Hey I’m glad that you guys overall enjoyed the trip to Tirana,Albania. I apologize for the incident with the teenagers. Speaking as an Albanian who was born and raised there but now lives in US , I can 100% guarantee that those teenagers had no idea about the meaning/ history behind the N word. We were raised listening to 50 cent and other rappers and were completely unaware about the degrading truth about that word . For me personally was a big shock after I learned the history when I moved to the US. Since then I’ve made sure my friends there never say that word.
@@LucasWorldTravel there is no excuse really for their behaviour I think we need more black history lessons in our schools.. these little idiots think they can talk to like snoop dog to all black people and is cool without realising the consequences.. I’m very sorry for that incident… I heard in Albanian school they tech students about American history and part of that is how black people created rap music.. I was horrified when an 9 year old told me about it
the history of black people in america is mentioned in albanian history classes curiculum since the 1970s. I heard about martin luther king in albania, during history class and how he brought equality to people
@@tony232cool Where in my comment did you read that I said that the history of black people is not mentioned? I said that the meaning/history of the N-word is something that generally the Albanian teenagers there have no idea about. Their only teachings or realities regarding that word are tough by African-American rappers. Plus there is a drastic difference between mentioning African-American history and actually teaching it.
@@tony232cool as a teacher let me say our students go and learn nothing in school. Except few schools in Tirana and in the East where there's a tradition of loving education, in the rest of the country it's play pretend at this point. Stupid uneducated teens was what she encountered, maybe they had malice as well, we weren't there. But this is a consequence of not willing to open your mind and a culture of hate among our teenagers. It's the same everywhere, with the rise of social media, the school isn't a factor of success anymore.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I recently visited Albania for the first time this year in April and had an amazing experience overall. I found the people incredibly welcoming and friendly. As a tourist I was not expecting the level of hospitality and friendliness that I experienced while there, it was very very endearing. I will say though that when I was at a supermarket in Durres I paid with cash and the girl deliberately input the wrong amount that I gave her. So she stole the equivalent of $5 but I didn’t realize it until I left the store. You will find people who don’t have a good moral compass everywhere in the world, it’s unfortunate. I would definitely visit Albania again.
I am Albanian myself,so next time I suggest you tell them to give you the coupon because if they don't they will have problems with tax officials/organisation.Most of the cashiers throw away the coupon because Albanian people mostly don't care about it,so it is better to ask them for the coupon while you are getting the items you buy,and it really does matter if you buy in a small store or big store like ''Extra Market'', because even though small stores have the coupon[cause I can't remember how else to call it except fine] machine they do not use it often because they write down the prices on a piece of paper.Also be careful on some fruit stores,make sure you are always present while they are weighing the fruit because they even try to trick locals by increasing the actual price in market fredi in durres for example
Really nice vlog! ❤ I like how you explain everything and share the experience! I am Albanian 🇦🇱, most of us aren’t like that. People there usually are friendly and respectful. I’m sorry that happened to you! I hope you still enjoyed your vacation and just ignore that. Albania has so much to offer: amazing beaches, mountains, food, history, sights, etc.
But wait...why I kept rewinding to look at the hair checks from the video to future Kendra and David. And I LOVE that you guys decided to let us in on that and kept it real for travelers like me. WOWWWWW - i have no idea how I would have reacted if that would have happened to me.
@@LucasWorldTravel you kept your dignity and didn't lower yourself. You stayed classy and gave them no reason to think you were less than. I'm sorry you had to hear that. They were being ignorant jerks as teenage boys all around tend to do. One thing to think is that Albania has been exposed to the rest of the world on a personal level for only 30 years. In the scheme of things, that is not long. They are catching up to the rest of the free world in so many different areas. They were completely closed off for over 45 yrs. Not even a plane allowed in their airspace. I know because I had a good friend from there who left in the early 90s. His Mom was a cook for the government and his Dad was a fisherman and a boxer. Albania has a lot more of their population elsewhere in the world now (like Ireland). Only 3 million people live there now. They protected the Jews from the Holocaust during WW2 and was one of the safest places for them. There is a lot to say for the Albanian culture. Very hardworking people. I hope you will not let these dorks spoil your memories of Albania because they really don't deserve that much attention and it takes away from the good people who have character. There is the tourist experience and you had a real life experience. I went into a non tourist area in the Caribbean and people let their dogs out on me. Good and bad exists in the world. I can say I was glad to get off the island, not gonna lie. Life is a mixed bag for sure. Thanks for sharing your videos with us and keeping it real. I enjoy your videos and sights.
Coming from an Albanian, Albanians tend to be a little racist but then that just depends on the people, but teenagers in albania are a nuisance to Albanians as well and bullying is a major issue here
Thank you for posting videos with details. Your videos were very helpful for our travel to Slovenia. We are planning our trip to Albania and your videos are very helpful again in charting out our itinerary. Thanks a ton for your helpful resources!
Helloooo…🙏🏾 Me and my sons live in Albania for about a year now and haven’t gone to see some of the sites you’ve mentioned; good for y’all! 🤓 We haven’t experienced any racial mess in Tirana but, I have experienced some of it in Saranda years ago. I haven’t done a review video of the city yet, but I will. Our travel blog is focused on health and wellness 360, so it will offer an honest and personal perspective based on our unique disabilities POV. We focus on quality of life, medical and healthcare needs. Thanks for the upload; I enjoyed it!🎉
How interesting to hear your experience! Sorry to hear that you had your own incident in Saranda. Albania is the first country we’ve experienced anything like this before. It’s good to hear that you are loving there successfully though.
