Don’t Make These Common Mistakes When Visiting Turkey
5 Mistakes Travelers Make On Their Turkey Holidays
If you’re an international tourist and you have never been on a visit to Turkey, there’s a lot you’re missing. Turkey has breathtaking places to visit and very welcoming and hospitable citizens and residents. But there are several things you must know before boarding the plane to get the most out of your Turkey holiday.
In this article, we’ll reveal 5 mistakes tourists and visitors make during their stay in Turkey. The results are not always nice and must be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, we will be sharing alongside some tips to avoid these mistakes and get the best Turkey tours.
5 Mistakes you should avoid during your Turkey holidays
Not knowing some basic Turkish
One of the most unpleasant experiences anyone can ever have is being in a place where everyone speaks what you don’t understand. Despite the global spread of the English language, many residents in Turkey can neither speak nor understand the language. Most of the residents outside the tourist vicinity speak Turkish with everyone.
This can be a problem as you’ll always need to interact with them despite the language barrier. To avoid this, you must learn some common Turkish. Some important words to consider are how to say yes or no, say “thank you,” and greet people.
Drafting an insufficient budget for the trip
Getting a Visa to Turkey might not be as expensive as in most European countries. However, the price of transporting yourself down there can get drastically high, especially during summer. Apart from your travel expenses, you’ll also need to find a comfortable place.
Tourism is a very popular source of income for residents who stay by the coasts. These residents build hotels and lounges to accommodate tourists, and they make sure these accommodations are up to standard. You’ll need to have a good amount of cash before even getting a cheap hotel. Also, you’ll need more money for car rentals and other tourism expenditures.
Total dependence on ATM cards
Many people from western counties go to Turkey and rely on some little change in their pockets. They mostly do this with the belief that they’ll use their debit cards to withdraw some money from Turkish banks if the need arises. This isn’t always the best thing to do because you may run out of money in a rural area.
You’ll hardly find banks in rural environments in Turkey. Furthermore, ATMs might end up rejecting your card for no explainable reason. Therefore, you must have some money on you during your stay.
Taking western dress culture to the extremes
A major portion of Turkey’s population comprises Muslims. Just in case you don’t know, Muslims are very particular about their women dressing moderately. In addition to that, religious beliefs have a huge influence on the everyday customs and behavior of the residents.
You can still go on your shorts and crop tops, but make sure they’re not too revealing. Especially so if you’ll be in public places – you don’t want those nasty stares. If you are entering a mosque, cover your head like a lady. A recommendable tip is to always go with a shawl or scarf in your bag.
Getting easily offended
Turkish citizens are very friendly and may innocently give you more of everything, even when you don’t want them. Turks are innocently very inquisitive and may ask you questions that you might consider too personal. They might ask to know your age or how much you earn.
Any feature that makes you look different will attract innocent and naïve questions. So, be patient and answer the questions accordingly. If you have no intention of answering them, politely change the conversation.
Conclusion
A visit to Turkey can be an experience you’ll live to never recover from the awesome memories. It can be the pill your need to de-stress from the yearly hustle and bustle. However, make sure to avoid the things listed above to get the best tourism experience of a lifetime. Make sure to dress decently and always have some money and a scarf. Try to be polite and learn to speak some everyday Turkish. Don’t be easily offended especially when you’re asked an uncomfortable question.
