The How did I get here?? article series showcases the feelings, motivations, and experiences of expats who have taken the plunge and made the move to Durrës, aiming not just to entertain readers but to pass on valuable insights into elements of the moving process itself.

Tell readers something about yourself

Hi! I'm Nicole, a mid-30s American who moved to Durrës last year. This has been the most unexpected year of my life, and I'm so glad for an opportunity to reflect on it with my community and anyone thinking about Durrës or Albania for your next life adventure.

I love swimming, whether that's a beach day by the sea, a hotel pool for a lazy sunny day, or with my Swim Club girlies in Durrës' outdoor lap pool. I’m also an Olympics fanatic, and am so proud of our three young Albanian athletes competing in the Winter Olympics this year.

Finally, when exploring the amazing food, ancient sites, and quiet culture of my new home, I always love to procure a new candle. This year, I had 12 alight on Christmas Eve.

What’s your country of origin?

I'm from the USA. I grew up in Austin, Texas, during a moment when hippies and small businesses kept it weird. I went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for both my undergrad program (theater) and graduate studies (social work), and then New York City, where I worked in the theater industry for 10 years.

What prompted you to leave your previous home and move to Durrës?

During the 2024 election season, I worked very hard to advance progressive issues and candidates and protect the voting rights of incarcerated people. I volunteered for a nonpartisan voter hotline and was a Judge of Elections on election day. The outcome crushed me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my peace while Donald Trump took office, and it became my goal to leave before his inauguration. On January 15th, 5 days before Inauguration Day, I arrived in Durrës, felt immediate peace and safety, and haven't looked back.

I had been an advocate for youth experiencing the juvenile system for almost 5 years, and it broke my heart to leave "my kids" behind, where I know many are in unsafe situations. I had also become an aunty to a wonderful little baby girl whose mom is my very best friend. I was torn knowing she'll grow up knowing me only as the face on a video call from far away.

Why Durrës?

I was looking for a change of pace. Somewhere that was calmer, safer, and had a more reasonable cost of living. The life I lead here is something I’d researched but never could have afforded in the USA. At first, Albania almost seemed like a joke option that I heard about from some Instagram influencer, and my friends and family still thought it was a joke until I sold my car and told them I had an Airbnb for 3 months and was putting my stuff in storage. The friends who were most supportive of my move have all since admitted that they, too, have been looking at what it would legitimately take to leave the country.

I didn't know anyone in Durrës, but I creeped on some of the expat/immigrant Facebook groups and got more and more excited as I watched their meetups and adventures from afar. Many of those people, whose random restaurant recommendations or group invites for coffee were once a part of my daily scroll, have now become very dear to me.

Did you plan to come alone or with others?

I came with my 2 cats, Samba and Mambo. I'll describe the tribulations of getting them here later. But, I would not have come if they couldn't have made it, and I'm so grateful every day that they're here with me, enjoying our little balcony and watching the stray dogs on the beach.

How did you start the process of moving once you’d made the decision?

Most of my planning came from midnight or early morning panic thoughts. I was keeping a list on my phone of every single thing I could think of to close out my American life, and by the time that I arrived and checked off the last item (getting a Vodafone Albania number), I had checked off 132 items.

Before leaving, I picked up some excellent tips from Facebook expat/immigrant groups: finding a bank that would reimburse ATM and international fees, good phone carriers, e-sim versus physical sim cards for my phone, appropriate amounts to pay for rent (and how to avoid contributing to the gentrification of real estate prices), transporting the pets, and much more.

How did the move itself go?

I arrived as a nervous, list-making wreck. My biggest anxiety was getting my two cats to Europe. Pet documentation has to be issued within ten days of departure—mine fell right between Christmas and New Year’s, when offices were closed and unresponsive. My veterinarian did everything right, but the original notarized paperwork arrived the day I left—after I had already boarded.

Despite stern warnings that original documents were mandatory, the gate agent flipped through my stack of papers, pointed to the carrier, asked, “Is the cat in there?” and waved us onto the plane.

The bigger hurdle was flying with two cats as a single person. I rebooked our itinerary three times after receiving contradictory information from partner airlines about cabin space. American carriers don’t allow pets in cargo on many international routes, and European airlines won’t let you book an extra seat for an animal. There was simply no way for me to make the trip alone with both cats.

In an incredible stroke of luck, a lifelong friend’s husband happened to be traveling to Europe at the same time and offered to fly with me so both cats could stay in the cabin. He became an unexpected hero—and helped reassure my family back home that Durrës was, in fact, wonderful.

There's another story from these first few days of when I tried to return our rental car and accidentally took a turn inside the port. An immigration officer ran after me, yelling, "Zonja! Zonja!" to turn me around, and then that officer flagged down a stranger to escort me to the building where the rental car counter is supposed to be. I ended up dropping the keys off with a bartender because the Vodafone girl wasn't there. (I'm sure anyone who's lived in Albania can fill in the blanks on their own.)

If applicable, describe the residency/visa application process (if they applied before coming or started the process while in the city):

I'm still waiting for my identification card, but my residence has been accepted and approved (!!!!!). Honestly, I didn't know if that's what I wanted when I got here. My boss in the States (where I still work remotely) told me that I would be fired if I became a resident of another country. Well, they changed their mind on their comfort level with me working abroad and ended my contract anyway. So, I leaned in, started a business here coaching private acting and performance lessons, and was able to apply for residence due to my self-employed status. I worked with a wonderful, no-nonsense accountant from Tirana, who managed the application process for the business AND residency. I couldn't have done it without her, and the advice from friends who had been through the same process. If you're going the self-employed route, you MUST have an accountant due to the necessity to set up your business through e-Albania, which, of course, can only be done if you already have an e-Albania profile. But you have to have the residency or the business to get the profile. It's a fun, tail-chasing circle.

How did you make a home here after you arrived?

I had an Airbnb studio apartment for a few months when I first arrived. The view of the sea and promenade was amazing. Right below my desk window was what has become one of my favorite restaurants, L'Avenir. It was fabulous until I woke up to men outside my windows loudly drilling scaffolding onto the balcony. The owner of the unit hadn't been alerted that the city was giving their building a facelift, but the management company very kindly moved me down the beach to a larger apartment with a similarly jaw-dropping view. While there, I posted on one of the Facebook groups that I would be looking for a longer-term solution, and was put in touch with my current landlord, and have been in the loveliest building with the loveliest landlord who has become my friend for the last 11-ish months. A huge improvement from the slum lords of Pittsburgh and New York City.

The thing that's keeping me here is the community (and the beach, let's be real). I've been so, so overjoyed to find like-minded people from all over the world at the meetups at coffee shops, through friends of new friends, and karaoke nights at Bridge Bar. My closest friends have come out of those karaoke nights, and I even got a boyfriend out of my Bridge Bar antics.