8 ms·

Based on articles like this, one gets an impression that Albania is a bad place - which is not the case according to people who actually spent some time there:

Based on articles like this, one gets an impression that Albania is a bad place - which is not the case according to people who actually spent some time there: https://youtu.be/R1BYTmqWjTU https://youtu.be/R1BYTmqWjTU

edgyquant 4y ago
Lots of people will tell you Mexico isn’t a bad place despite half the country being controlled by violent warlords. I’m really not sure what the point of “actually”ing here is?
- cvhashim04 4y ago
  Have you ever left your Midwest bubble?
  - edgyquant 4y ago
    I don’t live in the Midwest and yea I’ve been all over the world. Do you have a point?
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - bannedbybros 4y ago
      [dead]
- notch898a 4y ago
  Honestly the violent warlords are better. Just from my time in Mexico. Areas controlled by police the police will arrest you for any random reason. The violent warlords are running drugs and have no interest in robbing a tourist for $20, it's a total waste of their time.
  - philippejara 4y ago
    It isn't the police that is making mexico one of the most violent places in the world, I'm sure they play a part in it as in all developing countries but said violence ends up being linked to the "violent warlords" anyway more often than not in the form of corrupt policemen working for them. Tourists tend to be treated with kiddy gloves by organized crime because of the response that diplomatic blunders trigger. Odds are as well that, if you as a tourist went out of your way to go to a warlord controlled area you were(or were seen as) their client.
    - dghlsakjg 4y ago
      I was in a non-touristy part of mexico, and the only crime we had was when someone left their iPhone with their stuff at a park and the phone disappeared (I would expect the same almost anywhere in North America). Meanwhile the police shakedowns were incessant. We ended up paying over $100 USDd/day to police in straight up bribes for made up offenses.
      - notch898a 4y ago
        100% this is my experience. I don't ever go to the tourist towns so maybe police are less hassling there.
      - SlickNixon 4y ago
        Has it occurred to you that the police and cartels might not be operating as separate entities when it comes to shaking down tourists for cash?
        notch898a 4y ago
        It's occurred to me, but this happens even in places where tourists basically aren't found and there is no well oiled machine for it even be worth the cartel's time to like keep watch for tourists and call the police to shake them down. That and the cartel can just straight up roll up with guns and take all your shit, why wouldn't they just do that if they wanted your money? Instead you find the cartels want nothing and the police want a bribe that would amount to very little for the cartels and not at all worth some arrangement picking up pennies with bumfuck police that almost never see a tourist.
bluetomcat 4y ago
It's not a bad place for a tourist with a US passport on an ample budget. It's a bad place with dire job prospects for anyone trying to start a life there. Instead of "travelling the world in your 20s", these people travel across Europe drug trafficking just to be able to stand on their feet.
- notch898a 4y ago
  The generalized view of Albanians is they are international drug traffickers?
- ibz 4y ago
  It's probably easier to start a small business in Albania though than it is in the EU - mostly due to less regulation and, yes, also corruption - you need less money to bend the rules - and everybody can do that - not just those with pockets deep enough to lobby.
  - emptyfile 4y ago
    [dead]
  - vkou 4y ago
    I may be wildly and incorrectly speculating here, but my immediate assumption about any area with a weak government and a serious corruption and organized crime problem is that starting a successful business is a great way to have a few friendly people (maybe in uniforms, maybe without) show up at your house one day, to explain to you how they are going to be involved in said business. You'd probably find dealing with seven million pages of official Central European paperwork to be preferable to that sort of thing.
  - avianlyric 4y ago
    There’s a reason why investors prefer to put their money into countries with strong judicial systems, well understood regulations, and stable governments. It makes it much easier to predict if something is going to be a good investment, and removes the risk of sudden unexpected changes in your operating environment which could sink your new business. I honestly have no idea why you would think that unpredictable corruption, and a lack of regulation is going to make it easier to start a business. Especially as corruption and weak regulation tend to only benefit the incumbents.
