Eagerly Packing up Paints, Brushes, and one Tail-less Cat, Moving to Amazing Albania

Karen Espig
Expat Notebooks
Published in
6 min readAug 26, 2021

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Six months and counting…

The incomparable Vincent! Photo composition by Karen Espig

Eight months ago, I resolved to quit my day job and relocate to Europe. I have known for my entire adult life that travel was something I wished to do. I had planned to pursue it when I retired (at 60), but working from home gave me the time and the solitude I needed to re-evaluate my priorities, and so I moved that retirement date up by six years.

When I looked realistically at my pension income and monthly expenses, I realized that to have the quality of life I wanted, I would have to move out of Ottawa, Canada and into a smaller town — whether I retired early or not. This city is beyond my budget.

So, my thinking is: If I have to move anyway, why not somewhere new and inspiring, and why wait?

Photo of Berat, Albania by Mark de Jong on Unsplash

Since this watershed moment, I have been devouring all the content I can find on rules of entry, long stay visas, and the cost of living, in a number of countries. I have decided to begin my adventure in the Balkan country of Albania.

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Karen Espig
Expat Notebooks

I am a contemporary figure painter. I am also a Canadian Expat currently in France. I write about expat life, relationships, and online dating.