Alexx | solo traveller 💃🏼

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The overtourism/infrastructure/price vs. quality issues in the Southern Riviera are very complex and are intertwined with lack of regulation, ongoing corruption, decades of isolation, and many years of hardship. People are trying to make the most of these new opportunities with tourism on the rise, but without regulation it means local infrastructure is buckling under the pressure while prices soar wayyy past what the experience can actually deliver. Which sucks for international tourists, and also puts those destinations way out of reach for locals too. I have written about this in much more detail + with more context on my blog but I can’t fit all of that into a TikTok video! It’s not about an entire country being scammy or creepy or overrated, it’s just a really sad example of unsustainable tourism growth combined with surface-level social media content designed to go viral rather than actually educate or share the reality. Spoiler alert but my Albania trip gets better after this, the issues I had were totally confined to the southern riviera, and I’m not even trying to convince people not to go there, just want to share my genuine experience as I was definitely duped by what I’d seen online 🫠 Travel details: I stayed at Hotel Golden which I loooved, and I also had a delicious crepe which I forgot to mention, the place was called Good Vibes Only! #albania #albaniatravel #albaniatiktok #travelalbania #visitalbania #solofemaletravel #solotravel #albanianriviera #albaniariviera #ksamil #ksamilalbania #sarande

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The overtourism/infrastructure/price vs. quality issues in the Southern Riviera are very complex and are intertwined with lack of regulation, ongoing corruption, decades of isolation, and many years of hardship. People are trying to make the most of these new opportunities with tourism on the rise, but without regulation it means local infrastructure is buckling under the pressure while prices soar wayyy past what the experience can actually deliver. Which sucks for international tourists, and also puts those destinations way out of reach for locals too. I have written about this in much more detail + with more context on my blog but I can’t fit all of that into a TikTok video! It’s not about an entire country being scammy or creepy or overrated, it’s just a really sad example of unsustainable tourism growth combined with surface-level social media content designed to go viral rather than actually educate or share the reality. Spoiler alert but my Albania trip gets better after this, the issues I had were totally confined to the southern riviera, and I’m not even trying to convince people not to go there, just want to share my genuine experience as I was definitely duped by what I’d seen online 🫠 #albania #albaniatravel #albaniatiktok #travelalbania #visitalbania #solofemaletravel #solotravel #albanianriviera #albaniariviera #sarande

TRAVEL RECS 👇🏼 📍SHKODER (1-2 days) 2h bus from Tirana DO: Bike around Lake Skadar, Rozafa Castle, Venice Art Mask Factory, food tour STAY: Corner Hostel (right by the bus stop, $), Hotel Mozart ($$), Hotel Colosseo ($$$) EAT: Pasta e Vino, Idromeno, Il Tramonto, PURI 📍 ALBANIAN ALPS & KOMANI LAKE (2-3 days) 3-5h from Shkoder by shuttle and boat, organised by your accomm DO: Kayak, chill out at Shala River, hike the Theth to Valbona trail, stargaze STAY: Riverside Komani Lake is my FAVE place to stay in Albania ($$), lots of budget guesthouses along the hiking trails 📍TIRANA (1-2 days) 3h-4.5h bus from the Riviera depending on what town you’re in DO: Walking tour, Bunk’Art museums, Datji cable car EAT: Tartuf (my faaaave restaurant in Albania, insanely cheap truffle dishes!), Odas Garden, Salt STAY: Vanilla Sky Hostel ($), Villa Noem ($$), Xheko Imperial Luxury Hotel ($$$) 📍 ALBANIAN RIVIERA (4-5 days) Choose two towns to stay in: - Sarandë for the most convenient base - Ksamil for beach clubs (not my vibe though) - Himarë for a more authentic experience - Dhërmi for boutique - All these are connected by bus DO: Grama Bay boat tour with Lido Boat Tours, Blue Eye natural spring, Butrint ruins, Porto Palermo castle, kayaking EAT: Manxurane and Marini in Sarandë, WG in Ksamil, Taverna Velco and Piazza in Himarë, Harry’s Creperie in Dhërmi STAY: White Residence Luxury Apartments in Sarandë ($$), Hotel Golden in Ksamil ($$), Himarë Hostel ($), La Brisa in Dhërmi ($$$) 📍 GJIROKASTER (1-2 days) 1h bus from Sarandë DO: Gjirokastër Castle, Old Bazaar shopping, Cold War tunnel, traditional mansions, horse riding EAT: Traditional tavernas away from the main square STAY: Stone City Hostel ($), Hotel Bebej Traditional ($$), Kerculla Resort ($$$) #albania #travelalbania #albaniatravel #visitalbania #albaniatourism #komanilake #albaniaitinerary #solofemaletraveler #solotravel #europetravel

