Tbilisi Georgia Digital Nomad Lifestyle | 5 Reasons I Love Tbilisi!

[@sinastral8142]

Wow, you're very approachable Mike, that's my favorite part of this video. Haha You pretty much replied to all questions even if you didn't know the answer. So you either have too much time on your hand or ... J/K Subscribed and looking forward to more great content!

[@MikeSwigunski]

Haha it’s a combination of too much time and wanting to help others 😉 😝 glad to hear you enjoyed the video and thanks for subscribing 🙏🏻

[@sinastral8142]

Having time is a good thing btw. Or more like creating time with the right choices. I'm keeping an eye on Georgia and I'm certainly very interested in knowing much more about it, the good, the bad and even the ugly. Since there's no one perfect place anywhere but what's best for you at the time. Are you putting out content only in YT, only about Georgia?

[@darcycardinal6275]

It’s Feb 2022 and I’ve decided to make the plunge and move from Canada to Georgia in May. One year visa free stay, reasonable prices and nomads abound is too good to pass up on. I wanted to go to Taiwan originally, but Asia is closed off as of now. Great video ☺️

[@MikeSwigunski]

Great choice, hope you enjoy it!

[@theultimatejoy304]

Hi Darcy, we will move to Tbilisi Georgia next week, relocating from Europe (Denmark). Hope we can meet one day and share our experiences. BR

[@BlazeGuitarLessons]

Great video. Super informative. Thumbs up from me

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks Blaze 🙏🏻

[@svz.apurbo]

Great video Mike, love the drone footage

[@joecofamily]

4:30 I agree with you @Apurbo Khan! 👍 congratulations @Mike Swigunski 🤝 🔔

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks for all of the support guys!

[@paulinawenic296]

@@MikeSwigunski Where was that drone footage taken? I'd like to add it to my bucket list!

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@paulinawenic296 Hope this helps :) 1. Gergeti Trinity Church goo.gl/maps/pn98UvgyqFnikvhaA 2. Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument Gudauri (goo.gl/maps/HnBUrqjq3ArHrxvw5)

[@joecofamily]

Wow, that is such a spacious apartment for $600!!! The food looks delicious too! Thanks for sharing! 😃🤝🔔

[@MikeSwigunski]

Yeah. Tbilisi is a hidden gem. Thanks for your support Joe!

[@sharikkhan542]

great video mike

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks Sharik!

[@miaerasmus4130]

I'm interested in joining Georgia as a nomad, how should I go about doing this? thx

[@KenyaWright]

Super helpful

[@mrbushlied7742]

In July 2015 I visited Armenia and Georgia. Objectively, Georgia beats Armenia in every category. Yet I feel an attachment to Armenia that I don't to Georgia, even though I enjoyed touring both countries. When considering a country to retire, you need to visit it, preferably several times. Also, go with your gut feeling rather than being totally objective. In my case, I believe it's my subconscious mind telling me that Armenia is a better country for me to retire than Georgia. BTW, I'm a US/UK dual nation with neither any Armenian nor Georgian ancestry.

[@MikeSwigunski]

That’s really interesting, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Armenia, but everyone I chat with seems to prefer Georgia to live long term 🇬🇪 I’m very excited to scope out Armenia now that borders are opening up!

[@mrbushlied7742]

@@MikeSwigunski When I travelled from Yerevan to Tbilisi, I hired a driver. The border crossing from Armenia to Georgia was very slow. It took several hours to pass through Georgian customs. Fortunately, Armenian customs where much faster on the return trip. Also, the road on both sides of the border, especially the Armenian side, was like the surface of the moon. I never saw a road with so many potholes. I'm glad I hired a driver, as I would have destroyed my vehicle dodging potholes. Next time I will take the train from Yerevan to Tbilisi. There are flights between the cities, but most go by way of Kiev which make them unnecessarily long and expensive. I found Yerevan to be a very walkable city, whilst Tbilisi was not. I look forward to any YT videos you make when you visit Yerevan.

[@GustafHauRuck]

I would love to know more about crypto and Georgia, is there a community? What about the taxes?

[@egfried]

Agree that Tbilisi is a nice place, although it is already a bit more expensive than the rest of the country. The food is more than delocious, but makes you gain kilos rapidly. Interested to learn about the digital nomad community as you describe here. What I enjoy a lot, is the people. They are super friendly, very genuine.

