Post: #26

(07-16-2013 03:31 PM)Partizan Wrote:  Hmmm, now that gives me an idea.

Add to the pros short flights to Ukraine and provincial Russia (when negotiations about reopening multiple air travel will succeed - surely next year), and you have indeed an interesting relocation option.

Post: #27

(07-16-2013 04:57 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  My thread has gone really off track to a discussion about Georgia!

It hasn't gone off track at all. You asked for advice about countries, people are discussing the benefits and negatives of Georgia so as to help you draw conclusions and make a decision ( unless you know everything about Georgia already?! ).

Maybe instead of writing pithy comments it would be politer to thank people for taking time out of their day to offer the advice.

Post: #28

(07-16-2013 05:02 PM)Partizan Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 04:57 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  My thread has gone really off track to a discussion about Georgia!

I think you should take the hint.

Thanks for the laugh...

Post: #29

(07-16-2013 05:02 PM)Partizan Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 04:57 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  My thread has gone really off track to a discussion about Georgia!

I think you should take the hint.

I'm not too keen on moving to Georgia personally

Post: #30

(07-16-2013 05:19 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 05:02 PM)Partizan Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 04:57 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  My thread has gone really off track to a discussion about Georgia!

I think you should take the hint.

I'm not too keen on moving to Georgia personally

Fair enough. You asked for advice and you were given a recommendation.

Take it or leave it.

Post: #31

(07-16-2013 01:53 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 01:31 PM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 01:18 PM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  Is there an expat scene there?

Anyone know anyone that has relocated there?

One of my homies is a black dude from LA out there right now. I actually wired some funds to his address there last week.

He said it's kinda wack. Batumi is better than Tbilis for nightlife but he also said the government is fucking everything up in Georgia. He recommended I check out Kiev or Vilnius.

For Georgia, it's very easy for Americans to visit. You can get a 360-day visa upon entry.

Do you know why he said it was wack?

No. He was real brief. He's not too good at explaining his reasons for things like this but I'll ask next time we chat.

Post: #32

(07-16-2013 07:53 AM)RioNomad Wrote:  Hah, I'm from around Sacramento also. It is a good place to live, with great weather. I think there are many more exciting places you could move to besides Sac though.

For sure, I've been drooling at these articles about Biarritz. But don't you think if you take into account the cost of living here, it's a pretty good deal? Being near a semi-world capitol (S.F.) and being able to get a 1 BR apt for US$700-800, plus good weather.... actually I would be interested in finding out any other places with a similar cost-culture-weather ratio.

(I'm rating Sac as (7-8-7) on those three with 10 being best, it's really good all around except not near a beach of any kind.

It's even better for young guys than me, there are tons of college girls.

Post: #33

(07-16-2013 01:14 PM)Prosal Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 12:21 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  How much more do you want from a country?

Tbilisi would be the only place in the world where I'd really like to relocate. An enthralling culture, welcoming and honest people, fabulous food and wines, a very enjoyable old city with plenty of nice cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces, wonderful villages like ...

This sounds so appealing! But I find it hard to believe USD$20k for an apartment? Even if that's Euros it's only about USD$27k.

Tiny apartments in Lviv are going for USD$50K, i was there a few months ago. Most restaurants are as expensive as the medium size cities in the US with lousy portions unless you find a couple places where the locals go, it's pretty dreary overall, and the people are a snooze. But if you like model-type blonds, it's the place.

Does anyone have hard intel on this? If it's that cheap I am very interested, I think they will be going up. Unless the Russians stop it, if it's as clean ( legally , culturally ) as above posters claim, Georgia will be in EU eventually but it sounds like it will be a WHILE form the below article, same with Ukraine.

Straight shooter countries like Germany where gubmint isn't taking bribes for the most part are disgusted by countries like Ukraine, where all people I talked to uniformaly believed the legislators at the top are thieving oligarchs.

Here's an excellent recent article on "enlargement fatigue"; discussing the EU's reluctance to admit Eastern European countries.

http://euobserver.com/enlargement/120789

Once a country gets into the EU, apartment price tend to appreciate sharply as far as I can tell (Poland). It may not be a causal relationship, it might be that EU is not letting them in until the rule of law is stable and crooks aren't running the place.

I don't think Ukraine has a more or less "clean" gubmint and rule of law, out of 6 expats I knew there including me, 2 were involved with physical altercations with landlords (and neither was the type to start fights) , another one was shaken down by the police for bribes. He was also basically blackmailed by his neighbor when he tried to renovate his apartment, the neighbor was trying to extort money from him by complaining about some BS like the kind of plaster he was using.

