Before living in Albania for five months, I always said that the south of the United States (where I am originally from) is the most challenging place to be vegan. Albania definitely changed that opinion for me. It is pretty difficult to be vegan in Albania. Vegetarian food is relatively easy to come by, but vegan is a whole different story. Traditional Albanian cuisine is mainly meat-based. Albania also doesn't receive many tourists, so they haven't felt much demand from tourists to change dishes in restaurants.

Tirana vs. Other Cities in Albania

I lived in Tirana for five months, but I visited many other cities in Albania during that time. Although challenging, it is possible to be 100% vegan in Tirana. It is impossible to be 100% vegan in all most other cities in Albania. I just stuck to eating vegetarian food when I wasn't in Tirana. If you are firmly against eating anything with dairy or eggs, I highly suggest only visiting Tirana or booking Airbnbs in other cities so you can cook your food. Although, even grocery stores probably won't have vegan staples available like tofu.

If you are traveling to other cities in Albania, check out my guide for each city to get my vegan/vegetarian food suggestions:

• Gjirokaster
• Saranda
• Vlore

How to Find Vegan Food in Tirana

The best app to find vegan food while traveling is Happy Cow. I have used this app everywhere I have traveled. While I found some suggestions for vegan options in Tirana, I can't recommend this app for Albania.

Happy Cow won't list a restaurant on their app if it sells veal, foie gras, and/or lamb. Lamb is a very popular meat in Albania. If a restaurant serves a vegan dish and a lamb dish, they won't be listed on Happy Cow.

One of the primary resources that I used to find vegan food in Tirana was Baboon's food delivery app. I would search the word "vegan" and see which restaurants came up. Because it is a food delivery app, you can view their entire menu before visiting the restaurant. Unfortunately, the app is only in Albanian, so you will have to do a bit of translating if you don't speak the language.

Top 3 Recommended Restaurants for Vegan Food in Tirana

Here are my three favorite restaurants to get vegan food in Tirana. None of these restaurants are vegan or vegetarian, but they all have several vegan options available. They are all listed and explained more further along in this blog post if you would like to learn more about them and what I recommend ordering.

1. Salt
2. Opium Sushi Bar
3. Coko

Vegan Restaurants in Tirana, Albania

There is exactly one fully vegan restaurant in not only Tirana but all of Albania.

Falafel House

Vegetarian Restaurants in Tirana, Albania

There is only one vegetarian restaurant in Tirana.

Veggies

Vegan-Friendly Restaurants in Tirana, Albania

Artigiano

The Bell Sushi Bar

The Bell Sushi Bar sells vegetarian noodles, vegetarian sushi, and edamame. I think all three are vegan.

Chakra Jone

Chakra Jone is the only Indian restaurant in all of Albania. They have a page on their menu dedicated to vegetarian dishes, but the vegan dishes are not labeled. You will have to take your best guess or talk to the waiter about which dishes are vegan.

The first time that I visited Chakra Jone, I ordered the Channa Masala and vegetable spring rolls. The Channa Masala is chickpeas cooked with masala sauce, and coriander served with a bowl of rice. The vegetable spring rolls came with four different dipping sauces. The waiter told me that two of them contained yogurt and two didn't. I just ate the two that didn't include yogurt.

The Channa Masala and the vegetable spring rolls were delicious, and I left feeling full and satisfied. It was a bit pricey for Albania, but nothing ridiculous. I paid $11.92 for both of these dishes, along with a small bottle of sparkling water.

I ordered from Chakra Jone several times from Baboon. I ordered several dishes like vegetable naan, vegan biryani, onion bhajia, vegetable noodles, aloo kulcha, and vegetable pakora. I enjoyed most of the dishes, and this is one of the main restaurants that I recommend for vegans in Tirana.

Coko

Coko has a few different vegan meal options available. For breakfast, they have vegan avocado toast. They also have a vegan risotto and a vegan burger. The vegan burger doesn't look at all like a burger and is much more like a wrap. The vegan burger/wrap was filled with falafel and vegetables.

I recommend ordering the vegan risotto. It was one of my favorite vegan dishes that I ate in Albania.

Eatalian's

In case you couldn't tell by the name, Eatalian's is an Italian restaurant. I was in Tirana, Albania, during COVID times. Because of this, the menu was only available through a QR code. The menu was only written in Albanian and Italian. I don't know Albanian, but I do know Italian, so I could pick a meal that seemed vegan-friendly. Perhaps if you are in Tirana in post-COVID times, you can ask for an English menu.

