Istanbul- Will you change your trip plans?
Jun 1st, 2013, 11:38 AM
#1
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Istanbul- Will you change your trip plans?
I started this as a separate thread so as to not interfere with the thread updating on what is happening in Istanbul currently.
A couple of the comments in the other thread indicated that tourists would be changing their plans for travel to Istanbul. We are also scheduled to go there in September and are considering changing our plans.
Unfortunately, the tourist industry will most certainly be affected. We would still like to go, but like many, time and money are a concern. If we wait to see what the situation is then we possibly lose out on airfare/hotel values in going another place.
I am just wondering how many others are considering changing plans.
A couple of the comments in the other thread indicated that tourists would be changing their plans for travel to Istanbul. We are also scheduled to go there in September and are considering changing our plans.
Unfortunately, the tourist industry will most certainly be affected. We would still like to go, but like many, time and money are a concern. If we wait to see what the situation is then we possibly lose out on airfare/hotel values in going another place.
I am just wondering how many others are considering changing plans.
Jun 1st, 2013, 01:06 PM
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If you are American, check out the State Department website to see what they have to say. I know that my husband and I (we are Americans living in Germany) spent a week in Tunisia during the demonstrations in February, other than a few extra checkpoints and a lot of extra police, we saw nothing and were in no danger.
That being said, you of course would want to avoid any large crowds or demonstrations, stay in the tourist areas, check with the hotel staff before you go anywhere, just use basic common sense. And have a credit card handy if you want to catch a quick flight out.
If your trip is in September you really need to just watch the news and keep up on State Department warnings. It is too far out to know what the situation will be like then.
That being said, you of course would want to avoid any large crowds or demonstrations, stay in the tourist areas, check with the hotel staff before you go anywhere, just use basic common sense. And have a credit card handy if you want to catch a quick flight out.
If your trip is in September you really need to just watch the news and keep up on State Department warnings. It is too far out to know what the situation will be like then.
Jun 1st, 2013, 01:25 PM
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I'm supposed to go in 9 days for 4 days.
As this is a business trip (mostly) I have the luxury that I don't have to book air or hotel in advance (or out of my own pocket).
Haven't booked a hotel yet (there is a HUGE choice in IST) but had a preference for one near Taksim. Which I will probably reconsider and opt for Sultanahmet. Even though my conference will be in a hotel on Taksim.
OTOH, and without making the incidents in Turkey less, it is not THAT uncommon to end up in some form of unrest or violent demonstrations or general strikes or whatsoever, no matter if you are in Northern Europe or around the Med. You get somehow used to it that the world is not a museum or theme park but that things just happen.
I'd say that there is no way to make a prediction to say what will be the situation in September. But there is also no way to say if a trip to Paris will be affected by strikes and riots in September.
As this is a business trip (mostly) I have the luxury that I don't have to book air or hotel in advance (or out of my own pocket).
Haven't booked a hotel yet (there is a HUGE choice in IST) but had a preference for one near Taksim. Which I will probably reconsider and opt for Sultanahmet. Even though my conference will be in a hotel on Taksim.
OTOH, and without making the incidents in Turkey less, it is not THAT uncommon to end up in some form of unrest or violent demonstrations or general strikes or whatsoever, no matter if you are in Northern Europe or around the Med. You get somehow used to it that the world is not a museum or theme park but that things just happen.
I'd say that there is no way to make a prediction to say what will be the situation in September. But there is also no way to say if a trip to Paris will be affected by strikes and riots in September.
Jun 1st, 2013, 02:49 PM
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In our personal situation Istanbul is one stop on our trip. We had debated between Istanbul and another city (not in Turkey) that I had not seen. Our concern is that we have not purchased our flight from Europe to/from Istanbul. That is something that we need to do sooner rather than later. We have booked hotel but it can be cancelled.
We have decided to wait and see in a week. If we have concerns about Istanbul at that time, then we will go elsewhere and save it for another time. Our time (and money) are limited so we will have to choose. There will also be a young person with us and I want him to have a good trip.
My concern is that this will spread to other areas.
In 50 years of travel I have not ended up in anything violent. Plenty of demonstrations and plenty of strikes ,but I will pass on the tear gas. Of course, it can happen other places but since we do have a choice we may cut the risk.
We have decided to wait and see in a week. If we have concerns about Istanbul at that time, then we will go elsewhere and save it for another time. Our time (and money) are limited so we will have to choose. There will also be a young person with us and I want him to have a good trip.
My concern is that this will spread to other areas.
In 50 years of travel I have not ended up in anything violent. Plenty of demonstrations and plenty of strikes ,but I will pass on the tear gas. Of course, it can happen other places but since we do have a choice we may cut the risk.
Jun 1st, 2013, 03:16 PM
#9
We have been near demonstrations while traveling in the past and just kept away from them. No problems. What is different here is the police attacking with tear gas and water hoses, violent reactions. It reminds me of what happened at Kent State in the US in the 70s. We are booked in a hotel near Taksim Square so may change that reservation. I was looking forward to staying there. We won't rush our decision but wait a bit, watch for Otherchelebi's excellent reports, before making any changes.
Jun 1st, 2013, 10:21 PM
#10
Our daughter (11) and I will be there in a couple of weeks, and are not staying near the park or Taksim Square; our apartment is in Sultanhamet. Having lived in DC during the September 2001 attack, the Anthrax scare, and the sniper, we appreciate the severity of the matter, and are of course watching events unfold in Istanbul, but have no plans to cancel our travel.
