Female Going Alone to Turkey
 

I am a 37 yr. old swf and am considering going to Turkey by myself in October and plan to visit mostly the larger touristy places. Should I anticipate alot of hassles and/or harassment? Is it safe? I"m pretty adventurous but don't want to go someplace where I will be under constant scrutiny/judgement/harassment. Any info would be so appreciated especially from woman who have traveled there alone.

Trooper, I travelled alone all around Turkey as a 52 year old swf in 2000. I had a fantastic time! I was there for five weeks. The people were wonderful. <BR><BR>At no time did I feel unsafe. Having said that, I travelled in a way I felt sensible for me. I used inter-city buses to get from one place to another, but always in the daylight hours.<BR><BR>I used my guidebook to pick a moderate priced hotel, and got the hotel I was staying at to phone ahead to my pick hotel in the next town, before I left. That way, I avoided being hassled at the bus station.<BR><BR>You will find, when you get out of a bus, that there are people trying to talk you in to staying at a particular hotel. If you have a room prebooked like I did, you just smile at them and say you already have a room, and they leave you alone.<BR><BR>I found the only place that I got a bit annoyed with touts was in Istanbul - particularly in the Grand Bazaar. But you soon learn to just ignore them, but smile anyway - they are friendly people.<BR><BR>The touts' favourite trick is to engage you in conversation and get you to shake their hand, and they try and guess where you are from. From that they make like your oldest friend and want to take you to rug shops etc. Just smile and say "No". <BR><BR>I loved the Old City part of Istanbul, but once you get away from Istanbul itself, the tout problem is not in evidence, except for tourist areas. <BR><BR>Oh, and I found that using the Turkish phrases I learned from my guidebook, really pleased people - to think that I was at least trying a few words.<BR><BR>In terms of my sightseeing, I walked around everywhere by myself, just reading from my guidebook. Never felt unsafe. Particularly at places like Topkapi Palace in Istanbul (another must-see) it was lovely to sit under a tree in one of its beautiful courtyards, drinking in the atmosphere, while tour groups were rushed past in great big mobs.<BR><BR>I would spend all day sightseeing, and late in the afternoon, get some food (oh, and the food is GREAT and cheap in Turkey) and take it back to the hotel room for a picnic on my bed, and not really go out much at night, by myself, and fall asleep very early. That may sound old-fashioned, but it suited me and I had a great time.<BR><BR>I could run on and on about Turkey - it was the best holiday of my life. If you want to email me with any other questions, I'd be happy to hear from you.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>

You should be fine, but if you drop something don't bend over, just kick it till you are all alone and then pick it up.<BR>Have fun!

Trooper, the Frommer's Turkey guide (1st ed.) that I bought yesterday is written entirely by a solo female traveler. I put in several hours of reading last night and think that she offers honest opinions about her experiences and perceptions throughout the book. I'm planning on tacking on 3 solo days in Istanbul at the end of my 3-week trip to Turkey and Greece this Sept/Oct and find her perspective helpful and, to some extent, reassuring.

i am sure you will enjoy it. I have met manysolo traveller in Kusadasi who enjoyed it a lot and made good friends etc. Just keep in mind that you are in another country with very different culture and beliefs than yours. There will of course be slightly deifferent experiences you will have but I am sure they will be the positive ones. You wll see how friendly and hospitable Turks are ( i am not sayin this because i am Turk :) )<BR><BR>Enjoy it!<BR>www.visitkusadasi.com<BR>

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