Your videos are by far the most impressive I’ve ever seen this is very informative thank you guys so much truly appreciate it. The editing and music is top Notch. Much love & much success on all you’re now in future endeavors. Newly Subbed Sincerely, Joseph L.
I am glad that you guys maintionend about racism. I believe they are not racist, they just feel cool thing and need to do more work.I am albanian, and my son born in Toronto. He saw the same thing when we went to visit my country and also in Italy ( Perugia) .As a young teenager born and grown in Toronto, he talked to them about not using the word,,,,.I thing they are not informed, educated .
FYI: As an Albanian I would like to share with you that the N* word in Albanian is the same as "black" word in English. I have been living over 30 years in the US, still I don't full grasp the effect of N* word has on blacks, because to any European descent it means just "black." no more no less. Odds are those were kids trying to be cool. When I was in high school in Albania, actually we were taught wrong that if you ever travel in the US, if you see a person of color describe him/her as N* because calling them "black" they will get offended. Not trying to justify them, it could be that those kids had racist intentions, but growing up in Albania I think that they thought it's just cool, and they have tried to show off. Sorry you had to experience that. Thanks for the content.
That does not make me feel any better. If they are teaching that in schools then whole generations of Albanians are learning to be rude and offensive to black people. No thank-you. We don't want any part of it.
@@LucasWorldTravel OMG, it's the opposite. They unintentionally taught that wrong b/c they don't get it what's up with N* word. They are going an extra step not to offend people of color, they are just confused and get that wrong. Imagine if you have to go to another country with a black population, but you can't describe them as "black" because in their language black it's offensive, but you can describe them as "Ebony" where both words in your culture mean exactly the same thing. In the meantime, the word "black" you are taught in school is used daily. Now, in the US they didn't teach you the word "black" to be rude to other people's background historical connotation. Same in Albania, there is no difference between black, N*, Noire. Negro (italian), Montenegro ("black-mountain" the neighboring country) . As you can see the black word and N* are used interchangeably, because N* word is thousands of years old and it means just black, no more no less. You can't expect people from the entire world to live with your concerns, your emotions, your history and culture, especially when you go to their countries or the contact with blacks is non-existent. All I am saying is to them there is no difference between "N*" and black, culturally and literally means the same thing.
@@LucasWorldTravel I wrote a long reply but seems like google didn't like the word "Montenegro". Bottom line, they are not teaching them to be rude, they just can't tell apart why "black" is good and "N* is bad, and they are confused. They don't know which one to use, b/c in Albanian is one of the same word, a person with a dark color. Just think about, schools in Albania go to the length of teaching kids how to be nice to people who don't even live in Albania, while 99% of kids in the USA don't even know where Albania is.
Tanks for your comment. Im black, brn and raised in France and that is not true tho " because to any European descent it means just "black."". Western Europeans know it's a racist slur. However, I do understand that Easter Europeans are less educted on the subject but with the raise of internet now, most of the young generations know better.
@@kana75 Less exposed to issues West has rather than less educated. Westerns' problems are not Eastern ones, and just like Westerns sleep well and don't care much for daily ethnic fractions of east, so the Easterns do when it comes to "N" vs " black". To them is one of the same, either blacks refuse it, like or not. To eastern people both words describe a color - because East did not enslave blakcs. In opposite, people of color from Ottoman empire enslaved the eastern people. Yet, we don't call Western black people "less educated" because they don't live with our concerns, we understand their have their own struggles.
Great video, thank you so much! I'm trying to decide between Tirana and Budva (for about six weeks in 2025) and I really appreciate your thoroughness. :)
@@LucasWorldTravelI lived in Saranda about 5-years ago; it’s the only city of Albania where I had (kids) point and laugh when they saw me. I also was treated coldly at their main supermarket by a cashier. I was told there was another Afro American sista living in Saranda who abruptly left to try living in Tirana. I told the person who shared that info with me that I understood why someone would do that. This local apologized for any of these incidents and also told me that most Albanians are not like that. Fast forward to preset day, I have found this to be true to my current experiences.
@@DragonBellyTravelsok you right , but if you think , you gonna find the perfect world, tell me too please. Im albanian this things happening everywhere in all the world, you know that i know that, everyone know this about racism , i live in europe in Austria and i see this things everywhere especially with black people.
@@OlsiDervishi-ms3qh I shared my experience, as I always do. NOWHERE did I say anything about a perfect world. My comments were in relation to experiences in ALBANIA and it may help other Black travelers make an informed decision concerning where they choose to spend their time and money in the future. However, don't despair...next time I share my travel experiences in other parts of the world, feel free to insert yourself and contribute your opinion again. Follow, like, share and subscribe; CHEERS! 😘
Yes, I appreciate you sharing your experience @DragonBellyTravels. We were considering giving Albania another chance but seeing as to how you had the same experience in the beach town we were considering, it’s probably not worth going. The world is so big. There are so many other places to explore that we can feel more at peace in.
Thank you for posting this. Unfortunately, it sounds like those boys have been watching a bit too much hiphop culture from America. I'm still looking forward to my visit.
Yes I agree you get the odd excitable ones since they never interacted with black people having been so closed off as a country. Mostly it’s well meaning & I guess ignorant teens will only have hip hop culture as a point of reference (happened to Oprah with a black SA 🇿🇦). A middled aged man cycling from work shouted “Black is the most beautiful” 🙄 whilst I was on a Tirana group walking tour where I was the only black person 🤦🏾♀️ As a black Brit who’s been to most European countries I found Albanians to be my sort of people when I solo travelled from Ksamil to Tirana. Definitely don’t be put off by the few idiots, most are generally warm and helpful it’s my new fav black friendly destination. But I understand your experience was different ❤
I understand you. We love black people and sometimes we don't know how to react. Albanians are like that. They'll say what they have in their heart. And we most certainly love black people for real. Like my wife when she watches slavery related movies she cries all the time. I swear to God there's no hate in Albanians.