I have no idea if Georgia has this kind of crap going on; would welcome input.

Post: #34

(07-16-2013 06:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 01:14 PM)Prosal Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 12:21 PM)Vorkuta Wrote:  How much more do you want from a country?

Tbilisi would be the only place in the world where I'd really like to relocate. An enthralling culture, welcoming and honest people, fabulous food and wines, a very enjoyable old city with plenty of nice cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces, wonderful villages like ...

This sounds so appealing! But I find it hard to believe USD$20k for an apartment? Even if that's Euros it's only about USD$27k.

I know, Vorkuta makes a pretty good case for the place on paper.

I wonder if Batumi is even cheaper?

I could pack up my Bankroll today and never need to work again.

Sounds appealing.

Post: #35

(07-16-2013 07:25 AM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  Alright guys, Well I know technically speaking this isn't a careers advice website or expat forum but I figured I could ask it here.

I'm 19 and about to start University in September on a 3 year course. I've always wanted to live in another country, and once I have completed University here in England I hope to move and get a job overseas for a long time (probably forever). I am not certain where my future lies and exactly what I want as a career in the future but perhaps something in sport (my uni course) or even something not to do with my university course.

What I'm looking for - I know it is hard to have everything I want but in an ideal world:
- Nice climate - fairly warm yet not boiling all year round (60-82 fahrenheit, 15-30 in celcius)
- Happy, friendly, warm, inviting, not stressed people
- Healthy lifestyle - healthy eating, sport etc
- Welcoming for foreigners
- Good job opportunities
- Simple lifestyle
- People understand at least basic English (minimum) - I am prepared to learn a new language but it does help if I can at least communicate a bit in English!

Since this is a forum for banging - good looking girls in the country would be a bonus. And without trying to sound beta, one day I would hope to get married there so good LTR material.


After researching pretty much every country out there, some good ones I found are below. I haven't checked how easy it is for me to move there, live and work etc. But some general countries that seem to fit my requirements:

Chile
Nicaragua
Sweden (Stockholm) or Denmark (Copenhagen)
Cambodia - Phnom Penh
Laos - Vientiane
Macedonia - Skopje
New Zealand - Auckland
Australia - Brisbane, Adelaide
US - San Diego, Colorado, Honolulu (Hawaii), Sacramento (Cali)
Philippines - Davao City, maybe Cebu

Hey there.

I live in Northern California, near Sacramento and San Francisco so I'll give you tips for California. First, to even begin, I personally don't recommend people coming to California since the social scene here is absolutely wack compared to other places of the world (last call is 2 am here, drinking age is 21, logistics here is a nightmare, cops are asses who bust you more for having open alcohol bottles in your car than weed, etc). However, if you really want to come here to California, then I recommend San Diego for the following reasons:

1. Weather in San Diego is the best of California (that's hands down).

2. Lacks a lot of the problems of LA like crime, pollution, overcrowding, and attitude of the people.

3. Lots of things to do (beaches in SD are amazing, and the San Diego Zoo is a must see).

4. The girls there are imo, the best of California, especially the white-am/anglo girls (some of the best party colleges are in San Diego, like San Diego State University).

5. San Diego is right at the border with Mexico (you can go into Tijuana and get Mexican girls or catch a flight in Tijuana and go to the interior of Mexico in just a two hour flight, with only it costing you 200 USD, round trip).

6. Descent job opportunities (Sacramento lacks that big time)

7. Crime is not an issue there (crime is a big issue in Sacramento)

8. San Diego is not that far from LA (if you really want to go to LA that is).

all the other places, can't say much, but for those latin-american countries you mentioned, you will need Spanish. english is barely spoken in those countries, and the only place in latin-american that probably has a descent amount of english speakers is Monterrey Mexico.

Post: #36

This thread sucked until the Georgia info was dropped. Lets change the thread title and complete the hijack.

How do younger women there view foreigners? I would assume young Americans are not common there. How do girls view that? Sex tourist? Higher value? Indifferent? Paycheck?

What is the dating culture like? It sounds like possibly pretty reserved?

This forum is ridiculous. A couple solid posts about a country many of us know very little about could end up changing people's lives forever. I wonder how many people will end up traveling to Georgia in their lives, all because this thread planted a little seed in the back of their minds.

Post: #37

I'm interested in this Georgia discussion.

