This past October Spencer turned 30 and I wanted to plan something that actually surprised him. I am the planner in our relationship, so he is used to me organizing trips, booking flights, and building itineraries. The challenge was doing all of that in a way he did not see coming.

It started with a lot of hidden browser searches for his favorite music artists. Late at night I was quietly googling who might be touring, checking dates, and looking for shows in cities we had not really explored yet in Europe. I did not just want to give him a gift. I wanted to create a full experience around it.

That is when I stumbled across concert dates for Inna in Munich, just about a month after his birthday party. A pop artist he loves, in a city that was new for us, on dates that fit perfectly with our life in Albania. It felt like the exact kind of birthday surprise that would make turning 30 feel like a real milestone.

Why Traveling From Albania Feels So Different

Coming from the USA, international travel always felt like a big production. Expensive flights, long security lines, jet lag, and the need to burn several PTO days just to recover. You plan those trips months in advance and they become “the vacation” for the entire year.

Living in Albania changes that completely.

For this trip we had breakfast in Tirana and dinner in Berlin. Our flights were under three hours. No overnight travel. No big time zone shock. No “I need a vacation from my vacation” feeling. It felt more like planning a slightly bigger weekend away, except the weekend happened to include two major cities, a pop concert, and Christmas markets.

This is one of the things we love most about life in Albania. You are a short, affordable flight from places that once felt like bucket list destinations. Berlin and Munich stop being fantasy trips and start being “What are we doing next month?” ideas.

Bringing Tahir Along For The Ride

We did not take this trip alone. One of our close friends, Tahir Tahja, joined us.

If you are new here, Tahir is an immigration attorney based in Tirana who helped us secure our five year residency permits in Albania. He is the lawyer we always recommend when our audience and Smile Abroad Club members need legal support here. Over time he has become not just our go to professional contact, but a real friend.

So it was the three of us, Spencer, Tahir and me, leaving Tirana on a Thursday for a five day trip through Germany. A quick birthday getaway that just happens to cross borders.

First Stop: Berlin

We started in Berlin, one of those cities that feels big and layered, but still surprisingly comfortable once you settle into your neighborhood.

One of the highlights was touring Tempelhof Airport, the massive old airport that is now a public space. It is such a strange and fascinating place. You walk on former runways, hear about its history, and at the same time you see people just living everyday life. Kids on bikes, people walking dogs, friends hanging out in what used to be an active airfield.

It is a perfect example of how European cities reuse and reimagine their spaces instead of erasing them.

We also did what you are almost required to do in Germany in late November. We ate our way through Christmas markets. Sausages, potatoes, sweets, and warm drinks in between. The markets are a full experience, with lights, music, stalls full of ornaments and crafts, and that cozy feeling you only get in cold weather with something warm in your hands.

Berlin on this trip was mainly about two things. History and food. Everywhere you turn there is another layer of the city’s story, and in between you are grabbing snacks or meals that feel both familiar and completely different from Albania.

Train To Munich For The Big Surprise

After our time in Berlin, it was time to head to Munich for the main event. We took the train, which is another part of this “new normal” we love. Instead of dealing with airport security again, you walk onto a train, find your seats, and watch Germany roll by outside the window.

Munich has a very different energy from Berlin. Where Berlin feels raw and experimental, Munich feels polished and classic. Think big squares, traditional buildings, and lots of people out shopping and meeting friends.

And then of course, there was the Inna concert.

This was the anchor of the whole trip and the part Spencer did not know about when I started planning. Seeing his face when it all came together, in a new city, with one of our close friends beside us, was exactly what I had hoped for when I first saw those tickets online. It turned from “just a concert” into a whole memory tied to a place and a specific moment in our lives.

BMW, Dachau And The Emotional Whiplash Of Travel

While we were in Munich we did two very different activities that show the range of what Germany offers as a destination.

First, we went to the BMW Museum. It is sleek and modern, full of design, engineering, and beautiful machines. If you are into cars at all, it is like walking through a very shiny, very expensive toy box. Spencer and I both love a good Mercedes, but we can still appreciate the artistry of a well designed BMW.

Then we visited the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.

Dachau is not an easy visit, and it should not be. It is heavy, sobering, and important. Walking through the grounds, hearing the stories, and seeing the spaces where people suffered and died is a powerful reminder of why history has to be remembered in context, not just in textbooks.

Those two experiences, side by side, are part of what makes travel meaningful. One day you are taking photos of concept cars under dramatic lighting. The next day you are standing in silence in a place that represents some of the darkest parts of human history. Both matter. Both change you in different ways.

Why This Trip Matters For Our Life In Albania

On paper, this was a five day birthday surprise. In reality, it was a snapshot of what life looks like when you base yourself in a country like Albania.

We were able to:

• Plan the trip about a month in advance

• Fly out of Tirana after a normal morning at home

• Visit two major European cities

• See a concert, experience Christmas markets, tour an old airport, visit museums, and walk through a former concentration camp

• Come back to Albania without needing a week off work to recover

It was fun, meaningful, and logistically simple in a way that would have felt almost impossible when we were living in the United States.

If you are reading this and thinking about moving abroad, or you are already in Albania and wondering how to use your new home base to explore, I hope this gives you a real example of what is possible.

You do not have to move overseas just to sit in a different apartment. You can use your new home as a launchpad. Quick trips to places like Berlin and Munich can become realistic, affordable parts of your life, not once in a decade events.

And if you are at the stage of figuring out residency, paperwork, and all the “unsexy” parts of relocation, that is where people like Tahir and our Smile Abroad community come in. We built this life step by step, with the right help, and you can too.

Spencer’s 30th birthday will always be tied to this trip. Breakfast in Tirana, dinner in Berlin, Christmas markets, a pop concert in Munich, and the feeling that we are exactly where we are meant to be.