@@I_am_who_I_am_who_I_amme and my sons live in Tirana. I have my hair loc’d and we haven’t gone through any hateful experiences but I know of a few people who look like we do speak of similar experiences. ❤️🩹 The thing to remember is that even when people mean no harm, the way they react out of ignorance can and does hurt people.
Most of the people in Albania dont understand the meaning behind the N word, we just listen to it in music videos bcs American influence is very big in our country, so they think its a cool thing to say. They might have also wanted to be offensive , but is also smth to keep in mind
Thank you for a refreshing review, Im looking into going to Tirana. I especially appreciate the honesty on the negatives you experienced. Im not black, but Im a minority ethnic in Eastern Europe and am really sensitive to stuff like this happening. That was abhorrent and an absolute lack of education and manners. Greetings from Baltics (if you visit here I hope you dont encounter that)!
Agree Albania is a great place to visit. As for the attitude of people; I have experienced the same as you in both Durrës and Tirana. It is the lack of respect and education. I didn’t experience this when I visited other cities and towns. People will stare at look at you. Don’t visit if you cannot stomach this. To get the best of Albania, go where locals go as tourists areas are relatively expensive and sometimes leave you with no experience. I have been there 3 times but may not go again.
I'm sorry to hear that you had this experience as well and in the exact same cities as us. It show a consistent pattern. It's good that we can share our experiences here and know that we are not alone. I don't think we'll be back either. There are too many other places in the world to explore where we can visit in peace and without racial slurs.
They won't have meant that racially. It's their massive misunderstanding of the meaning of the word. They would have thought it was friendly communication. But equally worth warning people about as it is offensive so best to be pre warned not to take offence.
As a guy who's got one foot in Albania and the other in the good ol' USA, let me tell you, the kids yelling out over there? They’re operating in a whole different universe compared to American kids. Unless they're history buffs, your average Albanian isn’t clued into the same issues like racism, discrimination, political correctness, or even half the slang we throw around. They think tossing out a few English words is impressive, like they’re gonna get a reaction, maybe some fist bumps or laughs. But the deeper cultural stuff? Forget it. They don’t get the weight of it. To them, racism in America might as well be some old joke we’ve all gotten over.
I love you're vlogs I was interested in Albania glad to know about the water and heat situation I have never heard these thing's I'm not surprised about the racial comments Albania is very isolated not many blacks they probably watch rap videos or gangsta movies thinking their being hip or cool will not be living there lol I would be so uncomfortable ignorance is bliss great vlog very informative.
I loved the flow of your video. I loved how well you balanced the beautiful video and the education of it. I hope that the world shelves the N word. That rappers and comedians stop using it so that it is not seen as cool but as unacceptable. 100% for sure Albanians don’t know the word is wrong. I had to school my boyfriend who listens to rnb and he is in his 30s. He had no idea. I think it will be taught more now that it’s being talked about. But yes many Albanians are racist. So whether they use a slur or not it is something to address.
Also the teen boys here are absolute hellions. And will do all kinds of things to seem cool or be bad. I have no idea how they ever manage to grow up. If they ever do 😂
Regarding the second issue, it is absolutely wrong to do. No matter what the kids' intentions were (I can almost bet it was a result of ignorance and spending a lot of unsupervised time in front of the TV, listening to rap, hip-hop, and R&B songs), it still needs to be addressed as an issue to educate our kids. Good experiences like yours should not end with a bitter taste just because of ignorance. Thanks for visiting and for this nice video about our country.
From the comments of the people of Albenia, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in your face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. One black guy said the people of Albenia are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albenia, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent, Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!
I was born in Nigeria, also raised there ; however I can tell you that honesty is never a thing of where one came from. Pray God connects you with your vision partners wherever He sends you. Nevertheless, I've so much regret about what you've been through; even though Africa is meant to give you succor to what you seek at first instance.
Unfortunately pop culture has done a lot of damage when it comes to the N word outside of 🇺🇸.I had to educate a couple of my cousins that randomly were using that word amongst them calling each other N,thinking they were cool.They had no idea how offensive that word is for black ppl.
Yes, they might not know the history, but they were literally laughing at us. We were a joke to them, and pointing and laughing at someone as they walk down the street is wrong.
@@LucasWorldTravelNot trying to dismiss the way you felt,just giving some context.In Albania we are taught to respect everyone,no matter where they come from.Unfortunately some bad apples will ruin it for the rest of us.Sorry you had to go through that!!
London,Peckam Rye, 2020, me finger pointed and called a white P...y boy by a group of afro-caribbean boys! what should i think about the rest of colour peaple??? A group is just a group and does not represent most of us. Have a good day!
Actually the teenage boys, they don't know the meaning of the racist word.I heard my son using it, and I explained him. He said: " I was thinking it's funny word, watching in the movies, street language". But now he's not using anymore.
Teenagers around the world are exposed to black rap videos and music. Everything about that culture would appeal to young people...the hipness, the power, THE MONEY! I'm giving the Albanian kids the benefit of the doubt. Just listen to the lyrics of rap music and tell me why they wouldn't think that is a good way to talk to black people.
