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@@maureenmitchell7050 the kids were loving it. It was packed daily!!!

@@suzybirdy so you don’t actually have to put the money in the bank. Look in the video description for our Facebook and message us for the information.

@@StanleySmith-k2o yes we leave tomorrow on a boat to pak beng. We organized it so we spend 3 nights in the village instead of just overnight . Cost $250 cad per person. Not including lodging. Regular boat is $30

it's a great city we will come back here for a long stay. Thanks for watching!

Thanks glad you liked it!

Yes it's a lovely country very scenic.

Yeah you could go to numbeo as well and get all the costs, but people don't, they watch TH-cam. Health insurance coverage is very specific to the insured. There is no one size fits all. Maybe you should just stick to google instead of complaining about content people have put in the effort to make. That, or make it yourself and see how that goes. Ciao!

Thailand would be exceptional for retirement in our opinion. We are coming back there for sure. Yes, the burning season can be very bad, and the rainy season can be pretty brutal. Not sure where you'd go during those times, but burning season you'd have to leave the region. It's all smokey then. We came through some burning en route to Laos, and just a FEW small fires made the sky hazy and very smokey. They will never stop doing this... so, you either live with it, or get out. You can wear a mask to help, everyone wears masks here anways... just going about daily life, it's an Asia thing. I'd say... 1 in 10 people are using a face mask at all times when outside of their homes.

@@JayandSarah Been doing some brainstorming and we are thinking we will do France or Schengen for those months. There are direct flights to France that are reasonably priced. A bit of Geoarbitrage. Just watched this video and homes are really cheap there. th-cam.com/video/7WnrveQ3ruY/w-d-xo.html

@@cl2385 you can't buy a house on owned land in Thailand without 51% of it being owned by a Thai citizen, or a company with 51% Thai citizen participation. You can buy a condo no problem. That video is a house on lease land, and there is no way in hell I would enter into that kind of agreement in a country like Thailand.

@@kossllan6144 whatever, we don’t need balkan dramatics. You are all so confused most of the time about history.

@JayandSarah there is a drama all over there. Can you see ? All fake statues and memorabilia of old Greece?

They chose what they have chosen, so be it.

@marinatzvetkova9382 the time is never wasted. We are not tourists. We just live ordinary lives in the places we visit.

The humidity is extremely high, today it will be 98% but to be honest - I haven't felt it's been that bad - because the temperature highs are under 30. Today will be 26. I don't like super sweaty humidity but I haven't felt this has been as bad as some places I have been. I've yet to have a dripping wet shirt from walking around. That said, we tend to avoid walking around in direct sunlight in the peak of daytime if it's very hot out.

Oh wow that is so interesting! Thanks for sharing the information much appreciated.

Yes we read about this afterwards. Lots of people were coming there just to see that. It's an amazing place to be.

Is true for most of the balkans, we had incredibly high temperatures for our 5 weeks in Mostar. Couldn't go out in the peak of the day, too hot at 42 degrees.

ใช่ เราทำเช่นนี้แล้ว มันมีอิเล็กโทรไลต์ตามธรรมชาติอยู่ด้วย Chı̀ reā thả chèn nī̂ læ̂w mạn mī xi lĕk thor lịt̒ tām ṭhrrmchāti xyū̀ d̂wy

Yes we noticed it was very hot. Didn't seem as bad as Bangkok but may have just been the one week that we were there not as bad. We spent 1 month in Bangkok and it was pretty hot at times for sure. Thanks for watching and providing information! Much appreciated.

Hi and thanks for watching our video!

We really enjoyed our time there. We don't do too many tourist things, we are more interested in just living daily life. Thanks for sharing the information, next time we are through we may check out some more things!

Something to consider for future videos. Thanks for watching and providing feedback. We do try to provide a mix of sights as well as commentary on our thoughts about the places we go. The response so far has been very good.

Cool thanks for sharing! We have left and headed farther north now.

