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Hitchhiking in '''Turkey''' is easyan extremely hitchhiking-friendly country. Looking like a Western backpacker Your waiting times will get you a lot of attention when travelling outside rarely exceed 15 minutes on reasonably used roads, even off the major tourist areasmain roads. OftenOn smaller roads, the first vehicle passing you is likely to pass will stop for you (sometimes even if they are going the opposite direction!) Lifts with big trucks are the most common − partly because personal cars are . Also you're very likely to be invited for tea and food, and often quite fullalso to home stays. Very few people speak English, while German might be a little bit more useful, especially in the east. However, it's essential to learn at least a few words of basic [[Eastern Europe phrasebook#Turkish truck drivers are generally |Turkish]], also for your safety. Turkey has a very friendly and helpful distinct reputation, especially when it comes to female hitchhikers, but may not speak a word once you get on terms with the dynamics of Englishinteracting with Turks (likely only after you make your first mistake, though) you'll usually be fine. Knowing some Turkish phrases will help a lotSee the Safety Chapter below.

Especially truck driver It's not very likely that drivers will often invite ask for money, but it happens occasionally. If you feel your status as a free hitchhiker is unclear, make sure to say ''para(m) yok'' before you get into the car. On the other hand, this might offend drivers who genuinely want to help you for tea and on long distances even for mealsdo not expect money.

Some drivers might ask you for a few Lira, and if you are not willing to contribute to the cost of the ride, please learn to say ''Param yok'' (I have no money) before getting in the car. Having a [[Signs|signboard]] (together with the thumb extended) certainly helps, since most Turkish hitchhikers don't use one and therefore it draws much more attention from drivers un-used to seeing signboards. Writing the name of first town on your route—no matter how small it is—and the name of a farther and bigger city is good.  Also while waiting for a lift, have your backpack on the ground ''in front of'' your feet, in a position that is easily visible and recognizable as a backpack by passing by drivers. As many will admit, seeing a large backpack and camping gear such as a mat always makes Turkish drivers more comfortable with the idea of letting a stranger in their car—since it kind of proves that you are travelling on budget, not a serial killer—and thus enabling you to get lifts far more quickly. Hitchhiking at night works even better than at daytime. On a busy road, you will easily get lifts in less than 5 minutes, well as long as drivers can see you. == Getting In ==Citizens of most EU and other Western countries can get a 3 months visa for 10 Euro or more. Czech, German, Latvian, Italian and Romanian citizens are allowed to enter the country without any visa at all. Hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]] had a terrible experience at the [[Kapitan Andreevo]]-Kapıkule [[border crossing]] stand in October 2008 when he was refused entry by a grumpy border guard who was probably looking for ''baksheesh''. It took a lot of convincing to be allowed back to the truck to get back his (Guaka's) backpack. The next day there was no problem to get in. The most well-trafficked crossing from [[Greece]] is the [[İpsala]]/[[Kipi]] border gate, on the highway {{E|90}}. From [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] and the rest of Caucasus, it's easiest to enter the country at [[Sarp-Sarpi border crossing]] on the Black Sea coast. Crossing the Sarp/Sarpi borderpost on foot is allowedsomewhat visible spot.

Following Turkey has been getting a bad reputation for female hitchhikers following the murder of [[Pippa|recent events]] in April 2008and many discouraging stories, ranging from minor harassment (see Personal Experiences below) to near-miss murder/rape cases like the one [[User:Zenit|Zenit]] and the girl he was travelling with experienced in November 2011. While these things shouldn't deter anybody from travelling in Turkey, they certainly prove that there is a specific code of conduct different from any other country that needs to be respected in order to avoid unnecessary problems. It will take a little bit of travelling in the country first to get used to this different dynamic, so this will be the time to be extra cautious. Further reading for female hitchhikers – and anybody travelling in Turkey – is [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html hitchhiking guide to Turkey for girlsthis blog] might be an interesting piece to read for everyone (not only for girls) who's planning to hitchhike in Turkey. Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before going out to wave your thumbhitting the road!

=== Women What follows is a list of general guidelines for hitchhiking in Turkey ===. Remember, however, that you cannot fully master the different dynamics of social interaction, especially between members of opposite sexes, until you've been exposed to the inital special attention you'll receive as a foreigner and possibly made some beginning's mistakes.

