When traveling poorly in Georgia, it is recommended to buy a local transportation card and pay attention to taking advantage of the discount of “limited time transfer free”. If the place you want to go is close, you can calculate the time in advance.
About transportation cards
It can be handled at the manual counter of the subway station, and the business card printing fee is 2 lari, which can be refunded when not in use. When I applied for the card, I wasn’t sure how many buses I would take. I thought it was more convenient to recharge 5 lari, so I asked the staff to recharge 3 lari.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the local language. You can find a picture of a transportation card on your mobile phone and show it to the staff, and then pay.Remember to collect the receipt given to you by the staff!
Before leaving, you can return your card at the manual counter. Give the receipt, card and passport to the staff together, and you can refund the business card printing fee of 2 lari and the balance in the card.
Local transportation cards are prone to degaussing. My travel companion couldn’t brush it out after two days of use, so I had to buy a new one and return the old one.
Mine also failed after ten days of use. When I got the card back at the counter, the staff said I couldn’t brush it out and asked me to go again the next day.
Personally tested that refunding cards on weekends is not as convenient as weekdays. Once the card is demagnetized, the staff needs to verify the balance through the computer system, and the person in charge of computer operation will not go to work on weekends (at least in the subway station I went to).
I don’t know if there are people on duty at big stations such as Liberty Square on weekends, so I write it here to remind everyone to pay attention.
In addition, local buses also have the discount of “free transfer within 1.5 hours”. Although a card can be shared by multiple people, it is not troublesome for each person to get one.
If the scenic spots you are going to are close to each other, control the time reasonably, and you can save 1-2 lari in the fare.
How to save money on poor travel
Backpackers on a budget can go to supermarkets or vegetable markets to source ingredients. There are many clearly marked prices in the vegetable markets here, and the supermarket recommends itNabiji(Green sign), personally feel it is the cheapest supermarket in the whole of Georgia.
While not as large as large supermarkets such as Carrefour, the prices are really affordable: 1.99 lari for yogurt, 1.05 lari for long loaves, 2.99 or 3.99 lari (400 grams) for sausages, and 0.99 lari or even as low as 0.59 lari for instant noodles.
However, I personally think that 0.99 lari instant noodles taste better and are more cost-effective. You can also go to the street bakery to buy flatbread-it looks ordinary and tastes delicious. Local cheese bags are also inexpensive, 4-5 lari each, with plenty of cheese and rich flavor.
If you miss Chinese food, you can try the local jiaozi. Compared with the consumption of Chinese restaurants, jiaozi is cheaper, and it can also bring a sense of “hometown”. At the same time, it can be regarded as an experience of local food.
If you can’t taste Georgian red wine because of alcohol allergy, you can go to the supermarket and buy a local brand of grape sparkling water. It only costs 2 laris a bottle when doing the activity, which is a different but interesting experience from wine.
Georgia is often referred to as the “replacement” of European travel. To tell the truth, I thought it was also a “replacement” for Xinjiang travel, but after the real experience, the exchange rate will make people clearly understand the reality.
