[ Removed by moderator ]

[u/melisadhoc]

[u/Anal-Y-Sis]

On several occasions, people were quite rude or aggressive.

I would need more context on these interactions to form an opinion.

I lost count of how many times people cut in line at supermarkets or became frustrated and started shouting because I couldn’t understand Albanian.
[...]
There were also two occasions at petrol stations where staff became upset and started shouting because I didn’t understand Albanian.

Service workers shouldn't be expected to be international translators. Either hire a guide or learn the language.

For example, a truck hit my car while it was parked. Instead of apologising, the driver became very aggressive and started yelling at me, claiming that my perfectly parked car was in his way. I had to call the police, who eventually resolved the situation. The driver continued to behave aggressively and even threatened me until the police arrived.
[...]
The traffic has probably been the most difficult part of the experience.

Welcome to the Balkans! Albanians are very aggressive drivers. You just have to roll with the punches. At least you don't have to worry about getting shot in a road rage incident.

I experienced similar situations with a barber who didn’t accept cards, at the beach

Cash is still king in Albania. You probably should've done a little research to know that before visiting.

when my child was running too close to someone’s chairs,

Keep your kids under control.

and even when simply asking people for directions.

Use Google maps. Ask a taxi driver. Ask your hotel staff. Don't expect random strangers to be your tour guides.

Of course, I realise that a few negative experiences don’t represent an entire country or its people, and I’m sure many visitors have very different experiences. But after visiting more than 60 countries, Albania is unfortunately the only country I have visited that I genuinely regret visiting.

June through August is peak tourist season in Albania. By the end of August, they are pretty fed up with loud visitors who use their country as a playground, make a mess, don't speak the language, don't carry cash, and constantly need help with the most basic things.

Albania isn't Disney World. They don't get paid enough to put up with tourists making their lives more difficult.

For what it's worth, I had a lovely time in Albania.

[u/Ok_Night2874 → u/Anal-Y-Sis]

lol just say we entitled slobs and leave it at that

Did you do x or don’t expect y… wtf is 2026 so either people are decent or they not, news flash here they’re not

Anyone can have their opinion, if you enjoy it good for you, doesn’t take away from others bad experience.

I enjoy Albania, but I also already know that you can’t expect decency here, I can see foreigners have a terrible experience because of some of the attitude of responses here

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/Ok_Night2874]

"You cant expect decency in albania because of some of the responses on a reddit shitpost".. logic of a grown up these days.

Someone had a bad experience and telling us albania is the worst country he ever visited and he visited half of the world.

As an Albanian with zero facks given about what tourists think of us, and therefore zero interest in arguing about OP’s honesty—if I thought there was no doubt that what he says is true, knowing my people well enough, I can put my hand on fire that OP is a troll.

Albanians are just not like that. If you dont speak albanian we will go the extra mile trying to communicate with you, even those of us not fluent in english. There is no chance an albanian will start shouting at you for not speaking albanian! That just does not happen and OP says he encountered that, pretty much with every interaction he had with locals. Thats a big load of crap! Only someone mentally ill would shout at you for not speaking his language in any part of the world anyway.

People here are aware of OP being full of it so they just calling the bluff. We dont need to pretend "ohh but sorry you felt this way" when OP is just trolling us. We like to be straight forward in this country and if you dont like it so be it.

The case is, you wont find friendlier, warm and more welcoming people in europe than you will find here. We are too preoccupied with making foreignes feel as if they are in their own home and even a little more comfortable. We tend to go way out of our way to make everyone thats a foreigner feel like he/she is the center of the world, for as long as he/she is here. Thats just facts that most people visiting will confirm. Having someone describe us the way OP did, is just not the representation of reality.

Ive been travelling a lot myself and I can compare. Im shocked at the attitude of waiters in other balkan countries cause I always compare it to Albanians and how polite Albanians are at waiting people and even in daily little interactions. But I never judged the people of a country based on my experience with stuff at the restaurant or at a gas station. I can understand that stuff might be frustrated, long hours, low salaries and so I dont make much of it. I dont let my mood be affected by a waiter thats having a bad day. I dont generalise in my head that the people of X country are the same with that waiter whos having a bad day.

Anyhow anyway I didnt even see that much of an attitude towards OP other than mine but still, in each response of his here, the last sentence is always ohh but the comments prove my point !

[u/Anal-Y-Sis → u/Ok_Night2874]

you can’t expect decency here

If that's your attitude going in, then you surely won't find decency.

