Georgia is a nation with a long history of cultural mixes and clashes, mostly thanks to the positioning of the land – it’s not quite Europe, it’s almost Asia and it’s nearly the Middle East. This placement has left the country with an incredibly interesting cultural mix of peoples, cuisines and customs that makes Georgia a state worthy of note for wannabe explorers.. Georgia is a mountainous country with the Greater Caucasus Mountains stretching across the country, high valleys throughout and lowlands towards the West adding to the great natural beauty of the land. Whilst the political stability in the country has been uneasy at best in recent times, things are getting better by the year and Georgia is attracting an ever increasing number of tourists to see the wonderful sights and taste the fantastic foods.

The long history of Georgia is steeped in occupation and fighting – unsurprising due to the strategic location of the country, and a large factor as to why national pride is so high in the country that has experienced very few periods of independence over hundreds of years. Colonised by the Greeks and the Turks and invaded by the Persians and Romans (amongst others) in ancient times, the land Georgia now occupies was soon swallowed up by the mighty Byzantine Empire – a lot of back and forth between the Byzantines and the Arabs saw land occupied by both, until the Seljuk Turks rode in and took Georgia into what most call the ‘golden age’. The country was strong, stable and its power stretched to cover parts of Turkey and Azerbaijan. This prosperity was short lived though, and around 800 years of invasions and occupations followed by many other mighty empires until the 1800s, when Catherine the Great’s Russian Empire moved in and took control. The rule under Russia was welcomed and introduced aspects of Georgian nationalism that still hold strong in the hearts of the natives today, as well as the birth and rise of Georgia’s most famous son – Iosif Dzhugshvili, or as he later renamed himself: Josef Stalin. Following the First World War and a brief British occupation of the country, Georgia declared independence from Moscow in 1918, but soon fell back under the Soviet wing in 1921, becoming one of the founding members of the USSR.

Whilst under Soviet rule Georgian feelings of nationalism spread, and the country suffered at the hands of its own countryman as the reign of Stalin brought the deaths of countless intellectuals, opponents and even those simply suspected of harbouring anti-Soviet feelings, as well as the placement of even more people in Siberian labour camps. This nationalism continued through the 20th century, and even though the ‘60s and ‘70s are held by older residents as times of prosperity and peace, a number of events occurred that helped bring about the fall of the Soviet Union – not least of which a nationalist demonstration in 1989 which left 20 people dead and hundreds others injured at the hands of Soviet security forces. At the fall of Communism Georgians voted unanimously for independence and soon elected their first president. Unfortunately, the ‘90s brought with them a period of instability and fighting which has left scars the country is still healing from today – governments have been displaced and officials have died in ‘mysterious circumstances,’ but the people let their government and the rest of the world know they weren’t going to stand for it with the ‘Rose Revolution’ of November 2003, which swept the old leaders out and threw in Europe’s youngest leader, 35-year-old Makhail Saakashvili. Whilst tensions in breakaway regions are still present and dangers are around, Georgia has steadied itself and stability has returned, thankfully.

Property in Georgia is not a common thought for most people, what with the conflict and other problems reported on the news, but there is a market for the off plan investor. With stability in the nation looking to hold and tourism increasing, Georgia is a country on the slow road to recovery. Economically the country isn’t doing very well, but things – again – have turned around in the last few years. Georgia on a whole has a far brighter future than anyone would have expected just a few years ago, and with a friendly populace willing to fill you up on their fine cuisine there are more than enough reasons to visit and invest in the country.

The standards of healthcare in the Georgia are generally poor, and though a reciprocal agreement with the UK means British nationals are entitled to free treatment for accidents or illnesses it is recommended that serious ailments are treated elsewhere. Full health insurance is highly recommended.

Mobile phone coverage is good in the capital and along coastal regions, but signal strength suffers in other areas. Landlines are widely available but quality is questionable – most larger hotels have access to their own satellite phones, owing to the unreliable nature of the Georgian network. Internet cafes can be found in the capital and some other areas.

General banking hours in most areas are from 0930 to 1700 Mondays to Fridays.

General business etiquette applies, and Georgians pride themselves on being good hosts – as such it should be expected that many drinks will be bought by complete strangers for visitors and many boisterous toasts will be partaken in. If invited into a private home, a small gift of chocolates, flowers or alcohol would be a nice gesture.

Bills in restaurants, taxis and cafes are usually rounded up to include service charges.