Albania (Shqipëria) is a country I’ve visited once in 2015 for about three weeks. I think it’s a very neat country. As I expected it to be like Kosovo – not a travel highlight for me – everything came as a nice surprise. Hitchhiking was easy, the people were super friendly, the weather really nice in June, and the types of travelers that came there were not obnoxious. The café culture was incredibly cool and a nice mix between east and west, since you could choose between Turkish coffee and Italian espresso.
I’ve been wanting to return to Albania for a long time. And Jonas also thinks it’s time to go there because I’ve been talking about the place for so long.
Things I’d Like to Do Next Time in Albania
- Hitchhike with more locals. I’d love to see if the makeup of vehicles has changed a lot since back then there were a lot of old Mercedeses that would operate as unofficial taxis. That’s why I never put my thumb/sign up for Mercedeses in Albania after day one
- Revisit the capital Tirana/Tiranë and explore a little deeper. I think it’s also not a bad place to be a digital nomad for a couple of weeks
- Finally, visit the mountains! The Valbona Valley was already highly recommended by fellow hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Though I traveled the country up and down, I never ended up in those mountain villages and trails
- I read something about Sazan Island opening to the public. Not sure if that’s true, but I’d love to go there and also hike the Karaburun Peninsula just across it
- Learn some more Albanian. I already learned Eek! (go away!) back in Kosovo. Then in 2015 in Albanian I learned to rock my Faleminderit (thank you) and some more of the ‘8 essential words’. But I think I can handle more than that now
- Visit the Cape of Rodon Peninsula, Kelmend/Vermosh, Velipojë, Pustec and Devoll at Lake Prespa,
- Perhaps even hike up Mount Korab (2764masl), the highest point in Albania
If you know cool places and things to do in Albania or if you are Albanian, comment at the bottom of this page so I can always find your suggestions again once I start plotting my return!
So you are a travel blogger and do you have good posts about Albania. Then drop them in a comment below and I’ll read them!
Experiences of 2015, #1: Albania! All of it!
It’s almost the end of the year according to the calendar I grew up with. And all the bloggers seem to be doing it. So here’s a recap of my year in hitchhiking, adoring nature, and meeting people! 2015 was not the most exciting year I’ve had in travel; there were a few sad things going on personally. I stayed in Europe mostly as I was trying to hitchhike to all the missing countries I haven’t been to. But suddenly a happy change happened; now I’m in South America continuing the adventures in hitchhiking! There were so many opportunities justContinue reading
Election Day in Albania—I’m Hitchhiking to Greece
Election day has arrived in Albania! An excellent day to leave this beautiful country I’ve fallen in love with. Why? Because many Albanian citizens take a drive from where they work in Greece – and other countries – to do this democracy thing. After casting their vote, they drive back across the border with a free seat for me. This marking on the finger in the picture is to avoid people from voting twice (or more). I know what you’re thinking: pretty easy to scrub off. But none of the people in my car has simply wiped it off yet. I’mContinue reading
Hitchhiker’s Picnic in Tiranë, Albania
Finally, I met up with this French guy who is also a hitchhiker! His name is Yohan and he runs the French blog Les Voyages de Yohan (it’s in French). We’ve been talking for weeks, trying to meet up but it happened eventually in Tiranë! He was with his friends from France and Germany. We just had a little picnic in the park near Tiranë’s pyramid, chatting and chilling in with a cute puppy. The guy who took this picture told us he managed to quit smoking by joining the Church of Latter-Day Saints. When saying goodbye to my newContinue reading
Horse with a Backpack in Gjirokastër, Albania
Would you look at this Albanian horsie! Is it a horse? Or is it a mule? Alas, I have no clue. There were many of them in Gjirokastër and many of them carried a backpack of sorts. This made me think that we have a lot in common. I know, it’s not a whole lot to go on. But I wanted to share this picture with y’all nonetheless. Seeing a horse just parked outside a building makes me think this town is a bit like a western movie. I refrained from asking for directions to the saloon. Perhaps one dayContinue reading
Sarandë to Vlorë: Albanian Coastal Hitch
Goodbye Sarandë and hello Vlorë! Though this road was desolate and there was only a little bit of shade left to stand in at noon, I caught a direct ride with a truck driver from Berat on this amazing coastal route. Tea and Tears But before I caught a ride to Vlorë, I had to walk along this road in the sunshine. It was quite a long walk. With the heat getting to my brain, I made a stop at a building on the south-west side of the road that I hoped would be a shop of some kind. IContinue reading
Three Hitchhikers: Autostop à Trois in Albania
Three hitchhikers, one car? Why not?! Meet this lady from Oxford in the United Kingdom. She decided on a whim to go hitchhiking with us from Gjirokastra to Sarandë one hot afternoon. Now I know you have questions. Did it work with three people? Sort of… we decided to split up. Dongbum would hitchhike alone and Trudy hitchhiked with me. We let Dongbum catch a ride first. Then we caught a ride, but our car had enough space. And when we saw a familiar face standing next to the road, we urged our drivers to pick up one more hitchhiker!Continue reading
Freecamping a Hotel Garden in Gjirokastër, Albania
Good morning from Gjirokastër! Me and Dongbum went freecamping next to two hotels with permission from both owners. That’s very kind of them! And honestly, it’s one of the better places to pitch a tent; the grass is well-kept and it’s nice and quiet most of the time. The hospitality and flexibility of Albanians to make us feel welcome has been astounding. I had a pretty comfy night in my tent. The air is nice and dry and it doesn’t get very cold at night. Though I still don’t experience ‘peak’ camping comfort as I don’t have a camping mattress,Continue reading
Korçë Southward: Hitchhiking a Desolate Road in Albania
Don’t mind me while I’m just writing a hitchhiking sign in the middle of nowhere in Albania! In this picture, Dongbum and I are on our way southward from Korçë to Leshkovik after meeting for the second time in Pogradec. Korçë is a town, but also an Albanian beer brand. Dongbum took this photo of me with his good camera and shared it with me today. It’s a pretty sweet photo in my opinion. None of the photos I take myself are this candid. At first, I couldn’t remember exactly where he took this photo. Then I did some digging toContinue reading
Benjë Hot Springs nearby Përmet, Albania (During a Storm)
Yesterday, Dongbum and I hitchhiked to the hot springs of Benjë (Llixhat e Bënjës). These are not far from Përmet and have been on my wishlist for Albania from day one. It’s past this amazingly cool Ottoman (?) bridge that’s in the same style as the one in Mostar, minus the crowds. But those clouds in the distance should have been a warning. We went for a much-needed warm soak in the hot spring and all was fun until the rain started. The benign rain quickly turned into heavy rain and subsequently into hail chunks from the sky that grewContinue reading
Mosque-Surfing: Sleeping at an Albanian Mosque in Leshovik
Yes, we woke up in an Albanian mosque today in Leskovik. And yes we slept in the same room even though we’re not married (and not planning to, for those who care). The Imam and some other congregants offered it to us like that. Last night, we were planning to go freecamping – like I’ve done before in Albania –in Leshovik until the torrential rain washed everything away. A little wet and a little chaotic, Dongbum and I walked through Leshovik at night looking for an alternative stay. When we came across the mosque, we thought why not? So weContinue reading