Kosovo

That's a destination that doesn't come up too often on the forum. I found this information on the Lonely Planet website, and the last line is interesting.

Visas

Kosovo is visa-free for all nationalities. All passports are stamped on arrival for a 90-day stay.
Visas are only required by some passport holders; check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (www.mfa-ks.net) for a full list of nationalities enjoying visa-free travel. This includes EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders, all of whom may stay for 90 days visa-free.

If you wish to travel between Serbia and Kosovo you'll need to enter Kosovo from Serbia first.

I was there in 2001, so my experience is probably significantly out of date. Plus, I wasn't there as a tourist, but wearing body armor and carrying a loaded weapon.

In general, the level of development was very low, even in the capital. Food was surprisingly good. Roads were mostly in terrible condition. Unless the infrastructure has vastly improved, I wouldn't trust the water. The Albanian population is very friendly, the dwindling Serb population much less so.

Tom, no surprise that Serbian population was less friendly than Albanians. You were wearing body armor and carrying a loaded weapon. Albanians saw you as their liberator and Serbian as their occupier and somebody who was stealing Kosovo from them which they still consider the cradle of Serbia.

Keep in mind also in light of the horrors of that conflict, we had unleashed our air power against the Serbs and Bosnian Serbs.

Tom it was much the same in 2008, although money from the EU and ex-pats was starting to flow in and a lot of entrepreneurs starting up businesses. Kaeleku, Prizren is the city I'd recommend visiting too. Nice ruins of an Ottoman fortress overlooking the city. Look for the minarets vs orthodox crosses to tell you who inhabits the villages you drive through.

I've spent a little time in Serbia and despite being on opposite sides during the war I found the Serbs to be very good hosts. The question about Kosova was primarily so I could consider crossing the border as a faster route in a larger trip.

Thanks everone.

Kaeleku, I’m not really sure just yet. I know I have a few weeks in early September to make use of.

I love Bulgaria, and have returned a number of times and would love to go again. I have recently had a couple of short trips into each Montenegro and Serbia; that were pretty amazing but too limited in scope so they are fair game again.

I have an associate that has been encouraging me to go to Macedonia for a number of years now and from what I have heard and seen it looks like we would enjoy it.

Finally, Albania has been on my list for some time.

So if you take all of that and mark it on a map you will find that right in the center is Kosovo. For instance, the best route from Podgorica to Skopje is through Kosovo. I have to begin in a major city as that’s where I will arrive from the States and I have to end in a major city with good connections to Budapest. So it’s sort of like one of those tile games were you keep moving the tiles around until the picture appears. I just wanted to make sure Kosovo was in play, and I guess it is as long as I don’t exit Kosovo to Serbia.

Kaeleku

Thanks. When I get it narrowed down I will let you know. Those are two great trips. I only have about 8 days before I need to get to Budapest so at best I could do half of one of those trips. There is always next year. We are chipping away at the world in 6 to 8 day increments (the rest of the vacation time being spent in Budapest).