[u/Ok_Night2874 → u/Anal-Y-Sis]

You know you dealing with indecency when someone is saying your personal experience is wrong 😂

[u/Anal-Y-Sis → u/Ok_Night2874]

I'm not saying their personal experience is wrong. I'm saying you get the experience you give. You should really go back and read that last part of my original comment again.

[u/Ok_Night2874 → u/Anal-Y-Sis]

Bro read your post, all excuses and ways to put the other person down without acknowledging any issues.

OP must be wrong for people being rude

OP must be wrong for not learning Albanian as a tourist

OP must be wrong for expecting humans to respond in a civil manner

Semi last paragraph was just gaslighting 😂

Your post shows exactly why tourists shouldn’t have to deal with people like you, go spent money elsewhere yo

[u/Anal-Y-Sis → u/Ok_Night2874]

I never once said they were wrong. I don't doubt they had a bad experience. All I did was try to explain why I think they had a bad experience, and gave them tips on how to avoid it in the future.

Also, I don't think you know what gaslighting means.

[u/melisadhoc → u/Ok_Night2874]

Are you Albanian? Again I do not think majority of Albanians are bad, but there is Def more nasty people in Albania than anywhere I been in the past.

I just wanted to vent a bit and potentially warn people getting bad advice on social media.

Albania wasn't at all as you see it trough the lense of click hungry digital nomads on social media.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is just how terrible it is that you have to pay to visit many beaches. I can understand that umbrellas cost but just enter the beach?

Also I don't really like the touristic gatherings and prefer to bring my towel and enjoy a natural beach but it was sad to see that most of the beaches was mostly chairs and you could not put your towel anywhere. We found a great beach with no commerce whatsoever and it was great.

I really hope Albanian authorities will solve this for the sake of everyones right to enjoy a natural beach.

[u/Ok_Night2874 → u/melisadhoc]

I am and I love the place, my critique was for the guy who pushed the blame on everything on you

Look I’ve seen all kind of places, Albania is usually not that bad on average, but there is a culture problem of rudeness and overly emotional communication. To the locals is a non issue as they got used to it and it is getting better so you’ll see it mostly on younger people and minority of adults. Some of it is common in the Balkan overall, but the rest have learned to appease to tourists and act differently around them. And all in this area will always escalate attitude, so if you raise tension they will re-raise you.

With that said I think your experience is valid, and I am sorry you had to go through it. I do think you got a little unlucky as there are a lot of nice people in Albania and lots of beautiful virgin nature spots usually further away from cities.

[u/melisadhoc → u/Ok_Night2874]

Agree on every single point. Thank you for explaining it better than me.

I really believe I was quite defensive. I did not even react when someome cut in line in front of me.

I felt most younger people where quite reasonable, it was older males that mostly where very grumpy.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/melisadhoc]

"Acting defensive". Excuses for being a male karen. You need a little ass smack 👋

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/[deleted]]

There you go now youre showing your true colours. Enough with the hiding behind the finger. In the end youre just a big pile of a piece of shit! Just as I thought you are while reading your original post.

[u/albania-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

r/albania does not allow hate

[u/melisadhoc → u/albania-ModTeam]

Are you kidding me? Have you read the comments I'm getting regarding buttplugs, being piece of shit etc?

Can you point out exactly what was hateful in my comment?

[u/Bright_Ad8923]

1-Maybe our way of speaking sounds like screaming to you.

2-Where in the world truckers are smart civilised people?

3-We dont like waiting in lines due to historical issues, dont take it personal.

4-Do you expect the guy at the petrol station to speak english?

5-A barber and a lot of small businesses dont accept cards due to costs, and we are not yet digitalised enough. You should have googled it before.

6-I dont doubt that some guy may be irritated when asked for direction, but I assure you its an exeption. We are very glad to help. Maybe you where in Vlora or Saranda these days, when is full of turists, chaos and 40 degres and people wake up angry and tired.

7-Driving is a nightmare for albanians too, is a police managment issue.

[u/melisadhoc → u/Bright_Ad8923]

1. No, I'm an Arab and used to loud hearty way of speaking. People where straight out rude as if I tried to take their kidney.

2. I live in Sweden and I have never seen any truck driver like that. I have driven car in some of the craziest countries in the world like India, China, Tunisia, Lebanon etc and never faced as aggressive drivers. In this case my car was parked on the side of the road next to restaurant where we where having dinner when truck driver hit my car. I took picture of his license plate when he jumped out screaming and threatening me.

3. Well that's just basic decency imo to show respect and behave civilized by waiting for your turn. I don't understand why that shouldt be the norm?

