Minimum Wages in European Union 2014

21 July, 2014 | Macroeconomics | 81 seen

The minimum wage is set by the government as the minimum standard of guaranteed income (hourly/monthly) that a worker should receive for the work he/she performs. In 2014, there were 22 countries out of 28 in European Union, which had their national minimum wages set.

6 countries out of 28 have no minimum wage set by the government at all, but they have some collective bargaining agreements. Countries that don't have a minimum wage set by the government in European Union - Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Sweden.

As you can see from the table above - the highest minimum wage is set in Luxembourg ($2593) while the lowest is in Bulgaria ($233) making a gap of $2360 between those two countries.

Another interesting trend - Baltic states which lead the minimum wage table in the Former Soviet Union Space are at the end of the minimum wage table in the European Union.

Speaking of newcomers in the EU, after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements, for now, it seems that just Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta has higher minimum wage than some of the old EU countries.

Map of the minimum wage in EU 2014

As you can see from the above map - there are some interesting trends. South European countries, like Spain, Portugal, and Greece have lower minimum wages than Benelux countries, France, UK, and Ireland. 

We have no data for Scandinavian countries, Germany, Austria, and Italy.  Speaking of Germany, it's awaited that starting in 2015, the minimum hourly wage there should be set at EUR 8.50.

EU newcomers in 2004 and 2007, except Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta, receives the least, compared to others.

Standard of Minimum Wage in the European Union

One more thing I would like to speak about - there have been some talks to introduce a standard of the minimum wage across all of the EU.  There are many who are against it, and many (perhaps from Eastern Europe who are for it). Some standards of the united minimum wage would help to raise the standard of living in these poorest countries.

Now, I not talking that the EU should introduce a minimum wage as it's in Luxembourg. This would raise a lot of mess in those Eastern European countries - mainly because I believe that the average salary there is not as high as the minimum wage in Western European countries. The mechanism for minimum wage could be simple - let's say it could be 75% of the average minimum wage in the EU.

Since this is Europe we are talking about, let's use Euro coins and banknotes as our currency to measure:

In 2014 average minimum wage in the EU was about EUR 750, 75% of it would be EUR 562.

Well, again, it doesn't mean Luxembourg, Belgium or France should decrease their minimum wage, no - let them have their minimum wages above the united minimum wage. In the scenario of a minimum wage of EUR 562, it would ask 10 countries to increase their minimum wage - of course,  it shouldn't be done overnight, but let's say in 5 years term.

For example Bulgaria - a minimum wage of 2014 - was EUR 173 - The goal of 2019 is EUR 562, on average it would ask 77 EUR increase in a year. Yeah, I know it sounds much, but if we are looking for a more socially equal Europe, that's the minimum we can do - increase the minimum wage for low-skilled workers.

Another example: Poland - minimum wage 2014 - EUR 405 - Goal 2019 EUR 562 - on average it would ask 31 EUR increase in a year.

Personally, I do believe it is possible to raise the minimum wage in European Union. Of course, the mechanisms could be slightly different than my offer, but it asks for only one - Political willingness. European Union should be more socially equal.

Inequality of Minimum Wages in Former Soviet Union: An Updated Look in 2014

21 July, 2014 | Macroeconomics | 8 seen

It has been six months since I last analyzed the minimum wages in the former Soviet Union. Although it is not a major factor in economic growth, the minimum wage is still a relevant indicator in understanding a country's economic status.

In my previous research in 2013, I found that Estonia had the highest minimum wage of $427, while Kyrgyzstan had the lowest at just $17 per month. In this updated analysis for 2014, the highest minimum wage is still in Estonia, with an increase to $480, and the lowest is still in Kyrgyzstan, but with a slight decrease to $16 per month.

The Baltic States, specifically Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, remain at the forefront of the minimum wage table. The gap between Estonia and Lithuania is a substantial $89, indicating significant differences even among countries in the same region. It is noteworthy that minimum wages in some countries, such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, have decreased instead of increased. However, it is not necessarily due to the government's decision to cut down the minimum wage, but rather the devaluation of their national currencies against the USD.

Ukraine has experienced the largest decrease in minimum wage, which decreased by 37.5% or $39 per month. This is due to the devaluation of the Ukrainian Hryvna caused by internal problems in the country. Russia has also experienced devaluation against the USD, but it did not significantly affect the minimum wage.

There are still five countries in the former Soviet Union space receiving less than $100 per month, and two of them, Georgia and Moldova, are seeking closer ties with the European Union. In order to achieve this, they need to raise their minimum wages above $100 in the near future. The gap in minimum wages between the wealthiest Baltic States and Central Asian countries remains significant, highlighting the ongoing inequality in the region.

Minimum wage in FSU 2014/2013 ($)

Georgia Plans To Have Full membership in EU in 5-10 Years (2014)

20 July, 2014 | Emerging Markets | 15 seen

Recently Georgia signed Association Agreement with EU, which includes Free Trade Agreement with the EU as well. Georgian Politicians were so happy, that they rushed to announce some great plans - and so the MP of Georgia announced, that Georgia is eager to have full EU membership in the next 5-10 years. 

So far so good. 

On the other hand, the newly elected president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has already announced, that he is not willing to see any enlargement in European Union for the next 5 years, mainly because none of the existing candidate's countries could fulfill the requirements to join EU in next 5 years. 

Since Georgia is not even a candidate country for full EU membership - it's hard to believe that Georgia could join in the next 5 years.

So it might be 10 years then? 10 years sounds more realistic, but again, I'm not so sure regarding this also.

My understanding is that Georgia one day might become a member of the EU is only after or together when Turkey will join the EU (if that gonna happen at all). 

Now, since I'm a more practical guy, liking some real data instead of political/geopolitical speculations, I decided to compare Georgia and EU candidate countries by GDP per capita. Of course, I could compare by GDP as well - but this wouldn't answer on question - of how rich/poor is Georgia compared to other Candidate countries (Please, take in note Georgia is not an EU candidate country yet)

So far EU has 5 candidate countries for full membership in EU - Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.

GDP per Capita in EU candidate countries and Georgia in 2013

As we can see from the chart above - GDP per capita in Georgia in 2013 is still beyond the FYR of Macedonia, standing at $3.602 thousand.

The next move on Georgia's way for Full membership in the EU would be to get an official invitation to be a candidate country, seems Georgia should increase its GDP per capita at least by 25% before Europe could offer such an invitation. Taking into account that GDP annual growth in Georgia for the last 5 years stays at 3.7%, it could take some 5-6 years before Georgia receives such an invitation. Of course, the Georgian economy could develop more intensely, and I believe Georgian politicians believe in that as well. 

On the other hand - the newest member of the European Union - Croatia, which joined the EU on July 1st, 2013, had a GDP per capita of $13.159 thousands (2012)

Now, another EU enlargement happened in 2007, when Romania and Bulgaria joined EU, at that time their GDP per capita was about $8.170 thousands and $5.581 respectively. Both of the countries are sometimes refereed as the poorest in EU.  GDP per capita in Bulgaria in 2013 was $7.296 thousands while in Romania $9.499.

Another interesting question about future of EU is United Kingdom's planned referendum in 2017 to stay or leave EU (Brits seems are mad of cheap labour force from Eastern European countries)

Anyhow - although membership in large European Union might sound tempeting, the things are not going smoothly there. Let's be honest - it's all about money, economics, production  - new markets e.t.c.

Instead of waiting what benefits Georgia could gain after eventually joining EU - Georgia should work things out in it's internal markets, produce more, work less. Wine and mineral waters are great here, but does Georgia produces anything else here?

