For years, Albania flew under the tourism radar. Now, the country is having a moment. Everyone’s calling it Europe’s next “hidden gem”. But even that’s so 2024.

Last year alone, 12.5 million people visited Albania — that was a YoY increase of 6%.

It's not a hidden gem anymore. It's a country that's suddenly been discovered and hasn’t yet figured out what it means for the people who live there.

And those people are taking to the streets, trying hard to slow down the unchecked pace of development that’s entirely designed for tourists, often at the expense of natural ecosystems and local needs.

#1. Worth Knowing About:

📍 Theth. A tiny village located in the Albanian Alps — also called the Accursed Mountains.

They have their harsh conditions, extreme terrain, and a bit of folklore, to thank for that loaded, ominous name.

And the journey to Theth will make you understand this. Getting there isn’t exactly easy.

The village sits deep in the mountains, and the way their involves a winding, mountainious drive (I had to stop to throw up on three ocassions — car sickness is no joke).

But once you arrive, you’ll be blown away by the staggering scenery. There are seriously spectacular hiking views, icy blue rivers, dramatic mountains all around. And the hospitality will make you consider moving your bookings and staying a couple extra nights.

#2. A Local Logic:

The Besa Code of Honor. But why do the guesthouses in Theth offer meals when there’s no obligation to? That was my exact question and my guesthouse owner explained why.

The room price includes dinner because when a guest goes to bed hungry, it’s a dishonor to the host.

In the traditional Albanian cultural code, a home belongs first to God and the guest, and then the host.

Besa is this ancient code of honor, and it’s older than the Albanian constituion.

For centuries, the northern Albanian highlands were a stateless tribal community. There was no other law, so this came to be the law.

Under the tenets of besa, a promise that is given once, must be kept. Hospitality ceases to be a social courtesy and becomes an inviolable duty. Once a guest crosses your threshold, you’re duty-bound to protect their life and dignity.

This was why, during WWII, 2000 Jews fleeing Nazi Europe were sheltered by Albanian families, often at enormous personal risk.

By the end of the war, Albania was the only country in Europe with a larger Jewish population than it had had at the beginning.

Of course, in present day Albania, Besa and its meaning have evolved; it’s not as rigid or venerated anymore.

But one can see traces of the very ideology it created, particularly in the way hospitality is practiced.

You feed your guest, make sure they’re warm. You go the extra mile to help out. It’s not uncommon to receive help without you asking for it.

#3. One More Thing:

📘A stat that surprised me:
Albania was one of the most isolated countries in the world until 1991.

It cut off ties with the USSR and China, and was completely sealed off from the global landscape.

For almost 50 years under the communist rule of Enver Hoxha, it was illegal to own a car, practice religion, or leave the country without permission (which was next to impossible to get).

It went from that to getting EU candidate status in 2014.

The cars, the religion, they all showed up.

And honestly, the traffic in Tirana will make you wonder if they should’ve kept the ban. 👀

#4. If I Could Text You Before You Landed:

Cash is still king in Albania. Outside of Tirana, it might be really hard to get by without cash. And they don’t usually accept euros. The currency is Lek.

A good rule would be to carry both, and prioritize payment by card where possible. Keep enough cash for smaller villages, taxis and minibuses (furgons).

#5. Question for You:

Albania received more than three times its own population in tourists last year. Do you think overtourism is the tourists’ fault or the government’s fault?

Leave a comment

Thanks for reading! I’m SO glad you’re here.
Tanya

Field Notes is a Europe-focused weekly travel newsletter. Every edition has one destination viewed from 5 unique lenses. If you found this interesting, please consider subscribing.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a subscriber, maybe send this to someone who’s been planning to visit Albania.

Share

P.S. Some of the links in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I’ve tried myself and love!

Did you know that France was the most visited country in the world in 2025?

Think about the number of people who visited France and spent the entire time in Paris, doing the same 5 things. It’s jarring.

No shade to Paris. It deserves the hype.

But France is h-u-u-ge. It’s got 13 regions, a lot of which have the potential to shoulder the weight of overtourism that Paris labors under.

A failure of imagination or an opportunity? A baguette to chew on.

