Washington DC - Istanbul $399 RT w Taxes on Turkish Airlines

Quote from MotorolaRazrHD : When will you be there, maybe we can give each other a boost.

You may need to find someone local for that boost. There is no way I am getting my wife up on that roof. (unless i put a "sale" sign on the door to the roof )

Darn Skyfall isn't out on DVD/Blu-Ray yet, would have been nice to check it out before my trip. Who is visiting first? I'm going 2/14.

Quote from wiredspider : Darn Skyfall isn't out on DVD/Blu-Ray yet, would have been nice to check it out before my trip. Who is visiting first? I'm going 2/14.

I land in Istanbul on the 12th, wont actually spend anytime there until the 17th.

sweet deal. Too bad I am on west coast. What is the gypsy/begger situation like in Istanbul. Can't be as bad as Bangladesh.

Dark like Arabs? What? Depending on what Arabs we're talking about, they're not "dark" either. Those from the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, parts of Jordan and Iraq) also tend to be quite light. Some can only be identified as Arab if you know certain traits to look for (ex: long eyelashes and almond eye shape). Even those that are tanner/darker (like Saudis) do not look like Indians. I do not say that as a bad thing, it's just that they look completely different.

If you want to see a Syrian actress as an example, search Sulaf Fawakherji.

Quote from kind : sweet deal. Too bad I am on west coast. What is the gypsy/begger situation like in Istanbul. Can't be as bad as Bangladesh.

There are very few beggars in the Middle East relative to the rest of the developing world. Food, except in times of war, is almost never a problem and begging is considered shameful even for the poor.

Quote from TouchYouANDPad : There are very few beggars in the Middle East relative to the rest of the developing world. Food, except in times of war, is almost never a problem and begging is considered shameful even for the poor.

I think this probably has a lot to do with some of the most fundamental parts of Islam. For muslims, giving to charity and to those in need is a pillar of their religion. In a system where there is compulsory charitable giving, there would seem to be less need for public begging.

Quote from xveganrox : $450 from Boston... Well it looks like I'm going to Istanbul for three weeks this Spring. Thanks, Slickdeals...

What dates from BOS ddi you find this deal?

Quote from jimtom : From what I understand istanbul isnt a safe place for americans. I'll pass on this one.

False!

Quote from darksire : False!

Another Turkish nationalist trying to promote a backwards country.


If you have some common sense do some research before traveling to that hole. For starters you can read CNN http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/27/wor...index.html

I traveled there many times for business , I know the customs and I blend well with locals, as I previously mentioned I even have had Turkish friends but rural area is not safe at all and in big cities you are a target for thugs and robbers. If you are a woman ( blond woman specially) expect to be touched. The only good thing about Turkey is gold ( seriously gold is darn cheap but again be careful from who you buy it) and food (sis kebap). Again, if you go there buy gold 24k and 18k only Would I go back there? Of course because I know what to expect . Would I take my wife and my kids there? NEVER

Quote from Binar : Another Turkish nationalist trying to promote a backwards country. If you have some common sense do some research before traveling to that hole. For starters you can read CNN http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/27/wor...index.html I traveled there many times for business , I know the customs and I blend well with locals, as I previously mentioned I even have had Turkish friends but rural area is not safe at all and in big cities you are a target for thugs and robbers. If you are a woman ( blond woman specially) expect to be touched. The only good thing about Turkey is gold ( seriously gold is darn cheap but again be careful from who you buy it) and food (sis kebap). Again, if you go there buy gold 24k and 18k only Would I go back there? Of course because I know what to expect . Would I take my wife and my kids there? NEVER

You are trying too hard to badmouth Turkey. Such incidents take place in any and every country, yet you try to make a big deal out of one and act like it's commonplace in Turkey. Scores of people go to Turkey every year, such issues are in extreme rarity.

There are no school, mall, or theatre shootings in Turkey. Should Turks call Americans all terrorists and claim that it's not safe to go to those in the US? Generalizing is your filty method to spread lies and propaganda. You are not a decent neutral third party, you are an enemy of Turkey and the Turks. Naturally, Turks will respond to your racist posts when you try to fool clueless third parties.