likeabbas 4y ago
I haven't been to Albania yet but I've been to Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia for several months at a time. I've had nothing but amazing experiences traveling there in the summer and staying at hostels. One time I was lost in Tisno, Croatia and didn't have a working phone. A local picked me up on the side of the road and drove me 10 miles to the center of town and helped me find a friend. The only "bad" experience I had was after a music festival in Pula, Croatia, some guy tried to mug me. But he did a terrible job at it. I told him "no", held my ground in a defensive stance, and he backed off. Then I went to the nearest bar, told the bouncer there, and he let me chill in there for a while to calm down. I've heard Albania is of a similar vibe as to these countries, but with less English speakers. Contrary to others, I had a terrible time in Greece. I was roofied and mugged in Rhodes, had a bad encounter with the cops in Greece, and everyone was just rude.
- qikInNdOutReply 4y ago
  Lowtrust societies man: They get to you and they are a self fullfilling prophecy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404IeUzGNZ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404IeUzGNZ4
- higeorge13 4y ago
  Islands like Rhodes, Zante, Crete, etc. and specific villages targeted only to foreigners like Faliraki, Laganas, etc and on high tourist pediod like August are usually bad indicators of Greece and its people. I don’t know whether you visited those, but it’s pretty much the same in almost all tourist-dependent countries and the most visited sightseeings worldwide. You could visit another island on a different season and just meet the friendliest people around.
  - longbrass 4y ago
    Have a good friend with family in Rhodes, always buy bottled beer and water and have it open at your table. Nothing in any bottle behind the bar is as advertised... but you can ususally drink whatver you can get the bartender to drink, especially if the bar tender is the "owner."
  - 4y ago
d0kt0r1 4y ago
Albania is neither a good place nor a bad place to be. It is as safe as you can be in Greece. HOWEVER, what Greece would have done differently if they found such cameras: - They would not remove them directly - Instead, they would chase the signal down to the roots and see who is behind
zoklet-enjoyer 4y ago
A friend from high school traveled throughout the US, Asia, and Europe. He loves Albania and settled down there a few years ago.
InCityDreams 4y ago
If i could get back to albania tomorrow, i would!
thefounder 4y ago
You can have good experienced in bad places because they are not bad all the time and everywhere but if you want to avoid potential bad experiences you should probably avoid bad places(i.e places where criminality and corruption is high)
Laaas 4y ago
Most people in most places are good people. There are very few "truly bad" places.
optymizer 4y ago
I've been to Albania a few years ago, at the invitation of a friend. What a beautiful country! Safety-wise, it felt like ex-Soviet countries did in the early 90s: generally safe but there were lots of gang activity, so you did not want to cross the wrong person. Everyone knew someone who was involved in criminal activity. In smaller villages, going out to bars in the evening meant that the local tough guys would necessarily stare at us foreigners. There was a general "Americans are not welcome here" feeling in the air (and also in the things kids would shout at us), but it wasn't a big deal. Groceries were dirt cheap, the people - poor. I saw foreign police cars conducting a raid in Albanian villages to catch criminals. In touristy places, like Saranda, I felt the most safe, even if my friend was pointing out all the bars, restaurants and clubs presumably owned by the mafia. I had no bad incidents in Albania, only a great time, though my friend handled most interactions with other people. I would not go back without someone local. That's just my preference, I do have friends (non-Albanian) who go regularly on vacation to Albania by themselves.
YeGoblynQueenne 4y ago
Albania is not a "bad place". It has a troubled history and its people have suffered greatly, especially in the nineties and later. I'm Greek and, unfortunately, my racist, xenophobic country never welcomed our closest neighbours (and more than just neighbours; half of the Greeks are at least half Albanian, from the time of the Ottoman occupation when we were all one, big, happy jurisdiction, under the Sultan :spits:). In the nineties it seems the word "alvanos" ("Albanian") was an insult, in Greece. Anyway, Albanians are ordinary people. They won't eat you. Here's a web page that describes some basic greetings in Albanian: https://ling-app.com/sq/greetings-in-albanian/ https://ling-app.com/sq/greetings-in-albanian/ Oh, btw, fuck Suella Braverman.