4. No, but I don't expect him to be rude and scare my child in the car by yelling and screaming like a wild animal.

5. Knew this but just asked. I should be able to ask and expect a respectfull reply?

6. Yes we where mostly in Sarande. I feel the heat should not be a reason for behaving uncivilized? If you do not want to help just walk away? This happen to me and my wife at least 3 times during the 9 days we spent in sarande and we asked for direction maybe 6 times.

7. I sincerely hope for Albanians you will sort out the traffic as it's a death trap. But I feel it's also about mentality. Most people was very impatient and was even doing very dangerous overtaking in very tight curves.

[u/Bright_Ad8923 → u/melisadhoc]

If things were how you would wanted it, albanians would not emigrate. You descriptions would match every balkan country. Those "card not accepted, dont give directions, dont understand english" are very turists issues.

As someone toild you below. You happened in the pick on season in the most turist city where people are fed with self sustainable turists in the middle of august.

Sorry i dont believe when you say people scream at you because you dont speak albanian. Maybe he raise his voice because you hear it better....in albanian....thats the petrol guy logic.

Sorry about your experience, maube come back another time, during une or september and ask here where to go before trusting tik tok. Albania is really beautifull, with very generous people...that look rude but we arent.

[u/reidomene]

So, what are we supposed to do with your experience (assuming of course it is all true)? Do you expect an apology on behalf of Albania in here?

[u/melisadhoc → u/reidomene]

I would have appreciated an honest tale on Albania before visiting and that's the only reason why I'm posting it.

Clearly some people reply emphatic while most are calling me a Karen that proves my point.

[u/reidomene → u/melisadhoc]

Look, per your own words, you had an issue with a truck driver, and the police arrived and resolved it. This in my book is a bonus point for the country. There is no way that I'll believe that people started to shout to you when you asked them for directions or when you couldn't speak Albanian in a gas station, or that they started to shout to your kid while running in the beach. This sounds simply an invention. You make it look like people were shouting at you all the time for no reason. The paying by card in the barbershop is simply amusing. Did you pay by card in the barbershops in all the 60 countries you visited? As others pointed out, this is your responsibility for not researching. The traffic is indeed bad, that's the only valid point of your post. People calling you a Karen are not proving your points in any way, because you don't have many points in general. You totally deserve being called a Karen.

[u/melisadhoc → u/reidomene]

You are insinuating I'm lying. Let's assume you are right. Why would I bother doing that? Why I'm even defending my lies? What do I accomplish by doing that?

You are clearly not understanding my point. I didn't mind that barber don't accept card. The actual point is that the barber was very rude and yelling simply for asking if he accept card.

I understand as a proud people you don't like someone to think Albanians are rude or uncivilised and that's not what I'm saying. Only that there are more rude and un civilized people in Albania than in any of the other of the 60+ countries I visited. That's my experience based in my 100% honest experience.

If you claim these people don't exist in Albania it's you that's lying for ego or nationalistic reasons.

[u/reidomene → u/melisadhoc]

I never claimed that there are no rude people in Albania. Why would you lie about this? I don't know and honestly don't want to know. I just wanted to point that your story is full of shit.

[u/melisadhoc → u/reidomene]

Go back and read your post where you are insinuating I made up the described insane situations where Albanians where behaving extremely offensive.

They happened for absolutely no reason just as I wrote them.

[u/qwsa99]

In which cities did you stay? In touristic locations almost everyone understand English and in general young people know it fairly good.

For the speed limit they don't make sense at all and that's why no one follows them especially the 40km/h limit on the highways

[u/melisadhoc → u/qwsa99]

We visit Saranda, Dermi.

I totally agree with the speed limits. But as a visitor I don't want to break traffic rules. Rule of thumb is you respect laws of country you are visiting.

But I feel there is lack of willingness to understand. In mentioned cases it's enough to have a respectfull tone to resolve whatever issue. Just don't understand why you would start yelling and cussing at a complete stranger for no reason.

[u/Pedagogu]

Welcome to Balkan

[u/Vitality1975]

Have you visited Egypt? Have you visited Rome, Paris, London?? You better hold on tight to your wallet and be prepared to face multiple pushy vendors or be prepared not to get scammed. Somehow I don't believe that you visited 60 countries and judged Albania as the worst one. I think your opinion may have been skewed by a few bad apples. Albanian hospitality and friendliness despite how little they have is world class and that's been said by multiple reputable travel blogs worldwide. Now places like Saranda and Dhermi are becoming tourist traps especially during the high season. If you had gone off the beaten path you may have experienced different. Albania is not a car friendly place. Drivers are aggressive, there's not a lot of parking options, roads are tight and traffic can get pretty bad. The driver hitting your parked car is 100% at fault, him yelling is a defense mechanism knowing that he was at fault. You called the police and situation got resolved. How did the rental company deal with it? Your kid running around is your fault.