Returning to the topic of this article - could Georgia join the EU in the next 5-10 years? I doubt that it will happen in the next 5 years, but speaking of 10 years - it might happen. But again - much is dependent on whether will Turkey join or not. I do not believe that Georgia could join the EU without direct borders with it.

Cycling Tbilisi - Night Ride - Tbilisi Old Town

19 July, 2014 | Outdoor Activities | 7 seen

This ride was an extended versions for ride I made a few days ago - Dinamo Arena - Dibude. And again - evening (night), with hopes there will be less people in the streets and less vehicles. Wrong, Wrong, Wrong.

Seems, Tbilisi never sleeps - and speaking of night cycling in this Caucasus city- it seems even more dangerous than cycling bt day - in day there are at least traffic jams, making overall vehicle movement  slow - by night - there are less cars (of course), but they drive twice as crazy as they do in days.

Not to speak about pedestrians - they never watch where are they going, they don't care are they on the pathway or in the middle of street - anyway- traffic in Tbilisi sucks.

We started our rode at Marjanishvilli street, headed down to Rose Garden, to take a look at newly opened open air cinema. Turns out they show movies here in exchange of - you must spend 10 GEL for coffee - another neat Georgian marketing trick. After stop at Rose's Garden we continued our ride heading to Dry Bridge, before that we turned right and went straight on Mtkvari river embankment to continue our way to Tbilisi Old Town.

Stairways in Middle of pathway 

Soon we reached Tbilisi Old Town (Rike park).

View to nightly Tbilisi is really awesome, and must have activity, once in Tbilisi.

Then we headed straight into Tbilisi Old Town (Shardeni) to take a brief snack in famous cafeteria Kala.

Kala in Tbilisi Old Town

After quick cold Coca-Cola and steak salads -  again through Old Town down to Kolhoznaya square, crossing another bridge, and we were on embankment one more time, this time heading home.

Georgian art on Bridge - those figures actually look pretty awesome in daylight as well

On our route home, rode through some Strip Club

Total distance for such a crazy ride was about 9.82 km, and it took us 1 hour and 33 minutes to complete this route (not counting stops and coffee breaks). Average speed - 6.3 km/h. Maximum speed 13 km/H.

Again - this was pretty crazy and I would say even a difficult route, thanks to unpredictable pedestrians and crazy drivers. To take this route, I would suggest to armor yourself with steel nerves. But if you are after beautiful night views of Tbilisi, grab your best camera learn night photography and take your chance to make one of the most beautiful pictures of Tbilisi by night.

For route tracking I used Map My Ride Android application, and again no complaints regarding to this. 

Next routes planned - Turtle Lake or Lisi lake. Update: see  Cycling Near Lisi Lake In Tbilisi (Route Map + Photos) . But for now it's time to buy and use helmets and other safety tools.

16 Best Batumi Beach / Seaside Hotels

18 July, 2014 | Hotel reviews | 56 seen

Batumi offers plenty of hotels over there. If you are into getting some tan at pebbled Black Sea coast beaches, you might like to have a comfortable rest after it.

Choose your hotel among the best available in Batumi. Prices among the best hotels in Batumi will vary starting from 100 GEL ($57/ EUR 42) and will go up to 360 GEL ($205 / EUR 150) or higher.

While you are in Batumi, consider Batumi Real Estate Crypto Investment

From my personal recommendations from Batumi hotels I have stayed so far, I should note Batumi Hilton and Batumi Radisson hotels. For a family friendly budget stay I can highly recommend Best Western Premier Hotel

Here is the list with some of the best beach/seaside hotels in Batumi

Sheraton Batumi Hotel 

This property is 3 minutes walk from the beach. This 5-star hotel is located in Batumi city centre, 200 m from the Black Sea Coast. The Sheraton Batumi offers a spa area with indoor and outdoor swimming pools.

Free Wi-Fi and a flat-screen TV are included in all rooms at the Sheraton Batumi Hotel. The spacious rooms also feature chic, modern design and a private bathroom with bathtub and shower.

A buffet breakfast is provided each morning. Guests are also welcome to enjoy Georgian and European dishes in the classic-style Sunflower restaurant or in the Veronica restaurant with its rich red and purple décor.

The Sheraton is 300 m from Batumi State University, 800 m from Batumi Zoo and 2 km from Batumi Drama Theatre.

The 24-hour reception can arrange a shuttle service to Batumi Harbour (3 km), Batumi Train Station (10 km) and Batumi International Airport (10 km). 

Price: ~ USD 110 Book now on Booking.com 

Orbi City sea view

Situated in Batumi, within 200 m of Batumi Beach and 3.2 km of Ali and Nino Monument, Orbi City sea view offers accommodation with a terrace and as well as free private parking for guests who drive. The property is set 19 km from Petra Fortress, 700 m from Aquapark Batumi and 1.7 km from Batumi Archeological Museum. The accommodation features a 24-hour front desk, airport transfers, room service and free WiFi.

Price: ~ GEL 170 Book now on Booking.com 

Batumi World Palace

This property is 4 minutes walk from the beach. Just 150 m from the Black Sea coast, this hotel is set in the centre of Batumi. Free WiFi and a 24-hour front desk are featured at Batumi World Palace Hotel.

The elegant, air-conditioned rooms of this hotel are decorated in warm colours and offer classic-style interiors. Each room includes a flat-screen TV, a minibar and a private bathroom.

The hotel’s restaurant, with panoramic views of Batumi and the Black Sea, serves European and Georgian cuisine. A selection of Georgian wines is offered at the restaurant.

The Medea Statue is just a 5-minute walk from the hotel, and the Alphabet Tower is 300 m away. The picturesque Seaside Boulevard is a 7-minute walk from the hotel. Batumi Port is only 100 m from Batumi World Palace Hotel. Batumi Train Station is 1.5 km away, and Batumi Airport is 7 km from the hotel. Free shuttle service is available. 

Price: ~ USD 60 Book now on Booking.com

Hilton Batumi

Read my review here

Offering an indoor pool and a spa and wellness centre, Hilton Batumi is located in the centre of Batumi, 100 m from the 6 may Park. The Black Sea coast is just 200 m away.

Each room here will provide you with air conditioning, a flat-screen TV and a minibar. There is also an electric kettle. Featuring a shower, private bathroom comes with a bath and a hairdryer. Extras include a desk, a safety deposit box and a laptop safe.

At Hilton Batumi you will find a restaurant and a fitness centre. Other facilities offered at the property include luggage storage and shops.

The hotel offers rooms with access to the Executive Lounge, which serves a delicious continental breakfast, refreshments throughout the day and evening canapés.

Batumi International Airport is 5 km away. 

Price: ~ USD 100 Book now on Booking.com 

Dzveli Batumi

Located on Kostava street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Situated 200 metres from Batumi Beach, this hotel offers elegant interiors and free Wi-Fi. Dzveli Hotel Batumi is 400 metres from Tamara Castle and 1 km from Batumi Dolphin Park.

Rooms at Dzveli Batumi are warmly furnished with bright colours and wooden floors. All rooms are air-conditioned and include satellite TV, a refrigerator and private bathroom.

Many shops are located near the hotel. Restaurants serving Ukrainian, Georgian and Turkish cuisine can be found within 50 metres.

Price: ~ 99 GEL Check prices and Book online

Hotel Elegant

Located on Vahtang Gorgasali street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Located 6 minutes’ walk from the city park and the Dolphinarium, this hotel in Batumi features free Wi-Fi and air-conditioned rooms with a flat-screen TV. There is also a 24-hour reception.

Each room at Hotel Elegant has an individual design with bright colours and a sofa. Bathrooms come with a shower.

The Elegant’s café serves Georgian and European cuisine, as well as a daily breakfast.