Quote from TheNaturist : You are trying too hard to badmouth Turkey. Such incidents take place in any and every country, yet you try to make a big deal out of one and act like it's commonplace in Turkey. Scores of people go to Turkey every year, such issues are in extreme rarity. There are no school, mall, or theatre shootings in Turkey. Should Turks call Americans all terrorists and claim that it's not safe to go to those in the US? Generalizing is your filty method to spread lies and propaganda. You are not a decent neutral third party, you are an enemy of Turkey and the Turks. Naturally, Turks will respond to your racist posts when you try to fool clueless third parties.

You call me racist because I'm saying turkey is not safe. I even linked you an article showing the same thing. There are 2 sides to every story. You tell everyone Turkey is safe I say the opposite. It's up to the individuals to make their educated opinion.

Travel advice for Turkey issued by the UK government . Updated today jan 28th

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-a...ope/turkey

"There is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey and a number of terrorist groups remain active in the country. Statements have been made in the press indicating that attacks could take place against tourists or places used by foreigners. Terrorist attacks have taken place in major cities and resorts against government, military and civilian targets. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been placed in crowded areas, restaurants, refuge bins, outside banks and hotels and on dolmus mini-buses and trains. Terrorist attacks are regularly carried out against the security forces in the south east of the country by the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as well as kidnaps, including of civilians. You should remain vigilant at all times."


I guess UK government calling Turkey unsafe is racist as well.... Per your analogy

Quote from Binar : Another Turkish nationalist trying to promote a backwards country. If you have some common sense do some research before traveling to that hole. For starters you can read CNN http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/27/wor...index.html I traveled there many times for business , I know the customs and I blend well with locals, as I previously mentioned I even have had Turkish friends but rural area is not safe at all and in big cities you are a target for thugs and robbers. If you are a woman ( blond woman specially) expect to be touched. The only good thing about Turkey is gold ( seriously gold is darn cheap but again be careful from who you buy it) and food (sis kebap). Again, if you go there buy gold 24k and 18k only Would I go back there? Of course because I know what to expect . Would I take my wife and my kids there? NEVER

The poster above is SPOT ON on his description of Istanbul and Turkey.

I also have traveled there several times on business and pleasure and I must say that Istanbul has not gotten better in the past 20 years or so. If anything it is far more crowded and subsequently more dangerous. There are close to 14 million people officially living there but probably closer to 19-20 million people live there.
As he said, if you are a woman expect to be touched, or worse:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/new...y/1867923/

If you go missing it is highly unlikely you'll be found again, at least alive and well.

If you walk around you will be harassed by young men pretending to want to be your friend/show you around/practice their english, and a whole lot of other excuses.
And they are VERY STICKY, it is next to impossible to get rid of them and they'll follow all the way back to your hotel where you should ask the hotel people for help.
If you get on public transit more likely than not you'll probably get lice. Have your hair under a hat/scarf to avoid contact with others. It is crowded.

One thing that I experienced differently than the poster above is that the people in rural areas in Anatolia/Cappadocia, that's central/eastern Turkey, are far friendlier and hospitable than Istanbul.
Kayaseri in central Turkey has a NATO base which means a fair sized US presence.
Also, there is a very large US Air Force base in Incirlik, central-southern Turkey.
If you go traveling close to the Aegean coast tourist areas you'll encounter problems similar to Istanbul.
There are some great archeological sites in Turkey that are sparesely visited. Just do not be foolish enough to buy any archeological artifacts that certainly will be offered to you, that may or may not be real, unless you are prepared to spend a long time in a Turkish prison.

Istanbul and Turkey in general was a far more friendlier place to travel around in the 80's and early 90's than it is today.
And as the poster above said taking female companions with you, mother/wife/daughters, will encounter more problems. Also make sure that they are well covered around their body and head if they intend to enter mosques and other "holy" places.

