The official languages of Kosovo are Albanian and Serbian, while the minority languages spoken include Bosnian, Turkish and Romani. English and German are also widely spoken throughout the country.
In North Macedonia, Macedonian and Albanian (as of 2018) are the official languages. The minority languages spoken include Turkish, Romani, Serbian, Bosnian and Aromanian/Vlach. The country’s constitution states that “in municipalities where ethnic minorities constitute at least 20% of the population, the languages of the minority groups are official at the local level.”
Resources for self-directed language study
Macedonian
https://macedonianlanguage.org/Learn/Beginners.asp
https://www.lingohut.com/en/l123/learn-macedonian
If you already have a background with Russian or another Slavic language, it is very possible that with some dedicated study you will be able to understand a lot of what you hear on the trip while in North Macedonia!
Albanian
https://www.lingohut.com/en/l111/learn-albanian
https://www.livelingua.com/courses/albanian
https://www.101languages.net/albanian/albanian-peace-corps-course/
Serbian
https://www.lingohut.com/en/l90/learn-serbian
https://gospeakserbian.com/study-materials
Podcast
Videos
Entire Chanels: