Albania: No hippies, please

Travels with David: Asia, Africa and The Balkans

For half a century after World War II, Albania was ruled by a communist regime so paranoid that its leaders believed that even the Soviet Union and China had sold out to capitalism. Albania zealously guarded its borders to stop anyone from leaving the socialist paradise, and to closely control anyone crazy enough to want to visit. Among those who were not welcome were, to quote Albania’s leader Enver Hoxha, “enemies, spies, hippie tourists and other vagabonds.” The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to Europe, the bible for cheap travel, offered guidance on entry regulations for Eastern Bloc countries. For Albania, it had just two words, “Forget it.”