You don’t know why they laughing, it’s you saying that ,not them . Not good making an assumption you’re thinking that , because you’re black ? Which is not true.There is no Albanian that will disrespect their guests of any color, no way . And my god you’re gorgeous there is nothing to laugh about you i say it again you’re gorgeous . Maybe was the way you reacted and run away Or maybe their laughter has nothing to do with you , just them being teenagers
From the comments of the people of Albania, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. I just can't be racist and I don't know why there is so much racism in the world. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in our face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now about Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. Most governments do make it easy for blacks to have business or work permit to qualify people who can help them grow their economy. A black guy who lives in Albania said the people of Albania are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albania, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent. Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!
Sorry to hear about your experience with scams in Africa. We hope to tour Africa in 2025. And everyone says the same thing about the corruption and scams so we are dreading it. Albania however is the only country outside of America where we were called the “n” word. We didn’t find that pleasant and probably won’t go back because of that. However, if you can deal with that then you will be fine in Albania. That was the only issue that came up.
We personally don’t feel hated when we travel, and have felt accepted in Europe and Asia. However we’ve never opened a business abroad. I’m sure that makes a big difference.
I'm headed to Tirana for the first time in a few weeks so I was poking around on the internet and came across your video, very informative and looks like you guys had a great time for the most part. Myself and another friend that's going are African American. While I was watching your video in the back of my mind I kept thinking, when is the racist segment gonna happen, and then boom there it was. I lived in Spain for 6 years, I had friends there that love hip hop and Black American culture and would always say things like "what up b*tch" and "what up my n**ga" they listen to the music and absorb the culture without actually knowing the depth and negativity behind those words. That's not to excuse their behavior, you would think with all the access to information we have these days they should know better. At the same time a teenagers main goal is to make their friends laugh, unfortunately most of the time it's at someone else's expense. In Europe I experienced more overt racism e.g. a woman in the grocery store might tell you to go back to your country, here in the states we have systemic (as well as overt) racism where the infrastructure is more or less designed for you to fail while people smile in your face, and you might get shot by a cop, let's not forget about that. I don't really know which is worse. I see people in the comments arguing about the teenagers true intentions, which we'll never know. People act like the world is either black or white, one thing or the other when it's really just a big grey mess with lots of layers to it. Sorry you had that experience, looks like you made the most of it.
Yes, although the boys made us uncomfortable we made sure to enjoy our time in Albania. Will we be back is another story. There's really no reason to go back and risk feeling targeted and uncomfortable again. Luckily, the world is big and there's so many other places to explore where we know we can walk down the street in peace.
There is still a lot of racism in Europe. Keep in mind Albania was cut off from the world for many years. So maybe that has something to do with what you experienced. Did you yell back at them? I would’ve 😊
No, we definitely didn’t yell back. You just never know someone’s intentions so we left the area as soon as possible. Safety is the most important thing.
There is no hating. You see the N word being used in Rap videos all the time. Thats where kids/teenagers hear it. Obviously they are not going to know the history of that word you cant expect them to, just like you are not expected to know anything about Albania unless you go there.
Yes, they might not know the history, but they were literally laughing at us. We were a joke to them, and that is wrong. I'm sure you wouldn't like someone pointing and laughing at you while you walked down the street.
Im sorry to encounter that in my country but u have too realise that people think is cool think too call u n word they don’t actually know is racist. They absolutely don’t mean it is that just the hip hop culture is such a thing in there that’s why they use it not think too make u feel bad.
It’s impossible to know what they meant. All I know is we felt uncomfortable and wanted to get out of there area ASAP. And the fact that the boys were laughing at us was not nice either. We’ve traveled to 55 countries and nowhere else has anyone laughed at us.
From the comments of the people of Albenia, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in your face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. One black guy said the people of Albenia are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albenia, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent, Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!
Albania is always a pleasant surprise...we visited a beach in Saranda - absolutely beautiful!
Nice! I bet it’s lovely in the summer.
Thank you for sharing. This will impact my travels.
You're welcome! Glad we could provide a little bit of insight on what you can expect.
Albania looks great! You presented amazingly
Thanks Ratul’
Hey I’m glad that you guys overall enjoyed the trip to Tirana,Albania. I apologize for the incident with the teenagers. Speaking as an Albanian who was born and raised there but now lives in US , I can 100% guarantee that those teenagers had no idea about the meaning/ history behind the N word. We were raised listening to 50 cent and other rappers and were completely unaware about the degrading truth about that word . For me personally was a big shock after I learned the history when I moved to the US. Since then I’ve made sure my friends there never say that word.
I understand that they may not know the history, but laughing at someone as they walk down the street is not cool. We were just a joke to them.
@@LucasWorldTravel there is no excuse really for their behaviour I think we need more black history lessons in our schools.. these little idiots think they can talk to like snoop dog to all black people and is cool without realising the consequences.. I’m very sorry for that incident… I heard in Albanian school they tech students about American history and part of that is how black people created rap music.. I was horrified when an 9 year old told me about it
the history of black people in america is mentioned in albanian history classes curiculum since the 1970s. I heard about martin luther king in albania, during history class and how he brought equality to people
@@tony232cool Where in my comment did you read that I said that the history of black people is not mentioned? I said that the meaning/history of the N-word is something that generally the Albanian teenagers there have no idea about. Their only teachings or realities regarding that word are tough by African-American rappers. Plus there is a drastic difference between mentioning African-American history and actually teaching it.
@@tony232cool as a teacher let me say our students go and learn nothing in school. Except few schools in Tirana and in the East where there's a tradition of loving education, in the rest of the country it's play pretend at this point. Stupid uneducated teens was what she encountered, maybe they had malice as well, we weren't there. But this is a consequence of not willing to open your mind and a culture of hate among our teenagers. It's the same everywhere, with the rise of social media, the school isn't a factor of success anymore.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I recently visited Albania for the first time this year in April and had an amazing experience overall. I found the people incredibly welcoming and friendly. As a tourist I was not expecting the level of hospitality and friendliness that I experienced while there, it was very very endearing. I will say though that when I was at a supermarket in Durres I paid with cash and the girl deliberately input the wrong amount that I gave her. So she stole the equivalent of $5 but I didn’t realize it until I left the store. You will find people who don’t have a good moral compass everywhere in the world, it’s unfortunate. I would definitely visit Albania again.