If you are fully aware of the pitfalls of travel there and avoid them by staying in high end or luxury hotels like the Four Seasons/Intercontinental/Hilton/etc, and travel around by taxi you'll probably be ok. I wouldn't go clubing in the night though in Istanbul!
Do not miss the "dance" of the Whirling Dervishes, called Sema. The best place I saw it was at Galata Dervish Lodge or Galata Mevlevihane located on Galip Dede Street near İstiklal Avenue. The place was closed for renovations from 2007 to late 2011. The shows used to be a couple of times/week but you have to inquire for the recent performance schedule, if any. There are other places in Istanbul to see the dervish dance but this place is the best if there is a recent schedule of performances.
Turkish Airlines is a very nice airline to travel with.
Arrange for limo/car airport transfers to/from your hotel before you go there. Also, to avoid the hassle of taxis you can arrange for the same limo to drive you around.
Istanbul has a great modern airport though that puts JFK in NY to shame!!!

Quote from Binar : You call me racist because I'm saying turkey is not safe. I even linked you an article showing the same thing. There are 2 sides to every story. You tell everyone Turkey is safe I say the opposite. It's up to the individuals to make their educated opinion. Travel advice for Turkey issued by the UK government . Updated today jan 28th http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-a...ope/turkey "There is a high threat from terrorism in Turkey and a number of terrorist groups remain active in the country. Statements have been made in the press indicating that attacks could take place against tourists or places used by foreigners. Terrorist attacks have taken place in major cities and resorts against government, military and civilian targets. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have been placed in crowded areas, restaurants, refuge bins, outside banks and hotels and on dolmus mini-buses and trains. Terrorist attacks are regularly carried out against the security forces in the south east of the country by the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as well as kidnaps, including of civilians. You should remain vigilant at all times." I guess UK government calling Turkey unsafe is racist as well.... Per your analogy

Anybody can do what you are doing against any country. I told you, I can list the school, mall, theatre shootings and show United States as a very unsafe tourist destination and warn people to not visit. That is what you are doing. You take rare incidents that take place in any and every country and try to show it as common place in Turkey. I brought that up, and you repeated the same in return. You took partial warnings for traveling to southeastern Turkey and tried to show it as common place all over the country.

People can't make their educated opinions when they are subject to lies and propaganda by your kind, that is why you are responded to. Your posts are driven by hatred, you try to create an anti-Turkish sentiment to fool clueless third parties and scare them from visiting. You exaggerate individual incidents, pick certain parts of issues and twist them to be able to use against Turkey and the Turks. This is racism. Do not try to act like a decent neutral third party when you are properly labeled as a result of what you are doing.

UK government's travel advice has multiple categories:

1. No restrictions in this travel advice
2. Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country
3. Avoid all but essential travel to whole country
4. Avoid all travel to part(s) of country
5. Avoid all travel to whole country

Turkey is on category "2. Avoid all but essential travel to part(s) of country" due to Kurdish terrorism in its southeastern region and the Syrian war on the other side of its southeastern border. Kurds and Arabs are to blame for this, and tourists do not travel to this area to begin with. Category 1 is safe, category 2 is the lowest level of warning. Istanbul is not at more risk of an attack than any other major capital in Europe or the US, just like the majority of rest of Turkey.

Same page states the following:

"We advise against all travel to the Turkish towns of Akcakale and Ceylanpinar. We advise against all but essential travel to areas within 10km of Turkey's border with Syria. Five Turkish citizens were killed on 4 October 2012 when a shell fell on the town of Akcakale. Syrian forces continue to target areas close to the Turkish border.
Due to the high threat of (Kurdish) terrorism we advise against all but essential travel to the provinces of Hakkari, Sirnak, Siirt and Tunceli. Visitors should remain vigilant when travelling in other provinces in south eastern Turkey."

And if you attempt to blame Turks for these issues caused by Kurds and Arabs, the rest of the world should blame the Americans for issues caused by Al Qaeda with your sick mentality.