency on fee and exchange. This has been the best option we have found. We have a video coming up which breaks down how much we paid monthly in banking fees to live in Saranda. As you say, the big shops like supermarkets all take credit card so that is a non issue. Most restaurants that we would eat at are only cash so far in our times there. Hopefully this will increase, it is a major pain in Albania to have to use cash especially when it spits out 5000 LEK notes that many places do not want to accept and provide change.

Glad you found it helpful!!! You are welcome and thanks for watching.

Yeah for sure! There are some things that you just can't find, even in Albania as a matter... but you can accept this and work around it or find alternative things for what you require. Thanks for watching!

Yes this might be true, I don't think the controls are very strict - but getting banned for a while to return is not something we would want to do. Thanks for watching and commenting!!!!

Nice! We love it as well. Our 3 months there was great and we will go back in the future for sure for another 3 months.

Why do 🇬🇧 UKroids always announce they’re from UK. UKroids 😂

Thanks for watching and sharing! It's Nice to hear what others are up to!

The money is easy enough as long as you take note of the exchange rate then you can calculate what things are costing you in your native currency as a reference point. As for language, we have no problems doing daily life without local languages. Having said that, using google translate is a good source of help if you say... need something from a pharmacy and nobody speaks English. That said, it is very hard to go somewhere in the world and not find someone who speaks some English. The hardest part without language is a feeling of disconnection on what is going on around you. It can feel isolating, and as a single traveller it could be hard.. depends on the person. We have had periods of weeks where we haven't had anyone to speak any meaningful English with. It can be weird for sure. Don't let any of that stop you... give it a try. It's been the most valuable life experience to date for both of us.

Most people like Saranda. Of all the people I know who have gone to Vlore we’re glad they went but wouldn’t want to stay there long term.

I moved to Vlora from Saranda. It is more all year living and cheaper and better shopping.

@@jusuftheeagle6772 Thanks for that! Did you use an AirBnB or realtor to find a place? I've read that it's best to just get something for a few days and then find a realtor once you're there. Thanks again!

@@wildearthfarm4632 We purchased the first Vlora property we saw as it was all we could afford. Then started renovating it part time whenever we visit. Down near the Vlora port the Aulona Century 21 people were very good and not pushy. They are near the KFC. We own an apartment in Saranda but waited 10 years and no ownership certificate so it was cheaper to buy a second property than bribe an official (just kidding but some suggested it). Our extended stay is through property ownership and they started pushing back at renewal time because we did not have the legalisation documents for Saranda. The more we visit Vlora the more we like it and its all year round not just summer. It is also very big and beach scene very different to the old town. Once you know Saranda back to front it starts getting boring..

@@jusuftheeagle6772 for sure it will be less cost and more all year round. Depends what you are looking for. It doesn't have the same expat community as Saranda... not even close.

You make some very good points about additional cons. We could have listed another 10 pros and 10 cons I think. We have not spent much time in Vlore. Know many people who have. Some like it, most do not in comparison to the vibe in Saranda... but that also is not in peak season. Those who we know who live there year round really detest the peak of tourist season. Yes would be nice to meet! We have met several other RU-vid people which has been interesting, and we have had many people approach us in Saranda "Oh RU-vid!!" and "We see your videos and this is why we came here..." this sort of thing, it's been fun.

Banks 🏦 fees are the worst of them 😅.

Lots of people complain about the ATM fees of banks in Albania. We have not found them much different in other countries in the Balkans. Maybe slightly higher than many other major countries. After 3 months in Albania, the total cost of our ATM service charges was really inconsequential as relative to our total budget.

@@JayandSarah 🙏👌

Why can’t you drink the tap water? I have drunk it for three years now.

@@DavidJohnson-cv3uh nice!!👍

@@DavidJohnson-cv3uh have you visited yet?

@@JayandSarah I have not, can't afford it yet

It was lovely to meet you Henri! Maybe we will meet again! You never know, the world is small my friend.

@@JayandSarah It was lovely to meet you too! Tru, you never know!

Likewise and your lovely partner! We enjoyed out time in Saranda and miss so much about it. We will go back!

@@JayandSarah Maybe we will see there!

To me the only choice would be Tirana. Where are you coming from and what is the reason to move there? I think you children will be very isolated.

We are doing a cost of living in Albania video soon. Everything here is way cheaper than at home. In terms of healthcare, we use BCAA for now and will probably continue to do so. Beyond their limits, we will self insure. The North American perspective is that healthcare is some massive insurance requirement. We do not feel this way after doing visits for medical, dental and the like. Everyone's situation is different, but the fear over coverage is overblown.

Haha! Yeah it was really how I felt at the time for sure. I am glad I'm a Canadian, the passport is very strong.

Well exactly.. you can retire in Canada with a high cost of living and not very good weather, or you can go to Albania and have nice weather and lower costs... and quite frankly, a higher quality of life. Not a higher standard, but higher quality.

Perfect.Why stay in. Freezing cold country with high cost of living when u retire

Thanks Fred. This was the first video I shot in 4K, and I was also using my shotgun microphone which helps. There was lots of audio editing involved to match Sarahs volume to mine. I shot another video recently that is not published had some audio problems hopefully is fixed now. I don't like to film our walking vlogs in 4K for a few reasons. The video is too sharp, I prefer 1080p 30fps, it looks more natural... the other reasons are simple... 1) 4K heats up cameras big time especially in hot climates. 2) 4K drains battery like mad and I use normally 2 batteries in a long form 1080p shot.. and 3) Uploading 4K to RU-vid without wicked fast internet is crazy. That video took 8 hours to upload.