I have ideas for my first solo trip ever to Europe within a year or two and wouldn't mind hearing some ideas.

Post: #38

(07-16-2013 09:47 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  This thread sucked until the Georgia info was dropped. Lets change the thread title and complete the hijack.

How do younger women there view foreigners? I would assume young Americans are not common there. How do girls view that? Sex tourist? Higher value? Indifferent? Paycheck?

What is the dating culture like? It sounds like possibly pretty reserved?

This forum is ridiculous. A couple solid posts about a country many of us know very little about could end up changing people's lives forever. I wonder how many people will end up traveling to Georgia in their lives, all because this thread planted a little seed in the back of their minds.

how about all the small FSU and eastern euro countries like albania, moldova, armenia, georgia, azerbaijan, etc. I am interested in hearing people's travel stories of those countries.

Post: #39

(07-16-2013 04:57 PM)Tony.5678 Wrote:  My thread has gone really off track to a discussion about Georgia!

You have just joined and have already created four threads.

This gem /thread-25686.html which is similar to this current thread.

The thread now got interesting, Vorkuta has taken over and dropped his wisdom. I would be thankful if I were you!!!

Post: #40

(07-16-2013 06:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  I have no idea if Georgia has this kind of crap going on; would welcome input.

Georgia is ranked pretty high on about all topics (and 9th on 185 in the ease of doing business) in the Doing Business Economy Rankings.

Post: #41

(07-17-2013 01:20 AM)Prosal Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 06:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  I have no idea if Georgia has this kind of crap going on; would welcome input.

Georgia is ranked pretty high on about all topics (and 9th on 185 in the ease of doing business) in the Doing Business Economy Rankings.

+1 rep from me.
Thanks, that page is a treasure-trove of info on aspects of long term residency in 185 countries worldwide, with sub categories for certain countries. Like apparently Bologna in Italy is way easier to get shit done than in Sicily for the most part.

Georgia rates very highly in "registering property" , I guess meaning it's easy to buy stuff and get the deed in your name. There's also really good info on stuff like enforcing contracts, getting building permits, etc.

Since I am designated Ukraine basher, Ukraine is in the bottom 20 of 185 countries on a quite a few categories.
People can't or won't get shit done. Except the chicks get looking good done.

Here's a summary list of the overall ease-of-doing-biz ratings for All EE and some 1st world countries:

USA 4
Georgia 9
canada 17
Japan 24
Swiss 28
3 Baltics 20-30
Armenia 32
Slovenia 35
Slovak Repub 46
Kazakhstan 49
Monteneg 51
Hungary 54
Poland 55
Belarus 58! ( but 171 at getting electricity)
Czech 65
Bulg 66
Azerbaijan 67
Kyrgyz 70 ( But elec 177?)
Romania 72
Moldova 83
Croatia 84
Albania 85
Serb 86
Kosovo 98
Russia 112
Bosnia/Herz 126
Ukraine 137

Post: #42

(07-17-2013 01:30 AM)iknowexactly Wrote:  Since I am designated Ukraine basher, Ukraine is in the bottom 20 of 185 countries on a quite a few categories.
People can't or won't get shit done. Except the chicks get looking good done.

+1. Just compare the georgian police to the ukrainian militzia !!!

Post: #43

(07-17-2013 01:56 AM)Prosal Wrote:  

(07-17-2013 01:30 AM)iknowexactly Wrote:  Since I am designated Ukraine basher, Ukraine is in the bottom 20 of 185 countries on a quite a few categories.
People can't or won't get shit done. Except the chicks get looking good done.

+1. Just compare the georgian police to the ukrainian militzia !!!

Really impressive. Public approval rating of the police went up something like 70 percentage points in a few years.
They're paying the police enough so they have something to lose if they get caught taking bribes. That has a LOT to do with the atmosphere of the country. When the police are clean, scumbags and bullies think twice about victimizing people.

When I was assaulted in Ukraine, I was scared to go to the police. One friend there told me the police were the drug dealers!!

Post: #44

(07-16-2013 06:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  This sounds so appealing! But I find it hard to believe USD$20k for an apartment? Even if that's Euros it's only about USD$27k.

Here are apartments around the 20k USD mark. Some are new build and not completed and some just need re-decorating. I'm not saying you'd want to live in a $20K place merely that they are available. I think you'd want to spend 40 to get something in a decent area / building.

