My name is Ian Rae and I am lucky enough to be the Tour Manager for the tours starting on both these dates. I was TM for the same tour in June of this year, and I can tell you it is an amazing trip full of wonderful sights and experiences. Those joining me will need a sense of adventure and will be rewarded with truly wonderful sights and sensations. The monasteries, cities, villages, food, arranged activities etc will stay with you long after the tour is finished. If you are coming along and have any questions please ask them here and I will do my best to answer them.

A few tips...… it is better to bring Euros or US Dollars rather than £GB (which can be difficult to change in many of the places we visit/stay). In both countries things are cheaper than here in the UK so it is advisable to change small amounts of cash while over there but I can explain this in more detail when we meet up. You will need good, comfortable walking shoes and if you have walking poles you may want to bring them with you although if you are ok on your feet they are not needed.

In June it was very, very hot and September can be between 18 and 27 degrees while October normally ranges from 10 to 20 degrees. However, these are averages so keep an eye on the weather as we get closer to departure as it can vary greatly.

Looking forward to hearing from you, Ian

            I am Tony I am going 21/09/19 but only doing the Georgia bit. Thanks for info about money to take and info about walking. Read Rogerthered excellent review. Should be a great adventure. Looking forward to it.

See you September.

Regards

TonyW  :cool:

Hi Ian

            I am Tony I am going 21/09/19 but only doing the Georgia bit. Thanks for info about money to take and info about walking. Read Rogerthered excellent review. Should be a great adventure. Looking forward to it.

See you September.

Regards

TonyW  :cool:

Hi Tony, thanks for getting back to me, you are going to love Georgia, it really is an amazing country. If you have any other questions please get in touch and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm looking forward to meeting up with you and sharing the journey. Ian

Hi Ian, I'll be on this trip on 21/9 and thank you for the helpful info. re.currency etc.  I was already looking forward to the holiday but you've made it sound even more interesting than I was expecting. Looking forward to meeting you. Karen

Hi Karen, as I said to Tony (above) I'm confident you are going to have a great time soaking in all the experiences ahead on the tour. So, if you have any other questions or queries just get in touch and I'll do my best to answer them. Are you doing the Armenia add on? Looking forward to meeting you, Ian

I am also on this trip and doing the Armenia add on.  I was surprised to hear about the currency situation as the review from May stated GBP was easy to change.  As regards Armenia, are credit cards accepted?

Looking forward to meeting you all and a great trip.

Regards

Chris

I visited Georgia and Armenia last year with another company (and Azerbaijan as well - fantastic!) and loved both countries.  US dollars and euro are definitely easier to change and preferable to sterling.

Hope you have a great time,

Bob

Hi Ian, Tony & Karen

I am also on this trip and doing the Armenia add on.  I was surprised to hear about the currency situation as the review from May stated GBP was easy to change.  As regards Armenia, are credit cards accepted?

Looking forward to meeting you all and a great trip.

Regards

Chris

Hope you are well.

Thanks for this.  I think I have decided that USD is the way to go as I can use any left over in Sri Lanka next year.  Just a pity the exchange rate is so volatile at the moment but it doesn't sound like I will need a huge amount so it probably doesn't make a lot of difference.

Regards

Chris

Would you confirm the luggage allowance for this trip.  In one place on the Internet it states 20 kg and in another 23kg whilst hand luggage appears to be 8kg.

Many thanks

To confirm, baggage allowance for this trip is:

Checked-in baggage – 1 piece, not more than 23kg

Hand luggage – 1 piece, not more than 8kg

Many thanks,

Vickie

         On Georgian airways site say no more than 23kg checkin luggage and 8kg hand luggage.

https://www.georgian-airways.com/en/information/baggage/ 

Regards

TonyW

Getting close now and excitement is building.  Looking forward to meeting you - see you at Gatwick.

Regards

Chris

I'm hoping to be at Gatwick around 7.30pm depending on how well my own travel arrangements work out, so please come and say hello to me, I'll be standing near the check in desks with a Just You board and a cheery smile. I'm also there to help in any way I can with the check in procedure so if you have any concerns or questions let me know and I will help out. This really is an amazing tour and one I'm confident you will all enjoy.

Any questions please leave them here and I will get back to you.

This is just to say that I was in Armenia with a small group of friends at the end of September last year. When I went to a currency exchange in central London to get some dollars in advance of the trip, they wanted to know where I was going. When I said Armenia they said that I would need new dollars and so all the notes they gave me were brand new. This is because in Armenia itself, although US dollars are widely accepted everywhere as Ian advises, everyone wanted new notes. They would not accept old crumpled ones! Some of my friends were caught out by this having taken dollars left over from holidays from some years ago. We could use credit cards widely in Yerevan but outside the capital it was only the hotels which took them and a few of the big tourist places so it was essential to have cash (but not sterling). Armenia is an amazing country and I am sure everyone doing the add-on will have a wonderful time.

Thanks for the additional advice which is really helpful. I never keep my dollars long enough for them to get old!! But seriously, it is well worth making sure any dollars the group take with them are in good condition. Also thanks for the encouraging words and I totally agree with you, it is an amazing country.