Americans -- did you know that Albania wants us? (Another Plan B alternative to Thailand)

[QuantumQuandry]

Ok, you ARE joking.  Good one lol

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, QuantumQuandry said:

Ok, you ARE joking.  Good one lol

Heckling not appreciated.

[GammaGlobulin]

50 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

No and no.

I did see that there are a few decent Chinese restaurants in Tirana though. 

 

And, by decent, what is it you mean by this, EXACTLY?

 

Do you even know what decent Chinese cuisine tastes like, outside of Philly's Chinese cuisine, which is mostly garbage?

 

[Dcheech]

Snow covered rocky crags, across the water, as the Brindisi Corfu ferry traced the isles east coast prior to arrival. Really beautiful. Early April, and cold in Greece that spring.

 

May till mid October. That leaves six and a half months of b-tt cheek numbing weather. REI, LL BEAN, PATAGONIA have good cold weather gear and online ordering (F--- Amazon) BTW Merino wool long underwear is great, make it your friend. 

Cheers

 

[Sandboxer]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Not to be Islamophobic but it's a heavily Muslim country and dangerous for gay people but better in Tirana.

 

It all sounds great on paper but after having done a quick Google search as well as the ISG forum, it seems that err......female company, be it p4p or casual/easy, is basically non-existent or at least super difficult.

 

So, hard pass (for me). For now.

 

But interesting nevertheless.

[QuantumQuandry]

44 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Heckling not appreciated.

 

Sorry, didn't think you were serious when you were saying "it's best in the country of Albania, therefore it's equivalent to BKK".

 

Kind of like saying New York City is the same as Majuro (capital of Marshall Islands) because Majuro has the most people in the Marshall Islands.

 

I really thought it was humor, like "Hey, the capital of Albania has the best garbage disposal in all of Albania!".

Edited March 30 by QuantumQuandry

[gearbox]

1 hour ago, riclag said:

Do the women appreciate older men  similarly to “some Thai Girls”?

I can’t say enough about hospitality.Im often treated with dignity , respect and worth , here.

I especially like the bowing & complimentary , Thank you to love me.

No snow is a plus too.

 

Yeah...give it a go.

 

https://exit.al/en/albanian-blood-feuds-more-than-10000-revenge-killings-in-30-years/

 

 

[gearbox]

19 minutes ago, Sandboxer said:

 

It all sounds great on paper but after having done a quick Google search as well as the ISG forum, it seems that err......female company, be it p4p or casual/easy, is basically non-existent or at least super difficult.

 

So, hard pass (for me). For now.

 

But interesting nevertheless.

One thing I noticed in Albania is that there are almost no female waitresses in the restaurants.

 

The families are protecting a lot their women, if you mess with a wrong family you'll wonder in which part of the world to hide.

 

Wonderful country for short visit, but it is the most criminal infested nation in Europe, tons of brutal gangs controlling drugs and sex trafficking across Europe.

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, GammaGlobulin said:

 

And, by decent, what is it you mean by this, EXACTLY?

 

Do you even know what decent Chinese cuisine tastes like, outside of Philly's Chinese cuisine, which is mostly garbage?

 

Yes I know. 

[biervoormij]

I enjoyed traveling around the country way back in 2013. Did not think about it being a long term place for me at the time. I was more interested in exploring the world before getting a retirement visa for Thailand.  Maybe now would be a good time to go check it out for a month if you are not a fan of Songkran.

[Celsius]

Such a tolerant country.

 

They slowly occupied Kosovo by raping Serbian women and procreating. Then Serbs revolted and got bombed by NATO. Now NATO countries can enjoy all the cultural enrichers that come by the boatload. 

 

Yea.... I suggest you go to Albania.

 

Enjoy.

 

 

[CG1 Blue]

The word 'Albanians' in the UK essentially means violent criminal gangs. That's one of the reasons the government stopped Albanian migration to the UK. 

That doesn't fill me with confidence that Albania would be a nice place to live. 

 

I actually hadn't realised they were mostly Muslims. Figures...

[Jingthing]

48 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

The word 'Albanians' in the UK essentially means violent criminal gangs. That's one of the reasons the government stopped Albanian migration to the UK. 

That doesn't fill me with confidence that Albania would be a nice place to live. 

 

I actually hadn't realised they were mostly Muslims. Figures...

So far the information I have is that Tirana is a safe place to live.

[Jingthing]

Often long standing reputations about places becomes dated.

 

Safety and security - Albania travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Quote

 

Crime

Public security is generally good, particularly in Tirana, and Albanians are very hospitable to visitors. Crime and violence does happen in some areas, but reports of crime targeting foreigners are rare. There have been occasional shootings and small explosions related to internal disputes over criminal, business or political interests.