Interesting to hear your experience. Glad you had a great experience in Albania despite that one shop keeper.
I am Albanian myself,so next time I suggest you tell them to give you the coupon because if they don't they will have problems with tax officials/organisation.Most of the cashiers throw away the coupon because Albanian people mostly don't care about it,so it is better to ask them for the coupon while you are getting the items you buy,and it really does matter if you buy in a small store or big store like ''Extra Market'', because even though small stores have the coupon[cause I can't remember how else to call it except fine] machine they do not use it often because they write down the prices on a piece of paper.Also be careful on some fruit stores,make sure you are always present while they are weighing the fruit because they even try to trick locals by increasing the actual price in market fredi in durres for example
Bravi ragazzi 👏avete scelto il periodo migliore secondo me🖐️👏
Really nice vlog! ❤ I like how you explain everything and share the experience! I am Albanian 🇦🇱, most of us aren’t like that. People there usually are friendly and respectful. I’m sorry that happened to you! I hope you still enjoyed your vacation and just ignore that. Albania has so much to offer: amazing beaches, mountains, food, history, sights, etc.
Thanks for your kind comment! We really appreciate it and we definitely tried to look past the teenage boy issue.
New subscriber. I love this kind of honest vlog video..thx. 😊
Welcome to the channel! We’re glad you’re here!
But wait...why I kept rewinding to look at the hair checks from the video to future Kendra and David. And I LOVE that you guys decided to let us in on that and kept it real for travelers like me. WOWWWWW - i have no idea how I would have reacted if that would have happened to me.
Girl we were so surprised. We didn’t know what to say and ancestral wounds just made us be silent in the end.
@@LucasWorldTravel you kept your dignity and didn't lower yourself. You stayed classy and gave them no reason to think you were less than. I'm sorry you had to hear that. They were being ignorant jerks as teenage boys all around tend to do. One thing to think is that Albania has been exposed to the rest of the world on a personal level for only 30 years. In the scheme of things, that is not long. They are catching up to the rest of the free world in so many different areas. They were completely closed off for over 45 yrs. Not even a plane allowed in their airspace. I know because I had a good friend from there who left in the early 90s. His Mom was a cook for the government and his Dad was a fisherman and a boxer. Albania has a lot more of their population elsewhere in the world now (like Ireland). Only 3 million people live there now. They protected the Jews from the Holocaust during WW2 and was one of the safest places for them. There is a lot to say for the Albanian culture. Very hardworking people. I hope you will not let these dorks spoil your memories of Albania because they really don't deserve that much attention and it takes away from the good people who have character. There is the tourist experience and you had a real life experience. I went into a non tourist area in the Caribbean and people let their dogs out on me. Good and bad exists in the world. I can say I was glad to get off the island, not gonna lie. Life is a mixed bag for sure. Thanks for sharing your videos with us and keeping it real. I enjoy your videos and sights.
Coming from an Albanian, Albanians tend to be a little racist but then that just depends on the people, but teenagers in albania are a nuisance to Albanians as well and bullying is a major issue here
Good morning from Yipma Baruya TH-cam channel, Papua New Guinea. I enjoyed watching your contents, thanks for sharing. May God bless you always.
Hello! Welcome to the channel! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for posting videos with details. Your videos were very helpful for our travel to Slovenia.
We are planning our trip to Albania and your videos are very helpful again in charting out our itinerary.
Thanks a ton for your helpful resources!
Glad to hear it was helpful! We still have more Albania footage to post. Hopefully, I'll get those videos done soon. Enjoy your trip!
Helloooo…🙏🏾
Me and my sons live in Albania for about a year now and haven’t gone to see some of the sites you’ve mentioned; good for y’all! 🤓
We haven’t experienced any racial mess in Tirana but, I have experienced some of it in Saranda years ago.
I haven’t done a review video of the city yet, but I will.
Our travel blog is focused on health and wellness 360, so it will offer an honest and personal perspective based on our unique disabilities POV.
We focus on quality of life, medical and healthcare needs.
Thanks for the upload; I enjoyed it!🎉
How interesting to hear your experience! Sorry to hear that you had your own incident in Saranda. Albania is the first country we’ve experienced anything like this before. It’s good to hear that you are loving there successfully though.
Your videos are by far the most impressive I’ve ever seen this is very informative thank you guys so much truly appreciate it. The editing and music is top Notch. Much love & much success on all you’re now in future endeavors.
Newly Subbed
Sincerely, Joseph L.
Thanks so much Joseph! It’s much appreciated!
great filming
Many thanks!
I am glad that you guys maintionend about racism. I believe they are not racist, they just feel cool thing and need to do more work.I am albanian, and my son born in Toronto. He saw the same thing when we went to visit my country and also in Italy ( Perugia) .As a young teenager born and grown in Toronto, he talked to them about not using the word,,,,.I thing they are not informed, educated .
😆The Opera breakdown!
“Unfortunate Events”?? Thank You for your honesty and the headsup
Sure thing! Glad we could share the real deal.