A personal story:* First of all, keep in mind that in Turkey there is widespread prejudice concerning the willingness of Western girls to engage in casual sex with random strangers. :My friend * Having said that, the biggest part of problems arise from the different conceptions of flirting in the West and in Turkey. In Turkey, making eye conctact, smiling and I (both accepting compliments can all easily be interpreted as outright flirtateous behaviour. Another thing to watch out for is that Turkish men will test males travelling with a female to see how protective they are of their femalecompanion. This will always be in a somewhat playful manner, and hardly ever in a threatening way. One very important thing is that a man travelling with a woman should never let her sit next to a man other than himself. This cannot be stressed enough, as drivers will read from this behaviour that a) the guy has no claims on the girl and don't really care what happens to her from this point and b) hitched through that the girl might be interested/easy.* Another important point, if one that goes somewhat without saying, is about clothing. Turkey from is definitely not the Greek border place to Cappadocia hitchhike in hotpants and it was quite stressfula tanktop, the least should be long trousers and a unrevealing t-shirt with sleeves down to your elbows. We never waited long for Anyone wearing less than this (apart from the Western coastal regions maybe) will usually be seen as a ride prostitute, and most of without the people we rode necessary language skills to explain women's rights over their own body you might get yourself into hassle you don't really need. If you want to be extra safe, you can also hitchhike with insisted on buying us chai a headscarf and/or a long (just tea"Iranian style") gown going down to your thighs and mealshiding your shape. However, I would * There is different things you can say that about your marital status. If travelling with about 90 percent a guy, the classical story of our rides we got our buttsthe married couple can work well enough, boobsbut won't necessarily stop a determined guy from trying his chances. Also keep in mind that many truck drivers (but generally not drivers of private cars) know that foreign hitchhikers tend to lie about their status as married couples. This might actually encourage some truck drivers to try his luck even if in the first point they never intended anything at all. If travelling alone as a girl, or crotches grabbedit seems to be safer to say that you are unmarried - meaning, or at least asked for sexmost people, a virgin. There The purity of virginity is widely respected and can provide protection. You can usefully combine both of these strategies (if travelling in a hand sign in Turkey couple) by saying that means sex, which is quite different from that we have you're cousins because a) you will be seen in America (much niceras a unmarried virgin, actuallyb) you just rub your two pointer fingers together back male relatives traditionally protect unmarried female family members and forth. It took us c) a cousin might at some point also have been picked by the family to be a while future husband to figure out what the girl.* Something that meant! We had to make our driver leave us on plays into the side dynamics of hitchhiking in Turkey as well are the road mostly Russian/Eastern European prostitutes that can be found practicing their trade all over Turkey. As a lot girl hitchhiking, be it alone or in company, you will at some point likely be confused with one of the middle working ladies. As an effect of nowhere so many of those girls being Russian, the words "rus" or "natasha" have come to mean "foreign prostitute". If your driver says any of those words, he's most likely asking if you're a prostitute. Make very very clear that was kinda dangerousyou have nothing to do with this, say ''yok'' very clearly without hesitating, smiling, laughing, or any other even remotely flirtateous reaction. Be insulted. And Likewise it took us about 10 hours 's not a very good idea to make it 25 miles say that you're Russian or even from just before Istanbul to just past the cityany Eastern European country that could be associated with Russia, especially Ukraine. People kept trying to take us into If the city or someplace we didndriver has understood that you're not a prostitute, he't want ll usually not bother you about it any more.* There is one main Turkish hand gesture that leads to goconfusion among foreigners. We were so glad when we finally made it out of Turkey at the Bulgarian borderIt is indeed extremely ambiguous, used in very different situations and complicated to understand in its context. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all consists of the index fingers of both hands rubbed against each other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutesback and forth. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack Some important meanings of respectit include casual sex, friendship, physical contact, to some extentgeographical closeness of objects or places, on our partmoney, etc. You see that the meaning can range from explaining how to get somewhere or explaining that driver is going close to your destination to asking for the local culturecasual sex. Nothing more can be said than to use your common sense and not to be overly paranoid. * When hitching here maybe you can learn how it comes to accepting rides, listen to say "we are just traveling your intuition and we arendon't looking for sex may we worry about being picky. Remember that even if you say no to several cars you'll still have not wait very long.* To finish, a ride" before getting brief list of useful vocabulary in a vehicledifficult situations. For Check out the pronounication guide in the record[[Eastern Europe phrasebook#Turkish|Turkish phrasebook]].:* ''çok ayıp'' - lit. "big shame", our drivers always let us out when we told them too and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbingsmost useful thing to say if somebody is harrassing you (sexual or not.):* ''Allah akşina'' - lit."for Allah's love", i.e. for God's sake:* ''bakire'' - "virgin":* ''kuzen'' - "cousin", ''biz kuzen'' - "we are cousins":* ''evli'' - "married"