 

 

 

As this topic is targetted specifically to Americans, compare to the baseline of crime there and it definitely doesn't sound bad at all. 

[John Drake]

Is King Zog or Enver Hoxha on the currency?

[KhunLA]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:24 PM, GammaGlobulin said:

 

And, by decent, what is it you mean by this, EXACTLY?

 

Do you even know what decent Chinese cuisine tastes like, outside of Philly's Chinese cuisine, which is mostly garbage?

For those who may want some decent (very basic/boring) Chinese, without going to China, here a few recipes to drool over.  Vid, as always, is more about cooking technique 👍

 

DISCLAIMER:  probably voted by non Chinese from the take out circuit.

 

[Jingthing]

I found out if you enter on the one year visa free Americans only thing that you can't renew with a visa run. But you can start over by staying away three months. That might work for some people who like to mix things up. 

Edited April 1 by Jingthing

[save the frogs]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:11 AM, Jingthing said:

Yeah if you can find the docs you can get Italian citizenship.

If you're serious maybe an Italian immigration lawyer could help find another way to prove it. 

Albania has a citizenship by descent option as well. 

 

Anecdotal but one of my best friends growing up moved to Rome because of his father's Italian background. I had a chance to visit him at age 15 and see how he had become a Euro trash boy. Unfortunately later his mother was found dead in the Tiber river and his father was charged with murder. Go figure. 

 

Italy does have a dark side. Mafia is still going strong there. 

I wouldn't necessarily stay in Italy if I was able to get that passport. You can live anywhere in the EU. 

 

Also check out Vagabond Awake channel. He interviews expats living abroad.

This guy is in Sri Lanka. Cost of living is way lower than Thailand, it seems.

 

 

[John Drake]

Jared Kushner is coming to Albania. I would expect the cost of expat living to go up.

Quote

Kushner's plans, which locals call the "Trump villas", are already making waves.

Real estate agent Flori Brahimaj said prices for apartments with a potential view over the planned project site have already shot up between 100-200 euros per square metre.

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/jared-kushners-planned-albania-resort-stokes-fear-and-hope-in-coastal-town?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_keyword=dlvr.it

[mania]

All else aside it is a nice looking place 👍

[Jingthing]

18 hours ago, John Drake said:

Jared Kushner is coming to Albania. I would expect the cost of expat living to go up.

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/jared-kushners-planned-albania-resort-stokes-fear-and-hope-in-coastal-town?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-organic&utm_keyword=dlvr.it

Well for real estate investors it's no.secret that there are some incredible opportunities on the Albanian riviera. Some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. 

[Jingthing]

As I said before I consider Albania joining the EU as a negative for potential American expats there 

 

But when?

 

 

[GypsyT]

More interesting places on the way IF Mr X get's in the office;

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/kushner-investment-firm-steps-potential-170714531.html

 

[jas007]

Just the other day I watched a few YouTube videos about Albania. It looked interesting. I wonder, though, about the future of Europe. Even if things are OK now, that can change. Actually, there are probably other places in Eastern Europe that would work for retirement. Or South America.  
 

Here in SE Asia, we’re somewhat insulated from Europe, the West, and all their problems. For example, I haven’t noticed a lot of crazy inflation over the two years I’ve been back, and there certainly aren’t gangs of hooligan immigrants roaming the streets. 

[swissie]

On 4/5/2024 at 4:45 AM, Jingthing said:

Well for real estate investors it's no.secret that there are some incredible opportunities on the Albanian riviera. Some of the most beautiful coastline in the world. 

Gathering information by way of internet, only far away Americens would consider such a place. There are no European Seniors, that would even consider Albania.

Outside of the capital, even today, "blood-revenge" juristiction is the rule. The only natives that have made any significant money have made it by "traffiking" to Europe.

Developping tourism as the only source of (legal) income. Yacht ports mushrooming at $ 150 a day for "parking the yacht". Such a concept does not accommodate future low income "immigrants", no matter where they come from.

To disclose some "gay-tendencies" in Tirana is dangerous. In the coutryside it's basically a death sentence. Even today. No investigation by the local police willl ever take place.

Having "feelings" toward a Albanian female must be approved and constantly observed by a family member. Rats! No "fast sex" available.

All of this very good reasons that no Europeans want to take residence in Albania.

[Jingthing]

22 minutes ago, swissie said:

Gathering information by way of internet, only far away Americens would consider such a place. There are no European Seniors, that would even consider Albania.

Outside of the capital, even today, "blood-revenge" juristiction is the rule. The only natives that have made any significant money have made it by "traffiking" to Europe.

Developping tourism as the only source of (legal) income. Yacht ports mushrooming at $ 150 a day for "parking the yacht". Such a concept does not accommodate future low income "immigrants", no matter where they come from.