The bread was my favorite part of the meal. It did come with a creamy sauce that I did not eat. I ordered the zuppa di verdure (vegetable soup) and spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and oil spaghetti). Neither of these items were labeled as vegan, but I assumed that they were.

I didn't think that the vegetable soup by itself was very good. It did come with a half of a lemon on the side. Once I squeezed the lemon into the soup and added some salt and pepper, I thought it was pretty good.

I wasn't a fan of the spaghetti at all. The spaghetti noodles didn't taste like they were finished cooking.

Ejona

ERA

Green & Protein

Kungfu Express

Kungfu Express is an Asian fast food restaurant that serves meat but has vegan options available. I wanted to go to Kungfu Express to try their vegan sushi, but they were sold out when I got there. I got veg chow mein and a side of vegetables instead. I also thought about ordering the miso ramen, but I was told that it had beef in it. The food that I ordered was just okay. It was not the best meal in Tirana, but not the worst.

MIA Bistro

If you are a fan of vegan sushi, you have to go to MIA Bistro. The vegan sushi here is my favorite in Tirana. They also have delicious bruschetta, but you have to ask for it without cheese.

Mulliri Vjeter

Mulliri Vjeter is like the Starbucks of Albania, except it is way cheaper and tastes better. They also have soy milk available for coffee.

ODA

OPA - Greek Streetfood

OPA makes Greek food (specifically, gyros), and they have a few vegan options. In my opinion, the food is just okay and nowhere near as good as Greek food in Greece.

Opium Sushi Bar

Opium Sushi Bar was one of my favorite restaurants to get vegan food in Tirana. My favorite meals were vegan sushi, spicy edamame, asparagus, spring rolls, and vegetarian tacos. I am not sure if the vegetarian tacos are vegan, but they are delicious.

Pepper

I only ate at Pepper one time, and I wasn't a fan of it. I went there hoping to order their vegan sushi, but the waiter told me that it wasn't available. I decided to order the marina pizza without anchovies instead. The waiter must not have understood me because he brought out the pizza with anchovies. I told him that I had asked for the pizza without the anchovies. He brought the pizza back into the kitchen, and they took them off. I could still take a bit of the leftover anchovy flavor on the pizza, which grossed me out.

Sakura Sushi Bar

Sakura Sushi Bar makes vegetarian maki that I am pretty sure is vegan. They also sell edamame.

Salt

Salt was my favorite restaurant to eat vegan food in Tirana. They have a small vegan section on their menu with falafel, fried zucchini, vegan sushi roll, avocado tartare, and vegan spaghetti. The only dish that I didn't like at Salt was the falafel because they tasted too salty.

Serendipity the Mexican

If you couldn't tell by the restaurant's name, Serendipity the Mexican is a Mexican restaurant. It might be the only Mexican restaurant in all of Tirana. Even though it is a Mexican restaurant, they also had burgers and pasta on the menu.

When I arrived at Serendipity, I asked for an English menu, but the waiter told me they didn't have one. Luckily, the Albanian word for "vegetarian" is very similar to English. It is "vegjetarian." Serendipity had a vegetarian section on the menu. Some of the words are the same in English (fajita, burrito, taco), so I decided to order tacos. I figured they would put something like cheese or sour cream on the tacos. I asked the waiter what was on the tacos, but his English wasn't very good, and he couldn't tell me. I decided to order the tacos as-is, and they came with sour cream. I'm not sure what the word is for sour cream in Albanian, but I am sure that you could order the tacos without it.

The tacos were very delicious. I also ordered sparkling water, and my total came to 690 LEK.

Someg

Someg is a bakery with several locations. While they don't have vegan desserts available, they sell some of the most delicious bread that I have ever eaten.

Sushi Dragon

Sushi Dragon does sell vegetarian sushi (that I think is vegan), but it was my least favorite sushi that I ate while in Tirana. If you are looking for good vegan sushi, you can find much tastier options at Salt and MIA Bistro.

Yamato

Yamato is an Asian restaurant that serves meat. The vegan and vegetarian dishes are not labeled, so you need to take your best guess or talk to the waiter.

I ordered the Miso, which had seaweed and tofu, and the Yaki Soba, sautéed noodles with vegetables.

Yamato is a bit pricey for Albania. This meal, along with a large bottle of water, came to 2,050 LEK ($18.67).

