The couple visited 47 countries, then moved to their favorite preferences

This article is based on a conversation with Alicia Walter, 28, Nathan Stark, 41. The couple visited 47 countries and moved from San Diego to Tirana, Albania, in 2023. The couple is a passportTravel Code.

This interview was released for length and clarity.

Alicia: My husband and I have traveled across most Central and South America, parts of Africa, a good part of Europe, and most of the Southeast and East Asia.

We have visited 47 countries, but our favorite is Albania, a country that is underestimated in the Balkans.

Albania is very great and still feels that she was not touched by mass tourism, especially compared to other European destinations such as Barcelona, ​​Paris, London, Roma and even Prague. Food is some of our favorites anywhere, and the local population welcomes incredibly and our factor like family.

It’s not perfect. The country is still developing after the end of its communist era in the 1990s, so you will still see warehouses spread across cities. A large earthquake near Tirana, the capital, also destroyed many houses, residential buildings and companies, so there is still a lot of continuous construction.

This is part of what makes it very unique – every time we return, it seems to discover a new place.

Albania has an amazing nature and good weather

AliciaAlbania across the Adriatic Sea of ​​Italy, on the border with Greece and Montenegro.

It is a relatively small country, perhaps about the size of Portugal. You can easily trip to the entire country within a week or two.

It has a moderate, typical climate for the Mediterranean region. Winter is generally moderate, and the summer can become hot inside, but along the coast, the weather is more comfortable.

The country is likely to be known as the Albanian Riviera-which is a coastal line along the ionic sea with clear blue water. Theth National Park is also amazing. We traveled through it in the fall, and felt as if it were a magazine.

Albania has mountains, including Albanian Alpine, Corab Mountains, and Tomor Mountains. Although there are no ski resorts, the mountains get ice and are great for long -distance walking.

It is very beautiful here. Every time we go out to nature, away from the city centers, we are surprised by an amazing extent, and how little we have heard about it before.

Architecture in Albania is very diverse. In cities like Berat, known as 1000 windows, you will find well-preserved Ottoman architecture-white stone buildings with dark roofs and wooden windows, some of which go back to nearly 2000 years.

In contrast, the architectural engineering of Tirana is a mixture of patterns. There are residue of buildings in the Communist era and new modern developments with many green spaces.

Living in Albania at incredibly affordable prices

Alicia: We moved to Tirana in February 2023. We were traveling full -time for three years, just living outside the bags, and we wanted to settle in Europe.

We live in a completely new residential complex in one 740 square bathroom unit, and one bathroom. We pay 450 euros, about $ 520, in the monthly rent. The facilities – the Internet, water and electricity – cost us about 100 euros, or $ 115, per month.

Housing in Albania is a reasonable means of states. In 2019, before traveling abroad, we lived in San Diego and rented one bathroom unit 630 square feet from one bedroom about an hour from the city center for $ 1250 a month-the cheapest rent we could find.

The value for money here is incredible.

International food in the city can be a little more expensive, but traditional Albanian meals at very reasonable prices. You will usually get five or six common dishes, in the family style, along with a liter of wine, or some beer, and rarely spends more than $ 50.

Public transportation is also great and affordable in Tirana.

Nathan: I was surprised to know the number of electrical taxis here; They have become the form of major ride participation.

Alicia: The city was recently added to Google Maps, making mobility easier. The bus inside the city costs only 40 cents per trip. There are trips to other cities – we took one to the port of Durs for about $ 10.

We can walk most places and do not really need a car in Tirana

Alicia: Sometimes it can be very walking, with cycling and sidewalks almost everywhere. Our daily needs are close, which is amazing from San Diego.

We have a grocery store, a bakery where we can get new bread for about one dollar, and combat products near fruits and vegetables. There is even a library that sells English books 25 minutes on foot from us.

There is not a lot of the scene of nightlife in Albania. Although we are fair, we are not great people in nightlife.

Instead, people here are really known as “third spaces”. Many dairy lives in multi -generation homes, where the extended families live together. These third areas are often green areas inside residential complexes, such as the common arenas, where everyone, especially around the sunset.

There is something called “xhiro”, which is like an evening social watch. At that time, everyone goes abroad: children play; Parents. The neighbors catch up with the knees. People often go to cafes, which are a large part of the culture here. They will request espresso and a cup of water, sit and relax for hours.

There are some differentials in life in Albania, but the positives exceed the negatives

Nathan: The money we provide has greatly affected the expenses of food and living in Albania on our lives.

We were allowed to travel and invest more in our travel business. Part of the reason we left the United States to follow this dream is that we simply cannot do it there.

There are some bares to live here. For example, we have to go to different places to get everything we need: a dry commodity store, a product market for fruits and vegetables, baking bakery, and another grocery store to get coffee. Comfort can be a challenge.

We also do not ship here. There is no reliable way to deliver packages because we do not have appropriate addresses – just a street name that everyone uses on the street.

However, there are a lot of advantages to live here.

Albania visa policy. American citizens get a 365 -day visa upon arrival. In addition, reset the Schengen visa days whenever we leave Albania and we will travel to the European Union. For example, we can take a $ 100 trip to Rome for the weekend, and when we return, we can start again with more time in the European Union.

Alicia: Moreover, the local population was incredibly supportive and really useful for us.

In the end, we dream about buying a house in Italy, but there are many steps before getting there. Now, we are really happy here in Albania.