I help Americans move abroad – in Europe # 1 in Europe

Like many Americans, I always dreamed of moving to Europe. And in 2015 at 35 I decided Leave Texas for Spain.

Two years later I founded She hit the updateA community that helps women over 30 go abroad. Since then, I helped hundreds Women build new lives in countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

The most popular areas among the women I work with, usually have warm weather and flexible visa options. Spain and Portugal Lead the list because they are relatively affordable for Western Europe, enjoy a casual rate of life and have the living ways that do not require independent or pensioners.

One country that few of the Americans can find on the map, let alone move to Albania. But it changes.

In recent years, I have heard about Albania from the members of my community. The handful moved there and couldn’t stop it. Introducing myself, I spent a month in Albania in 2024, mostly in the capital, tyrant and along the coast. I wanted to see what it was about and that I found me really surprised.

Albania may not be for everyone – no place – but for many Americans, it dreams of a soft landing, it checks a lot of boxes. That’s why I find it number 1 Appointment in Europe For those who hope to move from the US:

Albania is one of the few places in Europe where you can still rent a comfortable apartment worth less than $ 500 a month, women in my network report. This low cost of living is one of the biggest reasons when Americans are flocking there.

Take Sheryl EaglesRedondo, California, who moved from the beach, to Tirana. “Despite the fact that the cost of life is increasing in Tirana, this is still a share of what I paid in California,” she told me. For example, its rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Tirana or less than one sixth of what she paid for a two-bedroom cottage in Redondo-Beach before leaving California in 2023.

Products, dinner and healthcare are also much more affordable. For digital nomads and retirees Albania offers the quality of life that is increasingly becoming by -the -point of reach in many American cities.

One of Albania’s biggest benefits is that Americans can live there Without a visa up to 12 monthsA rare advantage in Europe.

You can jump on the plane tonight and start your new life in Albania tomorrow, no documents are required. This makes it ideal for those who want to “experience” life abroad without navigation with complex visa systems.

Being in Tirana, I met with Dennis Kaka Bradley, the founder Exposes in AlbaniaTo learn more about immigration options. She explained that being in a year, the documents were required, perhaps, and its organization helps the aliens in the process.

At weekly meetings, I met dozens of Americans: solo women, couples and families. Many use Albania as a step. They stay for a year -two before moving to another part of Europe as soon as they have found out the situation with a visa elsewhere. Others choose to remain long.

From the lasting Albanian Alps in the north to the Turquoise Water of the Adriatic Sea in the West and Ionan in the south, the country’s landscape is exciting.

During my trip, I drove through the Albanian Riviera and visited Saranu, a living seaside city with a beautiful waterfront. It was September, and the weather was still warm enough to swim and sunbathe, but the beaches were almost empty – rare pleasure compared to places such as Spain or Italy. On a clear day you can see Greece away! Corfu Island is only a 30-minute ferry trip.

I didn’t get to the northern mountains, but next time they are high on my list. Remote villages, pedestrian routes and magnificent landscapes make a dream for fans in the great outdoors.

By the beginning of the 1990s Albania was largely closed into the world Under the communist regime. Tourism is only actually seized in the last decade or so. As a result, Albania still feels like Albanian.

At the same time, the Albanians are noticeably welcome by the Americans, which surprised the many exhibits I talked to. A a pro -American mood And the friendliness to the exhibits facilitates the aliens to feel at home and contact the local community.

In cities such as tyrant and coastal cities such as Ulra, the number of foreigners who postpone the roots is also increasing. Allegedly Monica MirandaThe American who moved from Jersey -Siti, New Jersey, at the 43 years with his dog. “I knew little about Albania,” she told me. “But when I arrived, something pressed. One month turned into two.” Monica now lives in Albania for almost two years and has recently received a five -year habitat.

“I have created a supporting community of exhibits from the US, UK, Australia and Latin America,” she said. “We catch up several times a week. It was an incredibly reasonable experience.”

This cannot be the first country that comes to mindBut for many Americans I met, Albania became the right place at the right time.

Cepee tabibian is the founder She hit the updateCommunity and resources platform that helps women age 30+ move abroad, and the author “I’m here! The final guide of the American visa on life in Europe.

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