FYI: As an Albanian I would like to share with you that the N* word in Albanian is the same as "black" word in English. I have been living over 30 years in the US, still I don't full grasp the effect of N* word has on blacks, because to any European descent it means just "black." no more no less. Odds are those were kids trying to be cool. When I was in high school in Albania, actually we were taught wrong that if you ever travel in the US, if you see a person of color describe him/her as N* because calling them "black" they will get offended. Not trying to justify them, it could be that those kids had racist intentions, but growing up in Albania I think that they thought it's just cool, and they have tried to show off. Sorry you had to experience that. Thanks for the content.
That does not make me feel any better. If they are teaching that in schools then whole generations of Albanians are learning to be rude and offensive to black people. No thank-you. We don't want any part of it.
@@LucasWorldTravel OMG, it's the opposite. They unintentionally taught that wrong b/c they don't get it what's up with N* word. They are going an extra step not to offend people of color, they are just confused and get that wrong. Imagine if you have to go to another country with a black population, but you can't describe them as "black" because in their language black it's offensive, but you can describe them as "Ebony" where both words in your culture mean exactly the same thing. In the meantime, the word "black" you are taught in school is used daily. Now, in the US they didn't teach you the word "black" to be rude to other people's background historical connotation. Same in Albania, there is no difference between black, N*, Noire. Negro (italian), Montenegro ("black-mountain" the neighboring country) . As you can see the black word and N* are used interchangeably, because N* word is thousands of years old and it means just black, no more no less. You can't expect people from the entire world to live with your concerns, your emotions, your history and culture, especially when you go to their countries or the contact with blacks is non-existent. All I am saying is to them there is no difference between "N*" and black, culturally and literally means the same thing.
@@LucasWorldTravel I wrote a long reply but seems like google didn't like the word "Montenegro". Bottom line, they are not teaching them to be rude, they just can't tell apart why "black" is good and "N* is bad, and they are confused. They don't know which one to use, b/c in Albanian is one of the same word, a person with a dark color. Just think about, schools in Albania go to the length of teaching kids how to be nice to people who don't even live in Albania, while 99% of kids in the USA don't even know where Albania is.
Tanks for your comment. Im black, brn and raised in France and that is not true tho " because to any European descent it means just "black."". Western Europeans know it's a racist slur. However, I do understand that Easter Europeans are less educted on the subject but with the raise of internet now, most of the young generations know better.
@@kana75 Less exposed to issues West has rather than less educated. Westerns' problems are not Eastern ones, and just like Westerns sleep well and don't care much for daily ethnic fractions of east, so the Easterns do when it comes to "N" vs " black". To them is one of the same, either blacks refuse it, like or not. To eastern people both words describe a color - because East did not enslave blakcs. In opposite, people of color from Ottoman empire enslaved the eastern people. Yet, we don't call Western black people "less educated" because they don't live with our concerns, we understand their have their own struggles.
Great video, thank you so much! I'm trying to decide between Tirana and Budva (for about six weeks in 2025) and I really appreciate your thoroughness. :)
We would choose Budva. It's beautiful there and you will have access to lots of beaches.
People like you are only warm welcomed in Albania!!!❤
Next time seaside of Albania (Vlora,Saranda ,etc)
Don't pay attention to teenagers
If there is a next time, we will definitely try to go in the summer and see the seaside.
@@LucasWorldTravelI lived in Saranda about 5-years ago; it’s the only city of Albania where I had (kids) point and laugh when they saw me. I also was treated coldly at their main supermarket by a cashier.
I was told there was another Afro American sista living in Saranda who abruptly left to try living in Tirana. I told the person who shared that info with me that I understood why someone would do that.
This local apologized for any of these incidents and also told me that most Albanians are not like that. Fast forward to preset day, I have found this to be true to my current experiences.
@@DragonBellyTravelsok you right , but if you think , you gonna find the perfect world, tell me too please. Im albanian this things happening everywhere in all the world, you know that i know that, everyone know this about racism , i live in europe in Austria and i see this things everywhere especially with black people.
@@OlsiDervishi-ms3qh I shared my experience, as I always do. NOWHERE did I say anything about a perfect world. My comments were in relation to experiences in ALBANIA and it may help other Black travelers make an informed decision concerning where they choose to spend their time and money in the future.
However, don't despair...next time I share my travel experiences in other parts of the world, feel free to insert yourself and contribute your opinion again. Follow, like, share and subscribe; CHEERS! 😘
Yes, I appreciate you sharing your experience @DragonBellyTravels. We were considering giving Albania another chance but seeing as to how you had the same experience in the beach town we were considering, it’s probably not worth going. The world is so big. There are so many other places to explore that we can feel more at peace in.
Very nice and reasonable comment about Bunker No. 1!
Thank you kindly!
Thank you! A great tour through Tirana!!
You’re welcome! Glad it was helpful!
Albania the best
Thank you for posting this. Unfortunately, it sounds like those boys have been watching a bit too much hiphop culture from America. I'm still looking forward to my visit.
20:50 Thats how we stay in most homes in albania, Its not that we do it to save power cause It doesnt make much of a difference
I see, so apartments are not well insulated so the hot air gets out.
Your friend has a really nice coat!
Thanks man!
Yes I agree you get the odd excitable ones since they never interacted with black people having been so closed off as a country. Mostly it’s well meaning & I guess ignorant teens will only have hip hop culture as a point of reference (happened to Oprah with a black SA 🇿🇦). A middled aged man cycling from work shouted “Black is the most beautiful” 🙄 whilst I was on a Tirana group walking tour where I was the only black person 🤦🏾♀️ As a black Brit who’s been to most European countries I found Albanians to be my sort of people when I solo travelled from Ksamil to Tirana. Definitely don’t be put off by the few idiots, most are generally warm and helpful it’s my new fav black friendly destination. But I understand your experience was different ❤
Glad you had a good experience though. Sounds lovely!