@@Bravo21 exactly. Shkoder is nice we have been there on 3 different trips in Albania. Nice and flat. If I lived there I’d get a bicycle for sure 👍. Saranda yes hard to find year round lease but is possible. Foreign landlords and premium properties, pretty hard. There will be lots of Americans coming, the demand is clear in our video analytics. From the evening of the USA election, views of cost of living and pros and cons have been very steady on old videos which typically get very little views. Albania would not be of interest without the 1 year visa free I don’t think.

@JayandSarah Yes, I watched your earlier video before I came to Albania, and I thank you for that! It gave me a ton of information and started me thinking... I was living in Bacolod City Philippines at the time. Lol Flat and Bicycles are two of the main reasons I chose to settle in Shkodër and I'm so glad I did. Climate is another reason, very moderate here. This is my home now and I hope any of the folks thinking of coming after the election understand that Albania is a culturally and socially conservative country. It is not like Ibiza or Denmark and a lot less tolerant of partying, public outbursts, drinking, tatooes, piercings and Woke behavior etc than the USA or the EU. This is a beautiful, sober, quiet country and culture and tbh that's another reasons I chose to settle here. The relaxed, respectful, family friendly no drama, vibe here is wonderful. I love it here just the way it is. I have been looking at electric scooters like the Honda eCub and have talked to the dealer at a shop locally, they have many others available including ebikes, but I have not made a decision yet. I would not use it for anything close, I need the exercise and am only a block or so from City Center. so most everything I need is close. But to go to the lake for a coffee or across town to get an item I can't get nearby, something like that should fit my needs very well.

@@Bravo21 your post makes me smile, so much good stuff in it. The e-bike sounds like a fantastic idea. You are so spot on about the societal differences and very conservative nature. Anyone thinking they will arrive to a similar cultural lifestyle as that in America, but on the cheap - is in for a real surprise. We have met several who have stayed and really enjoyed it. We have met far more who couldn't do it long term and left, or just simply never stayed and said they wouldn't likely return. That entire region is difficult if you are from the west, because things are so different. You have to be seeking that type of experience to really embrace it. We've enjoyed all of our time around that area, and we will come back at some point. It really is special. Anyone who hasn't travelled much is in for a rude awakening if their life experience has been almost exclusively the western world or American experience. You aren't in Kansas anymore Toto! Some of the stuff I see from entitled folks from the USA around our travels has been legendary a*hole stuff. It's embarrassing to watch. That said, you can get people like that from anywhere. Idiocy knows no boundaries.

tadı böyle. akan yoğurt ve tuz garip. Hahah!

Thank you for being such great hosts in this city! We loved it and will come back.

So far only seen Thailand so will need to answer that after seeing more places. Obviously the regions are very different. I would take living in Thailand long term any day over any of the places we have been prior. Socially very friendly and outgoing people, excellent food, very good customer service, and there is none of this balkan dramatics that exists in each country.

@ somehow I thought Eastern Europe would be an easier transition to living abroad over Southeast Asia. Oh Lord the decisions in life!

@@StanleySmith-k2o I suppose it depends on where exactly you go. A fair argument could be made that Eastern Europe is an easier transition. I think we believed similar when we started out. The travel experience we have gained probably prepared us in some ways for SE Asia. Mainly in how to be comfortable with uncertainty and how to problem solve. We used to book out lodging well in advance, now we do less of that. I guess you develop a realization that no matter what you do, things will work out - despite some stress at times. It's actually more enjoyable when you embrace that. Hope that makes sense.

