When I was young, it was Reykjavik.
When I turned old enough to travel on my own, it became Prague.
I have heard talk of Ljubljana, but that still has not happened yet.
I am probably not the first to say this, but I think the next big hot spot might be Tbilisi, Georgia.
You might be asking yourself, what makes a hot spot for a travel destination? It is a combination of things, and I do believe that Tbilisi has brought all of these elements together, at the right time, to be that destination spot.
First, it needs to have an interesting history and culture that would make people want to go there. Tbilisi has this. It sits on the edge of the Caucasus Mountain range, and most recently has had close ties with Russia, and the Soviet Union. They have since broken off to forge their own identity by looking back into its history to a time when they ruled a large part of the region just off the Black Sea. They are taking all elements of this history to make an enticing place to visit in this historic city.
Next, the place needs to have a good infrastructure to make it easy to travel around in while also offering inviting places to go and visit. Tbilisi has built this infrastructure to a point where they are now ready to welcome guests. They have great roads, and if you download the Bolt app on your phone, getting around town is inexpensive and relatively fast. Avoid taking a taxi because they are not always honest, especially at the airport. There is also busses, and a subway system that supplements the app and is a great way to great way to get the bigger locations around town. Despite these conveniences, there are also numerous parks that make walking around town a delight as well. It surprised me how much green there was in the city, and finding a nice spot to sit and enjoy the day was easy to do when I found the perfect place in one of these parks.
Tbilisi also has its own distinct character and history which makes it a great place to visit. There are many historic churches that have their own distinct style and feel, and date back to much further than some of the more visited ones in Europe. There are also walking mall stretches that offer Georgian architecture with their beautiful patios that just invite people to sit on them. There is a old wall that is fun to find pieces of a clock that looks old and falling apart but is actually relatively new and houses a marionette theatre that is a must see if you make it out here.
There are also many examples of modern art as well. If you go across the Aragvi River to the newer part of town, there are many examples of graffiti and murals, some of which are not very good; whereas, others are really amazing. It is a place that still has some work to do, but it is being gentrified right now, and is also the place where all of the great restaurants are. And let’s talk about Georgian food. It is amazingly good, and might be one of the best kept secrets out there. It is very meat heavy, but they do have some of the best salads I have ever eaten, and they do enough creative stuff with vegetables to keep you interested for a long time. Their most famous dish is khinkali, a dumpling filled with a meatball and great sauce. There is a specific way that you eat them, but just ask a waitress and they will tell you how. The best part about their food and drink is that it is very affordable right now. This is the reason a lot of the previous mentioned places became the hot place for a bit. Younger tourists could afford all of the cool things that the place offered while also enjoying the nightlife that can be found because of these prices. It won’t always be this way as more people find out about Tbilisi, so now is the time to go.
Add in a couple of iconic landmarks and you have the perfect recipe for the next hot spot in Europe. I have been told about Georgia by a couple of my friends on numerous occasions, and we had tried to make it there a couple of times, but something always came up that delayed our trip. I am glad though that I made it out here before the word about it got out. I hope that you take the opportunity to check it out as well before it becomes overrun with tourists. I highly recommend putting it on your list as soon as you possibly can.
John Collings 