I understand you. We love black people and sometimes we don't know how to react.
Albanians are like that. They'll say what they have in their heart.
And we most certainly love black people for real. Like my wife when she watches slavery related movies she cries all the time.
I swear to God there's no hate in Albanians.
@@I_am_who_I_am_who_I_amme and my sons live in Tirana. I have my hair loc’d and we haven’t gone through any hateful experiences but I know of a few people who look like we do speak of similar experiences. ❤️🩹
The thing to remember is that even when people mean no harm, the way they react out of ignorance can and does hurt people.
Most of the people in Albania dont understand the meaning behind the N word, we just listen to it in music videos bcs American influence is very big in our country, so they think its a cool thing to say.
They might have also wanted to be offensive , but is also smth to keep in mind
It’s impossible to know their intentions. All we know is we didn’t feel safe so we got away from them as quickly as possible.
Thank you for a refreshing review, Im looking into going to Tirana. I especially appreciate the honesty on the negatives you experienced. Im not black, but Im a minority ethnic in Eastern Europe and am really sensitive to stuff like this happening. That was abhorrent and an absolute lack of education and manners. Greetings from Baltics (if you visit here I hope you dont encounter that)!
Albania and Kosovo are the only places in the world we experienced anything like that. Fortunately it’s very rare.
Very nice
Agree Albania is a great place to visit. As for the attitude of people; I have experienced the same as you in both Durrës and Tirana. It is the lack of respect and education. I didn’t experience this when I visited other cities and towns. People will stare at look at you. Don’t visit if you cannot stomach this.
To get the best of Albania, go where locals go as tourists areas are relatively expensive and sometimes leave you with no experience. I have been there 3 times but may not go again.
I'm sorry to hear that you had this experience as well and in the exact same cities as us. It show a consistent pattern. It's good that we can share our experiences here and know that we are not alone. I don't think we'll be back either. There are too many other places in the world to explore where we can visit in peace and without racial slurs.
They won't have meant that racially. It's their massive misunderstanding of the meaning of the word. They would have thought it was friendly communication. But equally worth warning people about as it is offensive so best to be pre warned not to take offence.
As a guy who's got one foot in Albania and the other in the good ol' USA, let me tell you, the kids yelling out over there? They’re operating in a whole different universe compared to American kids. Unless they're history buffs, your average Albanian isn’t clued into the same issues like racism, discrimination, political correctness, or even half the slang we throw around. They think tossing out a few English words is impressive, like they’re gonna get a reaction, maybe some fist bumps or laughs. But the deeper cultural stuff? Forget it. They don’t get the weight of it. To them, racism in America might as well be some old joke we’ve all gotten over.
Now all of those on construction buildings are built
Good to hear!
I love you're vlogs I was interested in Albania glad to know about the water and heat situation I have never heard these thing's I'm not surprised about the racial comments Albania is very isolated not many blacks they probably watch rap videos or gangsta movies thinking their being hip or cool will not be living there lol I would be so uncomfortable ignorance is bliss great vlog very informative.
Glad that we could share all the details, the good and the bad. Definitely go in the summer so you don't have to deal with the heating issue.
Hollywood always paints Albanians as bad guys..mafia etc
I loved the flow of your video. I loved how well you balanced the beautiful video and the education of it. I hope that the world shelves the N word. That rappers and comedians stop using it so that it is not seen as cool but as unacceptable. 100% for sure Albanians don’t know the word is wrong. I had to school my boyfriend who listens to rnb and he is in his 30s. He had no idea. I think it will be taught more now that it’s being talked about. But yes many Albanians are racist. So whether they use a slur or not it is something to address.
Also the teen boys here are absolute hellions. And will do all kinds of things to seem cool or be bad. I have no idea how they ever manage to grow up. If they ever do 😂
Regarding the second issue, it is absolutely wrong to do. No matter what the kids' intentions were (I can almost bet it was a result of ignorance and spending a lot of unsupervised time in front of the TV, listening to rap, hip-hop, and R&B songs), it still needs to be addressed as an issue to educate our kids. Good experiences like yours should not end with a bitter taste just because of ignorance. Thanks for visiting and for this nice video about our country.
Thanks for your understanding and your kind comment. Much appreciated!
From the comments of the people of Albenia, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in your face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. One black guy said the people of Albenia are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albenia, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent, Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!
I was born in Nigeria, also raised there ; however I can tell you that honesty is never a thing of where one came from. Pray God connects you with your vision partners wherever He sends you. Nevertheless, I've so much regret about what you've been through; even though Africa is meant to give you succor to what you seek at first instance.
I Love Jonna Napire 💜💚❤️ JUNE 2, 2024
You are beautiful couple
Wow, thank you 😊
Unfortunately pop culture has done a lot of damage when it comes to the N word outside of 🇺🇸.I had to educate a couple of my cousins that randomly were using that word amongst them calling each other N,thinking they were cool.They had no idea how offensive that word is for black ppl.
Yes, they might not know the history, but they were literally laughing at us. We were a joke to them, and pointing and laughing at someone as they walk down the street is wrong.
@@LucasWorldTravelNot trying to dismiss the way you felt,just giving some context.In Albania we are taught to respect everyone,no matter where they come from.Unfortunately some bad apples will ruin it for the rest of us.Sorry you had to go through that!!
London,Peckam Rye, 2020, me finger pointed and called a white P...y boy by a group of afro-caribbean boys! what should i think about the rest of colour peaple??? A group is just a group and does not represent most of us.
Have a good day!
Albania has qualified fir euro 2024.
Actually the teenage boys, they don't know the meaning of the racist word.I heard my son using it, and I explained him. He said: " I was thinking it's funny word, watching in the movies, street language". But now he's not using anymore.
