turkey; turquoise trail

Turquoise trail represents the path taken; stars represent towns where we stayed. 

{budget}
I purchased this trip as a bus tour on teambuy.ca for $2298.  This included the flight, all breakfasts, all dinners, and all of the mentioned attractions with the exception of the turkish bath.  It also included the tour bus and all our hotels.  In my opinion it was an extremely fair price for what we received and I don't believe that I could have done it for less myself.  The tour company recommended tipping our guide a couple dollars more /day than google seemed to suggest was standard; so I would suggest doing your own research to find what you are comfortable with; plan at least $7/day total.  If you are interested in a hot air balloon ride, you can plan to spend approximately $200.  If you are hoping to find a rug while in turkey, you should budget accordingly.  There is a huge range in prices depending on where you buy it, size of rug, quality, etc.  You will definitely want to barter, but I would suggest the minimum would be about $1500 USD for a 5 x 7'.  Of course if you want a larger, more intricate rug you can spend upwards of $20,000 so give some thought to what you are looking for before going in.  Meals in turkey can be cheap or expensive depending on where you choose to dine.  You can easily find a meal for 5-10 lira, especially in smaller towns, or you can spend $30 USD on a nice sit down meal in Istanbul.  

All in all, the trip, including tipping and all spending money, cost me about $2700.  

{nutrition}
Turkish foods are not very friendly towards people who need to eat gluten-free.  It's not impossible, but I would suggest bringing some baggies that you can carry some snacks with you.  Vegetarian is also a challenge but a little easier.  On the coastal towns fish is readily available, but this isn't the case everywhere.  Again I would suggest having some snacks handy in case you can't find something at the time.  Nuts and dried fruits are very readily available so they make easy snacks to bring along.  

{culture}
In Istanbul, you may find that if you don't move off the sidewalk people will just plow you over, but outside of that people are very considerate and willing to help.  Although 98% of the population is muslim, they are not all practicing, so you will not feel out of place by not wearing a head scarf.  I would however suggest dressing modestly.. this is not the place for short shorts and low cut tops.  

{language}
There may be a great deal of sign language involved, but you shouldn't have a problem getting by with just english here.  There is usually someone around who understands english and if not they have usually been exposed to enough english that they can understand what you are trying to say.  Be patient and be kind, this speaks louder than words and people will go out of their way to help you. 

{safety}
I wouldn't suggest going to Turkey alone.  I didn't have any problems while I was here, but I always had someone with me and I didn't go out late at night.  This is just like any other country; if you go downtown at 3am by yourself, there is a significantly higher chance of getting into trouble.  Be smart and don't do anything you wouldn't do at home.  

I hope this inspires you & helps you to enjoy a trip to Turkey!

J. 
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