@ thanks for your input I guess I’m overly hyped about this transition. I’ve always traveled and I’m used to booking Airbnbs and planning vacation itineraries. I’m ready to book Jan Feb mar somewhere in the Schengen then to one of the non Schengen Balkan countries. Was thinking possibly 4 to 6 months in Albania? Then back to Schengen before coming back to US for the yearly visit. There are so many options or I could start in Thailand , Vietnam Cambodia Laos then on to Japan for 3 months! See my dilemma? 🤷🏻‍♂️ I think I’m just too excited at this point I’m even thinking of putting each region name on a piece of paper and drawing one and sticking with that. 😂

This is the dilemma, there are so many choices. Just be thoughtful about the transportation costs which can add up, depending on how budget focused you are. Flights to relocate to other regions or back and forth to North America are expensive. We have thought about going back for a visit, but the costs just make no sense. It would cost us a months living budget for 2 flights, then it will cost us a fortune to stay at home compared to overseas. I'm sure the price of meal in a restaurant would make us pass out at this point. We just see no point. Far cheaper to fly adult children out to us to visit us on the road.

@@Walk-retirement-travel I’m not sure you get accustomed to it in the short term of living here. It is pretty tough.

@@senorromantico7723 we still like Saranda but no it wouldn’t be top of list anymore.

We eat almost exclusively Thai food. If you eat western food it’s way more expensive. Lots of it I won’t eat but there’s lots of good stuff.

I wouldn't commit to retiring anywhere long term without visiting it first to see how you feel about the place. You should spend maybe a month or two there first and see, you might find things about it that just don't work for you. I don't know where you are coming from and what your native currency is. You should make large withdrawals at ATM's to reduce the impact of service charges to your total monthly cash spend. I would just take the money out at ATM's in large increments. Don't bother bringing cash and using exchange places, they don't give very good rates.

Thank you so much for your time. I am an American coming from NYC. Things are so expensive here. You are absolutely right not to commit full time. I was thinking of trying it for six months or more but signing a lease for so long is scary. Again thank you both!😊

@@Dmarquise.Dinorah.A most landlords won't do a 6 month lease, only 1 year. I wouldn't get into a lease just to test drive the city. Get a monthly rental rate on airbnb or something... and try a few cities during your 6 months. It really depends what you want. I mean, Albania has lower costs for sure.. but it is a LOT, and I mean, a HELL of a lot different than living in America. Travel light, move around 3 or 4 times and see what you think. There is more to the country than Tirana.

@ thank you. Reading in the comments my fears have been revealed in that tourism has been invading the country and things go up in price. I have a retirement income that is not big therefore I am concerned about prices going up. I have been planning to visit for a year now and not really sure if I would be able to afford to live in Albania. Before Albania I was thinking of retiring in Montenegro and now because of tourism Montenegro is more expensive. I lived in Playa del Carmen Mexico and the same thing happened sooo expensive I had to move back home to NYC because I couldn’t afford to live there and so now I live with family here to be able to survive with the retirement income. I truly appreciate your insight and input….😊

@@Dmarquise.Dinorah.A what is your retirement income? I know of at least one guy doing it on $1400 USD. That works in Albania. You might be better off it SE Asia.. but to be honest, we track our monthly spend, and you can see in our videos all the countries we have been to, and Albania has been the cheapest for us, granted we were able to cook at home lots - or made the choice to. There are still lower price places in Albania and elsewhere, but tourism does drive prices. SE Asia still low. You can get a nice hotel in Bangkok for $350 USD a month and eat for pretty low prices.

Who knows, I'm not sure how they figure out or trace ANYTHING in that rats nest.

Yeah we haven't cooked here and won't be. As you say, the stuff at the markets and grocery are pretty excellent.

You will have to exchange it here, unless bringing euro's I suppose but that is not accepted everywhere you might want to shop. You can't buy Albanian Lek outside of the country.

For our situation, I would say no. There is no dual tax treaty with Albania. If that weren't an issue, could we? Probably.

That's nice thanks for watching.

You are about the 10 billionth person to contact us with the same story about SEO. We are doing fine, please stop pestering people with this nonsense. On travel and lifestyle channels, views do not come from SEO.