#1. Worth Knowing About:

📍 Marseille, France. You’ll either love it or hate it.

Let’s address the petit elephant in the room: The reputation that Marseille gets for being dangerous, given its history of gang violence and drug trafficking.

The “gangs” bit is overstated. As a tourist, you’ll have pretty much no interaction with warlords and criminals. Crime here is more organized and incognito (besides petty crimes like pickpocketing, etc. but they’re pretty much everywhere else, too).

The grittiness can take some getting used to, though.

Marseille is the oldest city in France (founded in 600 BC) and it shows – crumbling forts, graffiti-covered stairways, fishmongers calling out the day’s catch. The street noise. The bike horns. The chaos.

Yes, it’s a bit much. The city feels properly lived-in; the opposite of polished and uniform.

But by Day 2, you’re onboard. The gritty atmosphere becomes the aesthetic, you partake in the gloriously multicultural food scene (there are elements of Provence, Italy and North Africa), and you begin to appreciate the city’s untamed rhythm.

#2. A Local Logic:

💡France’s Magic Word. You know the stereotype - The French being rude.

Let me tell you, they ain’t rude.

Ok, sometimes, they may be. But it’s definitely not their MO.

If you’re in France, this is what you do: before you ask for directions, order your coffee, or talk to the cashier, open with “Bonjour”. It goes a long way.

Think of it as a kind of implicit social contract. You greet, and then you can ask for what you need.

It’s the first step in showing respect, and it’s seen as essential by the French. Failing to say “Bonjour” might make you come across as rude or dismissive.

Maybe also throw in a “parlez-vous anglais?” and a smile, while you’re at it.

P.S. I have to add a caveat: Your experience may have been completely different from this, and I’m not here to invalidate that. Rude people exist everywhere. Attaching the behavior to the culture, though, is what I take issue with.

#3. One More Thing:

📘This Week’s Untranslatable Word:

Dérive (French): An unplanned wander through a city with no destination, guided entirely by instinct.

Thanks to Maria from Scotland for giving us a fancy word for being lost for 45 minutes.

Got an untranslatable word? Submit it here.

#4. If I Could Text You Before You Landed:

Fixed Price Menu FTW. What if I told you France has lunch menus at almost 50% of what dinner at the same place would cost?

Most French restaurants offer what’s called a formule or menu prix fixe at lunch – a fixed set menu, usually two or three courses.​

It’s the same kitchen, likely even the same chef. Juuust cheaper because it’s meant to attract local workers and regular foot traffic.

Look for formule déjeuner or menu du jour on the chalkboard outside, or just ask. Almost every bistro and brasserie does it. It’s more a weekday thing.

#5. Question for You:

Do you think it’s rudeness when another culture doesn’t adjust to us?

(My first time in France, I went in expecting rudeness. I was on edge the whole time. I was met with so many random acts of kindness, it made me question my own prejudices.)

Tell me!

Thanks for reading! I’m SO glad you’re here.
Tanya

Field Notes is a Europe-focused weekly travel newsletter. Every edition has one destination viewed from 5 unique lenses. If you found this interesting, please consider subscribing.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a subscriber, maybe send this to someone who can’t stop talking about Paris.

Share

In October 2025, a bridge construction project in Iceland was paused so a psychic could be consulted about whether elves living on the site would object. The elves agreed to move temporarily. Construction resumed.

In this post, more about the mysterious, otherworldly country.

#1. Worth Knowing About:

📍 Snæfellsnes Peninsula, West Iceland. Everyone does the Golden Circle. And it’s not bad; it gives you a feel for the place.

But if you want to experience Iceland in a nutshell, Snæfellsnes is where you go. It’s a microcosm of the whole country, and it’s got fire and ice et al.

The peninsula juts out into the Atlantic with a glacier-capped volcano sitting on the end of it. There are fishing villages, lava fields, waterfalls, beaches, and sea stacks that look like a bunch of stone giants exchanging notes at a dinner party.

Jules Verne set the entrance to the centre of the earth here. Coincidence, maybe…. but I think he was on to something.