This is the best itinerary for Puglia without a rental car! Quick summary: 📍 BARI Arrive by plane, train or ferry DO: Explore Bari Vecchia, pasta-making class, food tour STAY: Habari We Dorm ($), Casa Maya ($$), Bra Hotel ($$$) EAT: Pizzeria Al Raffaello, Mister Burrata, Panificio Santa Rita, Panificio Fiore 📍 MATERA 1h bus from Bari (book in advance on Trainline) DO: Wander the ancient Sassi, stay in a cave hotel/room STAY: The Rock Hostel ($), Lo Splendore dei Sassi ($$), Palazzo Gattini ($$$) EAT: Il Fiore del Latte, Amore Crusco 📍 MONOPOLI Matera back to Bari by bus, then 25 minute regional train to Monopoli DO: Boat tour, paddle boarding, street food tour DAY TRIP: Polignano a Mare STAY: Grotta San Vito ($), Casa Roberto ($$), Hotel Don Ferrante ($$$) EAT: The King Street Food, La Locanda sul Porto, Il Cappricio, Via Garibaldi Frutteria 📍 ALBEROBELLO Direct bus from Monopoli, book on cotrap.it DO: Get lost in the UNESCO-listed trulli town! DAY TRIPS: Cisternino or Locorotondo STAY: Dimora Panoramica ($), Trullieu Guesthouse ($$), Trulli Resort ($$$) EAT: MaDo Filoneria, Corte dei Trulli, Cosi Com’era 📍 OSTUNI Bus from Alberobello to Martina Franca with FSE (book on Trenitalia app), then catch an STP bus to Ostuni (pay in cash or with an STP ticket) DO: Olive grove tour, sunset at Borgo Antico, sleep in a stone house STAY: Liberty Bell ($), Atagio Luxury Room ($$), Paragon 700 Boutique Hotel ($$$) EAT: Terra Nostra Salumeria, Asso di Spade, Dish, Vulcani, Crumb35 📍 LECCE Bus to Ostuni train station (STP ticket or cash), then regional train to Lecce DO: Walking tour, see the 2nd century Roman amphitheatre, Basilica di Santa Croce STAY: Lobby Collective Hostel ($), Dimi House ($$), Palazzo Zimara ($$$) #italy #italytravel #travelitaly #Italyitinerary #visititaly #europetravel #traveleurope #europe #solotravel #solofemaletravel

If you listen to just one of my Albania recommendations, it should be this one! 📍 @Riverside Komani Lake #riversidekomanilake #albania #albaniatravel #travelalbania #albaniatiktok #visitalbania #komanilake #shkoder #traveltok #traveltiktok #bucketlisttravel #europetravel #solotravel

And the Puglia (mis)adventures begin! I'm gonna travel to Bari, Ostuni, Lecce, Monopoli, Polignano a Mare, Alberobello aaaand Matera, only using buses and trains 🫠 wish me luck haha TRAVEL DETAILS: - In Bari I stayed at Casa Maya first (gifted, bookable on booking.com) and then had a night at Habari We Dorm - Bari to Ostuni was an easy train and then a bus from Ostuni station to Ostuni old town - In Ostuni I stayed at Liberty Bell (only on booking.com I think) #italy #italytravels #travelitaly #italytourism #visititaly #italytiktok #puglia #italytravel #europetravel #traveleurope #solotravel #solofemaletravel #puglia #pugliaitaly #pugliatravel

This is the ideal Albania itinerary if you don’t want to rent a car! Two weeks would be ideal, if you have less time then choose either the north or south of the country, and if you have more time you could add on one or two of the side quests in the last slide 💃🏼 let me know if you have any Albania qs! #albania #albaniatravel #albaniatiktok #travelalbania #visitalbania #albanianriviera #albaniariviera #himare #saranda #komanilake #tirana #albania🇦🇱 #albaniaitinerary #traveltiktok #traveltok #europetravel #traveleurope

⚠️ IMPORTANT: The overtourism/infrastructure/price vs. quality issues in the Southern Riviera are very complex and are intertwined with lack of regulation, ongoing corruption, decades of isolation, and many years of hardship. People are trying to make the most of these new opportunities with tourism on the rise, but without regulation it means local infrastructure is buckling under the pressure while prices soar wayyy past what the experience can actually deliver. Which sucks for international tourists, and also puts those destinations way out of reach for locals too. I have written about this in much more detail + with more context on my blog but I can’t fit all of that into a TikTok video! It’s not about an entire country being scammy or creepy or overrated, it’s just a really sad example of unsustainable tourism growth combined with surface-level social media content designed to go viral rather than actually educate or share the reality. #albaniatravel #travelalbania #visitalbania #albaniariviera #albanianriviera #solofemaletravel #solotravel #himare #himara #himarealbania

Ostuni has my heart 🤍 #europetravel #traveleurope #italy #italytravels #travelitaly #italytourism #visititaly #italytiktok #puglia #italytravel #pugliafood #pugliaitaly #visitpuglia #solotravel #solofemaletravel

This is what NOT to do when you’re in Puglia 🙃 #italy #italytravel #travelitaly #visititaly #puglia #pugliatravel #travelpuglia #visitpuglia #pugliaitaly #europetravel #traveleurope #solotravel

I saw this format somewhere and thought it was such a good way to share the good and bad of a destination! Let me know if I should do this for everywhere I visit 🌍 #albania #albaniatravel #albaniatiktok #travelalbania #visitalbania #albanianriviera #albaniariviera #albania🇦🇱 #traveltiktok #traveltok #europetravel #traveleurope

Too fussy for hostel dorms but can’t afford luxury travel yet? These in-between travel tips for Albania will help you get the best bang for your buck 💶 #albania #albaniatravel #albaniatourism #visitalbania #budgettravel #inbetweentravel #europetravel #europesummer #europetraveltips #traveltiktok

This day just kept getting better ✨ 📍@Riverside on Komani Lake, Northern Albania #albania #albaniatravel #travelalbania #visitalbania #albaniatiktok #komanilake #shkoder #albaniatourism #beautifulplaces #tiktoktravel #traveltok

Okay so the end of my Albania trip was absolutelyyyy worth the wait 😍 it’s called Riverside Komani Lake, and the hostel in Shkoder is called Corner Hostel! #albania #travelalbania #albaniatravel #visitalbania #albaniatourism #shkoder #komanilake #komani #albaniaitinerary #solofemaletraveler #solotravel #europetravel