@JayandSarah If you don't believe in SEO then I will do 2 video SEO for you if you get good results then let it work later

I understand SEO. I also understand where views come from on our type of channel, and it's from home page and browse, not from SEO. It's a waste of $ for us to pay someone to do SEO. I can do SEO more myself if I wanted to pay for some add ons. This is not rocket science we are talking about. I've never had a life experience quite like all the internet "SEO" experts coming out of the woodwork, to employ the same tools I could buy myself if I were inclined. It is all cost vs benefit, I don't need to make money or grow this channel, it's for fun. We travel full time without needing jobs or income from TH-cam. You are literally the 500th person to watch, make the same comments, and offer the same stuff.

@@JayandSarah Can I contact you and do ad camping for your business or reach the right people to reach your target audience?

No, what part are you not understanding.

Most welcome. You are from same area as us.

Well, there are lots of tourists, but in general - no. We spend 5 weeks in that area, and at one point went 2 weeks without an English conversation with anyone. There are lots of tourists in Kotor, and less so in Herceg Novi. Lots of Russians and lots of Serbians.

Thanks for the tips!

Yes it's quite the area of town for sure! We enjoyed it but it was very busy for us.

This is a bucket list place not to be missed. You will be too hot, I can assure you - but the food will amaze you. And the buzz... wow.

This is our first time here, we quite like it. Not everything about it - but far more to like than dislike. I'm sure it's changed a lot in the 20 years since you were here. What area are you thinking of staying in? We are really enjoying the food here and the friendly people... so many people will smile at you genuinely.

@JayandSarah I will be staying in On Nut.

Perfect, we stayed there when we first got here. If you need accommodation I know of a decent hotel the monthly rate they gave us was 12k

@@JayandSarah Appreciate it, but I already have an apartment reserved.

@@nomadjim sounds good!

Glad you think it's a good video! Sarah didn't get the outfit, I just envision it instead. Yes, lots of ladyboys around. It's definitely strange to see Christmas stuff here for us... with it being so hot it doesn't feel like December. Yeah, those political correct things are just such nonsense. Wonder why the world is in the state it's in.... that was the path went down.

😂

Yup, first visit and won't be the last. The moment it started getting cold in Bulgaria, I said to Sarah - I didn't retire to live in crappy weather. We do miss the seasons though. We had like 2 weeks of winter and bolted!

Glad you liked the video! Yes we did stroll there together!!! lol.

Thank you, we appreciate you watching and your advice!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for coming and watching! Watch our long form videos they are good!

There are lots of people that is for sure

Constitutionally it may be secular, but religion is very rooted. Alcohol, while not forbidden can't be found in every place... many restaurants refuse to sell or serve it, many stores refuse to carry and sell it. It is not convenient to purchase and there are very few bars in istanbul to sit and drink at, considering the size of the city and number of people and tourists there.

​​@@JayandSarahIn order for a place to sell alcohol, it must have a license to sell alcohol. Since that license is expensive, places that sell regular food generally do not carry alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are generally sold in chain markets and grocery stores with blue signs called "Tekel". Chain markets are not found everywhere, but "Tekels" are found everywhere. If you went to Beşiktaş or Kadıköy, you would see the taverns, pubs and bars there. In fact, there are more places that sell alcohol than places that sell food in Kadıköy and Beşiktaş lol. If you only visit places that are full of tourist traps, of course you won’t see any places that serve alcohol. Istanbul locals visit places where tourists visit at most 5 times a year.

Thank you so much and thanks for watching our channel.

What does this mean? Is it a secret code?

@@LeonardoLabastia-mq4qj is this 🧿

It is the blue eye. If you look at the video on the grand bazaar you will see them for sale at many kiosks. The blue eye is thought to look out and keep away evil or bad things from happening to you, or your household. It is quite common in some countries, I'd never heard of it before going to Albania, where it exists as well to a lesser degree. In Turkiye, it is all over the place. Beliefs, superstitions, whatever it is.

@@JayandSarah Thank you Jay and Sarah 🙂 I have seen the Grand Bazaar video and I'm still catching up on the older ones too. I hope you're both enjoying Thailand and look forward to seeing your videos from there ❤️