Travel Locations

Tourist in Albania, my experience …

What is it like to be a tourist in Albania? I will tell you. I am a global nomad/traveler known as Solo Vagabond. Find out more about me here.

Albania is a laid back tourist destination. It has moderate weather, nice grasslands and forests and a scenic coastline. Albania is a very small country with only 3 million inhabitants. It is also kind of an out of the way and not as popular as Greece or Montenegro. I personally came to Albania from Montenegro on a bus. Montenegro, which i previously visited is much more mountainous than Albania, but Albania also has mountains. Near to Tirana, the land is mostly flat. Tirana is a very nice city to visit with enough stores, restaurants and sites to keep you occupied for at least a few days. Albania also has things like coastal resorts at the beach, castle ruins, and mountainous sites to visit. My video from Skanderberg Square is here: Youtube Skanderberg Square

Near Air Albania Staidum Tirana, Albania

Tirana:

The capital Tirana is slightly smaller than Belgrade, containing around 1 million inhabitants. It feels a bit smaller but has some similarities. The weather is very temperate. The city is very well organized around a central square called Skanderberg Square, named after an old war hero. The center square is a flat stone area, that has streets that spiral out in radials, along with some interesting parks, the big one being Grand Tirana Park. It is nicely landscaped with plenty of greenery and a lake at the center. One of the things I like about it are the plethora of well graded bike lanes for cycling around town and around Grand Tirana Park.

grand tirana park
Tirana, Grand Tirana Park

Other sites in Albania…

Saranda is along the coast of Albania along with Vlore, both acceptable beach towns. These spots are not as popular and less mountainous as those of its neighbor to the north, Montenegro. There are many smaller castles that are ruins in Albania. After having traveled around the Balkans and other places in Europe it seems that each small town has its own fortification. One such is Lekursi Castle near Saranda, and probably the most famous in Albania. There is also an abandoned castle near Tirana. its called Fortress of Justinian. The owner has turned this place into a series of restaurants near Toptani Mall.

Things to note about living in Albania… After having lived there a few months, I can highly recommend it has a laid back, low crime country. The people are very friendly towards foreigners and they have a great relationship with the USA. Its definitely considered an out of the way spot. Officially the country is Muslim but this is not noticeable in daily life. Enjoy, and dont hesitate to post a question on my site or contact me. Albania is also very affordable having a cost of living lower than Greece, and at about 30 to 50% that of the USA.

May 1, 2022 by Travel Locations 1

Things to do in Valencia …

things to do in valencia

Looking or things to do in Valencia? You have come to the right place. I am a solo vagabond who travels the world, and i spent a few weeks time hanging around Valencia, looking for things to do. Valencia is a more low key city as compared to Barcelona. Its a bit smaller and more quiet. I took an Alsa bus for 4 hours to make it here, on a nice scenic sunny ride. One cool thing to do in Valencia is to walk along the river walk which was dammed up and turned into a huge park underneath a bridge.

You can also explore some of the Roman ruins. There is a ruin and a museum check these at La Almoina Archaeological Museum, you can see a few photos here. On a Valencia tour site. There are many historic buildings and pathways around the center of Valencia and the buildings are made of stone.

Baroque Museum stone Architecture

Free tours around the center of Valencia… another thing that you can do is take a free tour around the center of Valencia at one of the cheaper hotels and hostels. I recommend that you stop by the River Hostel near the river park. There is a free tour starting at this hostel but you need to tip them a few euros as payment. if you need a place to stay, there are numerous affordable hostels. This one is just great, and a moderate to low price as compared to other European cities. enjoy.

One of the most things to do in Valencia is to visit the center for Arts which is a huge aquarium museum and art gallery that is in the shape of numerous anthropomorphic buildings, in the style of postmodernism. You can find more information here…

The Beach – Dont forget one of my favorite destinations! In Valencia the beach is very, very wide. Its one of the widest beaches that i have ever seen. The weather is very sunny and more moderate weather than Barcelona. In fact i saw people getting into the water during January. It was in the 60s f and sunny. The beach is about a two mile walk, or a short bus ride from the River Hostel which is near the river park that i mentioned was previously filled in. Enjoy. if you like, you can view my river and beach walks on Youtube here…

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April 30, 2022 by Travel Locations 0

El Medano Beach …

Looking for information on El Medano Beach?!?! you have come to the right place. I am an American backpacker who spent 55 days or so staying locally near El Medano Beach, which is a small surf town on the southern end of the island Tenerife which is owned by the government of Spain.

Transportation… getting there!

Let me tell you first how to get to El Medano Beach… stay tuned. El Medano is about 800 miles south of the mainland of Spain so you will need to take a flight most likely from the mainland. I took a flight from Madrid via Ryanair that lasted about 3 hours time. The official language is Spanish and the island is very organized just like the country of Spain, so its not a wild island. In order to get to El Medano Beach, i personally flew into Tenerife North Airport, near Santa Cruz de Tenerife, but Tenerife South airport is not more than 2 miles from El Medano. You can even hike or walk from this airport to El Medano! There are also tons of flights and a very organized green Alsa bus on Tenerife that leads to El Medano beach. I personally took the bus from the north of the island south to San Isidro via 111. Then you need to take the local bus or even walk from San Isidro to El Medano.

El Medano Beach

El Medano wind surfing and beach activities..

El Medano is a windy little beach town that is just great for windsurfing, regular surfing, and para surfing! its very windy let me tell you. Its also a great place to hang around the boardwalk in some small beach facing restaurants and cafes. You can also view my walking tour of El medano on Youtube here:

Montana Roja

Montana Roja!

