Service Corps Tour to Albania and Kosovo
Registration is closed
Experience life in Berat, a picturesque city nestled along a river valley in southcentral Albania. Known as the “City of 1000 Windows,” Berat is a World Heritage Site, with hundreds of Ottoman-era buildings, many in degraded condition.That’s where you come in! Join the restoration efforts, led by Cultural Heritage without Borders’ Regional Restoration Camps, recipient of a 2014 EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award. Enjoy engaging lectures and hands-on experience in restoration and conservation with assistance from experts in traditional tools and methods. Both your volunteer work and part of the trip fee go toward restoring Berat’s heritage. Get to know students and professionals from across the Balkans who attend the camp and locals who offer lessons in drawing, cooking, and Albanian dance. Experience the cuisine and culture of Albania and Kosovo in your free time. Tour Kosovo’s past and present, including the vibrant capital of Prishtina and the World Heritage medieval Orthodox monasteries, and enjoy a reception with members of the Albanian and Kosovo Fulbright Associations and alumni of other U.S. exchanges.
Click here to view our flyer about the trip!
About the Tour
Total Cost: $2280 (for shared room – additional $300 for single room)
Deposit: $600 (due by registration deadline)
Travel Partner: Cultural Heritage Without Borders (CHwB)
What’s Included
- Double room accommodations in comfortable hotels (2 occupants per room). Single rooms are available for an additional $300.00 for the entire trip
- Breakfast daily
- Nine (9) group meals during the course of the trip
- Transportation by private, air-conditioned motor coach/minibus/van, as well as group transfers as appropriate
- English speaking guide(s)/interpreter(s) to accompany participants through the whole tour period
- Preparatory reading materials
- Admission and fees to museums and program activities as listed in itinerary
- Honoraria for speakers booked by CHwB
- All tools, materials and craftspeople required for the service project/Regional Restoration Camp portion of the itinerary
- In-country health insurance, not including airlift or emergency evacuation to the U.S.
What’s Not Included
- Flights to/from Albania or Kosovo
- Expenses of a purely personal nature
- Room service charges
- Transportation of luggage in excess of weight allowance
- Gratuities to the bellmen and waiters
- Travel Cancellation Insurance
- Gratuities for guides
- Daily meals that are not organized for the group
- Extra beverages at group meals
- Visas or other entry documents
Trip Itinerary
May 12, 2017
Arrival in Tirana, Albania (sleeping in Tirana)
Joint dinner
May 13, 2017
(Sleeping in Tirana)
Morning: Around Tirana – city tour – including National Museum, Orthodox Cathedral, Ethem Beys’ mosque, Boulevards, Block area etc
Lunch in the city
Afternoon: Meeting with Fulbright alumni
Reception with Fulbright alumniMay 14, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
Morning: Travel to Durres (36km – 45min)
Visit to Durres Amphitheatre and historic center
Continuing to Kavaja (26km – 35min)
Lunch in Kavaja (there is a great fish restaurant there that should not be missed)
Continuing to Berat (70km – 1hr and 30min)
Afternoon: Settling in to the hotel
Free time
Welcome dinner in BeratMay 15, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
All day
Registrations and participation at the Regional Restoration Camp
Following the program of the camp, including site visits of Berat, lecture about Berat, etc.
May 16, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
All day
Registrations and participation at the Regional Restoration Camp
Following the program of the camp, including site visits of Berat, lecture about Berat, etc.May 17, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
All day
Following the program of the camp, including works on site, free hand drawing classes and Albanian traditional dance
May 18, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
Morning: (Optional): Study visit to the Archaeological Park of Apollonia, Monastery of Ardenica
Lunch on the way
Afternoon: Visit to Çobo Winery, near Berat
May 19, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
All day:
Following the program of the camp, including works on site, free hand drawing classes and Albanian traditional danceMay 20, 2017
(sleeping in Berat)
All day:
Following the program of the camp, including works on site, free hand drawing classes and Albanian traditional dance
Farewell dinner
May 21, 2017
(sleeping in Prizren)
Morning: Travel to Prizren (280km – 7 hours with a border crossing, lunch and breaks on the way)
Late afternoon: Free time
May 22, 2017
(sleeping in Prizren)
Morning: Around Prizren: Historical zone including Sinan Pasha Mosque, Hamam, Orthodox diocese, Cathedral of Our lady, Our lady of Ljevis (World Heritage Site), Castle
Lunch
Afternoon: Travel to Decani (60km – 1hr20 min)
Visiting Dećani Monastery (World Heritage Site)
Return to Prizren (60km – 1hr20 min)
Packing to leaveMay 23, 2017
(sleeping in Prishtina)
Morning: travel to Prishtina (84km – 1hr 20 min)
Around Prishtina: Ethnographic Museum, Scroll through a scarce Historical area (Kings mosque, tombs), National library (Getty conservation modern recently pledged a grant for the conservation proposal) NewBorn (story of most recent Kosovo History, Kosovo independence);
Lunch in the city
Afternoon: Visiting RRC at the Museum of Kosova (if applicable)
Welcome Reception – Fulbrighters from KosovoMay 24, 2017
(sleeping in Prishtina)
Morning: Visit Gracanica Monastery (World Heritage Site) (11km – 20min) and Ulpiana Archaeological site
Lunch
Afternoon: Free time
Farewell dinnerMay 25, 2017
Departure from Prishtina
How to Register
Update: The initial registration deadline has passed and the tour is officially a go! But there are still a few remaining seats. If you are still interested in registering, contact us for more information by March 20, 2017!
Registration and deposit: The completed registration packet and a $600 non-refundable/nontransferable deposit are due from each individual participant by March 1, 2017 and must be received by the Fulbright Association by this date. The registration packet includes this registration form, the health form and the liability waiver.
Final payment: The remaining balance ($1680 for shared-room participants; $1980 for single room participants) is due from each individual participant by April 7, 2017.
To register, we need two items by the registration deadline.
1. Registration Packet: Click to download, fill out, and return to us by e-mail or mail
2. $600 Deposit: Check or credit card payment
How to make the payment: We can accept payments either by check through the mail, or through our website via the Donation page.
If sending checks:
Please make out your check to “Fulbright Association” and on the memo line write “FASC Trip 2017” and the name(s) of trip participants. They can be mailed to our office address in Washington, DC:
Fulbright Association
1900 L St. NW #302
Washington, DC 20036
If paying by credit card:
Please click “Donate” in the upper right corner of our website, click “Donate Today” on the next page, and then continue with your payment via the secure online donation form. If there is no option for this trip under “Campaign/Fund Information,” please write “FASC Trip 2017” and the name(s) of trip participants in the “donor comments” section.
Please e-mail info@fulbright.org or give us a call at (202) 775-0725 if you have any additional questions.