Lacitis

Hello,

I'm vacationing in Turkey with my family. We're having a great time. We're from Seattle, Washington.

As we travel around, I'm finding we haven't run across any of our fellow USA citizens. There are British, German, Danish, Italian, Russian tourists, but the hotel and restaurant staffs say there are no Americans.

I see another thread on the Turkey travel talk topic about Americans being afraid of going to Turkey. Is that the reason? Are there others?

I'm just curious as I wait for the rest of my family to wake up from a night walking along the promenade in Marmaris. What a town! You can sit at a cafe and the parade of people is a show in itself.

Best,

Eri

kerouac

Most Americans have long finished their summer vacation by August. June is the busiest month for Americans.

hetismij

Well the answer to your question according to my son is in Taomina, Sicily. He has just returned for two weeks camping and touring in sicily and says that Taomina was packed with Americans. Hardly came across them elsewhere on the island.

Glad you are enjoying Turkey. Hopefully the Russians aren't too bad - they have put many western Europeans off going the last couple of years due their drunkeness and loutishness - someone even said they make the British on holiday look well behaved and sober! I'm British, so don't start slinging insults at me - I'm merely quoting a Turkish hotelier!)

WTnow

You will probably see few Americans in Turkey depending on where and how you travel.

We have been in Europe for a year and rarely ever see any Americans. They are in Europe, just not where we usually are.

We saw a few Americans at Esbelli Evi in Cappadocia. There was also an American family in Fethiye that was visiting a daughter that is teaching in Istanbul this year.

There will be Americans on cruises that see Ephesus and maybe Istanbul high lights.

Most Americans miss the joys of Turkey as they are not informed about how wonderful the country is.

sheila

In my recent experience, they are all on Cape Cod.

Sarvowinner

They've all read the dress advice on Fodors and aren't wearing white runners so they are well camoflaged.

sinan

Hi Eri,

We are 4 Americans here in KUSADASI and I believe that 2 in Selcuk and many in Izmir

Sinan Akdeniz

Lacitis

It's Erik again.

The Turkish folks sure seem glad to see Americans. They don't seem to care much for Russians.

OK, gotta go. My son has important postings to put on MySpace.

Erik

Dee_Dee

You can count me as one more American traveling to Turkey in September. (I won't be wearing white runners so I may not be recognized!) I'll be in Selcuk for 6 nights starting September 6. Will any other Fodorites be in Selcuk during the same period? I'd enjoy a GTG over a glass of wine or dinner with a fellow Fodorite. PS... this will be my first trip to Turkey and I am so looking forward to the experience.

freeman0819

Here's another- I will be in Antalya from Sept 24-October 1 and then in Istanbul until the 7th of October. Can't wait!

Grcxx3

I agree with kerouac - that most American families are finished with vacations, as schools in many parts of the country start in early-mid August.

Glad you are enjoying your trip. Our (American) family has made 3 trips to Turkey and we LOVE it!

JaneB

My husband and I (Texas) leave for Turkey on Labor Day. Can't wait.

robjame

Q. Where are the Americans?

A. Where's Waldo...I mean Rick Steeves.

Weadles

My family just got back from two weeks in Turkey. We saw quite a few Americans in Istanbul, but hardly any in Ephesus, and none at all in Marmaris.

marginal_margiela

Hello, darling. I have just returned from Greece and was also told by many hotel and restaurant employees that Americans have been staying away from Europe this year. Many of these people think that the reasons are the euro/dollar exchange rate and a fear of terrorism, especially after the near-bombing of the airport in Scotland.

One of the restaurant owners on Rhodes told me that even though the Germans were travelling to Greece, they weren't spending money because their economy is bad right now.

Don't forger, sweetie darling, that Turkey borders Iran and is a Muslim country. This terrifies a lot of Americans. When I went to Istanbul in July of 2005, many of my friends thought I was NUTS!

The Great and Powerful Thingorjus

bkluvsNola

In my summer trip this year, I didn't notice that many Americans either. There were plenty in Geneva and Barcelona, but those are top international cities. There were none in Verbier, Switzerland nor were there any in Salou, Spain, that I saw.

Everywhere we went we saw British and German tourists.

take_time_2_travel

Erik,

I am curious as to whether you have felt at all unsafe while in Turkey. I have to confess that my eagerness to see the country has been tempered by the issue of perceived safety. I am not an insanely cautious person, but do want to use my good senses not to travel where there is increased risk. I would love to hear of your experience regarding this issue. Have a great time!

P.S. This American is headed back to Italy for the 3rd year in a row...not because I want to limit my experiences in traveling, but for family reasons. We have a Venetian cousin who is getting married and we will attend this wonderful celebration...can't wait!

amandakay00

I just returned to the States from Istanbul 1 week ago. I was there for 3 months. I was supposed to come home and finish university, but instead, I have decided to take the year off and move to Istanbul. I will most likely finish my schooling there. I absolutely love it there!

In response to your question, Take_time_2 travel, I felt very safe in Turkey. I did have one bad encounter: I was wearing a dress that was low cut (though showing no cleavage as I am as flat as a board) and I was grabbed. This was at night walking to the ferry in Eminonu. The police caught the man and put him in jail. This was my only bad experience and I have been there 2 other times. Don't let fear dissuade you from going--you'll love it.

NeoPatrick

Feeling safe? Yes, very. But I'll be honest here. Arriving in Turkey I somehow felt that I would feel a bit unsafe. After all it has this very foreign "mysterious" feel to it -- totally different than going to Paris or Rome, for example. But that feeling soon changed. People were friendly and smiling and nothing happened to make me suspect anyone was "out to get me" except for the harmless but annoying carpet salesmen everywhere.

And as a rather odd note. I have a very sensitive "nose". I nearly gag all the time on public transportation in much of Europe -- the unwashed masses on Italian busses, or the horrific summer armpit smells from the Parisians who believe in only bathing twice a year. But riding on the jam-packed trams in Istanbul, I was immediately taken by the fact that everyone seemed to smell like soap. I couldn't imagine how CLEAN everyone smelled. I'm not sure, why, but that certainly WASN'T my advance expectation.

danon

" the unwashed masses on Italian busses, or the horrific summer armpit smells from the Parisians who believe in only bathing twice a year. "


what an ugly and untrue ( in my experience) thing to say.