Grocery Shopping As A Vegan In Tirana, Albania

All grocery stores in Albania will have pasta, rice, beans, and other vegan staples. If you want vegan specialty items like tofu, vegan cheese, vegan meat, or vegan snacks, you will have to visit one of the two stores mentioned below.

It is pretty inexpensive to live in Albania, especially if you have a Western salary. The one area that you will have to spend more money on is grocery shopping. The vegan specialty items are pretty expensive and more expensive than what you would pay if you weren't eating vegan.

Baronesha

Baronesha was the main store that I shopped at while I was living in Tirana, Albania. They sell tons of vegan products like vegan cheese, vegan meat, vegan snacks, vegan beauty products, and more. Baronesha was also the only grocery store that I could find plain tofu while living in Tirana.

The one thing that I did not like about Baronesha (besides the high prices) was that they didn't have consistent stock. You could buy vegan cheese for a couple of weeks in a row, and then the vegan cheese wouldn't come back for two months.

As a vegan, tofu is a huge staple in my diet. I went to Baronesha one week to buy tofu, and they told me that I couldn't purchase it because the tofu wasn't in their system (even though it was on their shelves). The following week I went back and was told the same thing. The third week I went back again and asked them when I first arrived about the tofu. They told me that it was still not in their system, but they would enter it while I was shopping so I could buy the tofu. By the time I had finished shopping, the workers still didn't enter the tofu into the system, and they told me that I wouldn't be able to buy it for another few days. The next time I returned to Baronesha, the tofu was gone entirely, and they didn't have any more tofu on their shelves for another month.

That's just the reality of eating vegan in Albania, but I hope it changes soon.

BioJu

BioJu has similar items to Baronesha, but I think Baronehsa has a larger supply of vegan items to buy. The one thing that is better about BioJu is that their stock stayed pretty consistent, and I knew that I could always find vegan cheese and vegan meat here.

The Best Resources For Traveling To Albania

• RentalCars.com - the best website for renting a car.
• TripAdvisor - the best website to research hotels, restaurants, and things to do in the city you are visiting.
• Expedia.com - book flights, rent a car, and find hotels.
• HostelWorld - the best website for finding hostels.
• Viator - my favorite website for finding guided tours.
• World Nomads - Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It is so important to have in case anything goes wrong.
• Express VPN - Traveling often means using free wifi available in coffee shops, hotels, and airports. This can leave you vulnerable to hackers. I always use a VPN when traveling to keep my personal information more private and secure. Using a VPN will also allow you to access information that isn't available in the country you visit. (For example: watching US Netflix while in Albania).
• italki - italki is a language learning platform that allows you to take classes with native speakers. I always try to take at least one lesson before traveling to a new country.
• Modern Albania: From Dictatoriship to Democracy in Europe - An interesting book to help you to understand some of Albania's history before your trip.

Check out all of my favorite travel products.

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Vlore is a harbor city and the former capital of Albania. It holds a special meaning for most Albanians since Vlore is where the country declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire at the start of the 20th century.

Vlore vs. Vlore County

You might be a bit confused when researching your trip to Vlore because many websites list things to do and places to stay in Vlore County but not in the city of Vlore.

Vlore County is one of the 12 counties in Albania. If you hear the term "Albanian Riviera," they are most likely referring to Vlore County. Vlore County also has many other popular Albanian cities like Dhermi, Himare, Saranda, and Ksamil.

In this blog post, I am focusing on the city of Vlore, not Vlore County.

How to Reach Vlore

You can either take the bus to Vlore or rent a car. I highly recommend renting a car, though. Most likely, you will want to visit more of the Albanian Riviera and see cities like Dhermi, Himare, Saranda, Ksamil, and maybe even Gjirokaster. You also don't need an international driver's license to rent a car in Albania.

You can also do the entire trip through the Albanian Riviera by bus, but I don't recommend it. The bus system in Albania can be very unreliable. There isn't a proper bus schedule. Most of the time, you will show up at the bus station, say where you want to go, and someone will point you in the right direction of the bus. Buses will generally leave when they are full. Sometimes bus drivers will leave with only a few people, sometimes they will wait for half of the bus to be full, and sometimes they will wait for the entire bus to be filled. There's no way to know in advance, so you must be flexible on time.

You can also book a private transfer from Vlora to Tirana, but this is more expensive than renting a car or taking the bus.