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks for the comment and it’s all relative for the cost of living. Tbilisi seems to check all of the boxes for us, while Batumi might work better for others, etc. With COVID all prices have pretty much come down in Tbilisi and there is definitely a small, but good quality community here!

[@lookintothesky123]

Came from the Johnnyfd podcast. Would have been cool to see your apartment

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks for checking out my videos! I’ll definitely be doing an apartment tour at some point, a local TV crew is supposed to be filming next week so should get some good footage and I’ll make a fully dedicated video in the future :)

[@himpoet]

Hi Mike, congrats on the great content! I was hoping you could help me out with this: is it relatively easy to set up your own company or just registering as a freelancer by yourself? I have a quote from a law firm, but I’m coming down anyway, possibly to live in the capital, so I’m not sure it’s a necessary expense. Thank you so much!

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks for the comment Miguel, Expat Hub is the key resource here for anything like this. I honestly don't have a company set-up here since the USA is so complicated it's better for me to run my companies from their. Lot's of variables, so I can't be too much help (sorry) but chat with expathub.ge since they can give you more detailed answers.

[@himpoet]

Thanks,@@MikeSwigunski. I booked an appointment with them a week ago and they had no free slots before the second half of November, so I thought I’d consult with other firms and expats. Thanks again and best of luck for your great channel!

[@TheHauntingMelody]

A bit of an odd question, but I can't find answers anywhere else. What are Georgia's stance when it comes to laws for weed and porn (consuming, sharing and creation?

[@NaderNadernejadOfficial]

Hey Mike! Thanks for the video. I spent a few months in Chiang Mai in the end of 2019. Tried Bali, KL, Vietnam and China as well. Do you know how to get a long-term Visa in Tbilisi? I’m thinking about a 6-month working holiday to give this a try. If you’re still, there a coffee would be great! Will the one-year visa be available for Canadians all year?

[@MikeSwigunski]

That’s great to hear Nader. Which city did you enjoy the most?

[@MikeSwigunski]

Also, Georgia has a 1-year tourist visa depending on your citizenship, but it’s for around 170 countries. Right now all of the border stuff is changing pretty much every week or month. I believe they are allowing certain citizens to enter with proof of a PCR or vaccine.

[@SK-xr1gs]

How would this be with Kids all over the age of 8?

[@MikeSwigunski]

I have no clue, wish I could help. Check out “extra pack of peanuts” they have some great content for families

[@winstonmarlboro7254]

Georgia 🍷🍷🍷💖💖💖🇺🇸🇬🇪

[@MikeSwigunski]

The wine is SOOOO delicious!

[@staffordgarland9226]

nice

[@MikeSwigunski]

Thanks Stafford 🙏🏻

[@NoreenHoltzen]

What about “1. The people of Georgia are wonderful”. When I move to another country the first thing I want are kind, cultured and pleasant people.

[@martindepoorest]

Is it easy to open a bank account to send and get funds from overseas? This is critical for living. If yes what's a recommended bank for an average Joe.

[@MikeSwigunski]

It’s one of the easiest experiences I’ve seen in any country. It takes like 20 minutes and 24-48 hours to get your actual card. TBC or Bank Of Georgia are the two main ones, I would say TBC is the most common option for foreigners.

[@martindepoorest]

@@MikeSwigunski But can you actually transact foreign currency in an out of that account from overseas seamlessly? The reason I'm asking is I've heard people on the ground saying the local banking rules have been toughened to make it almost impossible for foreigners to move currency in and out of the country, ie easy to set up an account but pretty useless for non-Citizebs who need to be able to bring in or move out foreign currency..

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@martindepoorest I haven’t heard that issue at all to be honest, I know pretty much all accounts can easily accept USD , EUR, etc. I don’t have any first hand experience transferring large sums here since my US account structure works perfectly fine here. I do know with Transferwise and PayPal or wires it’s fairly easy to get money in/out, but might be worth asking in the “Expats in Tbilisi” and “Georgian Wanders” Facebook groups with a very specific example of what you are trying to do and what your concerns are: facebook.com/groups/ExpatsInTbilisi/?ref=share

[@martindepoorest]

@@MikeSwigunski Thanks, excellent advice!

