Tbilisi, Georgia was WiFi Artists’ July 2022 Eastern Europe trip. Georgia is known for Vardzia, a sprawling cave monastery dating to the 12th century, and the ancient wine-growing region Kakheti. Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia and is known for the diverse architecture and mazelike, cobblestone streets of its old town.
As a digital nomad, traveling in Tbilisi was a dream come true. There are many places to work as there are over fifteen coworking spaces, with daily, weekly, and monthly coworking passes. Additionally, there are also many bars and cafes that offer casual working spots, with a more relaxed environment.
It is also a very safe area to visit, in the most recent years, Georgia as a country has invested in the tourism industry and infrastructure, to make sure all visitors are welcome. The police force was even revamped in the early 2000s.
During our trip, we had new travelers join us along with some travelers that have been with us for months, both creating unbreakable bonds and unforgettable moments. Any trip you take with WiFi Artists leaves you with memories for life, and friends for life.
For anyone that’s considering applying for a trip with WiFi Artists, this will give you an overview of the variety of activities that we do in a single month.
Welcome Dinner
Every trip that WiFi Artists takes starts with a welcome dinner. This dinner is important as this is where everyone meets and gets to know each other. There may be members that already know each other, but there are always new faces to welcome to the team.
While we’re at the dinner, everyone has a chance to introduce themselves and tell the others about themself. It’s never uncomfortable as everyone is always very welcoming, we make sure of that. We do a few icebreaker activities and then spend the dinner talking as a group about different things we can do on our month-long trip.
Our welcome dinner for Tbilisi was at a local restaurant with local Georgian cuisine. Their local cuisine includes food like; Khinkali, dumplings stuffed with meat and spices; Khachapuri, a bread boat filled with cheese; Lobio, bean soup; and Qababi, different types of kebabs. This was just the beginning of the local cuisine we would try.
Skill Share
Throughout all of our trips, our different experts share their skills with the group. Each member that wants to educate will prepare a presentation for the group. This time around, we had a couple of presenters, including Becca, who taught us all about how to become an in-demand service provider!
This gives everyone the opportunity to share what they know about the digital nomad industry and also allows others to learn different skills. It’s not mandatory to present, but if you have something to share, we encourage you to do so! Everyone is very supportive of each other. Who knows what skills you’ll learn on a trip.
Lake Sioni
On one weekend, the team headed out to Sioni Lake for a day trip. Sioni Lake is located in Tbilisi National Park and is popular for swimming, picnics, vacations, and more. We spent our time in the water, having a BBQ, exploring, and having drinks. We even brought some floaties so that we could float around!
This was a perfect day for relaxing. Often when you’re traveling you can get caught up in the busyness around you, so when you have time to relax and enjoy the scenery, you take it. Sioni Lake was absolutely beautiful.
Yerevan, Armenia
On another weekend, we took a trip to Yerevan, Armenia for the Vardavar International Festival, an annual water fight festival where people drench each other in water. During this festival, you are able to dump water on complete strangers, it’s actually common to see people dumping buckets of water from their balconies. Additionally, there is the blessing of youths, Armenian folk songs sung, and many parties and get-togethers.
Our group came prepared with buckets, a change of clothes, floaties, and more, and had an absolute blast. We left soaked in water, tired, and ready for dinner. We headed to a local restaurant with Armenian cuisine like lamb, eggplant, and bread dishes. After dinner, we headed to our hotel, we spent the entire weekend in Armenia!
While we were there, we also went ziplining with Yerevan Zipline Airlines! This zipline is the only one in the world that passes under a bridge and it reaches speeds of up to 140km per hour. It is the fastest zipline in Armenia and it was an absolute blast. Scary, but an absolute blast! This was such a cool opportunity to see different sights from a height.
Lastly, we also visited Lake Sevan in Armenia and went sailing. Lake Sevan is the largest body of water in Armenia and one of the largest freshwater high-altitude lakes in Eurasia. It’s known for its beautiful beaches and many different recreational activities.
That afternoon we hopped on a boat and headed out to do some sun tanning and relaxing while enjoying each other’s company. This was the last excursion before we headed back to Tbilisi, but before we left we went for dinner to enjoy some more Armenian food. During this month-long trip with Wifi Artists, we got a total of six passport stamps!
Coworking
Everyone that travels with us is a digital nomad, entrepreneur, or remote worker. This means we all have work that needs to get done on a daily basis. So, having a coworking space is very important to WiFi Artists.
The coworking spaces that we choose have high-speed internet, many different spaces to sit in, a community area, and are set up to be very productive. This is where we are when we’re not out and about in the town. As we’re in a different time zone, your working times will be later in the day than you’re used to, but you’ll always have tons of time to get things done!
Tbilisi Cable Car
Being back in Tbilisi, we headed out to look for more things to do. The Tbilisi cable car goes from Rike Park to the fortress of Narikala, and is a cool alternative to walking. You see so many sights and the car doesn’t go too fast, so you can take tons of pictures.
This trip was so cost-effective, only costing 5 Lari round trip, and although it was short, it gave us time to do some exploring around the fortress of Narikala. The fortress consists of two walls that surround the sulfur baths and the botanical gardens.
Mtatsminda Amusement Park
One of the last excursions we took was to an amusement park! It was an absolute blast. We went on numerous roller coasters, drove some bumper cars, and went on a few other rides as well. There were tons of spots to take cool photos too.
Mtatsminda is located at the tallest point in Tbilisi and is over 100 years old. There are about 60 different rides, many different restaurants and cafes, and even a celebration spot for events such as weddings. It was cool to see a part of Tbilisi history while having an absolute blast at the same time.
Goodbye Dinner
At the end of every trip, we come together as a team and have a goodbye dinner. This trip's dinner was held on the rooftop of a restaurant which was very cool to do! Again, we had more local Georgian cuisine - we had to before we left!
This can be a sad part of the trip, we’re all saying goodbye to each other. Some people continue with us on to the next location, but some people head home or out on solo travel. Although it’s sad to see people leave, you’ve developed some amazing friendships that continue to develop, even after the trip.
—
This of course is not an all-inclusive list of everything that was done. You are able to go sightseeing, take walking tours & food tours, spend time alone, and anything else you desire to do. The best part of group travel is that at the end of the day, we’re able to come together and connect as a team, you’re never alone.
After leaving Tbilisi we headed to Barcelona, keep your eyes open for a recap of that trip as well.
If you are ready to take a trip with us, we would love to have you. Some of our upcoming trips include Thailand and Bali, Check out our full list of current program availability here and apply here when you’re ready. After applying, you will have a quick interview with one of our program leaders and you will be on your way to travelling in no time! We can’t wait to meet you.