To find cheap flights to Tirana, I recommend using Skyscanner to look for the most affordable and fastest route. You can also take a ferry from Corfu, Greece, to Saranda, Albania using Direct Ferries.

Things To Do In Vlore

Zvernec Island

Zvernec is a must-visit place not only in Vlore but in Albania as a whole. This island is located about 13 km from the city of Vlore. You could ride bikes to Zvernec Island if you chose not to rent a car. The island is fairly small but hosts a pine forest and the 13th-century Byzantine Monastery of St. Mary. The monastery was abandoned during the Communist period in Albania when religion was banned. Zvernec Island also hosts the tomb of the woman who embroidered the original flag of Albania's independence in 1912.

Independence Monument

The iconic Independence Monument, designed by Mumtaz Dhrami, marks Albania's declaration of independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912. There are benches and a small park nearby so you can relax and enjoy yourself. The Muradie Mosque is only a short walk away.

Muradie Mosque

The Muradie Mosque is the main mosque in Vlore and is a cultural monument of Albania. Mimar Sinan, a famous Ottoman Turkish architect, built the mosque in 1537. Sinan also had a hand in the design of the Taj Mahal in India.

Stroll Along the Multi-Colored Buildings

Around a 10 minute walk from the Independence Monument and Mosque, there are streets of multi-colored buildings. Many of these buildings are empty, but several have coffee shops, restaurants, and shopping. There was also an Albanian festival/concert for kids happening while I was there.

Top Tours in Vlore, Albania

• Private Speed Boat Trip
• Speedboat Trip to Grama Bay
• Speedboat Karaburun - Cave of Haxhi Ali and Cave of Dafina
• Private Speedboat Trip to Sazan Island & Karaburun Peninsula
• Vlora City Walking Trip
• One Day Tour Blue Eye Albania
• Sunset Boat Trip Along Vlora Coast

Where to Stay in Vlore

Luckyshine Hostel

Luckyshine Hostel is the best option if you are on a budget. It is well located, clean, and a great place to meet people if you are a solo traveler.

Regina Blu

Regina Blu is a beautiful beachfront hotel overlooking the Ionian Sea. It has a private beach a few feet away along Vlora Bay.

Foleza Bed & Breakfast

Foleza - Bed and Breakfast is within 2.7 km of Vlore Beach and 2.4 km of Plazhi i Vjeter Beach. A continental breakfast is available every morning. A car rental service is also available at Foleza.

What to Pack For Vlore, Albania

• Swimsuit: One of the main reasons to visit Albania is to see the beaches. Don't forget to bring your swimsuit! Swimwear for men and swimwear for women.
• Microfiber Towel: A microfiber towel is one of my favorite travel products because it is lightweight, easy to dry, and takes up very little space. Even if you decide to stay at a hotel where towels are provided, a microfiber towel is still great to bring to the beach because it can fit into your backpack without taking up much space.
• Camera: Yes, cell phone cameras are pretty good these days, but I still think the quality of a real camera is better. Try this Canon camera if you are new to the world of DSLRs. This Osmo pocket is my favorite travel camera because it is so tiny and fits right in your pocket. All of my YouTube videos so far have been primarily filmed on this camera. Although a drone isn't essential, I love the pictures and videos that I get from it too much not to share.
• Power Bank: I never leave my house without a power bank. You never have to worry about your phone running out of battery if you have one of these.
• Plug adapter: Albania uses a C-type plug.
• Packing Cubes: Packing cubes will help you save space and keep your belongings organized.
• Daypack: This is the daypack that I used while in Vlore and for all of my trips in Albania. It has enough space for my camera, drone, wallet, water bottle, and anything else I need during the day.
• Large Backpack: This is my favorite travel backpack. It has enough space for everything you need, and it has plenty of extra pockets to hold your belongings.

Check out all of my favorite travel products here.

Eating Vegan in Vlore

Unfortunately, Albania is not a very vegan-friendly country. I was able to find a vegan meal in Vlore at the Italian restaurant Tre Forchette. I ordered spaghetti and asked them to keep the cheese off of the top. Overall, the spaghetti wasn't great, but it is a vegan food option if you are looking for something.

