Experience Turkey
Period of visit: December 2019
1 Euro is 6.4 Turkish Lira
1 US dollar is 5.9 Turkish Lira
People
In general I had really good experiences with the Turkish people. Most of the Turkish people are really welcoming and friendly. Sometimes I got a strange face like: What the hell is he doing here with this car.
I got invited every now and then by the locals for a cup tea.
Couchsurfing
Couch-surfing in Turkey is great. I didn’t use it that much, but the experiences I had where really good. Most people in Couch-surfing do have a good command of English.
Accommodation
Accommodation in and around the big cities in Turkey is not to difficult. Ranging from 80 lira up to 120 Lira you can find pretty nice accommodation. I stayed mostly in a single or small double rooms in a guesthouse. Going into the less traveled area’s in Turkey its going to be a bit more difficult to find affordable and good accommodation.
I had this one room in Yosgat(middle of turkey). Normally I always ask to see the room before I agree on something. This time I did trust the pictures on Google. Bad choice. I got there late at night, paid of the room. I was about to go to bed, after repairing the hot water system in the room myself. I did take a good look at the beds, this made me decide to go get my sleeping mat and sleeping bag from the car. Terrible, probably nobody ever want to sleep in those beds.
Religion
A lot of people in Turkey are Muslim. You will see and hear a lot mosques when visiting Turkey. You can hear in about every inch of Turkey the call for prayer. Well, you get used to it after a while.
The greeting between Turkish people is also commonly Salaam Alaykoem. This greeting has its origin in the Arabic language. A lot of the Muslim countries or countries with Muslim influences use this way of greeting. The proper answer will be Alaykoem salaam.
Culture
One of the biggest cultural “problems” they have in Turkey is tea. They love their tea to much. Everywhere you enter you will be probably offered a cup of tea. Not the cup we have, but a small one. This means you have to drink at least 2 of them.
Government
In general the most Turkish people I met on the way don’t really like the current government of Turkey. They don’t like the way they handle the financial situation of Turkey and the political relations with other nations.
Traffic
The traffic in Turkey is pretty good I would say. Maybe in and around the big city’s like Istanbul and Ankara It can be a bit busy. When your staying away from these city’s your completely fine while driving. In general they do use their turning signals and lights on the cars do work for the biggest part.
Road conditions
The road network in Turkey is just great. Especially the highways are really good. These roads are so good that it is getting boring at some point. When getting of the main roads you will find yourself a couple roads which are not that good. Definitely nothing to worry about with a decent car!
Car insurance
When crossing the border you will need a valid car insurance. In my case my Dutch insurance did cover Turkey. No issues or other information on that end.
Crossing the border with your vehicle
Crossing into Turkey with a Dutch car is the easiest process ever. They only ask for the car papers, insurance and of course your own passport with visa(if needed) No special document necessary to do this. The process will probably be the same for every other European car/citizen.
Border crossing: Easy and efficient
Language
As you can guess the official language in Turkey is Turkish. When visiting the big and touristic city’s your not going have any issue with this. A lot of people in these places do speak moderate or good English. When going into the less traveled area’s like it did. It’s going to be different. When getting out of the touristic city’s the amount of English spoken is really bad. Getting a good internet connection is great to solve this problem.
Money
In Turkey the official currency is Turkish Lira. The currency is not one of the strongest in the world. So check the current exchange rates before you exchange any. At every border crossing you will find some money exchange offices. As in every country these offices next to the border usually don’t offer the best rates. I would suggest get some money in the country your leaving or exchange just whatever you need. Personally I only exchange 20 or 30 euro on each border. This money will get me going to the next city to exchange some more.
Internet connection
Getting a simcard in Turkey is easy. Just go to a random telecom provider store and ask for a simcard. I got myself a simcard in Edirne, a border town with Bulgaria. I payed about 80 Lira for a card with 4 GB data. Go shopping around for a good rate. There is a big difference between providers. Just remember to bring your passport. You will need to register the simcard to your passport. Without a passport you are not getting simcard. An European ID card is also not valid to get a simcard.
Alcohol
Despite Turkey being a Muslim country you can find a lot a alcohol around. In most supermarkets you will find some.
Health insurance
Most European health insurance company’s do cover Turkey. To be sure check your policy.