Price: ~ 110 GEL Check prices and Book online

Duta Hotel

Located on Pirosmani street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Duta Hotel is located in the centre of Batumi, just 200 metres from the Black Sea pebble beach. It features a free private parking, and free Wi-Fi is provided.

All well-lit rooms feature classic-style interiors and air conditioning. They come with a TV, fridge and balcony. Free toiletries and a hairdryer are provided in a bathroom.

The on-site restaurant serves various Russian and European dishes, and guests can have a drink in the bar.

Bikes are available for guests’ use and are free of charge. Also it is possible to rent a car and to buy various guided tours.

Price: ~ 110 GEL Check prices and Book online

Hotel Leon

Located on Chaikovskogo street in Batumi this hotel offers:

It offers a shared kitchen and restaurant. Free Wi-Fi access is available.

All rooms feature a flat-screen TV, wardrobe and air conditioning. The private bathrooms come with a hairdryer and a bathrobe.

Guests are welcome to visit the on-site restaurant and taste Georgian and European cuisine. A buffet breakfast is also offered.

Price: ~ 125 GEL Check prices and Book online

Family Hotel

Located on Baratishvilli street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

This small hotel is set in the heart of Batumi, just a minute’s walk from the Medea Statue and a 5-minute walk from the Black Sea coast. Free Wi-Fi is featured at Family Hotel.

The bright, air-conditioned rooms offer warm-coloured interiors and classic-style décor. Each room includes a flat-screen TV and a private bathroom with free toiletries and a hairdryer.

A buffet breakfast is served every morning in the hotel’s dining room. Guests can also cook their meals in the shared fully equipped kitchen, and a variety of cafés and restaurants can be found within a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

Price: ~ 130 GEL Check prices and Book online

Hotel Luxor

Located on Jinchardze street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Hotel Luxor offers free Wi-Fi and parking. The coast of the Black Sea and Batumi Piazza are a 10-minute walk away.

The classic rooms are air conditioned and feature a flat-screen satellite TV. The private bathrooms come with a shower, hairdryer and free toiletries. Some rooms feature a fridge and balcony.

Price: ~ 140 GEL Check prices and Book online

Plaza Hotel

Read my review about our stay at Batumi Plaza Hotel

Located on Chavchadze street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Plaza Hotel features an indoor swimming pool, a spa and wellness centre, a sauna, massage services, and free Wi-Fi access throughout the property.

The modern and air-conditioned rooms here are equipped with a flat-screen TV with cable channels, a balcony, and a private bathroom with a bath or shower.

Other hotel facilities include a fitness centre, a bicycle rental, a 24-hour front desk, an on-site mini-market, a bar, and a beauty shop.

Price: ~ 140 GEL Check prices and Book online

Piazza Four Colours

Located on Vahtang Gorgasali street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and cable channels. Featuring a hairdryer, private bathroom also comes with free toiletries. Extras include a desk and a safety deposit box.

At Piazza Four Colours you will find a 24-hour front desk, a bar and a mini-market. The on-site restaurant serves European and Georgian cuisine. Other facilities offered at the property include meeting facilities, luggage storage and shops.

Price: ~ 175 GEL Check prices and Book online

Piazza Inn

Located on Vahtang Gorgasali street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

Piazza Inn features a 24-hour reception. Modern rooms come with air conditioning.

Modern rooms at Piazza come with a flat-screen TV, and bathrooms are fitted with a shower.

Piazza Inn offers the Mimino Georgian Restaurant, European restaurant Marco Polo, La Brioche Café and the Quiet Woman Irish Pub. You can enjoy live music performances taking place every evening on the square. The Central Park is 7 minutes' walk away.

Price: ~ 175 GEL Check prices and Book online

Sky-G 

Located on Gorgiladze street in Batumi this hotel offers:

Sky-G Hotel offers free Wi-Fi and a terrace with panoramic view.

The rooms feature air conditioning, a fridge and flat-screen TV with cable channels.

Guests are welcome to dine in the on-site buffet restaurant. There are also shops and a mini-market in the property.

Price: ~ 180 GEL Check prices and Book online

Hotel O. Galogre

Located on Gorgasali street in Batumi, this hotel offers:

 The rooms come with a flat-screen TV, and the historic St Nikolay Church is a 2-minute walk away.

The classic-style rooms at Hotel O. Galogre are fitted with carpeted floors and air conditioning. A hairdryer and slippers are provided in the en suite bathroom.

A continental breakfast is provided each morning in the elegant O. Galogre restaurant, and during the summer months guests can dine on the sunny rooftop terrace.

Price: ~ 220 GEL Check prices and Book online

Divan Suites Batumi

Located on Kostava street in Batumi, this suites offers:

Offering a spa centre and a restaurant with Geogrian and Turkish cuisine, Divan Suites Batumi is located in the centre of Batumi, a 5-minute walk from the Black Sea beach. Free WiFi access is available.

Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and a minibar. Private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer. Extras include a desk, a safety deposit box and a laptop safe.

At Divan Suites Batumi you will find a fitness centre. Other facilities offered at the property include meeting facilities.

Price: ~ 280 GEL Check prices and Book online

Radisson Blu Hotel Batumi

Read my review here

Located on Ninosvhilli street in Batumi this hotel offers:

A 5-minute walk from the beach in Batumi, this hotel features indoor/outdoor pools, a rooftop restaurant and free Wi-Fi. Its large rooms include flat-screen TVs, Nespresso coffee machines and sea views.

Radisson Blu Hotel provides air-conditioned rooms and suites with wooden floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. A laptop safe is provided, and your bathroom includes bathrobes and slippers.

Health facilities at the Radisson Blu Batumi include a gym, sauna and steam rooms. Guests can book a massage for extra relaxation.

A breakfast buffet is provided each morning. Grilled meat and seafood is served in the 19th-floor restaurant. Guests can enjoy creative cocktails at the rooftop bar.

The popular Black Sea promenade is just a 5-minute walk away.

Price: ~ 285 GEL Check prices and Book online

Piazza Boutique Hotel

Located on Parnavaz Mepe street in Batumi, this boutique hotel offers:

Featuring free Wi-Fi and unique décor, this hotel is located in the clocktower in Batumi old city centre. It offers air-conditioned rooms with a flat-screen TV. It is only a 300-metre walk to the coast.

Each room at Piazza Hotel includes an individual interior and a balcony. Bathrooms come with bathrobes and slippers.

The property offers the Mimino Georgian Restaurant, European restaurant Marco Polo, La Brioche Café and the Quiet Woman Irish Pub.

Set in the city centre, Piazza Hotel provides good access to such Batumi’s attractions, as Medea Statue, 6 minutes’ walk away. The 6 May Park with the Dolphinarium are 15 minutes’ walk from the hotel.

Price: ~ 340 GEL Check prices and Book online

Find more hotels in Batumi​

Cycling Tbilisi Embankment - evening ride - Dinamo Arena - Didube

17 July, 2014 | Outdoor Activities | 9 seen

Yesterday was a hot day, it was about 37 Celsius, and I offered to make a cycling after 9:00PM, but we agreed to ride at 7:00PM, at first we stopped for some chicken barbecue at 11 Katkha restaurant near Dinamo Stadium. It turned out - yesterday Georgian National Football team played against Kazakhstan, since our favourite restaurant is located right next to Dinamo Stadium, it was full with folks eager to have a drink before the game.

That's another interesting observation -  about 95% of folks there - ordered just beer, and we were left with bad service - although we ordered some food instead of beer. And I believe our total cheque was the same as 10 beer drinkers. But we received 10 times worst service. Georgians tend to serve beer first - this is a pattern I have noticed living in Georgia.

