@ragingquiet It was our pleasure to make this video. Your country is a great place and we hope to come back and see more of it.

Ok...

@MisterSame13 lol...yeah some of that sounds familiar for us too.

Nice. You'll love it, I'm sure of it. How's Istanbul? Cause funny story....we're about to leave on Wednesday, and originally Istanbul was next on the list. But then we kept hearing about the hyper inflation that keeps outpacing everything. As well as how the foreign tourists are being treated.

@@NewLifeTravelers I’m thinking that Istanbul is not my cup of tea. Too crowded and chaotic. I’ve was in Belgrade Serbia for 3 weeks and then Sarajevo Bosnia for 2 weeks before coming here. Also housing and food is more expensive here. If I had to do it over again, I would probably went to Antalya instead, but I’m booked here for another 3 weeks. Will be heading to Tirana for a month after I leave here.

@@waynemckathan1849 Thank you for the heads up on that. Makes me glad that we decided to pass on Istanbul. We just got done doing a month in Belgrade a week or so ago. Guess we'll have one more long heart to heart and see where we go from here. Thanks again for getting back to me on that.

@@iliriacum666 Real nice. But actually, if you're referring to the Saranda Albania part, it's actually the Ionian Sea. Now, keep it civil.

@malcolmnicoll1165 😆 No chance of that one happening. I'm not entirely sure why, but Skopje isn't too high up on most traveler's radar. I know we enjoyed our time there, and the trip to Matka was absolutely worth it.

@malcolmnicoll1165 That seems to be a very true reality. The more popular an area becomes, is quickly followed up by ridiculous prices. Strangely enough, we are dealing with that exact problem right now in our brief current location.

@@NewLifeTravelers Hope it doesn’t become Californicated.

@@malcolmnicoll1165 Nah, I don't see it going that badly....😆

When in Rome...

All I know is when I am a guest in someone's home, and they all refer to their home as something, I am going to respect their wishes.

@M1Y4MUS4SH1 we enjoyed Tirana too.

@bernardberisha1824 Thank You. And good points that you brought up. Absolutely correct. Thank you for taking the time to address them here.

@KatK36 Oh believe me, we would love to. We are planning on making the jump to southeast Asia in October or early November. Hopefully, things will be going smoother by then, and that would allow us to move around all of the beautiful countries down there, including the Philippines🇵🇭. We were looking at Cebu. Do you have any recommendations on where to go in the Philippines?

@@NewLifeTravelers makati and BGC manila, Boracay island, siargao island, palawan , bohol island , cebu etc 😁😁😁😁🥳

@KatK36 😆...yes, we've looked at a few of the ones you mentioned. Behold, Cebu, Palawan, and Manila.

@Stratijev Appreciate you being respectful about the critique. We'll try to keep that in mind. Thank You.

@@shpresasufka6057 I'm not sure where exactly in the United States you're living, but we're both from the "cheap" Midwest of the U.S., and our time there was eye-opening on how much cheaper it was in Albania compared to the United States. But yes, we absolutely loved our time there. Honestly, we're kinda kicking ourselves for not staying there longer...😆

Happy you enjoyed the video!!

@artanndoni7048 Thank you for that. We always strive for being thoroughly honest about our experiences, both good and bad. So thank you for letting us know.

@BgMia_San_Mia That...was SO thoughtful and kind. Thank you so much from both of us. May God forever shine upon you and your loved ones.

@@NewLifeTravelers thank you sir

@cistamakedonija8210 We appreciate the kind gesture, and we enjoyed our month there as well. We understood going in, all the conflict surrounding the name. So we made the decision to respect our hosts, as guests in their country, to call it by the name they call it.

@@NewLifeTravelers I greatly appreciate that! You’re welcome back anytime!

@cistamakedonija8210 Thank you so much for that! We will be back and we will make sure to visit Ohrid 😊

@sadrimiftaraj6893 6 of one, half dozen of the other....lol. End result is still the same for the 🐕, regardless on how we refer to them.

We're happy that you found our assessment accurate. We just keep it honest. That's all we can do, and will always do. Thanks again for appreciating the video.

@tonymodrono5953 With absolute sincerity, thank you. Thank you for the understanding you've shown to us. There's another in-depth video that explains it thoroughly, but it is a long one, and considered boring to most, because it was shot in one unedited take. If interested, I would recommend it, because it explains the changes that caused this whole new life to come to fruition. Thank you again for your kind words.

@@NewLifeTravelers Life does throw challenges and certainly makes you realise how short life is! We (my wife and I) are wanting to travel as well, but just trying to work it all out financially. Love to hear how you do it!