NoteAs a brief summary: During our travels in TurkeyAs a girl, hitchbe aware of your body language -hiking or otherwisesmiling, eye contact, being flattered by compliments are all bad ideas. As a guy hitchhiking with a girl, stand your ground, show presence; always make sure to sit next to the driver. If the driver talks mostly to the girl, we also saw this handsign it's a bad sign. Girls should dress modestly and make sure not to be confused with Russian prostitutes (rubbing both forefingers together"rus", "natasha") many times. Although it could Be picky about your rides. Most importantly though, keep in mind that in 99% of the cases all will be misconstrued as meaning “sex” it has many different meanings such as “relationship” “friendship” “partner” etc. So fine, especially if a Turkish person makes this hand gesture don't automatically assume they are asking you for sex.pay attention to those guidelines!

Another personal story: :I have just finished my second two-week trip alone through Turkey just hitchhiking, and my experience has not been at all like the above. I was quite shocked when I read As a guy travelling with a girl it! I was traveling for long distances almost every day and I must have hitched with over fifty drivers – and only one of those drivers touched me apart from to shake my hand, and I was asked for sex twice, relatively politely, and both accepted no as an answer. I was treated with courtesy, respect, generosity, kindness, invites home to meet their families, and yes, tea and oranges. Also people kept buying me bus tickets rather than 'letting' me hitchhike on, which was horribly embarrassing! I think people who picked me up probably did consider is rare that I might you will be a prostitute, but easily accepted that I wasn't judging hit on behavior. I suspect that experiences like with the notable exception of the far Eastern part of the above depend on inappropriate behaviour or dress, or horribly bad luckcountry. I don't speak Turkish, so sometimes it was However travelling alone as a bit boring, which was probably the worst thing about hitchhiking. I would recommend not understanding the questions about whether guy you're alone or married- will/might be asked for sex depending not speaking Turkish can actually help! And also be aware that Turkish women hitchhiking sit so much on your attractiveness in the back seat of cars, same Western sense as in taxis. Another personal story::I hitch-hiked with a male friend for 3on how exotic you are (i.5 weeks in Turkeye. We started from Istanbul, to Safranbolu, Yozgat, Malatya, Nemrut Daig, Cappadocia, Kalkan being big and back to Istanbulblond will most likely increase the level of attention). I was asked Keep in mind that just even if a guy asks you to have sex with the bus conductor after one of the bus conductor invited us to take us and him it does not necessarily mean he found out that my friend and I are just friends traveling together's gay. Well, thatEspecially in Eastern Turkey it's just a minor issue. We got picked up by very common among unmarried straight men to engage in casual sex among each other as an effect of an old man when we were hitchextremely conservative society and sometimes horrible ramifications for girls having pre-hiking from Cappadocia to Nemrut Dagimaritial sex. The old man had only 2 fingers on his right hand, and he was driving at However other than the speed nuisance of 150km/h, drinking cai and talking over the phone while my friend and I were sitting at the back! He drove us to a town nearby to do some sight-seeing and invited us to stay with his daughterbeing asked for sex you's family! We ended up staying there for 3 nights. My fiend joined her husband re unlikely to work while i stayed at home with the wife doing some traditional stuff!The hardest route to get a ride was probably from Antalya to Kalkanrun into any problems. It was late and no one wanted to pick us up! In the end, two guys who worked in a restaurant picked us up and sent us to our friend's doorstep!Traveling in Turkey by hitch-hiking rocks! I never hitch-hike before but my friend has been hitch-hiking since he was 9!

In [[winter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey. == Transportation ==[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]][[File:CraigThumbingAsiaTurkey.JPG|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitching in Cappadocia en route As long as you stick to Malaysia]]When you hitchhike in this countrythe south coast, people might try putting you on a ''dolmuş'' (mınıbus) or bringing you to the ''otogar'' (bus station). The dolmuş is the most common way of public transport inside and between cities & towns. These small buses that are advised to ll be used for small distances will stop anywhere on the road even if you don't signal them able to stop. Generally, the ride on have a dolmuş costs between 1 and 3 Lira. For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop swim in nice [[rest area]]s. Some drivers who pick you up as a hitchhiker may try to convince you to take a bus. If you do end up on a bus they are relatively cheap although not as cheap as trains which are slower but more adventurous. Of the transportation options which involve payment, trains are by far the cheapest in the country, especially if you are under 27, when you are entitled to a 20% discount on already cheap faresAegean any sunny winter day. However, as On some places it's just hitching 100km north into the network doesn't reach far mountains and wide, most of what is interesting in Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still a good bet if you need a night's sleep during the ride, especially in inland regions where rail network is relatively denser.ll see snow too!