Anyway - after meal we started to wheel. Our route was not new for us - but this time I used Map My Ride Android App, to map this ride and measure the distance (previously I had no clue - how long is this route).

We started from Dinamo Stadium, then headed down to embankment, did some problems crossing the street to get to pathway, but after some 5-8 minutes of staying in middle of street we finally did crossed the street, and headed to Didube. At Didube we had a  brief rest, and then we headed back home.  

Total distance for this route was about 9.24 km and it took less than 1 hour to finish this route, maiking our average speed about 9.6 km/h. At this route there is not much elevation gain, and it's pretty (not to say very) easy route. Of course there are some fishermen fishing in Mtkvari river, or some parked cars to avoid, but overall, nothing to be afraid route. More about obstacles facing on this route and some photos I have added in article - during my first ride here

Although the average speed was about 9.6 km/h, there were tracks where speed reached 16km/h, and maximum speed was 16.9 km/h.

Compared this rode with rode to Tbilisi sea and back, this was very easy and pleasant, and yes it happened in evening, when it was not so damned hot any more.

As well I would like to add that Map My Ride app is very convenient and works with GPS data excellent, there is no need for Wi-FI, or mobile internet to be turned on.

In next month's I hope I will have more rides in Tbilisi and Georgia. We do have some longer rodes in our minds as well - like to ride to David Gareji Monastery and back, or to take a train to Khasuri and make some ride in Surami. Will, see how it's gonna to happen.

Using Custom Channels in Google Adsense

16 July, 2014 | Blogging | 72 seen

Custom Channels is a great way to measure performance for your Google Adsense ad units, and it's a great way to get more targeted ads for your websites. In this article I will explain how you can use Custom Channels to track which ad units performs better, and how to sell those ad units for potentiall bidders.

How to create Custom Channels

Let's login to our Google Adsense account and head to My ads section, then in the left sidebar you will find - Custom Channels section, click on it

My Google Adsense Custom Channels

We are allowed to create up to 500 Custom Channels in Google Adsense, what is fairly enough for me, who is having some 5-6 websites.

Before you are creating your Custom Channel - I suggest that you have created your Ad units already. My method I preffer working with Google Adsense is to Create a sepperate ad unit for each website and position. For example, on this blog I have 3 ad units (top of the content, bottom of the content and right sidebar) - I'm not using these 3 ad units on any other site.

Now, I have created 3 Custom channels for each of my ad units - you are not obligatory to follow my way - I have done this, just to experiment and because of I have pretty mixed content on my site - there are travel related articles, social media articles, web development articles. So I created for each one channel - for web development - DRUPAL, for social media - SOCIAL, for travel - Travel.

Another reason I'm using multiple channels for one ad unit - I'm looking for ways to get higher bids for my ads, making my ads targetable for bidders. I believe that Google is pretty smart enough to serve most relavant ads, depending on page visitors is looking - is it travel, social or web development related content. For Bidders I have created detailed descriptions for each of channels I'm using.

How to create custom channel Google Adsense

As you can see I have marked a check box next to Targeting - and my custom channel becomes available to advertisers as a target-able ad placement. I added a brief description, explaining what ad format i used and where this ad is displayed, as well I added a summary what ads I'm looking for this channel.

It's been already more than 8 years since Google Adsense introduced multiple custom channels, and here you can read about that more 

What's the benefit of tracking with more than one custom channel? Well, multiple channels can be very useful when you want to track one ad unit across several different metrics simultaneously. For example, let's say you run a sports website and you've placed a leaderboard at the top and bottom of every page. To track the performance of the ad placement, you've created two custom channels -- 'TopLeaderboard' and 'BottomLeaderboard' -- and regenerated your ad code appropriately. 

But what if you also want to compare your football pages and your baseball pages at the same time? With multiple custom channels, this isn't a problem. Just create two new custom channels called 'FootballPages' and 'BaseballPages', and add them to the appropriate ad units. Now your leaderboards will each be tagged with two custom channels that let you know which position they're in (top or bottom), and the type of page on which they appear (football or baseball).

I'm not a PRO user of Google Adsense, but I have heard that using custom channels might increase your revenue from ads up to 400%, ofcourse I belive that depends, how efficently you are targeting bidders. What I do believe for sure  -in order to get someoen to click on your ads - you must have to provide traffic to your site, difference how many clicks you recieve for your Adsense ads will be huge if compared when you have 100 users in a month or 10 000 users in a month. 

Don't concentrate just on Adsene - concentrate on ways to get more traffic to your site, and use Adsense (including Custom Channels), to optimize your performance.

You might want to read: How to create URL channels in Google Adsense

How to create URL channels in Google Adsense

15 July, 2014 | Blogging | 57 seen

I have been using Google Adsense for almost 5 years already, first 4 and a half years I didn't paid much attention for it. I mean I was not paying attention for better implementation, CTR, CPC and other things. I just put Adsense code to my webpages, did some small blending stuff and was sitting back and waited when cash will flow in. It didn't!

And then I started my blog - I can tell just one - after I started my own blog, I started to pay attention for more details. In short time I raised my CTR from 0.5% to 1.5-2%, I started to target more paying keywords, and I increased (a little) my CPC rate. Although my highest earnings from Google Adsense in one month haven't reached more than $16 - I'm happy with results - because those results happened just last month.

By learning more techniques, serving more content, I have been able to raise my earning from Google Adsense.

Since I have more web properties than just my blog, where I'm serving Google Adsense, I wanted to have better overview  how each website performs on it own. One option is inside Google Adsense to filter sites and see your overview, but that's a little time consuming.

I have installed on my Chrome browser Google Publisher Toolbar, what gives me quick overview, what is my earnings for Today, Yesterday, This month so far and Last Month. What is perfectly fine - if you have one website to observe. If you have more than one website, you might wonder to get more information. Luckly, the same Google Publisher Toolbar gives us a URL channel overview as well. 

In order to get data for URL channels we need to add URL channels in Google Adsense

How to add URL channels in Google Adsense

Log in to your Google Adsense account, Click on My ads tabs from upper menu, then click on URL Channels from left sidebar menu (Content section), click on New URL Channel and add your URL. You can add up to 500 URL's. 

Google Adsense might ask you to verify your URL(s) after you will submit them. If you have Google Analytics installed and that account is linked with Google Adsense, there shouldn't be problems to verify your URL in Google Adsense. If there is - please follow on screen instructions.

The result?

Now we have a quick Google Publisher Toolbar overview, with filtered URL, and we are a little bit more smarter what's actually going on on our sites. Which site generates more, and which less.

Hope this article helped you to define your Google Adsense URL channels.

Rafting in Georgia - Khertvisi - Aspindza - Borjomi

14 July, 2014 | Outdoor Activities | 23 seen

Some time ago we find some offer on Facebook offering rafting tour in Georgia for 2 days - on Mtkvari river. Tour included raft, safety wests, oars, overnight in tents. It sounded pretty good, and we decided to claim this offer. Said - done!

Our rafting tour started Saturday morning from Tbilisi (minibuss waited for rafters next to Radisson Blue and it was supposed to leave Tbilisi at 9:00 AM)

As usualy doing something unexpected I don't plan it very detailed - for me it was clear - it's rafting, what should I plan here? I'm paying my money - and everything rest is handled by organizators.

We started our trip to our destination place - Khetvisi fortress:

In above map you can see our route - according to Google maps the distance from Tbilisi to Khetvisi fortress is about 211 km and time to drive 2 hours and 51 minute. We made this route in 5 hours. Well we did stop to take some scenic views:

Update:

One of the team members - Bogdan Egikov, pointed that my map is not precise, he gave me route according to his records:

Stop in mountains

Alpine meadows

Our drive took as through Samche-Javaheti region. One of the specific for this region - it's widely populated by Armenians, and driving through some cities in this region - I got the Little Armenia feeling. Let me explain - Armenia is another great destination where to go - of course if you are not afraid of so called "Ghost of Communism" - in Armenia every street name is in Russian. Although Armenians do have their own - unique language Armenian, seems they like to affiliate themselves with Russia (if you are in Geopolitics - you already might now how closely Armenia is related to Russia). In cities of  Samche-Javakheti region signs are in Russian as well.

