Turkey

Unbelieveable! Have you thought about making the trip on your own?

Advice: Can the travel agent and go by yourself - - it ain't that hard and people will help you along the way if you need it. My magic wand says I could do it for less than two grand plus maybe five hundred for a flight to Cappadocia in back. What I wouldn't do is try to cram all of that into eight days.

Not only is it really expensive, $1100+ day is outrageous in Turkey. You can book everything yourself for a whole lot less or you can try other travel agents to see what they have to offer. Hiring a daily guide isn't always needed and you can find them locally as you go through your hotel or a local travel agency. There's no need to build them into your tour package. Google is your friend. Do searches for Turkish airfares, tours, museums, hotels, buses, etc. Go to booking.com for hotel pricing, booking and reviews. More advice and reviews can be found on tripadvisor.com. I spent a month in Turkey and in spite of the fact I did not speak Turkish I had no problem moving around the country, ordering food, asking for directions, etc. Most people who work in the tourism industry speak several languages. Many 'locals' do as well.

Agree with the others. Plan the trip on your own. We're in our mid-60s and spent 23 days in Turkey Sept 2011. We spent little over $3000 (excluding plane fare to & from Turkey). We spent 7 days in Istanbul; flew to Kayseri and spent 4 nights in Goreme, rented a car for 3 days; took an overnight bus to Antalya and one day later rented a car for 8 days and drove down the coast visiting Cirali, Patara, Pamukkale, Selcuk (Ephessus), returning the car at Izmir Airport, flew to Istanbul; spent our last night in Istanbul near the airport. Our cost also included a hot air balloon ride in Goreme. Turkey is a great country to visit and very easy to plan on your own. You don't need a guide.

Thank you all. I had a feeling this was waaaay too much money. Your advice was wonderful.

I think you are being scammed but then you are taking, and paying a salary, lodgings and food for your guide. I was told that Turkey now requires a visa for US citizens to enter. One source said it takes 6 months; another source says you can get it at the airport. Jane

The visa for Americans entering Turkey is issued at the Istanbul airport. There are booths there for various nationalities or classes of travelers. You line up in front of the appropriate booth. Someone will take your passport, relieve you of twenty U.S. dollars, affix a stamp on a page of your passport, give it back to you, and send you on your way.

Melissa, do it yourself! Lodging is easy (check booking.com or similar sites), food is wonderful, and Turkey is incredibly inexpensive for what you get! You can get guides on-site at most of the places you mention. The only domestic flight you might need is in and out of Cappadocia. Everywhere in Turkey, people will be happy to help you.

Got me thinking Does everyone who visits Turkey need a visa then? We are arriving from Australia. Do we need to get one before we leave. Also we are going to the mediterranean visiting a dozen ports food included airfares for a month and its a little more than your quote. goodluck with planning your own trip. liz

You can go to the official Turkey tourism site on the computer to find out if you need a visa.

There are also RS tours to Turkey. Even they (among the pricier ones) are much less.

I'll echo the other posts and agree that the price seems high. However, keep in mind that with this discussion board you're asking people who typically plan their own trips, tend to focus on value, and travel independently. The trip you were quoted could include a car with driver, flights within Turkey, private tours, and higher end hotels and restaurants. Is the price for two people or a family of four? Without details it's hard to know how much of a value or rip-off it may be. You can certainly plan something much cheaper yourself and find cheaper tour options. If you decide to plan yourself, pick up some good guidebooks (e.g. Lonely Planet, Rick Steves Istanbul, Frommers, etc.). For travel to the locations you mention, you'll probably need to book flights between major regions (Istanbul, Kayseri, and maybe Izmir). I think that Turkish Air is the easiest airline to work with to book flights from the U.S. You can use buses (cheapest) or rent cars (most flexability) to travel locally. I recommend renting a car for Cappadocia. One note on the visa, you will buy this in Turkey when you arrive and prior to going through customs. You will need to bring cash (U.S. dollars or Euros). Good luck!

We did all of that and then some with Rick Steves tour for about two thousand.We had guides for every location, transportation, hotels, all breakfasts, some lunches and dinners. My advice would be: take R.S. tour.

Again, thank you to everyone. I've received a lot of very helpful information.

Melissa,
It depends...........you mention "us," so is it safe to assume it is just two people (or is it more)? Depends on how high-end your hotels will be, where your meals will be, and whether or not you will have a private driver take you from city to city. Some hotels in Turkey are simply marvelous, very high-end.....ditto for restaurants. I checked Tauck Tours (which is a very nice, high-end group travel company that stays in fabulous high-end hotels, offers wonderful dining, fully escorted with then additional local guides, etc.), and a 12-day trip ranges from $5000-5500 per person, including on-tour air (flight within Turkey), but not transAtlantic airfare. But, that is group travel, no individually arranged travel for only two people traveling by themselves. If you want a wonderful experience, but at a less expensive cost, Rick Steves' group tours are wonderful, and Tauck Tours are even more wonderful.............we have done both in other countries. (Turkey we visited only via all-day shore excursions on a small ship cruise......I wish we had more time there.)