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@martindepoorest glad to hear it’s helpful 👍🏻

[@Annaconda1984]

Hi would you like to be a guest on georgian2go? And talk about this area of your expertise? We make videos about the georgian language and culture and would be happy to have you

[@MikeSwigunski]

Wow, thanks so much for the invite. What topic did you have in mind? Remote working in Georgia or something? :-)

[@Annaconda1984]

@@MikeSwigunski yea 😊 ill talk to Raoul about it and let you know more but yeah remote working...

[@delroywilson9588]

I love Georgia. The people are lovely and so is the backdrop and the culture. And, yeah, it's crazy cheap. I think the food is overrated and, six years ago at least, international options were limited. Couple other caveats: Georgians drink like fish, so if it's not your thing, might be tough. Also, Georgians tend to get married young and stay married, so few local dating options (unless you are in your 20s.) Overall, superb place and choice though.

[@MikeSwigunski]

Yeah, some very good insights! From my close friends who moved here 7-years ago things have drastically gotten better and even cheaper in a lot of aspects!

[@lakestreet3951]

hey, i'm looking for a place to work/live that is chilled with covid. criteria: wear a mask if you want to. self isolate if you want to. get a vaccine if you want to. is Georgia for me?

[@MikeSwigunski]

Hey there, with those criteria Georgia might not be a good fit (yet): Vaccine or Negative PCR test required to enter. With a PCR test, you need a quarantine still. Mask required or a small fine Current curfew from 9pm-5am No restaurants or shops open until March

[@lakestreet3951]

@@MikeSwigunski ok thank you 🙏 - serious question, is there anywhere in the world that's free? i feel like I'm living in a badly scripted far-fetched B-movie

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@lakestreet3951 haha it's Orwell 1984 in reality. From my personal network, it looks like Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are the main spots that are all semi-normal and open. You might like this video I just published: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGabfqppisuIsLc

[@kevokane1190]

is it important to learn Georgian or do enough people speak English?

[@MikeSwigunski]

It’s definitely not essential, I don’t know any expats that speak Georgian...some learn Russian since it’s much more useful inside/outside of Georgia. Most people under the age of 35 know a pretty good amount of English. A few words or phrases go pretty far!

[@krisruchomski9294]

Mike, your surname appears to be of Polish heritage and if so it should be pronounced “Swigoonski” 😁

[@MikeSwigunski]

Haha it’s pronounced “Swig-gun-ski” source: my ancestors immigrated from Poland with a pair of 🎿, a gun and of course some vodka! Hence my name was transformed! 😝

[@krisruchomski9294]

@@MikeSwigunski hahaha best made up explanation, let’s stick with that 👍

[@MikeSwigunski]

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[@arian6606]

Is it easy to find the work after university? For example computer major

[@GEM_in_the_Matrix]

WHERE is this expat community?? ...I can't find any other nomads in Tbilisi!!

[@MikeSwigunski]

There are so many events and things normally, but restrictions with COVID. facebook.com/groups/ExpatsInTbilisi/?ref=share That’s the main group

[@GEM_in_the_Matrix]

@@MikeSwigunski THANK YOU. Are you from US? Are you in Tbilisi?

[@GEM_in_the_Matrix]

@@MikeSwigunski I'm already a member in this group but I just don't see any get-togethers

[@bananapatch9118]

Have you noticed any racism ? Others have mentioned it and my wife is hispanic. Thx

[@MikeSwigunski]

Hey there, it’s impossible for me to say from first hand experience (as a white male). My girlfriend is from Colombia and she hasn’t had any major issues with racism, but has definitely noticed some issues with staring and occasional strange encounters.

[@testtor2714]

Other than facial structure Georgians and Hispanics pretty much look alike. Hence most people won't even notice it.

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@testtor2714 well I don’t think that’s accurate at all tbh. There is a clear difference between Caucasian and Hispanics skin tones.

[@testtor2714]

@@MikeSwigunski I'm northern European, their skin isn't darker than mine unless tanned.

[@MikeSwigunski]

@@testtor2714 “Hispanic = Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race." The average person from Northern Europe look much different than average Hispanic people.