After couple of our we were at our Rafting starting point - Khetvisi fortress, some claim Alexander the Great has been here.

Khertvisi fortress

We had a quick lunch here and organisers started to fill up the boat with air

Trademark of Georgia - Cows are everywhere.

Meal before start

Our rafting instructor Stas Miroshnichenko inspects the boat

Speaking of our instructor Stas from Ukraine - this dude seems a fantastic guy - with huge rafting experience in Russia (Syberia). Latter that evening talking next to fireplace - Stas told us his stories about rafting not only in Russia, but in India and other places. Although I'm not a rafting expert, just a Sunday rafter, for me it was interesting to hear his stories. Stas can speak about river flows for hours, and he definetly knows the best raftting places in Georgia.

Actually - he seems very crazy dude - he has left his comfort zone (looking through his FB profile - it turns out he has worked as visiting professor at University of Strasbourg) - to be in more connection with nature. I guess Stas is not only a great rafter, but we could learn from him about survival in rough environment. I mean - kinda Robinson Cruso with Ph.d. 

Our raft then started. Unfortunately I was aware of taking my phone or photo camera in boat, so I don;t have pictures from our first raft track - Khertvisi - Aspindza.

Overall the raft was pretty OK, the river was pretty slow, with not many obstacles or dangerous rocks on it. Well ofcourse there was a rocks and obstacles, but nothing to be afraid from. Since the team was with different skill level for raft, we made a pretty long raft. Some 3-4 hours for some 15km. I felt a little exhausted, and when we approached our camp place - I wanted two things to have some meal and to have a cozy bed and plenty of sleep. Instead of this we got a tent, sleeping mattress, fireplace and some ex-USSR camping food - buckwheat with stew - not not regular stew - the Soviet style stew. I'm not against that - It was great, but I did choose instead to take some bread with Sulguni cheese and soon I went for sleep.

Our tent

Fireplace

"Monkey" - Irakli preparing buckwheat with stew

Team gathering around Stas

Next morning I decided not to join for second raft - because of I was exhausted from first - no, it is normally fine for me, not to choose to do something, when not all are in. Since in first day raft there were people pretending they are doing raft, and there were people with right attitude putting all their muscle and body strength to keep boat moving ahead, not just lazy drifting. My hands was in blebs and I got some muscle pains - So I decided not to join, instead to take some nice looking photos.

Boat, safety west's and helmets in rest

Wooden bridge next to our camping place

Truck

Team (some of them) with Ukrainian and Georgian flags

Then we picked our raft stuff (boat, west's e.t.c) and headed to Rabati castle in Ahaltsikhe

Rabati Castle

After short visit of Rabati  our second track of rafting started, in which I didn't take participation, but I did take some photos although:

We met more rafters and decided to join them

Team is getting ready for start

Team has started their second day raft

Facing obstacles

In overall this was another great experience in Georgia.  And of of the features Georgia can offer is its mountain rivers. Although there were some organization problems with this rafting tour - overall impressions are great - and I would like to repeat rafting in Georgia again.

Feel free to contact Stas (instructor) while he is in Georgia: +995557927924

or contact organiztor of this tour Giorgi: 555982092

The Price? 65 GEL for 2 day rafting tour in Georgia - a for a lot of scenic views.

Flights to Mestia from Tbilisi will resume starting July 18th by Service Air

14 July, 2014 | Living in Georgia | 8 seen

<p>Today I red splendid news on Georgian news - <a href="http://newsgeorgia.ru/economy/20140714/216770339.html&quot; target="_blank">starting July 18Th flights from Tbilisi to Mestia will be resumed</a> - and will be performed by Georgian flight company - Service Air.</p><p>According to news - the flights will happen 3 times in a week - Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Flight will leave Tbilisi at 11:00 and will return from Mestia 14:00. Ticket price will be 65 GEL.</p><p>I was so impressed and eager to visit Svanetia, I immediately called "Service Air" company - to make a reservation. Unfortunately women at the other end of phone - explained me - that they (Service Air) don't know anything yet, and full confirmation should be announced today/tomorrow. Answering on my question - yes, but the news are already in newspapers, she told me - that newspapers have rushed events.</p><p>Anyway - that's great news - and I do believe flights will resume to Mestia soon. It's awaited that flight duration will be about 45 minutes - that's just brilliant - instead of 7-8 hour drive by car - you can reach Mestia in just 45 minutes. Awesome, Superb!</p><p>I want to have ticket on board because I want to visit Mestia and Svanetia, finally!</p><h2>About Service Air</h2><p><a href="http://www.serviceair.ge/&quot; target="_blank">Service air</a> is a privately held first Company developing and promoting General Aviation in Georgia. We gladly share our experience and offer help within our capacity to anyone interested in developing or getting involved in General Aviation. The company owns it’s private Aircraft Means and airdrome. Natakhtari Aerodrome is the first general aviation airport in Georgia located on a beautiful valley just 20 miles North of Tbilisi, less than a mile off the highway.<br><br>We are offering: Charter flights to the remote locations; Cargo and Transportation; Scenic Flights – the Grand Caucasus offers breathtaking vistas – majestic peaks, glaciers, volcanic platos, deep canyons, rich valleys, desert landscapes, soothing Black Sea and its gentle shores; Agricultural and Ecologycal aviation services; We teach flying through the learning courses for airplane using the most advanced computer programs, literature, and the newest navigation technologies; Flight Club membership providing significant advantages; In this business only sky is the limit… We believe in its future. Come and see for yourself. Explaining the concept of General Aviation is harder than actually doing it.</p><h2>About Mestia</h2><p>Mestia &nbsp;is a highland townlet (daba) in northwest Georgia, at an elevation of 1,500 metres (4,921 feet) in the Caucasus Mountains.</p><p>The townlet is dominated by stone defensive towers of a type seen in Ushguli ("Svan towers"). A typical Svan fortified dwelling consisted of a tower, an adjacent house (machub) and some other household structures encircled by a defensive wall.<br><br>Unique icons and manuscripts are kept in Mestia Historical-Ethnographic Museum. Mestia is also a center of mountaineer tourism and alpinism.</p>

Vazhatravel.com - tours and travel in Georgia

13 July, 2014 | Drupal Development | 11 seen

Vazhatravel.com was a Drupal-powered site a built for a friend. Vazha Travel offers one of the best rates for tours and transfers in Georgia. With Vazha Travel you can order airport transfer from Tbilisi airport to the Tbilisi city centre as low as 25 GEL (Most taxis at Tbilisi airport will ask you more), so do you can book a transfer to and from Kutaisi or Batumi airport.

The further developments of Vazhatravel website has been canceled, though the service is still available, feel free to contact Vazha by phone numbers listed in this article or visit VazhaTravel Facebook page, alternatively see: Organized tours in Georgia

This site is built with Drupal 7 under its hood, and its expected to use the multilingual feature on it soon. It's awaited to add Russian, Polish and other languages. Right now it's more just the "core" with more functions to come in future.

Vazha Travel front page.

One of the features I wanted to build into this site - booking function - availability for customers to book online tours and transfers. For such a behavior I'm using simple, but yet powerful combination of Drupal nodes and node reference fields.

