Woman’s Major Booking Mix-Up to Albania Leads to Life-Changing Decision (Exclusive)

When journalist Alice Taylor boarded a plane from Cyprus for a spontaneous weekend getaway to Albania in 2017, she had no idea it would change the course of her life. 

Born and educated in the United Kingdom, she had already taken several bold leaps – first moving to Malta for what was meant to be a short gap year, then leaving a stable job in legal communications to pursue journalism with nothing but a cracked iPad and sheer determination. 

After nearly a decade in Malta, where she built a budding career in local media and even gained her own popular opinion column, Taylor found herself craving a deeper sense of purpose and connection. 

It was in Albania, during a brief weekend trip, that something clicked. Despite knowing little about the country, the language or its people, she felt instantly at home. 

Now, at age 38, Taylor’s built not only a successful journalism career but also a life enriched by family, friends and a deep love for a country that was once completely unfamiliar.

Although she originally planned to stay in Albania for less than four days, an ear infection on her second day there sent her to a local doctor in Tirana, the capital, and they suggested she postpone her flight to allow for recovery. 

With a prescription in hand, she headed to the pharmacy but was quickly sidetracked. 

“I ended up having coffee in Pazar i Ri, where the waitress and a table with two older gentlemen befriended me,” Taylor tells PEOPLE exclusively. “They didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Albanian, but we communicated the best we could.”

They ended up offering her two glasses of raki – a traditional, popular drink within Balkan countries. Despite being small in volume, the drink notably has a high alcohol content and left her feeling lightheaded. 

Nevertheless, she headed back to her hotel to rebook her flight, but instead of adding three days, she accidentally added three weeks.

“It was too expensive to change it again, so I decided to stay and enjoy the country. At the end of the three weeks, I booked another ticket to come back and returned two weeks later with all my possessions in suitcases and my two cats,” she reveals. 

“From the moment I came to Albania, I felt safe, happy, inspired and at home, despite the cultural and language differences. I was so inspired by the history and culture, and the people were so welcoming. I knew it was where I was supposed to be.”

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In the beginning, the language was a challenge, but she began learning and eventually became conversational — though the grammar still keeps her on her toes. 

“The language is beautiful but very complicated. I have ADHD and find studying hard and after trying a few lessons, I decided the best way to learn was through doing,” Taylor says. 

“I have learned various dialects and can recognize accents from around the country. I may not be grammatically perfect or completely fluent yet, but I feel I have benefited from learning in this holistic way.”

Adjusting to a new culture and navigating unfamiliar systems wasn’t easy, but the warmth of the people made the transition smoother. 

With eight years under her belt, she’s now an Albanian citizen, raising an Albanian child.

“When you understand that you belong somewhere and everything happens for a reason, all these little bumps in the road become insignificant and just part of life,” Taylor shares.

In addition to being a wife, mother and caregiver to her elderly mother, Taylor has built a remarkable media career in Albania.

In 2019, she launched the country’s first podcast called Explaining Albania, which, in 2023, with the support of Euronews Albania, evolved into the country’s first and only English-language current affairs show, Inside Albania.

Aimed at offering a foreign perspective on Albanian issues, her interviews feature key political figures, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and international names such as John Bolton, Roberta Metsola, and Dritan Abazovic.

“I invite guests, let them talk, and hope the interview serves as a point in time and history, for people to judge for themselves, and for the guests to be held accountable,” Taylor explains.

“I often do not script questions and follow my own natural curiosity, following on from the guests’ answers. The show is widely watched in the diplomatic and international community in Albania, as well as with local politicians from every party.” 

Today, her work spans far beyond broadcasting. She is also a freelance editor for POLITICO, a correspondent for international media such as BBC and The Times, and works as a freelance editor and journalist for various other European outlets.

She also teaches communications and public relations in the private sector and dedicates part of her time each month to mentoring young people and speaking at events, including TEDx talks.

Balancing all of this alongside family responsibilities is challenging, but she’s managed with resilience and support from her husband — even when she had to do it all alone.

“I was lucky to be surrounded by wonderful friends, and even kind, friendly strangers who made the tough times easier to manage,” Taylor says.

Taylor has written three books about Albania, including her latest, Inside Albania. She’s also published around 5,000 articles, produced podcasts, films and documentaries.

“Everything I do is with passion – passion to provide for my daughter, to inspire her, to make her proud and to make Albania proud,” Taylor emphasizes. “When it is a passion, it is no longer a job, but a purpose in life.”

Fluent in both English and Albanian, 6-year-old Dea has a deep love for exploring the country, learning about its history and embracing its culture, just like her mother. She proudly wears traditional outfits and enjoys singing Albanian songs. 

“She has been brought up here and knows no different,” Taylor says. “She is aware of her British heritage and we visited the UK recently, but she said she prefers Albania.” 

Recently, Taylor invited her daughter’s class to Euronews Albania for a behind-the-scenes look at how television is made, where the children took part in mock interviews and explored the studio with wide-eyed excitement.

“I asked the 35 children what their favorite place was and [Dea] was the only one who said somewhere in Albania – Tropojë to be exact,” Taylor reveals. “All the other kids said Italy, U.S., Germany, UK…Only Dea mentioned Albania.”

Since moving to Albania, Taylor has experienced her fair share of culture shocks – from the strong belief in wearing socks or slippers indoors and avoiding wet hair outdoors, to realizing that what may sound like arguing to outsiders is often just Albanians speaking with passion and affection.

Being active on social media, Taylor regularly shares these observations through unfiltered Instagram posts, where she debunks common myths about the country.

One of the biggest misconceptions she addresses is safety, and despite wide assumptions, she emphasizes to PEOPLE that she has never felt unsafe.

Another is the outdated view that Albania lacks modern infrastructure, when in fact it has all the essentials of a contemporary European country, just with its own “quirks.”

“It might sound cliché and you might roll your eyes, but I could not imagine being anywhere else,” Taylor admits. “This country has given me so much – Dea, love, inspiration, creativity – and I want to give it all back in every way I can.” 

For Taylor, Albania is far more than just where she lives – it’s where she feels most alive. “I could not imagine living anywhere else. This is my home and will remain so,” she says. 

Every day brings a new surprise, whether it’s a beautiful, hidden corner of the country or an unexpected conversation that leaves a lasting impression. “I do not see the same color, vibrancy and life in other countries I visit.”

Learning the language opened doors to deeper connections and allowed her to hear stories of resilience, strength and survival – often shared by people she meets on buses, in villages or simply walking through town. These moments fuel her work as a journalist, writer and artist. 

“I find myself… continually overwhelmed, as there are so many stories to tell, but there is only one of me,” she says. “I cannot do it all, but I wish I could!” 

Still, Taylor remains committed to capturing as much as she can, because “Albania is a gem and there is so much more I need to discover and document.”