edgyquant 4y ago

Lots of people will tell you Mexico isn’t a bad place despite half the country being controlled by violent warlords. I’m really not sure what the point of “actually”ing here is?

cvhashim04 4y ago
Have you ever left your Midwest bubble?
- edgyquant 4y ago
  I don’t live in the Midwest and yea I’ve been all over the world. Do you have a point?
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - bannedbybros 4y ago
    [dead]
notch898a 4y ago
Honestly the violent warlords are better. Just from my time in Mexico. Areas controlled by police the police will arrest you for any random reason. The violent warlords are running drugs and have no interest in robbing a tourist for $20, it's a total waste of their time.
- philippejara 4y ago
  It isn't the police that is making mexico one of the most violent places in the world, I'm sure they play a part in it as in all developing countries but said violence ends up being linked to the "violent warlords" anyway more often than not in the form of corrupt policemen working for them. Tourists tend to be treated with kiddy gloves by organized crime because of the response that diplomatic blunders trigger. Odds are as well that, if you as a tourist went out of your way to go to a warlord controlled area you were(or were seen as) their client.
  - dghlsakjg 4y ago
    I was in a non-touristy part of mexico, and the only crime we had was when someone left their iPhone with their stuff at a park and the phone disappeared (I would expect the same almost anywhere in North America). Meanwhile the police shakedowns were incessant. We ended up paying over $100 USDd/day to police in straight up bribes for made up offenses.
    - notch898a 4y ago
      100% this is my experience. I don't ever go to the tourist towns so maybe police are less hassling there.
    - SlickNixon 4y ago
      Has it occurred to you that the police and cartels might not be operating as separate entities when it comes to shaking down tourists for cash?
      - notch898a 4y ago
        It's occurred to me, but this happens even in places where tourists basically aren't found and there is no well oiled machine for it even be worth the cartel's time to like keep watch for tourists and call the police to shake them down. That and the cartel can just straight up roll up with guns and take all your shit, why wouldn't they just do that if they wanted your money? Instead you find the cartels want nothing and the police want a bribe that would amount to very little for the cartels and not at all worth some arrangement picking up pennies with bumfuck police that almost never see a tourist.

bluetomcat 4y ago

It's not a bad place for a tourist with a US passport on an ample budget. It's a bad place with dire job prospects for anyone trying to start a life there. Instead of "travelling the world in your 20s", these people travel across Europe drug trafficking just to be able to stand on their feet.

notch898a 4y ago
The generalized view of Albanians is they are international drug traffickers?
ibz 4y ago
It's probably easier to start a small business in Albania though than it is in the EU - mostly due to less regulation and, yes, also corruption - you need less money to bend the rules - and everybody can do that - not just those with pockets deep enough to lobby.
- emptyfile 4y ago
  [dead]
- vkou 4y ago
  I may be wildly and incorrectly speculating here, but my immediate assumption about any area with a weak government and a serious corruption and organized crime problem is that starting a successful business is a great way to have a few friendly people (maybe in uniforms, maybe without) show up at your house one day, to explain to you how they are going to be involved in said business. You'd probably find dealing with seven million pages of official Central European paperwork to be preferable to that sort of thing.
- avianlyric 4y ago
  There’s a reason why investors prefer to put their money into countries with strong judicial systems, well understood regulations, and stable governments. It makes it much easier to predict if something is going to be a good investment, and removes the risk of sudden unexpected changes in your operating environment which could sink your new business. I honestly have no idea why you would think that unpredictable corruption, and a lack of regulation is going to make it easier to start a business. Especially as corruption and weak regulation tend to only benefit the incumbents.

