“Really? All those hours on trains on your own with the kids?”

That’s most people’s response when I tell them I’m taking my boys, aged nine and 11, overland to Albania by myself.

Having loved hiking in Slovenia’s Julian Alps last year, we’re taking on Albania’s Peaks of the Balkans trail this summer, on a new family hiking trip with Undiscovered Balkans. While work commitments mean my partner has to fly, I’m excited to both save on carbon emissions and fulfil a long-held dream of travelling from the UK to the Balkan peninsula without flying. It holds a romantic appeal, and the idea of dipping our toes in the Adriatic without hopping on a plane makes the world feel a little smaller.

With the children seeming more teen-like every day, I know the prospect of hours on trains is going to

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