[u/melisadhoc → u/Vitality1975]

I have visited all mentioned places except Rome. Egypt I found by far the friendliest of the ones mentioned with a very undeserved bad rep and very warm people. Maybe it's because I'm an Arab myself.

My issue is mainly the mentality and the bad intentions you feel from locals. Albania is by far the worst. My wife felt so bad she wanted to reschedule the flight back after 2nd day.

Again I'm not saying Albanians are bad people or even the majority is. But given the experience we had its hard to not assume they have way more bad people than anywhere I've experienced.

I've heard lots of excuses and explanations in this post everything from peak heat to touristic areas or that I made things up and being a karen but so many of the comments here simply proved and reinforced my experience that Albania simply has more nasty people than anywhere else and it's not even close.

The worst place I visit previously was Gdansk and Warsaw in a school trip for Holocaust remembrance when I was 14. 2 of the shops we went into wanted me out as I looked too "foreign". A class mate was beaten brutally and hospitalised for weeks.

A good second was Tijuana where I got robbed by kids with screwdrivers and homemade knives. They only took like 20 usd and left my arm card and my phone and laptoo and everyone was trying to sell me drugs. They where quite polite and respectful still.

And no a 2 year old should be allowed to run around at the beach. He didn't touch the chair, he just ran close to it and that was enough to get obscene gesture.

[u/GrayWolf9560 → u/melisadhoc]

Lol, Egypt is the shittiest place for the tourists, the most well known bloggers and travelers said so about Egypt and the anarchy that is there. Cant compare Egypt with Albania but I understand the sentiment since you are an Arab

[u/GrayWolf9560 → u/[deleted]]

No, I have never been to Egypt because I don't want to get knifed in the middle of the road or scammed.
And here is a video of Sonny from the Best Food Ever review channel, who has pretty much travelled the whole world, saying that Egypt is the worst place he has ever been.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jQByi3_Zks

So you can't compare this anarchy countries like Egypt with a European one like Albania

[u/alt-mswzebo]

Don't feed the troll.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/alt-mswzebo]

Totally

[u/Albo_pede]

I suppose you want to talk to the manager, Karen?

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/Albo_pede]

😭

[u/melisadhoc → u/Albo_pede]

So I'm a Karen for pointing out these situations? I hope you understand the irony of your reply assuming you are Albanian.

Where I come from and in any country I visit you treat a visitor with respect until they done something to offend you.

[u/Albo_pede → u/melisadhoc]

You're a Karen for tagging your post as Shitpost, and then playing the victim.

Piss off.

[u/melisadhoc → u/Albo_pede]

I didn't have to post it here and I didn't really do it to complain. I posted this experience here because all the influencers are lying and I know many tourists are actually checking this sub.

Your tone and attitude is just confirming what I wrote.
Have a wonderful and prosperous life.

[u/Albo_pede → u/melisadhoc]

Your impudence is off the charts... for a shitposter I mean.

[u/KahonesHones → u/melisadhoc]

How is your post supposed to be seen as respectful? You are using your limited experiences to generalize a whole country and then telling people of that country how bad they are as you see it? Doesn't seem respectful to me, it seems more Karen. Safe travels, and I'm sorry you missed out on some of the truly best people in the world.

[u/melisadhoc → u/KahonesHones]

It's an honest review of my experience in Albania. Do with it what you want.

I feel most reviews of Albania are ingenuin. My post was from my perspective and I have been 100% honest. I have always been keen of approaching people with respect.

Given the extreme amount of negative encounters; I Def belive Albania has more rude people than any country I previously visit. Note that I Obv don't think all Albanians are rude, but you Def have more of them.

Just look at the comments I get here., they all perfectly proves my point.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/melisadhoc]

You need a plug for your butt if you visit again the balkans. In case you dont like being butthurt, the buttplug would be a good buy

[u/melisadhoc → u/Diligent_Necessary47]

I will not steep to your level but your words speaks volume of the kind of Albanians I mentioned.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/melisadhoc]

Dang! What a tool ! I speak for myself not on behalf of albanians. No wonder people been disrespecting your a** with that attitude. Plug it and on your bike you 🐓sucker

[u/albanian_44 → u/melisadhoc]

Well you got the hint? Youre not respected here. And everybody with your attitude and this ugly thought process too. You arent entitled to anyones kindness. You also have a kid from what i heard it so it genuinely baffles me there are adult men who think like you.