Teenagers around the world are exposed to black rap videos and music. Everything about that culture would appeal to young people...the hipness, the power, THE MONEY! I'm giving the Albanian kids the benefit of the doubt. Just listen to the lyrics of rap music and tell me why they wouldn't think that is a good way to talk to black people.
You don’t know why they laughing, it’s you saying that ,not them .
Not good making an assumption
you’re thinking that , because you’re black ?
Which is not true.There is no Albanian that will disrespect their guests of any color,
no way .
And my god you’re gorgeous there is nothing to laugh about you
i say it again you’re gorgeous .
Maybe was the way you reacted and run away
Or maybe their laughter has nothing to do with you ,
just them being teenagers
That doesn’t make sense. It seems you are not able to accept the truth when someone is telling you their genuine experience.
From the comments of the people of Albania, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. I just can't be racist and I don't know why there is so much racism in the world. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in our face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now about Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. Most governments do make it easy for blacks to have business or work permit to qualify people who can help them grow their economy. A black guy who lives in Albania said the people of Albania are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albania, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent. Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!
Sorry to hear about your experience with scams in Africa. We hope to tour Africa in 2025. And everyone says the same thing about the corruption and scams so we are dreading it. Albania however is the only country outside of America where we were called the “n” word. We didn’t find that pleasant and probably won’t go back because of that. However, if you can deal with that then you will be fine in Albania. That was the only issue that came up.
We personally don’t feel hated when we travel, and have felt accepted in Europe and Asia. However we’ve never opened a business abroad. I’m sure that makes a big difference.
You are cute couple. Do not think too much about teenagers.
Sorry it is not lak it is lek couse you did lak at the food part but it is okay
I'm headed to Tirana for the first time in a few weeks so I was poking around on the internet and came across your video, very informative and looks like you guys had a great time for the most part. Myself and another friend that's going are African American. While I was watching your video in the back of my mind I kept thinking, when is the racist segment gonna happen, and then boom there it was. I lived in Spain for 6 years, I had friends there that love hip hop and Black American culture and would always say things like "what up b*tch" and "what up my n**ga" they listen to the music and absorb the culture without actually knowing the depth and negativity behind those words. That's not to excuse their behavior, you would think with all the access to information we have these days they should know better. At the same time a teenagers main goal is to make their friends laugh, unfortunately most of the time it's at someone else's expense. In Europe I experienced more overt racism e.g. a woman in the grocery store might tell you to go back to your country, here in the states we have systemic (as well as overt) racism where the infrastructure is more or less designed for you to fail while people smile in your face, and you might get shot by a cop, let's not forget about that. I don't really know which is worse. I see people in the comments arguing about the teenagers true intentions, which we'll never know. People act like the world is either black or white, one thing or the other when it's really just a big grey mess with lots of layers to it. Sorry you had that experience, looks like you made the most of it.
Yes, although the boys made us uncomfortable we made sure to enjoy our time in Albania. Will we be back is another story. There's really no reason to go back and risk feeling targeted and uncomfortable again. Luckily, the world is big and there's so many other places to explore where we know we can walk down the street in peace.
Ye sorry about some bad comments young boy s
Thank-you!
Kids see this on tv
Yet kids in the 55 other countries that we’ve traveled to have never laughed at us or called us offensive names. It’s strictly an Albania problem.
There is still a lot of racism in Europe. Keep in mind Albania was cut off from the world for many years. So maybe that has something to do with what you experienced. Did you yell back at them? I would’ve 😊
No, we definitely didn’t yell back. You just never know someone’s intentions so we left the area as soon as possible. Safety is the most important thing.
WOW! SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT THE TEENAGERS!!
There is no hating. You see the N word being used in Rap videos all the time. Thats where kids/teenagers hear it. Obviously they are not going to know the history of that word you cant expect them to, just like you are not expected to know anything about Albania unless you go there.
Yes, they might not know the history, but they were literally laughing at us. We were a joke to them, and that is wrong. I'm sure you wouldn't like someone pointing and laughing at you while you walked down the street.
NO RASIIIIIIIIIIZAM IN ALBANIA BLEYM HIP HOP
Im sorry to encounter that in my country but u have too realise that people think is cool think too call u n word they don’t actually know is racist. They absolutely don’t mean it is that just the hip hop culture is such a thing in there that’s why they use it not think too make u feel bad.
Laughing at someone will always make them feel bad. There’s no excuse for that.
we are not racist , thay say the word cuz they've seen it online but don't actually mean it
It’s impossible to know what they meant. All I know is we felt uncomfortable and wanted to get out of there area ASAP. And the fact that the boys were laughing at us was not nice either. We’ve traveled to 55 countries and nowhere else has anyone laughed at us.
you put me too sleep by the way that you talk
it's not racism when you use it between yourselves... stop with the hypocrisy.
A capital city without metro, without tram
A destroyed capital city
We don't need a metro, but public transport should be upgraded, that's for sure.
From the comments of the people of Albenia, it seems they are not racist like the Brits. It seems like they are very welcoming people. I thought you experienced racism everywhere you went. I was in Argentina as a black person. I only had good things to say about the people of Argentina. In the US, we as black people are not safe, and racism is in your face day in and day out to the point where you feel like going away. I am thinking now Albania because I am having a hard time settling in Africa. I have been scammed so many times in Kenya and Ghana. One black guy said the people of Albenia are honest and straightforward. I may take my business to Albenia, but I don't know if I will fit in as I do in Kenya. We are in trouble as blacks from the American continent, Africans are scamming us, and Europeans, Asians, Arabs hate us. DAMNIT!