I am a 30 year old female, have travelled over much of the
middle east (Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Israel) but never
Turkey.
Are there any other ladies out there that have travelled to
Turkey, who can tell me what to expect as a female
travelling alone? Are women well regarded, or can I expect
to be hassled a lot? Is Istanbul a safe place by day for me
to be?
Thank you in advance for your advice.
Emma
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I visited Turkey in March 1998, with a Cosmos tour group. I'm planning to visit Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt this summer, and would love any recommendations you could pass on to me, and as well have the same questions that you have about Turkey.
Being in Istanbul in March, I missed all of the summer hordes. But, hordes do bring lots more English-speaking peoples, in case you run into problems. Although I was with a group, I definitely had the impression that Turkey is safe for a woman alone, and have thought of going back some day. The closest thing to a problem while I was there was when I was walking along a street up from the Blue Mosque with a Tasmanian man from the group. Two guys, smiling, friendly, and English-speaking tagged along with us, one guy trying to sell us a guide. After a couple of minutes, I got wary when I noticed the taller fellow quickly glance at my friend's camcorder which was hanging around his neck, and I could tell we were being set up. We hastened back to the Blue Mosque, while these guys still smiled and chatted. The moment we got within sight of a police car, the two men froze like statues where they were. To make a long story short, Istanbul thrives on tourism, and there are wily social-engineering types about who thrive on tourists.
I didn't see any women-issues at all when I was there. I was surprised, though, to see that nearly all of the women, even in Istanbul which is "western", wore long pastel raincoats (it was March) and head scarves.
Emma,
I will be in Turkey in Sept. to start teaching at a private
school for the school year. I have asked many of the same
questions.I admit I am abit nervous but I hope to hook up
with other like minded women and do a bit of travelling.I
am a Candian woman in my mid twenty's and this will be my
fist time in the middle east.See my message "canadians in
Turkey" or the womens travelling section of the thorn tree
is also very helpful.
Cheers.
Emma,
If you dress conservatively and take similar precuations
as you probably would at home (don't walk alone late at
night and that sort of thing), you shouldn't have problems
in Turkey. I found the men a little annoying, but they're
harmless, really. The more provocatively you dress, the
more unwanted attention you'll get, so my advice is to show
as little skin as possible! I think you'll like Turkey -
it's a wonderful country and overall, the people are very
friendly and hospitable. Be warned, though, that everyone
and their dog tries to sell you a carpet! Have a great
time!
Hi,
I was several times in Turkey, together with my wife.
Travelling the independent way and met a lot of people.
Be friendly, but show directly what you want, if you don't
need companion or guide.
Keep away the carpet sellers.
Pleasure!
Dear traveler friends
it is so amusing for us to see and hear so much nonsense
stories on Turkey.
i have not seen more tham a few who have beeen here and
regret it.
the problem for us Turks is to get people rid of their
prejudices and get them in to Turkey, rest is easy.
I myself is a Turkish, and travel a lot in the world
and feel sad to see people with so little knowledge of this
country.
I travelled to turkey last summer with another female and we
had no problem. Everyone, including the men, were very kind
and helpful. Of course you should dress conservatively in
the cities (not to worry in the beach towns!) and use sense,
but women can travel on their own without a problem in
turkey.
Hi Emma,
You would have no problem at all being a single woman
traveler in Turkey. Turkish people are very friendly towards
the tourists and sometimes in touristic areas the local
commercial fellows abuse this friendliness towards tourists
and they might hassle you a bit however if you show your
ignorance to them and if you show that you are not paying
atention to them, you will be ok.
When do you travel to Turkey? If you have any further
questions or if you need any more info, drop me a line. I
would be happy to give you some tips and recommendations.
You can reach me at halifax@superonline.com.
Also please check this site on the web,
www.lodgingturkey.com
It has a valuable info on accommodation in Turkey.
Best wishes and have a safe traveling,
Mehmet