Gillian Gloyer grew up in Scotland then studied ancient languages at Wadham College, Oxford – which turned out to be surprisingly useful when she subsequently came to learn Albanian. After university and a couple of years back in Scotland, she began a professional career overseas, working in Spain, Chile, Belgium and Bosnia before finding herself – slightly by accident – in Albania. Living in the latter country for several years, including directing a long-term training programme with young political activists from 12 parties, she has also authored all eight editions of Bradt’s Albania guidebook. Since 2012, she has helped travellers explore exciting destinations through leading tours to Albania and various other countries. Working in the field of international democratisation, Gloyer worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an international election observer in 2023–24, which also enabled her to update Bradt’s guidebook to the country.