The Best Resources For Traveling to Albania

• Skyscanner – the best website to find affordable flights.
• RenalCars.com - the best website for renting a car.
• TripAdvisor – the best website to research hotels, restaurants, and things to do in the city you are visiting.
• HostelWorld – the best website for finding hostels.
• Intrepid Travel – Don't like solo travel? Intrepid Travel offers good small group tours that use local operators and leave a small environmental footprint.
• Viator – my favorite website for finding guided tours.
• World Nomads – Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It is so important to have in case anything goes wrong.
• Express VPN – Traveling often means using free wifi available in coffee shops, hotels, and airports. This can leave you vulnerable to hackers. I always use a VPN when traveling to keep my personal information more private and secure. Using a VPN will also allow you to access information that isn't available in the country you visit. (For example: watching US Netflix while in Albania).
• italki – italki is a language learning platform that allows you to take classes with native speakers. I always try to take at least one lesson before traveling to a new country.
• Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe – An interesting book to help you to understand some of Albania's history before your trip.

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First Impression of Gjirokaster

Immediately as I arrived in Gjirokaster from Tirana, Albania, I understood why this city is titled "the city of a thousand steps." Gjirokaster is located on the hillside, and you will spend a lot of time walking uphill to get to the best attractions.

Not the best arrival on a hot day with a backpack. I suggest getting a taxi located at the bottom of the hill if it is hot outside and you have luggage or a bag to carry.

How to Reach Gjirokaster

Gjiorokaster is only about an hour away from Saranda. In my opinion, this is the best way to get to Gjirokaster. Although, this is not what I did. I took the bus from Tirana to Gjirokaster and spent around 24 hours in the city. The better choice would have been to visit Gjirokaster on my way to Saranda, Albania. If you stay in Saranda for a bit longer, you can also take a day trip to Gjirokaster.

You will most likely need a car for your trip to Saranda. (Tip: You do NOT need an international driver's license to rent a car in Albania). If you decide not to rent a car, you can ride the bus to Gjirokaster from Tirana or Saranda. You may also find a bus from another city. Still, your most accessible and best options will probably be from Saranda or Tirana.

The bus system in Albania can be very unreliable. There really isn't a proper bus schedule. Most of the time, you will show up at the bus station, say where you want to go, and someone will point you in the right direction of the bus. Buses will generally leave when they are full. Sometimes bus drivers will leave with only a few people, sometimes they will wait for half of the bus to be full, and sometimes they will wait for the entire bus to be filled. There's no way to know in advance, so you must be flexible on time. When I went from Tirana to Gjirokaster, there wasn't anyone else on the bus, so they put me on the bus to Saranda instead. You have to pass through Gjiorkaster to get to Saranda, so the bus driver made a quick stop for me to get off once we arrived in Gjirokaster.

You can also get a private transfer from Gjirokaster to Tirana, but this is much more expensive than renting a car or taking the bus.

To find cheap flights to Tirana, I recommend using Skyscanner to look for the most affordable and fastest route. You can also take a ferry from Corfu, Greece, to Saranda, Albania using Direct Ferries.

Things To Do In Gjirokaster

Gjirokaster Castle

Entrance fee: 200 LEK

The first place you must visit in Gjirokaster is the beautiful castle. There are no shortages of castles in Albania, and the one in Gjirokaster is my favorite. The castle is enormous and has the best vantage point of the town and the entire valley. Today's renovated castle is a product of Ali Pasha, an Ottoman ruler in the 19th century.

Inside the castle, you can find cannons, old tanks, and more artillery from war times. Another attraction below the castle is The Cold War Tunnel. The Cold War Tunnel is a giant tunnel bunker used for transportation during the Cold War.

Gjirokaster Castle is sometimes referred to as Argjiro. This name comes from the legend of Princess Argjiro. The story says that Princess Argjiro leaped to her death from the castle walls with her baby in her arms to avoid being captured by Ottoman invaders.

Gjirokaster Museum

If you are interested in learning more about the history of Gjirokaster, make sure to check out the Gjiorokaster museum. It is located inside the castle, but you will have to pay an extra 300 LEK fee to get in.

Explore the Old Bazaar

Just around the corner from Gjirokaster Castle is the bazaar. Gjirokaster Old Bazaar has been the center of commerce in the city since the Ottoman era. One of the best things to do in Gjirokaster is to walk through the bazaar and admire the architecture of the traditional buildings. You can also check out some old shops and great restaurants.

Ali Pasha Bridge

The Ali Pasha Bridge is a 30-minute walk from the center of Gjiorokaster, and it is a bit of an off-the-beaten-path destination. The climb to get to the bridge is quite steep and is not on paved roads. Make sure you bring good walking shoes. Unfortunately, I didn't bring good walking shoes to Gjirokaster. They were destroyed after only a couple of hours in the city.