@tonymodrono5953 In the tragic end to my mother's life, a gift came about a little over a year later. She had left me a small inheritance, and instead of sitting around the U.S. waiting for it to inevitably be drained, I decided to take a shot at what I call a "real life." So, I bought all the gear that you see at the end of our budget gear video, researched every single day for about 4 months all about this life and where to go....that's covered in our latest video about the 'apps and sites'. And decided the risk be damned, I wanted to live while I had a window of opportunity to do so. The whole goal is to get this channel and our website off the ground to monetize before the inheritance runs out. And to get others to see that life is a one-time only gift that should not be taken for granted and time is the most precious resource we all have in life so don't waste it. Because both can be gone tomorrow. Most rational people would call it irresponsible, reckless, or just flat-out stupid. I knew that I could do this, and I haven't had a day off now since April 17th, the day before we left. I literally work from the time I wake up until I just can't keep my eyes open any longer, every single day...no exceptions. That's how bad I want this new life to be permanent. I just want to live, truly live, and I've never been happier in 44 years than I have been for the past 3 months. It's definitely not the exact way I would advise others to do it, but I just couldn't take the miserable existence any longer. And the clock is definitely ticking on me, but this was my one shot at living a life that makes me happy and excited each and every day. Although the stress and problems that arise can be overwhelming at times. It's worth it to be truly happy and to truly live. I know this is extremely long-winded, but my hope is that you can better understand. If you and your wife have any questions, I'm always around and would be more than happy to give you honest answers, if I have them.

@bubakostadinova9285 Thank You for the warm hospitality and kindness ❤️ We enjoyed our time there, minus the blazing heat...lol

We Thank You 😊 and we're happy that you enjoyed the video. We appreciate that.

Absolutely great point! We do this as well. Mostly because when we cross country borders almost every 28 days, we immediately lose our sim card capability and have to wait until we get to the next stop to get a new sim card. Just out of curiosity, what's going in Kentucky, besides the beautiful blue grass?

@AndrejNikolov-xw2gi We think so. Plenty of history for history buffs like us. Also reasonable cost of living and nice people as well.

@Troll0ni Seriously, THANK YOU for this. We struggled finding the reason for the name. We can't recall seeing that particular statue, but that would explain so much. Thank You. My wife was rather miffed by the lack of women represented in a park that calls itself Women-Warrior Park. So this will help explain it better.

Thank you so much 💓 I'll have to take a peak at Citymapper and DeepL. The only translating app I've used so far is Google Translate.

@Yergati Thank You 😊 We're happy that it can help you out.

@YanaLoran Aw, thank you so much for that. Our love goes out to you and yours as well. We're always happy to hear when people actually enjoy our videos. Thank You.

@@tonitonkata9934 Appreciate that. Outside of the blazing heat, we really enjoyed our time there.

@@Love78787 We're 😊 that you enjoyed the video. We also enjoyed our month there. Next time through will be Ohrid and Bitola for sure.

@@NewLifeTravelers Bitola or the ancient city Heraklea Lynkestis is the capital of the Macedonian Kingdom of Lynkestis one of the 4 Macedonian Kingdoms of the 4 Macedonian Biblical tribes who are sons of Javan - Macedon the Biblical Ancestor of the Macedonians. Alexander the Macedonian in the Book of Daniel is the King of Macedon - Javan. The mother of Phillip II of Macedon is from Bitola 😇 Also the Golden Oak beer is from that region in the city of Prilep the name comes from the Macedonian Crown it is the best beer in Europe 🤭

@Love78787 Wow!....I just got hit with a bunch of new info. Thank you for that. We're always fascinated in learning more about places such as this. Thank You for that.

@@NewLifeTravelers You should also go to Krushevo where the first modern republic on the balkan peninsula was born the whole city is a Museum 😆

@@Love78787 appreciate the recommendation. Thank you for that

@Rezarta-ec3fr Every place has its pros and cons. It doesn't matter where in the world you are. And honestly, Albania has pros galore that outweigh the cons by a long shot. But thank you for finding our assessment accurate.

Its funny how certain things change your perspective. We spent the last 3 years living in Mexico and they have a SERIOUS stray dog problem. Not just strays, but virtually ALL of them look starved. Now here in Albania in both Elbasan and Vlorë and seen lots of stay dogs as well, but most look much healthier than the dogs in Mexico. Its not right, but I have seen much worse. I saw one sitting outside a few homes and all the homes had food outside for this dog and that dog was FAT! The problem Albania has is it is the stray dog dumping ground of neighboring North Macedonia and Montenegro. Its well known that those countries use Albania as a place to send their dogs to keep their dog populations down.

Interesting point about the dogs being dumped into Albania. We were recently in Skopje for a month, and they had a bit of a stray dog problem as well. Just nowhere near the amount we saw in Berat. I will say that I do remember a couple of occasions when we saw nice folks leaving some food around for the dogs. That was nice to see.

@SamsungaA-fg7il Thank You 😊

Albanian city in Albania 😂 this is MACEDONIA 🇲🇰 Now fix your GPS

@bubakostadinova9285 lol...yah, I just used Google translate and realized what they had said.

@@NewLifeTravelers it's OK my friend, stupid and provocative people like this guy are everywhere! 😆👍 best regards

@bubakostadinova9285 it is a worldwide phenomenon...not just local or regional...lol

Oh I know...We are feeling REAL dumb for missing out on Butrint and Ksamil when we were in Saranda. DEFINITELY going there the next time through.

Thank You again 💓

@suevialania We're 😊 that you enjoyed the video as much as we enjoyed Tirana.