The red mountain in Spanish. Montana Roja is a very distinctive volcanic rock formation that is very recognizable around Tenerife. its very easy to hike. There are several rocky trails that are great for hiking and climbing! This site is about 1 to miles south of El Medano Beach. A tourist or hiker can walk along the Sand dunes and enjoy the sites! Make sure to bring some suncreen and hat as well as hiking shoes. Enjoy! Along the coast near El Medano beach there are numerous small coves and rocky beach formations that are fun to explore and even many caves.

La Tejita Nude Beach

La Tejita Beach Nude Beach

La Tejita and the cove are near to El Medano beach. They are a clothing optional and one is a full nude cove beach. If you want to get more naturalistic, the Spanish have a more relaxed attitude towards nudity. You will find that some of the people around are wearing swimsuits while others are nude, just go with the flow. its upto you. There are also some rock hideaways for added privacy if you need some cover from prying eyes. Also just keep in mind that the wind can be pretty strong here also so you may need to seek cover near the rocks.

April 30, 2022 by Travel Locations 0

Backpacker in Spain …

backpacker in barcelona

Looking for a backpacker who traveled to Spain? That would be me! I am US citizen who flew/bussed it/ hitchhiked and camped around Spain! it was a lot of fun! I visited the cities of Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, Madrid, El Medano, Tenerife in the Canary islands and a few others on my backpacker tour of Spain…

My overview of Spain: Spain is a very safe country and very well organized. The weather is also warm and more on the moderate or temperate side, so its great for backpackers in Spain! I have a backpack, the Pacsafe EXP 45 which is a carry-on size medium backpack that i used on Ryanair. It also fits my small 2 person tent, the Naturehike Cloud up. I’ll be doing a separate post on that tent, but it is very compact and weighs only 3.6 lbs. It was small enough to carry around the country of Spain as a backpacker in Spain. See more info below about my trip.

An American in Barcelona

Accommodations and Price: I started my trip by flying from a second home base in Albania to Barcelona Spain via Wizzair. The cost was very cheap with my backpack it was only $30. I then took a city but from the airport in Barcelona to central BCX where i walked to my youth hostel, The Loft Hostel in Barcelona. The Loft was a standard hostel with beds covered by curtains. The price of the hostel is moderate, about $15 to $25 usd or about $13 to $18 euro. They also have a courtyard where you can sit outside and enjoy the moderate weather and a kitchen where you can cook your own food to save money. I usually bought a potato that cost less than 1 euro and also bananas for 20 euro cents. There is a store where you can buy cheap packaged foods in Barcelona, its called Coaliment…

Sites: Barcelona is a fabulous town with a lot of panache, let me tell you. Above you can see my photo of the fantastic church, Familia Sagrada, which is a church designed by the architect Gaudi. The architecture is one of my favorite things about being a backpacker in Barcelona. The second is the parks, you can check out the most famous Parc de la Ciutadella. Make sure to check out the fountain at the center of the park.

About 2 miles away from the park you can take a city bus for a cheap price of under 2 euros to the beach! The beach is close and pretty nice. It has benches, and some buildings, playgrounds, swingsets, and plenty of sand! The temp is also pretty good for December. i even took a swim as it was around 60 to 65 F, other people were swimming in wetsuits.

Make sure to check out my packing list for backpackers in Spain in the site here!

Here’s a video on Youtube, A walking tour that filmed of the Gothic Quarter in Barcelona, which is something else let me tell you! Its very narrow medieval looking street and buildings with no cars, and some interesting looking boutiques! Enjoy the tour here on Youtube.

April 29, 2022 by Travel Locations 0

Tips for budget travel to Marrakech, Morocco

Hey traveling guys and gals! i just went on a tour of Marrakech, Morocco and now i want to share with you some tips about living here if you stay while in this exciting city! At the center of the town there is a place called Jamaa El Fna Square, it is a very famous market square and the center of the old city. Here you will find a lot of windy roads and walkways. Around this area is also another area called Medina which means center. Another place is called Kasbah which means castle. Kasbah has some youth hostels located inside, so as a budget traveler, you may want to consider these.

Another neighborhood which is a newer neighborhood is called Gueliz. if i were you, i may choose to spend a few nights in the center near one of these areas, but be aware of a few things that go on in the center, there are a lot of peddlers, and beggars, some salesman who are selling some good things and also trinkets for tourists. I would use a bit of caution here, but its also an exciting area with tons to see. You may also want to move to Gueliz or another area outside of town called Amerchich. The area that is several miles north of town is also very nice with a lot of new buildings. it would depend on what type of accommodation that you prefer.

Things to do: there are many guided tours discussing the history and the castle and the city. You can also take a paid camel ride or a paid horse carriage ride for about 150 Dirham for 1 hours time. Another amazing thing to check out is the rug dying factory and shops. they make incredible rugs, spices and other crafts in Marrakech. Finally you can also take a trip into the desert. They have some day trips arranged by van to surrounding areas. If you want to do some shopping there are some typical western stores located in Gueliz at the mall, there are two malls here, one of them is called Marrakech Menara mall. There is also a shopping center with stores like Decathlon about 4 miles north of the city. If you would like to buy souvenirs i recommend that you visit the main square and take the far left pathway to see some amazing craftsI enjoy and use caution with the locals! This is me in Marrakech.

April 25, 2022 by Travel Locations 0