How many times did you have to apply for a visa? How many times was your application rejected? On average, how much did you spend on visas and how long does it take you to issue one? Passport privilege is real and lots of travelers know nothing about the daunting process many others have to go through just to go on a single trip. I had a talk about passport power with Kosovo Girl Travels’ founder, Lavdi, and it’s eye-opening in so many ways.

About Kosovo Girl Travels

Kosovo Girl Travels is the first travel blog by Kosovan traveler. There, you don’t just get to learn about places all over the world, but you also get to know more about Kosovo; more of local insights that the media keeps away. Kosovo Girl Travels also provides useful information for Kosovan citizens who wish to travel and see the world.

Lavdi, like many of us, has a fiery passion for traveling; however, her passport’s power is one of her major obstacles. Yet, Lavdi managed to travel to 38 countries so far and didn’t let visa procedures and the non-recognition of her country stop her from her pursuing her dreams. She even lived on three different continents; right now she works as an administrative officer with UNMISS in South Sudan.

I highly encourage you to read along because this talk with Lavdi will either resonate if you’re a traveler with the same issues or will open your eyes to issues you probably never knew they existed.

What inspired you to become a travel blogger and start Kosovo Girl Travels, especially that you’re the first one from your country?

I started Kosovo Girl Travels because of the lack of information out there on Kosovo, the tourism potential it has, and my love of travel; mainly to encourage more people to visit Kosovo. That’s in addition to my desire to help other Kosovo citizens, particularly women, and to provide reliable information to those who face the same obstacles such as passport and visa issues. So, I thought it could do no harm to see if I can dedicate some of my time to putting those insights together.

Other travel bloggers, such as Americans or Western Europeans, have no idea what it means for a Kosovo citizen to plan a trip. It’s almost impossible to have an impromptu trip to most of Europe, not to mention the hassles one needs to go through to get a Schengen visa appointment, assuming one could financially cover it or even go on a luxury trip.

How do you overcome the travel restrictions you face as a holder of a Kosovo passport?

It’s not easy to overcome those travel restrictions; therefore, I tend to travel to the countries that pose fewer hassles; those where I need no visa, where I can get a visa on arrival, or those that issue an eVisa. While in Kosovo, getting a visa appointment is something that takes on average three months, and it kind of kills the desire to travel somewhere. Currently, I tend to go to Kosovo passport visa-free countries or those that offer easier visa procedures. It’s sad though, as I cannot visit some of the countries where I’d LOVE to go to because of my passport, but hey, the world is big, so I’ll go to the ones that would accept my application for now.

Which countries from those you visited spoke to you the most? And which ones would you love to visit but still can’t?

I loved my time in Jordan, and it remains my favorite trip to date. Jordan is a lovely country which is mistaken for being unsafe due to it being in the Middle East; however, it’s such a rich country that offers all kind of attractions to visitors. I enjoyed my time in Ethiopia also and was pleasantly surprised because all I read on the internet was how unsafe it is (ok, I haven’t been to Addis yet). Still, I went there as a solo female traveler and faced no issues at all. 

I am dying to visit India one day and experience the diverse culture and lifestyle it offers and try some of the food (will try to survive their hot spicy food though). Another country I would love to visit, but I can’t go to is Cuba. It is such a different and beautiful country, and if I could, I would hop on the next flight and go. The country I thought I could visit and even got an eVisa but was rejected entry for is Zimbabwe. This past March, I had planned to visit it, and despite having issued a visa through their e-Visa system, I got rejected due to my passport.

From your point of view as a local, how would you promote tourism and encourage other travelers to visit Kosovo?

The most important thing that needs to be clear for travelers is that Kosovo is among the safest countries in Europe. Unfortunately, the latest images people might have are the ones from the war in the late ’90s, and this might hinder them from visiting. Another one is massive propaganda that if you visit Kosovo, you won’t be allowed entry to Serbia – which is false and has been proven over and over by travelers from across the globe.

Kosovo is a landlocked country, but there is so much natural beauty, hiking opportunities, history, and the most noticeable among travelers is its hospitality. Kosovo Albanians pride themselves in welcoming guests and treating them like kings and queens and going above and beyond to make them feel welcome, comfortable, and looked after.

Do you prefer to travel solo or with a group, and why?

Solo travel over group trips all the way!  A group trip isn’t always fun as people have different wishes, ambitions, and expectations from a trip. When solo traveling, you are the master of your adventure and your time. You can change your plan anytime without having to agree on it with others; you can decide to stay in if you don’t feel like sightseeing or go to this coffee shop instead of that famous Instagramable one. But traveling with one another person or a maximum of two people is still okay for me.

What’s your biggest travel tip?

Never plan your entire trip; be knowledgeable about where you are going, learn about the do’s and don’ts, and cultural/legal norms, but don’t plan 100% of the trip. Leave a little bit of time/space for the unexpected. It could be for a little town which you haven’t read on travel blogs or travel magazines, or for that lovely neighborhood which offers some calmness over the touristic city.

Tell us more about your South Sudan experience and what you’ve learned.

I knew almost nothing of South Sudan before getting a job offer. I tried Googling it to find people who are from there, have been there or were there at the time, but that was not very successful. However, I decided to take a chance and give it a try. It would be my second big move from home after the two years I spent in Chicago, even though they’re nothing similar and two entirely different experiences. I live in a UN compound in a small town about 400km away from the capital, Juba (which takes about 2 hrs on a helicopter or full-day/two days by road).

Working in an international environment is exciting. One learns how people of different cultures handle their personal and professional lives and that at the end of the day, people are all the same. There are differences in the work culture and lifestyle, but overall, we are all the same. 

I came home recently for a break and it was challenging when I reached Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as I had a layover of 2 nights/3 days due to my flight connections. As a Kosovo passport holder, I had to have a visa in order to stay at my booked accommodation. As there is no agreement between my country and Ethiopia for a VOA, my only option (apart from staying at the airport for the duration – which wouldn’t make any sense obviously) was to apply for the e-Visa which, through the help of an Airport employee, got approved within two hours. This, however, added to the total duration of my stay at the Bole Airport for around 8 hours in total. The transit through Istanbul airport was straightforward and the same goes for the Pristina International Airport arrivals.

Because of the pandemic, the travel industry received a massive hit. How do you think this will change the future travel experience?

It will take a lot of time before people feel okay about traveling again. I generally don’t like going to overcrowded places (though there are exceptions which one can’t avoid). Yet, I will be even more cautious in avoiding those places in the future unless a vaccine was made available to everyone. Travel has become more expensive right now; a round trip that might have cost about USD 600 in the pre-pandemic period now costs, at least, double that price. Airline companies will recover all their losses by charging us more until they can compensate for that.

On the other hand, I hope travelers would be more conscious about their environmental footprint and would orient themselves towards ethical travel and travel to get to know a place and its people rather than just tick off a country from their list.

How about you? Can you resonate? And if not, can passport privilege change one day? Let me know your thoughts about this in the comments below. Meanwhile, check out Kosovo Girl Travels and show Lavdi some love.

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