Vazha Travel booking engine

In pages containing information about tours and transfers, I decided to use attractive head images and long and detailed descriptions. As well to keep visitors attention  - we are showcasing more cool tours in right sidebar (just under - "Book this tour" button)

Vazha Travel page layout

In future, it's expected to implement Open Graph protocol for better sharing options on Facebook and other social media sites. 

One thing I must admit - working on such projects - it's damned hard to work with customers - friends - who are thinking - a web page is a magic stick - and with help of it - it will generate a ton of customers. It's just not working like this. 

As we all know - the web page is a tool - depending on what kind of hands it will be delivered  - the success or failures depends. One of the options to use for such websites - to generate more income is to use Pay Per Click ads. The future will show will we decide to use PPC or we will stick with SEO from organic search.

In coming days I will finish my work of building a powerful Drupal website and will stay as a mentor guiding my friend-customer through the amazing process of acquiring customers online.  It will ask to add more descriptive texts, more detailed tours - and definitely nice looking pictures of amazing places in Georgia. 

About Vazha Travel

Vazha Travel will deliver you to the most remote corners of Georgia and for best rates in Tbilisi, that's for sure. 

Vazha Travel is a boutique travel agency offering best of Georgia for best rates

BOOK ONLINE OR CALL +995 599212224

How I turned my Instagram account into a Photo Blog

12 July, 2014 | Drupal Development | 10 seen

In April I bought my first ever "smartphone" - Android phone with Dual SIM... It actully has WI-Fi router built in and in days I have no "ground" Wi-FI I can use Mobile Internet to connect to my laptop. Anyway - I'm very satisfied with my first Android phone.

I must admit I'm using phone for it's sole purpose - to call, but that has changed - with my new Android phone - I'm using few apps on it (Google Adsense, Google Analytics, some news apps and Instagram).

Some already probably knwo - I'm an expat in Georgia (South Caucasus), when I first arrived here, more than 3 years ago. I arrived already with an aim - to build Travel site for Georgia. Since I didn't know anything about this amazing country - I decided this will be amazing expierience. To put my Drupal knoweldge together with something exciting - exploring a new country from A-Z.

I wanted to build something fancy, something cool - I wanted to build kinda a Lonely Planet site for Georgia alone. I believe I created a really good job in terms of site architecture. Site involved complex structure, it used XML feeds to Parse Flickr, Wikipedia, it had geotagged content attached to almost every node. Everything was cool - except, the content sucked.

It was some copy/pasted (Scrapped) content from Wikipedia, Flickr and other sites. Why? Because all the big sites do this. At that time I didn't realize importance of providing unique and valuable content. I was of my goal - to build a site about MY expierience in Georgia.

At start it kinda worked - the site started to receive so important traffic from Google, but it never reahed more than 2000 unique visitors a month, and finally when I did something wrong with site building stuff - the site dissapeared at all from search engine.

Then I realized, that content is still a king - no matter how cool and fancy is your site architecture, no matter how complex and agile is your site - without actual visitors it's worht of nothing.

I spent some money on buying Facebook bussines page likes and I did spend some money to boost my posts on Facebook page to drive traffic to that cool site. It worked great - but after boost - again - silence. It's not worth of money invested.

And then - I realized  -hey, I have my new Android phone - I will Instagram places in Georgia and then I will write a review of those places and put back on Tourgeorgia - and I did it. 

Tourgeorgia.eu - 5.0 was born. 

Screenshot of Tourgeorgia.eu desktop version

This time site is made with simple blog structure, it is cathegorized with few categories, also there still is some serious engine under the hood, and I do already have few ideas to implement on site in close future. One of the ideas is to add - raitings for each place, and second is to add location data and map using gmap. This time I'm not rushing - visitors first, is my new thining, and then, only then - some fancy complex systems.

I have not forgoten about mobile visitors as well - and built a responsive design for site as well:

Tourgeorgia.eu mobile version

As of today (it's about one month the site is rebranded from scratch) - there is about 230 unique visitors to this site, and it contains about 30 articles. 