Cheap ones:

http://place.ge/en/ads/view/202909
http://place.ge/en/ads/view/202887
http://place.ge/en/ads/view/201554

Batumi:
http://place.ge/en/ads/view/200583 ( new build $23000 needs internals finished )
http://place.ge/en/ads/view/203257 ( new build $28000 needs decorating )
http://place.ge/en/ads/view/212081 ( Soviet type apartment $26000 )

The site I lifted those from advertises mortgages, would be interesting to know if foreigners can get mortgages there.

Before people rush off though I have to emphasise as Rio hinted, that the dating culture is conservative there. I recommended it to the OP because his priorities were not about scoring lots of women. I am no expert on the local scene there but it is the more conservative end of Europe so I don't see anyone getting lots of success down there ( might just be my negativity though since I have little experience to back that opinion up ). What Georgia does offer is a cheap and friendly place to live with decent weather where doing biz is easy and it's safe. If women are your priority however then I'd not suggest it to people because my impression was that unless you target expats and tourists, you will not be doing big numbers.

As a side note, with the opening of the Georgian Military Highway last year, you can be in Vladikavkaz after a three hour bus ride from Tbilisi. So you could live in the cheapest capitol in Europe but party it up in Russia on the weekends.

Post: #45

(07-17-2013 03:33 AM)Vorkuta Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 06:55 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  This sounds so appealing! But I find it hard to believe USD$20k for an apartment? Even if that's Euros it's only about USD$27k.

Here are apartments around the 20k USD mark. Some are new build and not completed and some just need re-decorating.

Thanks, this is very informative. Maybe it's a place you can bring a foreign wife, enjoy some decent weather, food and political stability, but you won't be subject to the totalitarian family controls on 1st world countries. Bringing someone back to the USA is really asking for trouble.

Ukraine and Russian weather kind of sucks, and Poland was pretty dreary when I was there too.

Post: #46

(07-16-2013 09:47 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  This thread sucked until the Georgia info was dropped. Lets change the thread title and complete the hijack.

How do younger women there view foreigners? I would assume young Americans are not common there. How do girls view that? Sex tourist? Higher value? Indifferent? Paycheck?

What is the dating culture like? It sounds like possibly pretty reserved?

This forum is ridiculous. A couple solid posts about a country many of us know very little about could end up changing people's lives forever. I wonder how many people will end up traveling to Georgia in their lives, all because this thread planted a little seed in the back of their minds.

Exactly.

This thread needs more Georgia info.

(07-16-2013 11:20 PM)Hispanic_Reasoning Wrote:  how about all the small FSU and eastern euro countries like albania, moldova, armenia, georgia, azerbaijan, etc. I am interested in hearing people's travel stories of those countries.

Albania is one of the mystery countries on the forum.

There is almost zero info on it.

Post: #47

(07-17-2013 10:15 AM)thegmanifesto Wrote:  

(07-16-2013 09:47 PM)RioNomad Wrote:  This thread sucked until the Georgia info was dropped. Lets change the thread title and complete the hijack.

How do younger women there view foreigners? I would assume young Americans are not common there. How do girls view that? Sex tourist? Higher value? Indifferent? Paycheck?

What is the dating culture like? It sounds like possibly pretty reserved?

This forum is ridiculous. A couple solid posts about a country many of us know very little about could end up changing people's lives forever. I wonder how many people will end up traveling to Georgia in their lives, all because this thread planted a little seed in the back of their minds.

Exactly.

This thread needs more Georgia info.

(07-16-2013 11:20 PM)Hispanic_Reasoning Wrote:  how about all the small FSU and eastern euro countries like albania, moldova, armenia, georgia, azerbaijan, etc. I am interested in hearing people's travel stories of those countries.

Albania is one of the mystery countries on the forum.

There is almost zero info on it.

it's exactly why we should have a discussion on albania. it's a mystery country and it's waiting to be trailblazed.

Post: #48

The only thing I know about Albania is what I learned from Liam Neesen in Taken. Has anyone been there? If its as crazy and dangerous as I've been led to believe, sounds like there is a good time to be had.

Post: #49

A buddy of mine is married to an Albanian, he went there but I believe it was not a main city.

Said the place was nice and the people were alright.

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe but looks like it has great beaches.

I doubt they get much tourism, well not guys like us.

Post: #50

(07-18-2013 06:33 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  A buddy of mine is married to an Albanian, he went there but I believe it was not a main city.

Said the place was nice and the people were alright.

Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe but looks like it has great beaches.

I doubt they get much tourism, well not guys like us.

that place has potential. i hope to go there before the hordes of italians, turks, and drunk brits get there and ruin that place.