My Unforgettable Late Summer In Albania – September 2024
Reflecting on the three weeks I spent exploring the Albanian Riviera, it’s easy to get carried away sorting the details of what the country has to offer. What is the cost to travel Albania? (Low). How is the food in Albania? (Delicious). Where are the best beaches and how do they compare to their Greek neighbors?
The above questions are definitely important when planning an adventure or reflecting on a previous experience – But am I wrong in saying that nothing is more important than the way you felt embarking on daily activities, such as stopping by a local cafe? Walking the beach? Shopping at the neighborhood market?
Did you feel welcomed? Would you be happy to end up in the same place again someday?
When I reflect on my experience in Albania, these feelings are what come to mind. While being surrounded by a large body of water certainly plays a role in my emotions, the way Albania made me feel was a result of more than just the crystal clear sea. What’s special about Albania is the people.
Albanians truly want you to explore their country, and they want you to have the best experience possible! I noticed this pattern even prior to entering Albania. As I was scouring every blog and social media post I could find describing how I might spend my 3 weeks of travel, I noticed something – The comment sections were full of Albanians bursting with excitement to talk about how great their home is. Dare to talk smack about their beloved country? They will doubt you spent enough time to know better.
The Airbnb hosts were no different. From welcoming me in late at night to checking in every couple days, I felt right at home each and every place I stayed in Albania. In addition, many of these places offered in-house experiences like cooking classes, haircuts, and affordable taxi rides. While I only stayed in 3 towns at 3 Airbnbs, I get the feeling this was not out of the ordinary for Albanians. I’ll link the places I stayed below in case you decide to plan a trip:
Durres, Albania: Airbnb Listing
Vlore, Albania: Airbnb Listing
Saranda, Albania: Airbnb Listing
Another reason Albania is special?
The majority of the country is living in a time many of us reminisce often – A time before scrolling on social media become an everyday activity, before kindness became a business strategy, even before we used google maps to locate the highest rated restaurant in town. In fact, this would not be possible, as most restaurants in Albania are not on google maps! Of course, there are certainly other places in the world where this is lifestyle is common. However, in my experience, this way of life is becoming harder and harder to come by.
Speaking of kindness, I’ll close this snippet of my experience in Albania with a story. I believe this story illustrates the culture of Albanian travel! This is the story of how I made it from Durres to Vlore.
Durres to Vlore: An Almost Nightmare
Something you’ll see often on Albanian travel blogs is to beware of the bus schedule, which is poorly organized and changes often. Think you’ve found just the right transportation route towards your next destination? And the blog post was updated only 2 weeks ago?! Don’t get too comfortable, things change quickly in Albania.
That being said, I spoke with my Airbnb host the day before leaving Durres regarding which bus I should take to my next destination. He was incredibly kind, told me exactly where to go with great detail, and even explained the bus schedule I would see there and how it was in fact, incorrect.
While he did his best, I arrived to the bus station only to discover zero buses heading to Vlore, at least in the next few hours. However, I did see a sign showing a bus only 3 hours later. After speaking to 6-7 bus drivers attempting to confirm this afternoon bus, who each replied, “Just wait and see,” I decided to wait.
I waited for 3 hours… But as my phone battery began to drop and the day began to slip away, I started to brainstorm… What was I going to do if the bus never showed up?
In the midst of brainstorming, I overheard a German man speaking ENGLISH to someone inside! I jumped up quickly to ensure I did not miss my opportunity to jump into the conversation. After speaking with drivers all morning, I’m still unsure if anyone understood what I was asking, so this was very exciting.
The German man and someone who seemed to be the manager of the bus station were discussing a predicament: The German guy needed a bus to Vlore! Someone had told him to come here, but alas… The bus to Vlore does not stop in this town.
You know what that means? If I hadn’t overheard this conversation, I may have sat at this bus stop for the rest of the day.
The bus station manager told us both, “Sit down and relax. I’m going to call my friend to pick you up.” Great!
Approximately 60 seconds into “relaxing,” the manager comes back to rush us outside, telling us to follow another man down the road, and across the highway – Which I would have been more concerned about had I not been in the company of another lost traveler.
We walked about 10 minutes across two large roads before ending up at our “bus stop”… on the side of a highway. We waited, with our backpacks between our legs, while cars zoomed by. At this point, half of me was amused and the other half was preparing to send a location pin to my family in case I wound up missing within my first week in Albania.
However, only a few minutes later, a bus pulled up swiftly and within a few seconds our bags were being whipped under the bus. The man who lead us to this strange destination was saying “Go, go, go!”
So we did. We jumped on the bus, which was loaded with travelers who did not seem to be worried… Therefore we weren’t either. A few hours later, I was in a place I would later decide is my favorite city of the trip – Vlore.
And that, my friends, is the spirit of Albania! Kindness, trust, and organized chaos.
No Responses