18 Kutaisi Hostels That Won't Break Your Travel Budget

11 July, 2014 | Hotel reviews | 8 seen

<p>Kutaisi although second largest city in Georgia, comes with pretty bad infrastructure. In 2012 new Kutaisi airport was opened in Kutaisi (actually it's located some 30 km out of Kutaisi city centre). Wizzair cheap avio flights come to Georgia, new routes from Kiev, Warsaw, Vilnius and other destinations has been added and new hostels popped like a mushrooms after a rain in Kutaisi. These hostels are not typical hostels with standards you might seen somewhere else in Europe. Most often they come with basic necessities. My observations - that many owners of Kutaisi hostels are Ukrainians. I guess the reason is Kiev-Kutaisi flights.&nbsp;</p><p>Anyhow - &nbsp;if you are one of the "lucky ones" arrived at Kutaisi airport, and are desperate finding an accommodation for your future discoveries in rest of Georgia, then here is the list with:</p><p><strong>18 Hostels in Kutaisi with price less than 50 GEL for 2 persons per night.</strong></p><p><strong><br></strong></p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/sun-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Sun Hostel</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/sun-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/sunhostel.jpg&quot; alt="Sun Hostel Kutaisi" title="Sun Hostel Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Bagrati street in Kutaisi, Sun Hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a TV, a balcony and satellite channels. There is a full kitchen with a refrigerator and kitchenware. Shared bathroom also comes with a hairdryer.</p><p>At Sun Hostel you will find a 24-hour front desk, a garden and barbecue facilities. Other facilities offered at the property include grocery deliveries, a shared lounge and a ticket service. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including hiking.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 15 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/sun-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lviv.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Hostel Lviv</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lviv.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/hostellyv.jpg&quot; alt="Hostel Lviv Kutaisi" title="Hostel Lviv Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Rodzevichi street, Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a TV, air conditioning and a balcony. There is a full kitchen with an oven and a refrigerator. Shared bathroom also comes with a shower. You can enjoy garden view from the room.</p><p>At Hostel Lviv you will find an airport shuttle, a 24-hour front desk and a garden. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge, a tour desk and luggage storage.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~20 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lviv.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/imereti-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Imereti Hostel</a></h2><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/imereti-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/imeretihostel.jpg&quot; alt="Imereti Hostel Kutaisi" title="Imereti Hostel Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></p><p><em>Located on Kostava street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</em></p><p>Each room here will provide you with air conditioning and a terrace. Private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer. You can enjoy mountain view and city view from the room. Extras include a desk and a fan.</p><p>At Imereti Hostel you will find a 24-hour front desk, a garden and a terrace. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge.</p><p>The distance to Kutaisi Train Station is 2 km from Imereti Hostel.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 26 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/imereti-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/daniel-s-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank">Daniel's Hostel</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/daniel-s-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/danielhostel.jpg&quot; alt="Daniel's Hostel Kutaisi" title="Daniel's Hostel Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Tsereteli street Tbilisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Rooms here will provide you with air conditioning and a terrace. Shared bathrooms also come with towels. You can enjoy a mountain view and a river view from all the rooms. Extras include a desk.</p><p>At Daniel`s Hostel you will find a terrace and a shared kitchen. Other facilities offered include a shared lounge and laundry. A variety of cafés and restaurants can be found within a 5-minute walk of the hostel.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 30 GEL&nbsp;</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/daniel-s-hostel.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></span></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/mtsvane-kvavila.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank">Mtsvanekvavila</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/mtsvane-kvavila.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Mtsvanekvavila.jpg&quot; alt="Mtsvanekvavila Kutaisi" title="Mtsvanekvavila Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located in Gelati street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Mtsvane Kvavila Hostel features a garden and free private parking.</p><p>This room offers a balcony, air conditioning, working area and satellite TV. The bathrooms are shared.</p><p>Guests can cook in the shared kitchen or use on-site barbecue facilities. Grocery delivery is provided upon request. WiFi is free and available in public areas.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 30 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/mtsvane-kvavila.en-gb.html?aid=363972&q…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lll.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Hostel Ell</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lll.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Hostel%20Ell.jpg&quot; alt="Hostel Ell Kutaisi" title="Hostel Ell Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Gaponova street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>The bright rooms offer simple, traditional interiors. The shared bathrooms are in the hallway.</p><p>Guests can cook their meals in the shared fully equipped kitchen, complete with a dining area. A restaurant serving Georgian and European cuisine can be found within a 7-minute walk of the hostel.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 35 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-lll.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/shay.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Shay Apartment</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/shay.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/shay-apartment.jpg&quot; alt="Shay Apartment Kutaisi" title="Shay Apartment Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Jibladze street, Shay Apartment offers:</span></em></p><p><span class="fn"><span>Free WiFi access is available. Accommodation will provide you with a TV, laptop and a seating area. There is a full kitchen with an oven and a refrigerator. Featuring a shower, private bathrooms also come with a hairdryer and free toiletries.</span></span></p><p><span class="fn"><span><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</span></span></p><p><span class="fn"><span><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/shay.en-gb.html?aid=363972">Check price and Book online</a></span></span></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/golden-fleece-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Hotel Golden Fleece</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/golden-fleece-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Hotel%20Golden%20Fleec…; alt="Hotel Golden Fleece Kutaisi" title="Hotel Golden Fleece Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Newport street in Kutaisi, this hotel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a TV and cable channels. There is a full kitchen with an electric kettle. Featuring a shower, private bathroom also comes with a bath or shower and a hairdryer.</p><p>At Hotel Golden Fleece you will find a 24-hour front desk, barbecue facilities and a shared kitchen. Other facilities offered at the property include grocery deliveries, a shared lounge and laundry facilities. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including cycling. The property offers free parking.</p><p>Price: ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/golden-fleece-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-bavaria.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Hostel Bavaria</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-bavaria.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Hostel%20Bavaria.jpg&q…; alt="Hostel Bavaria Kutaisi" title="Hostel Bavaria Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Tbilisi street in Kutaisi, Hostel Bavaria offers:</span></em></p><p>It offers a tour desk, and coffee and tea are provided free of charge.</p><p>The property features bright, simply decorated rooms. Guests can use a shared bathroom.</p><p>At Hostel Bavaria you will find a garden, a terrace and a shared kitchen. Other facilities offered at the property include grocery deliveries, a shared lounge and laundry facilities. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including cycling, and bicycles can be rented at the hostel.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-bavaria.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-gio.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Hostel Gio</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-gio.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Hostel%20Gio.jpg&quot; alt="Hostel Gio Kutaisi" title="Hostel Gio Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free WiFi access is available. Each room here will provide you with a terrace. Complete with a refrigerator, the dining area also has an electric kettle and a dining table. You can enjoy city view from the room. Extras include a washing machine, a sofa and bed linen.</p><p>At Hostel Gio you will find a 24-hour front desk, a terrace and a shared kitchen. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge and laundry facilities. The property offers free parking.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL&nbsp;</p><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-gio.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></span></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-sweet-home.en-gb.html?aid=363972…; target="_blank">Sweet Home Hostel</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-sweet-home.en-gb.html?aid=363972…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Sweet%20Home%20Hostel…; alt="Sweet Home Hostel Kutaisi" title="Sweet Home Hostel Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Jibladze street in Kutaisi, Hostel Sweet Home offers:</span></em></p><p>All rooms have air conditioning. Guests can use a shared bathroom.</p><p>At Sweet Home Hostel you will find a garden, a terrace and a shared kitchen. Other facilities offered at the property include meeting facilities and a games room.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-sweet-home.en-gb.html?aid=363972…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/guest-house-millenium.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Millennium Guest House</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/guest-house-millenium.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Millennium%20Guest%20H…; alt="Millennium Guest House Kutaisi" title="Millennium Guest House Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located in Kutaisi, this guest house offers:</span></em></p><p>Free private parking is available.</p><p>All rooms feature a TV. Guests can use shared bathroom facilities.</p><p>At Millennium Guest House you will find a 24-hour front desk, a garden and a terrace. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge and a ticket service.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/guest-house-millenium.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi-centre.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Kutaisi Hostel Center</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi-centre.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Kutaisi%20Hostel%20Cen…; alt="Kutaisi Hostel Center" title="Kutaisi Hostel Center" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Jibladze street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Dormitories and private rooms only 250m away from the Davida Agmashenebeli Square. It offers a shared kitchen.</p><p>Each of the rooms is equipped with free Wi-Fi and air conditioning and guests share the 2 bathrooms. Mosquito nets can be requested.</p><p>The shared kitchen can be used to prepare meals and local restaurants are situated only 50-metres away from Hostel Kutaisi.</p><p>Guests can enjoy the entertainment at Gabashvili Park or visit Begrati Cathedral, both only 2 km away. The garden of Hostel Kutaisi contains a children’s playground.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi-centre.en-gb.html?aid=36…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/new-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">New Kutaisi</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/new-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/New%20Kutaisi.jpg&quot; alt="New Kutaisi hostel" title="New Kutaisi hostel" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Jibladze street, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free WiFi access is available. There is also a dining table. Featuring a hairdryer, shared bathroom also comes with free toiletries. You can enjoy mountain view from the room. Extras include a washing machine, a desk and bed linen.</p><p>At New Kutaisi you will find a 24-hour front desk, a garden and a terrace. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge, a tour desk and an ironing service. The property offers free parking.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/new-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Kutaisi Hostel</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Kutaisi%20Hostel.jpg&q…; alt="Kutaisi Hostel" title="Kutaisi Hostel" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Solomon Pirveli street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>This hostel features free Wi-Fi and a shared kitchen. It also offers a terrace and free private parking.</p><p>Each room at Kutaisi Hostel includes simple décor and wooden furnishings. Guests use shared bathrooms with a shower.</p><p>Meals can be prepared in the hostel’s kitchen, which also has a dining area. Al fresco dining is available on the terrace.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&qu…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.538em;"><br></span></p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-georgian-friends.en-gb.html?aid=…; target="_blank">Hostel Georgian Friends</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-georgian-friends.en-gb.html?aid=…; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Hostel%20Georgian%20Fr…; alt="Hostel Georgian Friends Kutaisi" title="Hostel Georgian Friends Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Leselidze street in Kutaisi, this hostel offers:</span></em></p><p>Free Wi-Fi access is available.</p><p>Rooms here will provide you with a TV. Shared bathrooms come with towels. You can enjoy a garden view from all the rooms.</p><p>Guests can cook their meals in the shared fully equipped kitchen, complete with a dining area. A variety of cafés and restaurants can be found within a 15-minute walk of the hostel.</p><p>At Hostel Georgian Friends you will find a 24-hour front desk and a terrace. Other facilities offered include a shared lounge. The property offers free parking.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/hostel-georgian-friends.en-gb.html?aid=…; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/nikola.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Nikola Guest House</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/nikola.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Nikola%20Guest%20House…; alt="Nikola Guest House Kutaisi" title="Nikola Guest House Kutaisi" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">Located on Nizami street in Kutaisi this guesthouse offers:</span></em></p><p>Free Wi-Fi, free parking and a children’s playground are featured at Nikola Guest House.</p><p>The bright, simply decorated rooms come with a TV and a balcony. Guests use the shared bathrooms.</p><p>Guests can cook their meals in the shared fully equipped kitchen, complete with a dining area. A variety of cafés and restaurants can be found within a 10-minute walk of the guest house.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 40 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/nikola.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><h1 class="item"><span class="fn"><br></span></h1><h2 class="item"><span id="hp_hotel_name" class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/korena.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Agro Guesthouse Korena</a></span></h2><p><span class="fn"><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/korena.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><img src="http://www.reinisfischer.com/sites/default/files/Agro%20Guesthouse%20Ko…; alt="Agro Guesthouse Korena" title="Agro Guesthouse Korena" width="840" height="460" class="null"></a></span></p><p><em><span class="fn">This guesthouse is located on Gelati street in Kutaisi, and offers:</span></em></p><p>Featuring a garden and BBQ facilities, Agro Guesthouse Korena offers simple accommodation in the countryside of Kutaisi. The property organizes visits to the farm, fishing trips on the lake and wine tasting.</p><p>With a balcony and views of the Gelati Monastery, rooms include free Wi-Fi and a shared bathroom.</p><p><strong>Price:</strong> ~ 42 GEL</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/hotel/ge/korena.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank">Check price and Book online</a></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href="http://www.booking.com/city/ge/kutaisi.en-gb.html?aid=363972&quot; target="_blank"><strong>You can find more deals on Kutaisi hostels and Hotels here.</strong></a></p>