#2. A Local Logic:

Iceland’s huldufólk (hidden people). These are invisible beings believed to live in rocks, hills, and lava fields. And a whopping 45% of Icelanders consider their existence plausible.

It’s rooted in folklore but has real world implications.

In 2013, a highway project close to Reykjavik was halted and taken to the Supreme Court because the route would have destroyed an area considered to contain an “elf church”.

Also, did you read about the halted construction project in the intro? (If not, scroll up! It’s juicy.)

Now this might seem amusing or woo-woo from an outside perspective. But scratch the surface and the elf angle does multiple things:

• Rerouting a road around a protected rock is cheaper than fighting years of legal battles with protesters. It’s the path of least resistance.

• Environmentalists have figured out that saying “this lava field is an elf habitat” is a surprisingly effective tool for blocking reckless urban sprawl.

• It preserves an ancient worldview that keeps people connected to their harsh, volcanic landscape.

And sure, it helps boost tourism.. So why not lean in?

But hey, Icelanders do not literally picture tiny people with pointy ears, when they think of elves. It’s more a form of cultural respect. Something to keep themselves grounded.

What they really mean is: “Nature is powerful and mysterious, so let’s leave it alone just in case.”

#3. One More Thing:

The Northern Lights are not guaranteed. The internet knows this but barely mentions it (in the smallest print) while selling you Northern Lights tours.

Cloud cover, solar activity and the specific week you happen to visit – all affect it. You might not see them at all. Or you might see them three nights straight.

I went in October and lucked out because I did, indeed, catch the lights 3 times over a 10 day period.

But I’ll tell you this:

Don’t go to Iceland for the Northern lights. Go because it’s going to be like nothing else you’ve seen. No other place comes close.

The Lights are just an added bonus.

#4. If I Could Text You Before You Landed:

Driving in Iceland? Fill your tank WHENEVER you see a gas station, not when you think you need to. Outside of cities, fuel pumps can be 100km apart.

The ones that exist are often unstaffed and require a chip-and-pin card… not all foreign cards work.

Running out of fuel in sublime but extremely isolating Icelandic wilderness is not a romantic adventure.

P.S. You’re going to need a car – pretty much non-negotiable in Iceland. Book before you land.

#5. Question for You:

Is there a place you’ve been to that felt like it belonged in fiction?

Tell me!

Thanks for reading! I’m SO glad you’re here.
Tanya

Field Notes is a Europe-focused weekly travel newsletter. Every edition has one destination viewed from 5 unique lenses. If you found this interesting, please consider subscribing.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a subscriber, maybe send this to someone who’s been dreaming of visiting Iceland since forever.

Share

There are many ways to show affection. In Greece, one of them involves spitting.

That, plus 4 more things about the country.

#1. Worth Knowing About:

Corfu, Greece. Corfu doesn’t feel like the rest of Greece.

The Venetians were here for 400 years and left behind an Italian-looking city on Greek shores.

That means you’ll see those typical shuttered windows, wrought-iron balconies and arched-passageways. Just, on a Greek island.

The Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And it’s easily one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in Europe.

I stayed in a small coastal village called Benitses. It’s quieter than the main resort areas and kind of local-feeling.

I booked this small holiday home owned by an old man who had kumquat trees growing in the garden. Ooof! 😮‍💨

P.S. Yes, Corfu is awesome; but there’s a whole bunch of famous landmarks in Greece worth knowing about.

#2. A Local Logic:

The Evil Eye is Watching. Ever tell a Greek person their baby is beautiful, or their car is nice, with too much enthusiasm?

You may have just given them the evil eye.

And the appropriate response is to spit symbolically - ftou ftou ftou, three times, under the breath. It has to be quick and discreet.

You notice the mati (protective blue glass amulet) practically everywhere in Greece.
Dangling from taxi dashboards. Pinned to babies’ clothes. Beaded into local jewelry.

When a mati charm cracks, it’s actually celebrated, because it took the hit that was meant for you.

So what the spitting signals is this: “I love this thing, but I’m muddying its perfection right now so the universe doesn’t get jealous”.

So if you’re in Greece and compliment a local, don’t be surprised if they follow up their thanks with swift, furtive “ftou ftou ftou” !

