*Detour* Holiday to Southern Turkey

Vacationing from Istanbul to Antalya! And other week one updates.

Now I know some of you are asking, “Sam, aren’t you already on vacation?! How are you going on another vacation so soon?!”

Listen, guys. First, my move to Turkey isn’t a vacation. It’s (hopefully) permanent. And I plan to fully dive into finding work in the next few weeks. If I find a full-time job, my windows of time for additional travel will be reduced. There’s also speculation that Istanbul may shut down again (if the COVID cases keep rising). I’m going to go exploring while I can!

Also, winter is coming!

I couldn't resist :)

Istanbul experiences winter with cold temperatures and (sometimes!) even snow. <<It actually hailed in Kadikoy this week. Meaning ice, falling from the sky in September, which is unusual >> I did pack my snow boots and a large jacket just in case this winter is bad. During the winter months, it is not optimal to travel within the region. So, I’m doing it now.

Additionally, one of my roommates really wanted to take this vacation and it was an excellent opportunity to get to know the people I’ll be spending the next three to four months living with. So when she suggested it, of course I said yes!

Istanbul Roommates

Full Throttle

I joined the booking process without knowing much about the tour itself.

(Sounds kinda crazy for someone who used to be in the tourism industry right?)

Meals included? Breakfast and dinner. What level of hotels? No idea. What cities are we stopping in? I’ll find out when we get there.

What I knew going into this was that we (the 3 roommates) are taking an overnight bus from Istanbul to Bodrum and it includes some boat tours. The tour is 7 nights / 8 days and ends in Antalya. Hotel accommodations are included, the 3 of us are sharing a room, and plentiful beach experiences will ensue. I made sure that we weren’t leaving the country, as U.S. Passport holders are restricted to basically 5 areas at the moment (Turkey, Croatia, Mexico, and some Caribbean Islands - Article: New York Times - I'm a US Citizen. Where in the World Can I Go?)

I packed a duffel, and off we went. The bus departed at 11pm …

… and then I lost Internet for the week

Literally, my week.

I am back in Istanbul now and overall, the tour was absolutely fantastic!

Once we boarded the bus in Istanbul we were with the same people for the entire week. Myself and my roommates were the only foreigners, the rest were Turkish nationals from various parts of Turkey. As I mentioned previously, hotels were included, transportation, breakfast and dinner, and tour guide. I would say it was a mix of 2 & 3-star hotels… comfortable, but not all of the amenities were available. We also paid extra for optional excursions and snacks/drinks along the way.

TOTAL spend for 8 days: $535 USD approximately

Tour: $260 per person, triple occupancy ($300 double occupancy)

Extras: $275 I did ALL of the excursions. Every single one. And this includes additional meals, snacks, drinks along the way.

The highlighted cities are below:

• Sirince Koyu

• Ephesus Ancient City

• House of Mother Mary

• Kusadasi

• Bodrum ← Major City (2 Nights)

• Mugla

• Marmaris

• Dalyan (Iztuzu Plaji)

• Fethiye ← Major City (2 Nights)

• Kas

• Antalya ← Major City (1 Night)

3 different hotels in 3 cities. 2 "nights" spent on the bus from Istanbul to Bodrum upon arrival and Antalya to Istanbul upon return.

We had a water gun fight, we had relaxing cruises, we had historical tours, we had time at the beach, we had the opportunity to go water rafting and paragliding. It was really a tour that offered something for everyone's interest!

All for approximately $535 (converted from Turkish Lira). You CANNOT find that in U.S. Your plane ticket would cost you that much alone…

Was it worth it? 1,000%

Would I do it again? Without a doubt.

Book with: Jolly Tours if you’re in for an adventure :)

Here’s the catch though: It was all in Turkish

I’ll be honest that upon arriving in Istanbul, I could understand SOME. Someeeeee. Turkish. I was fumbling with some of the common phrases, which is normal. It takes time to immerse yourself again after such a long time. So to say my listening comprehension was good… eh.

The good news is that by the end of the program my listening comprehension returned to its previous level and improved A TON, due to this program being completely in Turkish and with Turkish nationals. Give me one month here, full immersion, videos, music, daily interaction, and I’ll be a-okie dokie!

If moving to a new country is something that you are considering for yourself, you have to be comfortable with not always understanding everything right away. I definitely tuned out during some of the historical lectures by the tour guide and just focused on either finding the English tourism boards, or learning new words, or taking pictures. I’ve known people who want every single thing translated for them. It’s just not possible when moving to a new country unless you get an official translator. Once you learn to let go of that portion of control, the experience becomes so much more enjoyable. You also get to learn some fun new words :)

It’s for this reason, I recommend also being open to making friends. My roommate Meryem is a native Turkish speaker and I appreciated her updates throughout the program for the important items. Each day I just had an outline for the day, what time I needed to wake up, what to put in my day-pack, and then just followed along with the bus from there. I didn’t expect a word-for-word translation. I was actually glad not to have a translator because it forced me to communicate and become comfortable again!

Exciting Things!

This was easily one of the best vacations I have ever been on. More than just because we to see the sites, but we made some great friends as well, and it allowed all of the roommates to really get to know each other! I would say that everyone on the tour was in their 20’s - 40’s, with similar interests, and really the whole group all got along. All of my former work colleagues can attest to how great a group can be if everyone is getting along versus how miserable it can also be if everyone goes in their own direction.

Also, I met this guy…

I swear I can hear some of you through the computer saying, "Sam! You've only been there one week!" Yeah. I am aware. But, um. Thank god. And, I promised to be honest, so I am! You can't fault me for that!

I cannot think about this vacation without him so I’m just going to leave these picture here for now and you can see for yourself. He’s really great. I mean…really really great. I do not want to jinx anything, so I won’t say anything more. But just know that I met him on the tour and he was a big part in making this such a fun and exciting week!

You'll just have to standby for the gossip :)

Now, Back to Work …

Before leaving, my sister Julianna told me, “Why don’t you take some months for yourself, just relax, and explore the area?”

My answer to her when I left remains the same as it is now:

1) If I use all of my time travelling, I won’t be able to stay once my visa expires in 3 months. There is a lot of documentation required to get a residency permit. I have to set aside a fair amount of time to submit and check-in on the documents in order to ensure my stay here continues to be possible. It is not easy to get that permit at all.

2) I won’t be able to financially stay here for an extended time (beyond a year), if I don’t find a job. And winter is not the ideal time to start looking.

But I’m so glad we went on this trip! This was the perfect amount of relaxing time that I needed, and now I am ready to get down to business.

Up next - Finding a job!