Setting my first Booking.com affiliate goal

10 July, 2014 | Blogging | 11 seen

I'm new to affiliate marketing and I'm new to Booking.com affiliate marketing. Although I have been using Booking.com affiliate marketing for more than one year already - I haven't made much of it. But that doesn't mean this affiliate marketing program sucks. That means - my affiliate marketing tactics sucks. And I have decided to change that. To make changes we must change our behaviour. It so simple. If I want to succeed with Booking.com affiliate marketing - I must define some goals at first.

I could now write down - how I plan to get 80K in a year from Booking.com - but I wont do that. That doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy to make 80k with Booking.com, what it means - I'm to small to make such a money in such a short time. Instead I will write how I plan to send my first 50 visitors in a month to Booking.com site.

Yes, that's right -

My first Booking.com affiliate goal is to send 50 visitors to it in one month.

I'm not talking right now for any actual bookings, I'm talking to drive traffic to my site(s) to drive traffic to Booking.com

Why my goal is so modest?

As I already mentioned at start of this post - I have been using Booking.com affiliate program for more than one year already, and actually I do have some bookings made from it. But in past 12 month - there has been no month when it would be 50 sent visitors to Booking.com site.

Actually the most visitors I have sent to Booking.com in one month is 31 and it happened in December 2013. Unfortunately there didn't happen any booking and my earnings equals 0 in that month. But I have made my commissions from Booking.com affiliate program by sending less than 30 visitors.

Conversation rates

That said - I have no clue, what could be possible conversation rates from 50 sent visitors to Booking.com, but according to my inner feeling and previous experience, conversation rates might be around 3% in Booking.com. It doesn't mean that I will have 1.5% rate from my 50 sent visitors to Booking.com. It's just approximate measurement.

I will speak more about conversation rates after I will fulfil my first goal on Booking affiliate marketing.

I agree, for some might seen very pathetic goal to send 50 visitors to other affiliate site, but for me - who never ever before has sent 50 visitors to any affiliate site - this is actually huge goal.

Some time ago  - I did setup my first Google Adsense Goal - to reach $40.00 in a month. In last month I did recieve just a little more than $16.00 in earnings from Google Adsense. At the time I set my Adsense Goal, I was earning about $6-$7 per month. Right now - I feel a little bit sad - I made such a "high goal" - although in overall - my traffic is growing and I hope to reach $40.00 in a month any time soon (it might take some 6 more months - again - it depends)

Speaking of my goal to reach 50 sent visitors to Booking.com - I hope to fulfil this goal this month (july) or next month. I have started to work with content providing valuable information about hotels and I'm starting to receive some bits of traffic, that leads me to think - that goal 50 sent visitor to Booking.com, although a pathetic, however is a huge goal for me - could happen any time soon.

In conclusion

If you are just like me are a newbie to Booking.com affiliate marketing or you have started new travel site - set yourself smaller, but achievable goals, don't set your first goal to earn 80K in a year. Work on your site, provide more valuable travel/hotel related content, get more traffic and you will be able to reach your smaller goals as I hope to achieve mines. 

Former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze died at 86

7 July, 2014 | Living in Georgia | 10 seen

<p>Today at 12:00, Tbilisi time - former president of Georgia Eduard Shevarnadze after continues illness has died.&nbsp;</p><p>Many including me - remember Eduard Shevarndadze not only as president of Georgia, but also as a foreign minister of Soviet Union. There were time Mr. Shevernadze was considered second person after Mikhail Gorbochov in USSR.</p><p>Eduard Shevernadze after collapse of Soviet Union became a 2nd president of Georgia in 1995 and held his position till 2003, when resigned from office after Rose Revolution, which led Mikheil Saakashhili in power.</p><p>There has been many talks about Mr. Shevernadze impact on Soviet Unions foreign policy as well his role in newly independent Republic of Georgia. But one is for sure - such an important political figure be hard to find soon in Georgia.</p><p>Taking in consideration that Mr. Eduard Shevernadze was not in active politics for last decade, he was considered prominent consultant. I remember some time ago I red an interview with Eduard Shevernadze, where &nbsp;- quote:</p><blockquote><p>Mikheil Saakashilli was best gift Russia could dream of. He gave &nbsp;to Russia Abhazia and South-Ossetia&nbsp;</p></blockquote><h2>&nbsp;</h2><h2>About Eduard Shevernadze</h2><p>Eduard Shevardnadze (25 January 1928 – 7 July 2014) was a Georgian politician and diplomat. He served as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party (GPC, the de facto leader of Soviet Georgia) from 1972 to 1985 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. Shevardnadze was responsible for many key decisions on Soviet foreign policy during the Gorbachev Era. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he was President of Georgia (or in equivalent posts) from 1992 to 2003. He was forced to retire in 2003 as a consequence of the bloodless Rose Revolution.<br><br>Shevardnadze's political career started in the late 1940s as a leading member of his local Komsomol organisation. He was later appointed its Second Secretary, and even First Secretary. His rise up the Georgian Soviet hierarchy continued until 1961 when he was demoted after he insulted a senior official. After spending two years in obscurity, Shevardnadze returned as a First Secretary of a Tbilisi city district, and was able to charge the Tbilisi First Secretary at the time for corruption. His anti-corruption work quickly garnered the interest of the Soviet government, and Shevardnadze was appointed to First Deputy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Georgian SSR. He would later become the head of the internal affairs ministry and was able to charge First Secretary (leader of Soviet Georgia) Vasil Mzhavanadze for corruption charges.<br><br>As First Secretary, Shevardnadze started several economic reforms which would spur economic growth in the republic, an uncommon occurrence in the Soviet Union because the country was experiencing a nationwide economic stagnation. Shevardnadze's anti-corruption campaign continued until he resigned from his office as First Secretary. Mikhail Gorbachev appointed Shevardnadze to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs. From then on, with the exception of a brief period between 1990 and 1991, only Gorbachev would outrank Shevardnadze in importance in Soviet foreign policy.<br><br>In the aftermath of the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 Shevardnadze returned to a newly independent Georgia. He became the country's head of state following the removal of the country's first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia. He was formally elected president in 1995. His presidency was marked by rampant corruption and accusations of nepotism. After allegations of apparent electoral fraud during the 2003 legislative election Shevardnadze was forced to resign following a series of public protests and demonstrations colloquially known as the Rose Revolution. He later lived in relative obscurity, but published his memoirs.</p><p>Materials used:</p><ul><li>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Shevardnadze</li><li>http://newsgeo…;