#3. One More Thing:

I Didn’t Know This But... Greece has more archaeological museums than ANY other country in the world. Over 100.

Most tourists see one. Can you guess which one? 😉 (Hint: Starts with an A)

#4. If I Could Text You Before You Landed:

Tap Water May Not be Fit to Drink. Tap water in most big Greek cities is completely fine to drink. On the islands, though, it’s a different story.

Even where it’s technically safe, it’s often heavily chlorinated with an overwhelming, brackish taste. Best to ask at your accommodation when you arrive.

#5. Question for You:

Everyone goes to Santorini and Mykonos. Which Greek island do you think is truly worth it, and which one is pure hype?

Tell me!

Thanks for reading! I’m SO glad you’re here.
Tanya

Field Notes is a Europe-focused weekly travel newsletter. Every edition has one destination viewed from 5 unique lenses. If you found this interesting, please consider subscribing.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a subscriber, maybe send this to someone who likes knowing the story behind the place.

Share

I always assumed Poland would feel like a lesser version of somewhere else - you know, a little bit like Germany, a bit like Czech Republic.

I mean, lots of European countries end up looking and feeling the same.

I was 100% surprised when I went the first time (it was in Warsaw). Poland is delightfully unique.

The food is so different, the language sounds like nothing else, the history is rich and inspiring. And the people have a directness that takes about 24 hours to get used to. 👀

#1. Worth Knowing About:

📍 Wrocław, Poland. It’s Poland’s third largest city. It’s got so much to offer, but it remains relatively niche.

The market square is all pastel-coloured townhouses and Gothic churches, and scattered across the city are over 400 small bronze dwarf sculptures.

It’s the legacy of an underground anti-communist protest movement that used absurdist humour to mock the regime. Decades later, the dwarfs have endured.

You can download an app and hunt down all the dwarfs. What a fantastic way to explore all the corners of the city!

#2. A Local Logic:

Poles don’t smile at strangers. Not on the street, not at the shop counter, not when you make eye contact on the tram.

The first time I visited, I was shocked at how brutally direct even the hotel staff was.

You go in expecting baseline “friendliness” - even if you know it’s performative.

So Poland definitely feels cold at first. But believe me, it isn’t.

There’s a cultural philosophy here that a smile should mean something. Handing one out to every person you pass kinda cheapens it.

Warmth in Poland is real, but it’s earned and specific. Once you’re in, you’re properly in.

At first people will seem like they want you to leave. And the same people will later feed you until you can’t move, and refuse to let you pay.

So, when you go, just know that the resting b*tch face isn’t permanent. 😅​​

P.S. Poland is just the start. If you’re heading further east, here’s everything you need to know before you go.

#3. One More Thing:

Poland was erased from the map for 123 years. Can you imagine what that could do to the national identity? It’s deeply personal. Every Pole you meet is carrying the weight of that history.

Of course it doesn’t mean every Pole walks around with a history textbook in their backpack.

But it’s common for conversations to organically drift towards “what happened to my grandparents” or “what my parents lived through” without much prompting.

Museums, memorials and anniversaries are ways of revisiting those scars.

And when people here talk about resilience, it usually comes with names, faces, and specific years attached.

It’s tied to very concrete memories of losing and regaining a country, sometimes more than once within a single blood line.

#4. If I Could Text You Before You Landed:

When you pay with cash in a Polish restaurant and say “dziękuję” (thank you) as you hand over the money, it signals “keep the change”. 👀

If you want your change back, wait until AFTER the transaction is done to say thank you.

Don’t ask me how I know this.

#5. Question for You:

Krakow has become a premiere UK stag party destination. It’s beautiful but completely overwhelmed.

Would you rather visit somewhere beautiful and busy, or somewhere quieter that takes more work to love?

Tell me!

Thanks for reading! I’m SO glad you’re here.
Tanya

Field Notes is a Europe-focused weekly travel newsletter. Every edition has one destination viewed from 5 unique lenses. If you found this interesting, please consider subscribing.

Subscribe now

And if you’re already a subscriber, maybe send this to someone who likes knowing the story behind the place.

Share