@macedonianking5663 You are more than welcome. The way I see it, is that I am a guest in your home. If that is what you call your home, it shall be respected by me. Lol...If you look at the 'dislikes' this video has received so far, I'm sure it has something to do with that very subject. Again, you are more than welcome.

Αγάπη Μακεδονία Ελλάδα στην βόρεια Μακεδον ❤❤

@besnikmanushi9552 Thank you for watching our video and finding that we seem to have been fairly accurate. We are both animal lovers, so it was mostly a shock to the system to see so many that were hurt, in pain, malnourished, and emaciated. And thanks to the many good people, including yourself, that have come into the comments section and educated us on the Roma community, we have a better understanding of it now.

@@minanovkiril Thank you SO much for the warm welcome and hospitality. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly with the rich history of Skopje. And yes, Paul is REALLY kicking himself for not having us visit and explore Ohrid and Bitola before we had to move on.

@mark1232546 Oh, absolutely. We had a great time learning the history and seeing SO many statues, monuments, and different architecture. Just wish it hadn't been so blazing HOT...lol We're still kicking ourselves though for not finding a way to visit Ohrid and Bitola though. As for your country's name, I felt it was the most appropriate and respectful way of calling it. I had done my research beforehand on the whole name change issue, and decided that I would call it exactly what its inhabitants call it. Seemed like the right thing to do.

Skopje really shines during autumn, when students, workers and travelers return, temperatures drop, and the sun rays no longer burn but rather warm. Similarly in spring. Ohrid is a fresh jewel for the hot summer days. The part of the town with the narrow pathways and preserved traditional architecture can really take you back in time, as if it's a museum. Macedonia welcomes you with everything it has to offer whenever you wish you come again 😄

@@mark1232546 The descriptions you provided are wonderful. It takes us right there. We definitely want to swing through again and see what we missed out on this time around. Thank you so very much again for the warm hospitality and kindness. We will not forget it.

Δημοκρατία του Βαρδαρη λέγεται.... ΟΧΙ Μακεδονία.. Μακεδονία είναι μια και είναι Ελληνικη.... Εσείς είστε Σλάβοι, μιλάτε βουλγαρικα και δεν μπορείτε να λέγεστε Μακεδονες, Είστε κλεφτες της Ιστορίας της Ελλάδας. Απο την ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΗ την ΠΡΩΤΕΎΟΥΣΑ της μίας και μοναδικής ΜΑΚΕΔΟΝΙΑΣ...

Ah, well we learned something new. Thank you for that. Always willing to learn more about the places we go.

No it’s not. In Macedonian, the language that we speak in Macedonia, the name of the city is and always has been Skopje (Скопје). 🇲🇰 Македонија на Македонците!

@cvdzidovi4986 Thank you for shedding light on this subject matter. During our month there, we had only ever heard the city referred to as Skopje. We just figured maybe we missed something...lol

@@cvdzidovi4986 You/ Slavo/Avars came to this region in XI A.D

@@blerimimodaable.... enjoy. MACEDONIANS 25 CENTURIES from KING FILIP ! ! !

@RyanandSaz-TravelLife Thank You. We appreciate that. We have not been to the U.K. yet, so we'll have to remember that for when we go. Saranda had next to no smog or haze to it. But when we got to Berat in late May, it was super thick. Same with Tirana a month later. Still great places though.

@@RyanandSaz-TravelLife Sure. You can DM me the link.

Thank you SO much. Albania is amazing, and we're happy that you found out the same. Best of luck to you as well with your endeavor. I wish we ALL could live this way.

@@NewLifeTravelers just watched the Skopje vlog, another stunning place. Also have subbed 🙌 enjoy Europe!

@@RyanandSaz-TravelLife Thank you again. We were blown away by the sheer amount of monuments and statues in Skopje. Europe has been enjoyable for the past 3 months.

@lupus9596 Thank you 😊. Unfortunately, that's going to have to be another time. We spent the final 2 weeks in Albania trying to find an Air BnB in both, Ohrid and Bitola with no luck. That's how we ended up all the way north in Skopje. After our month in Skopje, we moved on to another country and that's where we've been for the past 2 weeks. Believe me, when I was researching Macedonia, Ohrid and Bitola were supposed to be the first stop, then on to Skopje. And after briefly seeing Lake Ohrid on our way up from Tirana, I'll be kicking myself over not finding a place there for a month. Lake Ohrid was gorgeous! But thank you so much.

@AllThingsKimberlyWV Thank you. We know some folks think a certain way and won't get it. But it's honest, and we know plenty of people out there understand. Thank you for the understanding.

@@AllThingsKimberlyWV Welcome!...And thank you so much for joining us.

You are more than welcome! Albania is exactly what you said. We NEVER once felt like we were in a sketchy situation or feared for our safety, apart from the drivers...lol. But seriously, the country was wonderful to us, and for us.

It's quite alright, nothing to feel bad about. Sure, the couple of negatives mentioned aren't great, but we really did enjoy our time in Albania. Whenever we get to go back, we were looking at Shkoder, Durres, Vlore, and Gjirokastër....oh, and definitely gonna squeeze Saranda back in there again.