Why Albania

I may be slightly biased as both times I have visited Albania I have been staying with a friend’s family, however, Albanians are honestly some of the friendliest people I have met on my journeys all over the world.

From the moment I arrive in Albania I am greeted with hugs and kisses and many, many offers of food. Everyone is constantly trying to make me feel welcome and offering any assistance they can. I get spoilt rotten during my visits to Albania and I am always made to feel like a part of the family (which is a big deal as Albanian families are extremely close).

Even the locals I have met outside of the family have always been friendly and welcoming, from the helpful staff in restaurants to these old men who were playing a game of chess on the street and allowed me to take a photo.

If you’re coming from a country like the UK to Albania, you’ll easily be able to live like a king on a backpackers budget.

Albania is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, but that doesn’t mean that you’ll receive poor quality. You get great value for money when spending in Albania, with beautiful 5* beachfront hotels for as little as £40-50 a night and dishes such as a giant Nutella and fruit filled crepe for under £1.

You could take around €50.00 per day to Albania for your holiday. This €50.00 per day will cover accommodation, meals and transportation. These amounts are based on averages from Lonely Planet and the Budget Your Trip website.

If you are travelling on a budget, you do not have to worry about accommodation. Because finding affordable accommodation is easy. Within the €25 – €40 per night price range, will give you plenty of hotels to choose from.

Similarly, it is easy to save money on food and drinks in Albania. You will be astonished to see how cheap the local bakeries, little supermarkets and local restaurants are.

The most common mode of transport in Albania is driving.

Hiring a car is also the best way to get around when visiting Albania as a tourist, but be careful of bad drivers and uneven road surfaces. Before the fall of communism in early 1992 there were very few cars in Albania, and these were used only by government officials, so driving is a newer phenomenon and therefore drivers may be a little bit on the erratic side.

However, this shouldn’t put you off driving as Albania is a beautiful country to explore by car, just be careful, don’t drive too fast, and always be aware of what and who’s around you.

Remember to bring your elasticated trousers when visiting Albania as you WILL eat A LOT!

Albanian’s take great pride in their food, especially their traditional local dishes, so it’s only polite to give them all a try. Everything I have ever eaten in Albania has been delicious and full of unique and amazing flavours, and trust me I have eaten a lot! Plus, it’s all super cheap so you can keep eating to your heart’s content.

As mentioned above, a major thing I noticed during both of my times in Albania is that there aren’t many touristsat all, especially compared to every other European country I’ve visited.

One reason for this is that many people still believe that visiting Albania as a tourist isn’t safe. Well, I can safely tell you that that is not the case at all. I’ve always felt extremely safe when walking around anywhere in Albania and, as I mentioned earlier, the locals are very friendly and welcoming towards tourists.

If you’re anything like me, the only danger when visiting Albania as a tourist is returning home 2 stone heavier than you arrived