Jamly Blog

How to Meet People in a New City

February 2026

Moving to a new city is exciting, but it can also be lonely. Making friends as an adult is harder than it was in school — there's no built-in social structure. Here are practical ways to build your social circle from scratch.

1. Say Yes to Everything (at First)

Your first few weeks are critical. Accept every invitation, try every activity, and show up even when you don't feel like it. This is how you create opportunities for connection.

2. Find Your Third Place

Sociologists call it the "third place" — a community space that isn't home or work. Cafes, co-working spaces, gyms, and parks are great options. Become a regular somewhere. In Tbilisi, Fabrika, Coffee Lab, and LOKAL coworking are perfect examples.

3. Use Apps Built for Friendship

Apps like Jamly make it easy to find spontaneous meetups nearby — not events planned days in advance. Open the map, see what's happening right now, and join with one tap. No swiping, no endless scrolling.

4. Start Your Own Thing

Don't wait for invitations. Create a jam on Jamly — a morning yoga session, a coffee chat, a co-working afternoon. You'd be surprised how many people are looking for exactly what you're offering. In Tbilisi alone, there are 50,000+ expats looking for things to do.

The Digital Nomad's Guide to Tbilisi

February 2026

Tbilisi, Georgia has quietly become one of the most popular destinations for digital nomads. With its low cost of living, fast internet, and welcoming culture, it's easy to see why. Here's what you need to know.

Why Nomads Love Tbilisi

• Affordable living: $500–800/month covers rent, food, and entertainment — a fraction of Western European prices.
• Visa-friendly: 95+ nationalities can stay up to a year without a visa.
• Low taxes: A 1% freelancer tax rate — one of the lowest in the world for remote workers.
• Great internet: Most cafes and co-working spaces offer reliable, fast Wi-Fi.
• Booming tech scene: IT companies grew from 1,971 to 24,117 between 2020 and 2024 — a 12x increase.

Best Neighborhoods for Nomads

Vake and Vera are popular for quiet streets and cafe density. Fabrika in Marjanishvili is the social epicenter — where spontaneous meetups happen naturally. Saburtalo has student energy. Old Town (Abanotubani) is beautiful but touristy.

Meeting People

The nomad community in Tbilisi is friendly and accessible. Co-working spaces like Terminal, Impact Hub, and LOKAL host regular events. The 'Expats in Tbilisi' Facebook group (50,000+ members) is the go-to online hub. For spontaneous meetups, Jamly shows you what's happening nearby right now.

Best Apps to Meet People in 2026

February 2026

Whether you've just moved to a new city or simply want to expand your social circle, these apps can help you meet like-minded people nearby.

1. Jamly

Jamly focuses on spontaneous, real-time meetups. Create or join 'jams' — casual hangouts like coffee chats, padel games, hikes, or coworking sessions. No swiping, no planning days ahead. Open the map, find what's happening now, and show up.

2. Meetup

The veteran platform for group events — $63M in annual revenue and 12 million monthly visits. Great for recurring activities and larger gatherings, though events are planned days or weeks in advance and hosting costs money.

3. Bumble BFF

Bumble's friendship mode uses swipe-based matching, part of the broader $956M Bumble ecosystem. It works, but the one-on-one format can feel like dating without the romance. Recently added IRL events in 10 US cities.

4. Timeleft

Matches you with strangers for blind dinner parties based on a personality quiz. Active in 300+ cities across 60 countries, matching 25,000+ people weekly. Great concept, but limited to dinners only.

5. Couchsurfing Hangouts

Originally for finding places to stay, Couchsurfing also has a hangouts feature for meeting travelers and locals. The community skews toward backpackers.

Each app has its strengths. For spontaneous, low-pressure meetups with people nearby — especially in cities like Tbilisi where the expat community is booming — Jamly is the best fit.