The Ali Pasha Bridge was part of a large aqueduct system. The aqueduct fed the castle's cisterns with water from a mountain 10 km away. If you are lucky, you might be able to see a shepherd and his livestock crossing the stone bridge into the city.

Top Guided Tours in Gjirokaster

• Wood Crafting Experience in Gjirokastra
• Walking Tour “The Old Bazaar, Cfake, Dunavat, Ali Pasha Bridge"
• Walking Tour Baazar – The Castle – Zekate house
• Cooking Class With Chef Gjoca (not vegan)
• Private Cold War Ciy Tour in Gjirokaster

Where to Stay in Gjirokaster

Stone City Hostel

Stone City Hostel is an excellent option if you are looking for an affordable option. They have been named the best hostel in Albania for three years in a row. Stone City Hostel also provides tours of the city.

Hotel Fantasy

Hotel Fantasy is a great mid-range hotel, and this is where I stayed while I was visiting Gjirokaster. It has a great location that is just a couple of minutes away by foot from the castle. They also have a nice bar/restaurant area outside that provides a great view of the city.

Kerculla Resort

Kerculla Resort is the most expensive and nicest hotel option in Gjirokaster. They have an outdoor pool, barbecue, and children's playground.

What to Pack For Gjirokaster, Albania

• Walking/Hiking Shoes: Good walking shoes are an absolute must in Gjirokaster, considering the entire city is built on the side of a mountain with cobblestone streets. Check out these shoes for women and these for men.
• Microfiber Towel: A microfiber towel is one of my favorite travel products because it is lightweight, easy to dry, and takes up very little space. I stayed in a hotel, so I didn't need one for my trip to Gjirokaster, but I recommend bringing one if you decide to stay in a hostel.
• Camera: Yes, cell phone cameras are pretty good these days, but I still think the quality of a real camera is better. Try this Canon camera if you are new to the world of DSLRs. This Osmo pocket is my favorite travel camera because it is so tiny and fits right in your pocket. All of my YouTube videos so far have been primarily filmed on this camera. Although a drone isn't essential, I love the pictures and videos that I get from it too much not to share.
• Power Bank: I never leave my house without a power bank. You never have to worry about your phone running out of battery if you have one of these.
• Water Bottle: It can get quite hot trekking up and down the streets of Gjirokaster. Make sure to bring a water bottle with you, so you don't get too hot.
• Plug adapter: Albania uses a C-type plug.
• Packing Cubes: Packing cubes will help you save space and keep your belongings organized.
• Daypack: This is the daypack that I used while in Gjirokaster and for all of my trips in Albania. It has enough space for my camera, drone, wallet, water bottle, and anything else I need during the day.
• Large Backpack: This is my favorite travel backpack. It has enough space for everything you need, and it has plenty of extra pockets to hold your belongings.

Check out all of my favorite travel products here.

Eating Vegan in Gjirokaster

Overall, Albania is not a very vegan-friendly country. Luckily, Gjiorokaster was the one city outside of Tirana that I was able to find vegan food. I went to a restaurant called Edua for lunch. Edua doesn't have a menu. I told the waitress that I was a vegan, and she told me that she would make pasta for me. She ended up making a risotto, but it was delicious.

The Best Resources For Traveling to Albania

• Skyscanner – the best website to find affordable flights.
• RenalCars.com - the best website for renting a car.
• TripAdvisor – the best website to research hotels, restaurants, and things to do in the city you are visiting.
• HostelWorld – the best website for finding hostels.
• Intrepid Travel – Don't like solo travel? Intrepid Travel offers good small group tours that use local operators and leave a small environmental footprint.
• Viator – my favorite website for finding guided tours.
• World Nomads – Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It is so important to have in case anything goes wrong.
• Express VPN – Traveling often means using free wifi available in coffee shops, hotels, and airports. This can leave you vulnerable to hackers. I always use a VPN when traveling to keep my personal information more private and secure. Using a VPN will also allow you to access information that isn't available in the country you are visiting. (For example: watching US Netflix while in Albania).
• italki – italki is a language learning platform that allows you to take classes with native speakers. I always try to take at least one lesson before traveling to a new country.
• Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe – An interesting book to help you to understand some of Albania's history before your trip.

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