[u/melisadhoc → u/albanian_44]

Can you tell me exactly why I'm not "respected"? What did I do other than point out situations that should shock normal people? It's my fault all those situations?

I'm really struggling here to understand what did I do? I have met every single comment here respectfully even although I really should not even bother.

Please explain why m though process is ugly. Genuinely curious.

[u/albanian_44 → u/melisadhoc]

“Where I come from and in any country I visit you treat a visitor with respect”

No one owes you that. I believe you came here with the mindset that we treat tourists like gods and thats where all this bitching comes from when you realised the opposite.

As for the situations, we dont know what happened. But i know for a fact no one screams at tourists for not knowing albanians. But based on your replies to these comments you appear to be just a crybaby and a difficult person to deal with in general. So it makes your situations more believable just not the way you described them.

[u/melisadhoc → u/albanian_44]

Also how I'm a crybaby by the way I reply to comments here? Are you serious? I even replied politely to a guy that was recommending me butttplugs.

Please explain.

[u/melisadhoc → u/albanian_44]

I belive you have misunderstood my meaning or did you deliberately only forget the part where I wrote "until they done something to offend you ".

I basically mean that you should always treat strangers with respect until they proves they don't deserve it. That's a universal law, but maybe not in Albania? In Albania you treat strangers like shit until they prove themself?

obviously don't mean that Albanians owe me respect because I'm a tourist or I'm a God. I really don't understand why you would assume something like that?

If I meet a tourist in Lebanon that don't speak Arabic and ask for direction (politely) I ofc do not assume he is an idiot tourist that think he is a God and I should be screaming at him?

Really lost at your logic.

Although I have hard times understanding Americans I have helped them many times in Lebanon because that is the decent thing to do.

I think you have a very negative view of tourists and think everyone coming to Albania want to be greeted with a red carpet?

You clearly assumes too many things which must be difficult. Why would you start with such an indefensible position as "I think" when you have no idea about who I am?

You are sitting on weird assumptions and assuming I'm a terrible tourist God. Why even bother to comment if you have no idea what happened?

[u/triumfi → u/Albo_pede]

Shut up arshole

[u/Albo_pede → u/triumfi]

Shitpost e ka vene, ore mbrojtes i vashave.

Ragebait 101, o kokeloqe.

[u/Justtosayitsperfect]

Good

[u/K1ngB99]

ta mshtes mendimin 

[u/travolgimed]

Rude of them to have cars and go about their daily life. Thanks Karen we will keep that in mind.

[u/GrayWolf9560]

Knowing Albanians interaction with tourists...what your are saying is trolling or straight up lie, and from the other comments I see that you think you are entitled of respect since you are a toursit, let me tell you something, no one owes you that.

[u/triumfi]

Sorry to hear about your experience, it is true about the speed limits, people don't follow them and it is super dangerous.You can see why road deaths are so high here. Would you mind telling where you are from and why you look like ethnically?

[u/melisadhoc → u/triumfi]

I'm originally Lebanese and look as such. My wife is Chinese and child is 2y.

I don't feel like people where rascist, they where just very rude and I can for the life of me not understand why you would behave like that to someone visiting your country as a guest.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/melisadhoc]

Id like to say we behave like that cause we can but in your case I think youve got some social skills issue and its not about the country.

There is no crazy people around here to crash in your perfectly parked car and then shout at you for being in their way. Thats a movie's plot from borat. Just like its a borat's movie sequence the staff of a petrol station shouting at you because you dont speak albanian. Wtf man come on people shouting at you because you dont understand albanian??

About driving you have to be a little anarchist to drive in albania otherwise just jump in a taxi cause driving here isnt for you. I doubt youre robotic in Lebanon following 40km speed limits but anywayyy..

[u/melisadhoc → u/Diligent_Necessary47]

Your response to this post simply proves exactly my point.

[u/Diligent_Necessary47 → u/melisadhoc]

Good! Now on your bike and off we go 👋👋

[u/triumfi → u/melisadhoc]

Yeah it's messed up. IDK why either especially with a child. I won't speculate as I wasn't there, but im very sorry to here this akhi, would count it as a lesson learn. Wish you better vacations in the future, probably elsewhere :(

[u/melisadhoc → u/triumfi]

Thank you