For some people travel is a way of life and it does not necessarily include 5 star hotels and vacations on the far away beaches. There are so many other ways to experience different cultures and enrich ones life. The best one is to try and observe people, interact, stay in hostels or find contacts and stay at people's homes if possible, go to the national cuisine restaurants and visit markets, stadiums, theaters etc, try and really feel the pulse of the country you are visiting. Some places can really surprise you, you can find the most friendly people in the countries you heard nothing but

For someone who is traveling to Balkans there are a lot of things to be mentioned as a guide to a grate travel experience.
People are welcoming, food is grate, nightlife vivid, and culture very colorful and rich. If you would like to read a travel journal written by Iranian American that spent three months in the Balkans, and learn about people that live there, current political and economic situation in the Balkans and the world, you should look up The Age of Nepotism, a book by Vahid Razavi.
There is also a site www.theageofnepotism.com