And no, I don't mean the state.
A few months ago when I wrote the “After” blog of what it took to successfully and safely pull off my trip to Croatia last September I named four things: Determination, Research, Patience, and Flexibility. While all four were definitely a part of the plan of this next trip, it’s flexibility in deciding where to go that led me to where my next journey would take me.
As I mentioned in that same blog post, I had planned to travel to do a solo trip from Ljubljana, Slovenia to Venice, Italy before flying to Sicily in mid-late April of this year. It would have looked very similar to my trip last fall and even taken me back through the Istria region of Croatia that I loved so much. But as it got closer to when I would need to buy a ticket and make plans I realized that trip wasn’t meant to be- at least not yet. My best laid plans were a wash; it was time to come up with plan B.
The determination kicked in. I had been fully vaccinated since mid-February and by mid-March I was feeling the itch to plan something, somewhere. A few countries had started to announce that they were allowing for vaccinated tourists to enter. As I looked though the list of maybe 10 or so places, one stood out.
Georgia. And no, I don’t mean the “peach state,” but Georgia, “the country.”
Admittedly, I knew little to nothing about Georgia. Quite honestly I wasn't even exactly sure WHERE Georgia was located other that it was maybe somewhere in Eastern Europe or possibly even Asia. I did know that Georgia was known as the birthplace of wine; in fact I even purchased a bottle of Georgian Saperavi at a wine shop I'd discovered last summer that was still sitting on my wine rack. But, Georgia was not on my list of places to visit nor was it on my radar.
Something in my gut told me to do a little research. I quickly learned that flights were quite inexpensive through Istanbul, Turkey making getting there easy enough. Istanbul was one of the places MANY people were flying through last summer to get to Croatia simply because they offered COVID testing at their airport. Then I began to research Georgia itself and was struck by how many posts I'd read saying that Georgians were amongst the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. Another good sign. It gave me this feeling that I’d found another hidden gem, almost like Croatia. Though Croatia has become a very popular tourist destination in the last several years.
Going somewhere relatively unknown to most was intriguing. And well, there was the wine thing, too.
The research kicked in full force. I messaged a few fellow travel enthusiasts I knew to see who had been to Georgia. Ironically, a fellow solo traveler I met in Croatia last summer had been and she answered my first question:
Was it safe? Yes.
Even for female solo travelers? Absolutely, you’ll love it. The Georgians are amazingly friendly and hospitable (yep, that phrase again).
Then she told me that pre-COVID times they’d even give you a small bottle of wine when you passed through customs and entered the country. They are THAT proud of their wine.
Wine at arrival? Needless to say, I was sold. Not really, I think I already was but the idea of visiting a wine infused country made it even sweeter.
By early April, I had a new trip to plan- my wanderlust that had been at bay since I returned home last September was ignited once again.
I checked out the Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan Lonely Planet guide from the library and reacquainted myself with Trip Advisor. I found an incredible blog full of tons of tips and information about all things Georgia. A virtual event sponsored by Embassy Experiences and Things to Do DC called “Georgia versus Georgia” (yes, the country vs the state) popped up in my Facebook feed. I signed up and listened in to this two hour webinar, furiously taking notes. When the tour guide said, “if you love bread, cheese and wine,” you’ll love Georgia, I was sold once again and didn't even listen to the part about Georgia, the state.
It was time to plan the details. I posted my potential itinerary for feedback on the Trip Advisor Georgia forum and that same blogger, Emily, was one of the replies. After a few lengthy emails with some very helpful suggestions from her my plan began to take form.
Of course there was also the question of COVID, just because I was vaccinated it hadn’t disappeared from the world, yet. Even though I could get in, would I be able to do and see the things I wanted to do? Emily provided feedback saying that about 60% of places were open, though restaurants only allowed take out on the weekends and there was a curfew from 9pm to 5am. She also shared that Georgia was likely implementing a week long “holiday” to shut things down after Easter; the Greek Orthodox Easter which was the first Sunday in May.
And like much of Europe and other parts of the world the vaccine roll out was slow going.
I had originally planned to travel to Georgia for 10 days in mid-late May. But this information made me pause.
Remember: flexibility.
A quick check of the calendar and pushing my plans back again another month to mid to late June could work. I zeroed in on some potential dates.
In the meantime, thanks to Emily, I connected with Daria, the co-owner of Trails and Wines about a potential multi-day wine tour. After exchanging a few emails, she proposed a three-day wine tour of the Kakheti region and provided more feedback for my tentative itinerary in Georgia.
Around the same time I also connected with an American from the “other” Washington that had traveled with her partner to Georgia in March and also spent time in Istanbul on the return. She shared the essential details of testing for COVID abroad, Turkey still required a negative PCR test regardless of vaccination status; Georgia only required my proof of vaccination. Turkey was actually on my list but there were quite a few places ahead of it. But, by shifting my trip back to June I had the flexibility to extend me trip and spend time there on the return to the U.S.
By mid-April I had a solid plan. A week in Georgia, followed by five nights in Istanbul. I purchased my flights, confirmed my three-day wine tour with Daria. By mid-May I had all my hotels booked and a few other day tours scheduled as well. Everything was either fully refundable or not to be paid until much closer to my travel dates. Then I settled in to watch all COVID related restriction changes until I departed on June 18th.
Fortunately, the restrictions in both Georgia and Turkey lessened over the course of the next few weeks prior to my departure. Restrictions and curfews in Georgia and Turkey both were lessened by early June and Turkey also announced that I would no longer need a PCR test to enter since I was fully vaccinated. The only PCR test I would need to take would be in Turkey before I departed to return to the U.S. After having traveled to Croatia last September, preparing for this trip felt much easier and less stressful. Based on my research, COVID testing was easy to coordinate; for example in Georgia, I'd read that most hotels would set up testing for you if needed and have someone come to your hotel to do the test. Simple enough. I booked myself into the landside hotel at Istanbul's airport the night before I was due to fly back to the U.S. since I knew I could get tested at the airport. That all being said, ever the cautious one, I decided to get tested before I left anyway. I easily scheduled a COVID PCR test for two days prior to my departure. Even now, just over a month later I remember feeling that same exhilaration after having the test done knowing I was that close to traveling again as I drove home that morning.
So, 265 days since I arrived home from Croatia, I boarded a plane bound for Istanbul, then after a nearly 10 hour layover, on to Tbilisi, Georgia. One place, I thought I might visit sometime in the next 5-10 years and another that wasn't even on my radar. It wouldn't be 266 days until I flew again, and it felt really good to be back.
It was an adventurous and amazing 12 days in Georgia and Turkey. But, I can't give you all the details in one post! Stay tuned, I promise I won't make you wait too long as I've already started writing the first part of my time in Georgia!
Side note: I wrote most of this while I was on my flight to Istanbul with the intent to post just after my arrival in Tbilisi, yet got so wrapped up in traveling that obviously did not happen. I guess that's a good thing, right?
"Adventure is worthwhile." -Aesop