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Is anyone worried about travel to Turkey these days?

Is anyone worried about travel to Turkey these days?

Old May 9th, 2007, 06:16 PM
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Is anyone worried about travel to Turkey these days?

Given the political situation, everyone is telling us not to go. But it's the #1 travel spot on my list and I'm having a hard time saying no. Thought? TIA
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Old May 9th, 2007, 06:25 PM
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Hi there,

My folks, aged 75 and 82, went to Turkey last fall. They went on a package tour, and had a great time. We had lived in Turkey for a while when I was young, so they know some Turkish and are comfortable with the country, the language and the people. They were in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Pammukale and I'm not sure where else. They found that the country had changed tremendously since the mid-1970s, and were concerned about the level of development in Pammukale, which is very similar to the Mammoth Falls (I believe that's what it's called) in northern Yellowstone National Park.

The only grumble they had was that the meals tended to be buffets, and didn't have as much fresh produce as they would have liked.

Personally, it's very high on my list of places to go, and I would go in a heartbeat.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:18 AM
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What political situation?
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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:21 AM
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Should I cancel my trip there?
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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:43 AM
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I've been to Turkey half a dozen times in the past year or so on business, and have been studying it for work-related reasons during the same period.

Despite the somewhat higher level of political instability and recent demonstrations, I don't think that the security situation in Turkey has deteriorated. There is tight security in public places (e.g. metal detectors in hotels, shopping centres, banks, etc) but it is not heavy-handed. As I would in any other city in the world, I would pay attention to the news and try to avoid ending up in the middle of, or on the fringes of, a public demonstration. (Police in many countries have been known to get heavy-handed with demonstrators, and demonstrations attract louts who are interested in inciting or participating in violence, etc.)

In comparison with some cities, there is a somewhat higher risk of bombings by terrorists (I'd judge the risk to be about the same as the risks you're exposed to in Madrid). However, although the relative risk is higher than, e.g. the risk of terrorist incidents in Toronto, the difference in the absolute risk is very small. And let's face it, you face a higher risk every single day of being injured in a traffic accident at home. So I don't let the risk of terrorist incidents at this threat level affect my travel plans.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:46 AM
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Has anyone that tells people not to go to Turkey ever been there?

I travel there regularly- have trips planned for June and September- why change ?

I see no dangers.


Recents riots in France- did everyone cancel plans ?
Bombings in London and Spain - did many people cancel-

Peaceful demonstrations to continue the secular and democratic path in Turkey - does this mean do not go?
The majority of people want a secular President - is this the political situation that would force someone to cancel a planned trip?

I have never felt any fear to travel there and enjoy the many things offered by this beautiful country- historic sites- culture- friendly people superb beaches, clean sea, good food and much more.


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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:55 AM
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I've been for the last 3 years and plan to go again this summer.

I agree with Molker - so much to enjoy. I certainly won't be cancelling ...

Steve
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Old May 10th, 2007, 07:44 AM
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I'm going next week and did not consider cancelling.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 07:55 AM
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I agree that it is best to take advice from people who have been or live there.

You could also check out the forums on VT. There are more entries under "Warnings & Dangers" for Turkey than most other destinations and the info provided can be illuminating.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 09:20 AM
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We are visiting Turkey in July for the first time. Although we live in New York and travel a lot, I was concerned enough to get back in touch with our Turkish travel agent, at Anker Travel in Kusadisi. Here is what she wrote in response to my concerns:

"We really do not expect a situation or "force majeure" even if the elections are held, as currently planned in July.

The reality is that on May 1st, which is our "Day of the Workers", 100,000 people gathered for an authorized "peaceful" protest,( during which NOTHING happened!) while a small separatist group of 400-500 persons gathered in an unauthorized place and created problems. These 400-500 people were shown on foreign TV stations as representing everyone in Turkey, and this is far from true!

Personally, I see no reason to worry for your upcoming trip."

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Old May 10th, 2007, 09:36 AM
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Going in August for the first time. My take on the political situation is that the moderates in the population are protesting to make sure that the government remains secular, something that the military also supports. I don't see this as a situation that would make me think twice about going. That being said, I will doing some research on the culture and history before going to help me while I'm there.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 09:43 AM
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I've been to Turkey a number of times and would have no hesitation going back there. Lots to see, great people and you can be in danger from madmen anywhere in the world.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 11:19 AM
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The suggestion from milosisforlovers to look at the warnings and dangers section on Virtual Tourist is an interesting one. On the one hand, VT does have a lot of detail observations. On the other hand, if you simply counted the number of entries under the "warnings" section and decided to skip the countries with the most warnings (milosisforlovers notes that Turkey has more warnings than many other countries), then you'd have to cross Italy and the United Kingdom off your list before you dropped Turkey. Many of the "warnings" are common sense suggestions about avoiding scams that take place in many countries. Another batch of warnings aren't really about dangers at all, but simply practical advice for travelling in the various countries.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 11:50 AM
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I expressed similar concerns on an earlier post since we are planning to go in June. It seems for now the political situation is somewhat diffused due to the call for early elections. The military seems to be holding back under pressure from the EU and the US (not that would matter in the end).

Tom Brosnahan, www.turkeytravelplanner.com, has recently posted on his web site that he believes the situation should not deter one from going, though he adds that everyone needs to make up his or her own mind (I paraphrase).

Bottom line is that we are planning to go and look forward to it, though I will continue to monitor the situation.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 01:09 PM
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I was scheduled to go to Turkey in October of 2001, and our meeting was canceled so we didn't go. I regret it to this day, if you can find a way to feel comfortable about it, I would recommend going.
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Old May 10th, 2007, 02:03 PM
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Try the State Department's (USA) web site:

http://tinyurl.com/39ke2c
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Old May 11th, 2007, 03:20 AM
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Thank you all for your invaluable help. So much more informing than the alarmists we know. I think we will go in August.
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Old May 11th, 2007, 06:59 AM
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I was there in April, when the political situation really started to develop. I had no problems at all. I'm going back in June (for good)& have been told by a resident that he doesn't expect any problems anytime soon.
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Old May 11th, 2007, 07:08 AM
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For what it is worth: I was in Turkey at Kusadesi, 2 weeks after the military coup d'etat in 1980. I was on a Greek cruise ship and the only thing they told us to do what to NOT take pictures of the Turkish soldiers. I had totally forgotten that until this post came up. Ended up buying two rugs, having a lovely lunch and a general great time. Always wanted to go back to Turkey but haven't had the chance yet.
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Old May 11th, 2007, 07:12 AM
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Apologies; I posted this in the wrong thread. We had a disturbing report of young Muslim extremists in Turkey brutally torturing and killing three pastors who were leading a Bible Study. This was last month, on Easter Day. And this is a new phenomenon there. I have the full account; it is acutely distressing. Care is needed. Blessings....
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