Like many Individuals, I had all the time dreamed up transferring to Europe. And in 2015, at 35, I made a decision to depart Texas for Spain.
Two years later, I based She Hit Refresh, a neighborhood that helps ladies over 30 take the leap overseas. Since then, I’ve helped a whole bunch of girls construct new lives in international locations like Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The preferred locations among the many ladies I work with are likely to have heat climate and versatile visa choices. Spain and Portugal high the record as a result of they’re comparatively inexpensive for Western Europe, take pleasure in a relaxed tempo of life, and have residency pathways that do not require you to be independently rich or retired.
One nation that few Individuals might in all probability discover on a map, not to mention contemplate transferring to, is Albania. However that is altering.
Lately, I saved listening to about Albania from members of my neighborhood. A handful had moved there and could not cease raving about it. Intrigued, I spent a month in Albania in 2024, primarily within the capital, Tirana, and alongside the coast. I needed to see what the thrill was about, and what I discovered really shocked me.
Albania will not be for everybody — no place is — however for a lot of Individuals dreaming of a delicate touchdown, it checks loads of containers. This is why I contemplate it the No. 1 neglected vacation spot in Europe for these hoping to relocate from the U.S.:
It is surprisingly inexpensive
Albania is among the few locations in Europe the place you may nonetheless hire a snug residence for underneath $500 a month, based on the ladies in my community. This low price of dwelling is among the largest causes Individuals are flocking there.
Take Cheryl Orlov, who moved from Redondo Seaside, California, to Tirana. “Although the price of dwelling is rising in Tirana, it is nonetheless a fraction of what I paid in California,” she instructed me. Her hire for a two-bedroom residence in Tirana, for instance, is lower than one sixth of what she’d been paying for a two-bedroom cottage in Redondo Seaside earlier than she left California in 2023.
Groceries, eating out, and healthcare are additionally rather more inexpensive. For digital nomads and retirees alike, Albania affords a top quality of life that is more and more out of attain in lots of U.S. cities.
The seashore in Saranda, Albania.
Courtesy of Cepee Tabibian
You may keep for as much as a yr with no visa
One among Albania’s largest benefits is that Individuals can reside there visa-free for as much as 12 months, a uncommon profit in Europe.
You may hop on a aircraft tonight and begin your new life in Albania tomorrow, no paperwork required. This makes it perfect for many who need to “check drive” life overseas with out navigating complicated visa programs.
Whereas in Tirana, I met with Denisa Kaca Bradley, founding father of Expats in Albania, to study extra about immigration choices. She defined that whereas staying past a yr does require paperwork, it is doable and her group helps newcomers with the method.
At her weekly meetups, I met dozens of Individuals: solo ladies, {couples}, and households. Many use Albania as a stepping stone. They keep for a yr or two earlier than transferring on to a different a part of Europe as soon as they’ve discovered the visa state of affairs elsewhere. Others select to remain long-term.
It is naturally beautiful
From the rugged Albanian Alps within the north to the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea within the west and the Ionian within the south, the nation’s panorama is breathtaking.
Throughout my journey, I drove down the Albanian Riviera and visited Saranda, a full of life seaside city with an exquisite promenade. It was September and the climate was nonetheless heat sufficient to swim and sunbathe, however the seashores have been virtually empty — a uncommon deal with in comparison with locations like Spain or Italy. On a transparent day you may see Greece within the distance! The island of Corfu is only a 30-minute ferry trip away.
I did not make it to the northern mountains, however they’re excessive on my record for subsequent time. Distant villages, mountain climbing trails, and lovely landscapes make it a dream for outside lovers.
Cepee Tabibian with the Albanian metropolis of Vlorë within the background.
Courtesy of Cepee Tabibian
It feels native, however has a rising expat neighborhood
Till the early Nineteen Nineties, Albania was largely closed off to the world underneath a communist regime. Tourism has solely actually picked up in the final decade or so. In consequence, Albania nonetheless feels authentically Albanian.
On the identical time, Albanians are notably welcoming of Individuals, one thing that shocked many expats I spoke with. The pro-America sentiment and friendliness to expats makes it simpler for newcomers to really feel at house and join with the area people.
In cities like Tirana and coastal cities like Vlorë, there’s additionally a rising variety of foreigners placing down roots. Like Monica Miranda, an American who moved from Jersey Metropolis, New Jersey to Vlorë at 43 together with her canine. “I did not know a lot about Albania,” she instructed me. “However the second I arrived, one thing clicked. One month become two.” Monica has now lived in Albania for almost two years and not too long ago obtained her five-year residency card.
“I’ve constructed a supportive neighborhood of expats from the U.S., the U.Okay., Australia, and Latin America,” she mentioned. “We catch up just a few occasions per week. It has been an extremely grounding expertise.”
It will not be the primary nation that involves thoughts, however for a lot of Individuals I’ve met, Albania has develop into the correct place on the proper time.
Cepee Tabibian is the founding father of She Hit Refresh, a neighborhood and useful resource platform that helps ladies aged 30+ transfer overseas, and the creator of “I am Outta Right here! An American’s Final Visa Information to Dwelling in Europe.” Because the daughter of Colombian and Iranian immigrants, Cepee grew up in Houston, Texas, earlier than changing into an immigrant herself in Spain.
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