Turkey serves as a travel destination with a rich past, tantalising cuisines, a great ambience, heavenly beaches, natural gems, and not-to-forget, the very famous Turkish culture. That is the reason why tourists book Turkey holiday packages each year to explore the unexplored here.
However, when my time to visit Turkey came, the first thing I could imagine was myself sitting in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia and floating over the lush greenery and natural landscapes, or sipping Turkish coffee in an elegant and cosy coffee shop.
While I actually did all of these things in my Turkey trip, one thing I must admit is, Turkey is not only beautiful but also packed with unforgettable experiences for people of all ages. And if you are one among those aiming to plan Turkey holidays, here is a short list of a few things that you need to know beforehand, and in my case, I wish I knew before planning the trip.
Not Everyone Knows English Well
Yes, that’s true. When I visited Turkey, the very first thing I noticed about it was this specific thing that English is not widely spoken in many of the small towns and restaurants. So you need not know merely English to visit Turkey. Even when I explored major places in Istanbul, I faced no problem. However, this was an issue in the local markets where I couldn’t find a neutral medium to communicate in.
The amazing thing is, still the Turkish people are quite kind, no matter the cultural or language barriers. Locals here go out of their way to help you, and even manage to convey their message to you via the help of someone who knows a few words of English or using gestures.
What I learned by this thing was not to let the language differences scare you. All one needs to do is to simply download the Google Translate app and learn a few basic Turkish phrases.
Tea is the LIFE Here
Before I actually visited Turkey in person, I had no clue of how important tea is to Turkish people. No matter which place you visit here, even the bus stops, hair salons, or during bus rides, you will be offered tea (and in many cases, free of cost).
When I got the offer for the very first time, I was a bit hesitant to accept it as I misunderstood it with the shopman’s expectations from me to buy something and rather considered it a sales trick. And later it turned out, this was just a polite offering and a part of Turkish culture and the hospitality of the locals here. Overall, the tea is served here in a small, tulip-shaped glass cup filled half, and is strong in flavour. So, you can add sugar if you want, but they don’t add milk, and neither should you dare to!
Say yes to tea. It’s a moment to pause, connect, and enjoy the moment. Whether you’re bargaining at the Grand Bazaar or chatting with a stranger in a small town, sharing tea breaks down barriers.
Bonus Tip: Turkish tea is strong and usually served black, in a small tulip-shaped glass. Add sugar if needed, but never milk!
All Places Are Not Card-Friendly
The card-swipe technique may not work at most of the places here, despite being such a famous tourist site. In the big cities, you might see the trend of card payments, but in small restuarants and towns, this might not work, so you need a backup cash in such cases.
Keeping cards only is a bit risky, and a little cash in your pockets might not hurt you. At times during my Turkey holidays, I had to rush to ATMs because many of the cafes didn’t accept card payments here, and even public restrooms would also charge a small fee. So, if you are specifically planning a short visit to smaller towns or areas, keeping a few Liras with you will prove to be a saviour!
While withdrawing money, you are recommended to use only the ATMs that are linked to banks to get better exchange rates.
Embrace Modest Clothing When in Turkey
Though Turkey is a land of diverse culture and there are many modern cities here, you will still get to see most of the people in trendy yet modest clothes. Especially if you are planning to explore any historical site or mosque, then you need to dress up modestly and respect the cultural and religious values here.
Women need to cover their heads with scarf and both men and women need to keep in mind that they must not wear any revealing clothes here. In my case as I didn’t know it before and was wearing just a bit trendy clothes, so had to borrow a wrap to enter the Blue Mosque for exploration. This helped me learn to respect culture of each place. And it’s always better to wear clothes in layers so that you can wear whatever you want, at any time, depending on the situation.
Turkey is Not as Small as Your Perceive It
It is not as short as you think of it. Overall, it is a mix of two continents, with lots of tourist spots to focus at, that draw people from all over the world and all walks of life. Trying to explore all of the popular sites in a single go might not be an enriching experience for you as you may get very little time to explore the unique aspect of each site. This is the mistake that I made and later regretted. Also, don’t overpack the luggage and keep it as light as you can. Focus more on creating memories as less is sometimes more!
Overall: The Best Experience of My Life
All in all, I learned a lot of things from my Turkey trip and hired Virikson Holidays to make my trip even smoother with their Turkey holiday packages. I promise, that’s the best decision I made!