likeabbas 4y ago

I haven't been to Albania yet but I've been to Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia for several months at a time. I've had nothing but amazing experiences traveling there in the summer and staying at hostels. One time I was lost in Tisno, Croatia and didn't have a working phone. A local picked me up on the side of the road and drove me 10 miles to the center of town and helped me find a friend. The only "bad" experience I had was after a music festival in Pula, Croatia, some guy tried to mug me. But he did a terrible job at it. I told him "no", held my ground in a defensive stance, and he backed off. Then I went to the nearest bar, told the bouncer there, and he let me chill in there for a while to calm down. I've heard Albania is of a similar vibe as to these countries, but with less English speakers. Contrary to others, I had a terrible time in Greece. I was roofied and mugged in Rhodes, had a bad encounter with the cops in Greece, and everyone was just rude.

qikInNdOutReply 4y ago
Lowtrust societies man: They get to you and they are a self fullfilling prophecy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404IeUzGNZ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=404IeUzGNZ4
higeorge13 4y ago
Islands like Rhodes, Zante, Crete, etc. and specific villages targeted only to foreigners like Faliraki, Laganas, etc and on high tourist pediod like August are usually bad indicators of Greece and its people. I don’t know whether you visited those, but it’s pretty much the same in almost all tourist-dependent countries and the most visited sightseeings worldwide. You could visit another island on a different season and just meet the friendliest people around.
- longbrass 4y ago
  Have a good friend with family in Rhodes, always buy bottled beer and water and have it open at your table. Nothing in any bottle behind the bar is as advertised... but you can ususally drink whatver you can get the bartender to drink, especially if the bar tender is the "owner."
- 4y ago

d0kt0r1 4y ago

Albania is neither a good place nor a bad place to be. It is as safe as you can be in Greece. HOWEVER, what Greece would have done differently if they found such cameras: - They would not remove them directly - Instead, they would chase the signal down to the roots and see who is behind

zoklet-enjoyer 4y ago

A friend from high school traveled throughout the US, Asia, and Europe. He loves Albania and settled down there a few years ago.

InCityDreams 4y ago

If i could get back to albania tomorrow, i would!

thefounder 4y ago

You can have good experienced in bad places because they are not bad all the time and everywhere but if you want to avoid potential bad experiences you should probably avoid bad places(i.e places where criminality and corruption is high)

Laaas 4y ago

Most people in most places are good people. There are very few "truly bad" places.

optymizer 4y ago

I've been to Albania a few years ago, at the invitation of a friend. What a beautiful country! Safety-wise, it felt like ex-Soviet countries did in the early 90s: generally safe but there were lots of gang activity, so you did not want to cross the wrong person. Everyone knew someone who was involved in criminal activity. In smaller villages, going out to bars in the evening meant that the local tough guys would necessarily stare at us foreigners. There was a general "Americans are not welcome here" feeling in the air (and also in the things kids would shout at us), but it wasn't a big deal. Groceries were dirt cheap, the people - poor. I saw foreign police cars conducting a raid in Albanian villages to catch criminals. In touristy places, like Saranda, I felt the most safe, even if my friend was pointing out all the bars, restaurants and clubs presumably owned by the mafia. I had no bad incidents in Albania, only a great time, though my friend handled most interactions with other people. I would not go back without someone local. That's just my preference, I do have friends (non-Albanian) who go regularly on vacation to Albania by themselves.

YeGoblynQueenne 4y ago

Albania is not a "bad place". It has a troubled history and its people have suffered greatly, especially in the nineties and later. I'm Greek and, unfortunately, my racist, xenophobic country never welcomed our closest neighbours (and more than just neighbours; half of the Greeks are at least half Albanian, from the time of the Ottoman occupation when we were all one, big, happy jurisdiction, under the Sultan :spits:). In the nineties it seems the word "alvanos" ("Albanian") was an insult, in Greece. Anyway, Albanians are ordinary people. They won't eat you. Here's a web page that describes some basic greetings in Albanian: https://ling-app.com/sq/greetings-in-albanian/ https://ling-app.com/sq/greetings-in-albanian/ Oh, btw, fuck Suella Braverman.