@@robertosborne7542 no regulation, corruption, and no architecture rules. We love Saranda for the people but it looks horrible.

If you go looking for Indian, Chinese, Sushi, Vietnamese in Tirana, there is very little. It's based on what the locals eat, nobody there want's to eat that stuff... at least, not yet. It will take a long time. Nobody is immigrating to Albania and bringing their cuisine with them to setup shop.

@@JayandSarah Chinese garden, Mimi's, Kung Foo noodle bar, are good but Sushi Co also good however a little pricey. Spices of Malaysia opened recently.

Balkan food is a mirror of the region-very conservative,take the ever present burek,no one ever seems to try a different recipe just the same wherever you are.

@@robertosborne7542 after 6 months here I can say the food is terrible.

@@robertosborne7542 not all burek are the same once you become fussy :-) we have our favourite borek places 🙂

We take out 50,000 lek at a time. Taking 4000 at a time would mean 12 atm fees to get the same amount of cash. Makes no sense, you service charge at the Albanian atm is the same for 4000 as for the max. Why pay 600 lek to take our 4000 lek? That’s 15% right there.

@@JayandSarah I take out 60,000 from my overseas account (in your case canadian). I choose do not convert to my local dollars as it ends up costing more in fees altogether. My Oz bank waives international fees. But you open a local albanian bank account and use their ATMs and not incur any fees for 4000 or 9000 lek as an example. Raiffeisein as an example has lots of ATM locations. Thanks for your videos

@@wanderingaussies8172 Most welcome, thanks for the input and feedback! We will keep bringing videos!

Thanks for watching!

In some instances perhaps, but I would not rely on using euros to pay for stuff. We have done all sorts of business in Saranda and everyone is paying in LEK. In tourist season in tourist places of course you probably can, but be prepared to not get the best rate. Just get LEK, that is the local currency, not the EURO.

Yes you can use Euros, now the exchange rate is more easy,bcs Euro is devaluated and is smth like 1€=100 Lek.

Thankyou

@@klodicaci4661 the central bank of Albania does a good job every year of manipulating the value of the LEK in the summer season it seems. It’s like clockwork. They take in lots of euros at discounted conversion rates.

@@JayandSarah no actually they are trying to keep Euro high, bcs its bad for exports, but we are a free market, they can buy time after time some Euro in order to not let it devaluate too much, but thats all they can do with the regulation in place. They don't want to keep it (€) too artificially high

Not for free they won't.

Glad you enjoyed watching! Thanks!

It's not for everybody that is for sure... but there is no denying it's increasing popularity as a place to visit, and it will only improve - over a long period of time. You must consider where this country has come from to appreciate where it is at today. It is a fun place to be, because of its flaws. We don't enjoy polished predictable places. And our expectations are aligned with the cost of living. It would not be worth being there if the prices were three times what they are today.

@@JayandSarahPeople moving around even to Russia,Bulgaria,Portugal and Greece

@@Fegga1955 there's always places to move and different ways to get and stay there. I wouldn't put Russia on the list of places to move to.

Exactly. What food there is, is okay... but it's limited. To an Albanian who's never been outside of the country in their life, they would be very shocked at what other food exists. They say that the Albanian beef is so good. Uhm... no, it's not good by comparison to beef around the world. And yes, the architecture is brutal. The remnants of communism, what can you do... but new construction? Nasty. What is being built in Saranda is so unfortunate... it is a lovely city, but if you arrive there on a cruise ship, that has to be one of the ugliest ports of call around.

@@JayandSarah😢😢😢

Thanks for watching!

Karin karin

Once the borders on the country were set those are now the final borders. Albanian borders were reinforced by one of our presidents. Albania is a member of nato in case the Greeks want to dispute this. Saranda and gyrocaster are Albanian even if one hundred percent of the natives are Greek. We have towns in America that are 90 percent Palestinian where a mosque sound out the call to prayer five times a day. But they are American towns and the Palestinians therein are American citizens

Glad we can help paint a picture! More travels coming, we have lots in the future for sure!

Thanks for your kind words! We were just talking the other day about a cost of living video for there, and that is something we will do in the next short while. We will continue to do these for all the places we stay. For the Airbnb link I will have to look and see what I can find. I would not promote it on YT, but if you go to our main YT page in our details you will see another social media option, you can use messege on there to reach us and I will give you the Airbnb link.

Also thank you so much about your comment on our channel. Can you articulate for me what you think stands it apart? I know we do daily life stuff, which not everyone really does... is it that? Is it the boots on the ground info in the videos? We want to make sure we deliver something that is different, so knowing what you see will help me focus on what that is.

@@JayandSarah Most channels focus on highlighting the positive attributes of the place, such as places of interest, food options, etc. That is, how much they are enjoying themselves there. But that is not real life …. I have watched a few of your videos, including your March video in Saranda and your 1st day in Bijela. Watching these videos, you are like my “front” scout out there doing a recce of the unfamiliar terrain 🙂. Pros and cons videos and Cost of Living videos will further complete the picture :) Thanks again ! Hope this helps

This affirms what we are doing, boots on the ground real life. Thank you so much. Yes, tourism videos are not real life... everyone talks about how great stuff is but it's not authentic. Ours is authentic life.