I'm thinking of doing the RS 7-day Istanbul trip and had a few questions for anyone who has done this. 1. How is it to take this tour solo? 2. I'm a vegan (no meat or dairy). Will this be a problem on a RS tour?
3. What airline do you recommend from the US (either out of Houston or Washington, DC) I'm also considering a tour to Turkey by another company that is vegetarian-friendly but not sure whether to go with a known commodity. Thanks!
Posted by
Land of La
8660 posts
Took the tour last year. Although I didn't solo on this tour I did on the 7 day Florence tour. No problem. Not a vegan but I'm certain you can make your preference known to them in advance. Some meals are together as a group but most on your own so you can pick and choose. There a vegan restaurants in Istanbul. The happycow.net website provides descriptions and locations. As far as an airline, for me, it's always who has the cheapest nonstop flight. Ataturk International is an extremely modern airport. Really loved the tour of Istanbul. Our guide was Mert Tanner.
Fabulous. Do hope you'll go. Fascinating city.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
We just returned from RS Turkey Tour nad we had 2 people w/ sgle rooms and 2 others shared a room. All seemed to go well . I am not vegan but saw many vegan options avail. on buffets. RS tours ask you in a advance questionaire form but a better option would be to call the office and inquire directly bef you send your deposit.
We took Air France and it was great and roomy in Economy.
Posted by
Tigard, OR, USA
1068 posts
Done RS tour solo in the past and am doing Turkey with RS solo later this year. It was great. Have not been to Turkey, yet, but the books I've read suggest you could do vegan in Istanbul, but not more rural places. I tracked air fares for 3 months and went with a balance of price and convenience (layovers, # of stops etc.) Not sure airline matters much.
Posted by
OP
Houston
2 posts
Ray,
What service/company did you use to track airfares? I've just started looking into this trip and have read some good and not so good info about Turkish airlines and don't know whether I should go with an airline like Lufthansa or an American airline like United. Anyone out there have recommendations on airlines? thanks!
Posted by
Tigard, OR, USA
1068 posts
I was checking all of the "standard" travel sites-Kayak, Orbitz, Expedia etc. Learned a lot in that some would not have "all" of the relevant flights listed or the prices would vary. Seems there really aren't any "one and done" sites. Anyway, I wasn't particularly looking into Turkish Airlines as I am flying out of another country. However, most of the sites did list some flights by Turkish Airlines.... usually on the last leg, from a connection in Germany/France/Spain to Istanbul.
Posted by
Arlington, TX, USA
281 posts
I did the RS Istanbul in 7 Days in 2010. There were 5 solo travelers (1 guy, 4 gals) and 2 traveling solo but were roommates. Everyone seemed very happy. I still think of the great time I had and seem to compare my trips to that one. Our guide, Mine was outstanding. I would definitely recommend RS but I guess you should compare the price. RS will take care of your dietary wishes. I flew American Airlines to Paris and Turkish Air to Istanbul. We were there when the volcano errupted and I flew home via Chicago on Turkish Air
which is a very nice airline.