In a few days, I’m going to be flying to the Balkans, where the Adventure Next conference will be taking place in Ohrid, Macedonia. In addition to attending the conference, I’ll be renting a car and visiting some of the nearby countries, many of which I haven’t been to before. Safety is a big concern for a lot of travelers visiting the Balkans, so read on for what you should know about safely traveling through the Balkans region.
Where Am I Heading?
I’ve been to some of the countries in the Balkans, but not all of them. It is one of the few places in Europe which I haven’t explored in depth. My goal is to visit some UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo, in addition to Macedonia. The driving distances aren’t that large in the region, but the mountains and condition of the roads in some places might make driving a bit slower than it might otherwise take.
My previous experience in the region consisted of driving along the Dalmatian coast of Croatia and then doing some day trips out of Dubrovnik to Mostar, Bosnia, and Kotor, Montenegro. So, there is still a lot for me to see and explore.
Is it Safe to Visit the Balkans Region?
Many people have a negative perception of the region because of the war in the 1990s. Since the end of the war, there hasn’t really been anything to replace that image in people’s minds, so that’s still the dominant perception. Everyone I know who has been to the Balkans recently has reported that it was safe and there is little to worry about in terms of crime or violence.
To give you an idea of how safe it is here is where the countries I will be visiting rank globally in terms of homicides per capita:
- 101 Albania 4.32 per 100,000
- 134 Macedonia 1.90 per 100,000
- 140 Serbia 1.68 per 100,000
- 149 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.45 per 100,000
To put this in perspective, the United States ranks 99th at 4.20 per 100,000. So with the exception of Albania (which is still safer than the US), all of the countries have murder rates approximately half to a third of the U.S.