To disclose some "gay-tendencies" in Tirana is dangerous. In the coutryside it's basically a death sentence. Even today. No investigation by the local police willl ever take place.

Having "feelings" toward a Albanian female must be approved and constantly observed by a family member. Rats! No "fast sex" available.

All of this very good reasons that no Europeans want to take residence in Albania.

Yeah I'm aware of all that negative stuff and more. EU Europeans don't have any visa hurdles in EU Europe like Americans do so don't be so smug that Albania might be interesting to them.

 

Also though I'm sure there are Italians investing, living, and working in Albania.

Edited May 22 by Jingthing

[swissie]

On 5/22/2024 at 6:57 PM, Jingthing said:

Yeah I'm aware of all that negative stuff and more. EU Europeans don't have any visa hurdles in EU Europe like Americans do so don't be so smug that Albania might be interesting to them.

 

Also though I'm sure there are Italians investing, living, and working in Albania.

Dear JT. I too have been looking for "alternative places" to live in old age. You are not the only one.

For sure, there are still some countries that offer relatively liberal "visa-conditions", mainly if one can prove that the potential future resident has a sound "financial-background".

I found out, that regardless where one ends up in old age, outside of the home country, health care costs/health insurance are very expensive, no matter where one ends up. Balmy breezes from the ocean and palm trees will not lower the cost.

On a personal note: You an US Citizen. Nobody can deny you any "old age benefits" as a US citizen. Arizona is nice all year round. Mobile Home Parks affordable. With interesting people as your neighbors.

Caution: Once you get "the feel" of Arizona, you may ask yourself why you spent the last 500 years in S/E Asia.

Otherwise: The US offers so many geographical variations/cimate and different cultural "inputs" like nowhere else in the world. By driving 500 miles you end up in a different world.

So, what is the (true) reason for you not wanting to live in your home country anymore in old age? It can't be "financials" only, as health care costs will eventually bankrupt you under some exotic palm trees. No matter where the exotic palm trees grow.

PS: With sufficient irrigaton, palm trees also grow in Arizona.

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, swissie said:

Dear JT. I too have been looking for "alternative places" to live in old age. You are not the only one.

For sure, there are still some countries that offer relatively liberal "visa-conditions", mainly if one can prove that the potential future resident has a sound "financial-background".

I found out, that regardless where one ends up in old age, outside of the home country, health care costs/health insurance are very expensive, no matter where one ends up. Balmy breezes from the ocean and palm trees will not lower the cost.

On a personal note: You an US Citizen. Nobody can deny you any "old age benefits" as a US citizen. Arizona is nice all year round. Mobile Home Parks affordable. With interesting people as your neighbors.

Caution: Once you get "the feel" of Arizona, you may ask yourself why you spent the last 500 years in S/E Asia.

Otherwise: The US offers so many geographical variations/cimate and different cultural "inputs" like nowhere else in the world. By driving 500 miles you end up in a different world.

So, what is the (true) reason for you not wanting to live in your home country anymore in old age? It can't be "financials" only, as health care costs will eventually bankrupt you under some exotic palm trees. No matter where the exotic palm trees grow.

PS: With sufficient irrigaton, palm trees also grow in Arizona.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

They were rather too personal for me to feel comfortable answering directly.

Suffice it for me to repeat that repatriation is not my preference and that I see it as a last resort.

[Roo Island]

These guys are pretty good. I hate YouTube videos saying that you can live somewhere for $400 a month. BS. Unless you live like a local, which isn't very fun.

 

Their videos cover lots of countries. And their advice has helped me a bunch. Been online friends with them for a long time.

 

I'm looking at the French VLS-TS visa. A bit of a pain, but means you don't have to do the schengen shuffle. Or deal with the ridiculous tax residency rules in Portugal or Spain.

 

 

 

Hoping to be in Albania early October or so. Again.

[GypsyT]

On 5/26/2024 at 9:00 PM, swissie said:

Caution: Once you get "the feel" of Arizona, you may ask yourself why you spent the last 500 years in S/E Asia.

Otherwise: The US offers so many geographical variations/cimate and different cultural "inputs" like nowhere else in the world. By driving 500 miles you end up in a different world.

Very good points!

 

Long time ago I was looking to live in Tucson but 110F didn't feel like my kind of weather... I like hot but not that hot.

But then I visited Prescott 2 times and that was a real cool place! Nice weather too.

Down town attraction can make ex Pattaya alcoholics to feel at home;

https://www.prescott.com/whiskey-row

 

One thing I didn't like - people were packing real guns... I will never live among gun nuts!

Utah's same, church going folk are packing irons. Openly.

 

"After receiving an Arizona Concealed Weapons Permit (CWP), you are allowed to carry a concealed firearm in most places within the state of Arizona."