== Food ==You will never have to worry about lack of [[foodFile:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey. Many truck ]]While waiting beside the road, town-to-town minibus drivers have coffee makers in (which can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and intercity buses will flash their truck. Turkish people are very generous, and it is seldom that headlights or honk at you — to ask whether you get 'd like a ride without (for a driver offering you food. The food in Turkey is relatively cheapfee, and is very meat-basedof course). There is also a variety of a good local produce of tasty sweets Don't be afraid to stop them and snacks. The tea (black tea or apple tea in Istanbul) is say "''Param yok''the(which literally translates "I don't have money"), it' national drinks ok?". A couple of hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to drop a passenger, and almost all then they kept doing this everytime, and about 30% of the people that you meet offer you buses gave them a tea − this is probably ride. [[User:Sirrdc|Sirrdc]] also had great success hitchhiking on intercity buses. Inside the most common way of showing cities, it's even easier; ask them politely and they will take you their hospitable culturea bit further ahead.

A great way to reduce your bottled water costs, especially in the hot southern/Mediterranean coast of Turkey is to use free cold water dispensers, locally called ''sebil'' (pronounced ''say-beel''), which can usually be found on the sides of the streets and mosque courtyards in less-touristed towns and neighbourhoods in Mediterranean Turkey. They look like small, white refrigators and usually have two faucets[[File: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending on the weather) water, while the blue one offers comfortably cold waterturkeyhitch. Though the water coming out of the faucets is not from a commercially-bottled jar, and likely from the city water network, it's harmless and causes no stomach upsets. A way to reduce the risk may be allowing yourself a week after arrival in the region to get accustomed to local microflora and -fauna that may be present in the water and then taking full advantage of ''sebil''s. == Sleep ==jpg|thumb|350px|[[Finding accommodationUser:Chael777|Hospitality exchangeChael]] networks have many friendly members in Turkey, and they can help you with an accommodation<small>^{[http://www. All towns in Turkey have an ''OtoGar'', a bus terminalvelabas. Most of these offer a warm and fairly safe place com/ site]}</small> hitching south to spend a night. NonethelessBodrum, be careful and try to place your luggage in such a way so that you are surely to be awaken in case if someone tries to take your things.  Smaller towns outside the main tourist areas have very cheap hotels, starting at 8 Lira. Many truck drivers will have an extra bunk in their truck cabin, and they are usually happy to offer it to a hitchhiker. Wild camping is pretty much possible, OK, and legal except in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet, away from sight of houses and roads. Private property such as farmland and oliveyards are technically off the limits, however if you arrive late, break the camp early, and leave no trace of your stay (including removing any trash and not damaging any crops), it is no problem at all to camp at those places. Beware of fires, though, as most of Turkey lies in Mediterranean climatic zone which is very arid in summer, most of country's terrain is naturally covered with dry grasses in summer months. So while wild camping, try to avoid the temptation to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result in damages that you can't even dream of. Another thing to take note of while camping is the scorpions (''akrep'' in Turkish), especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in of the country—keep the zip of your tent and backpack always locked, check and shake your shoes before putting them on.April 2008]]

:Southeastern Anatolia (usually the first car passing by offering a lift) > North coast (Black Sea Region) (one in every ten cars offering a lift) > Northwest/European Turkey (Thrace) (most waits not exceeding 5 mins) > Inland steppes (Central Anatolia, longest waits likely ~20 mins) > Northwest/Asian Marmara (South Marmara) > Aegean Region > Southwest coast (Lycia) > Rest of Mediterranean coast (expect waits up to two hours!), with eastern mountains (Eastern Anatolia) perhaps falling somewhere between Central Anatolia and South Marmara.

* [[:Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya Province]]* [[:Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale Province]]* [[Cappadocia]]* [[:Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla Province]]* [[:Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]]  == Personal Experiences ==Some recent thoughts and reflections about hitchhiking Turkey as a solo female at [https://anaimlesshitchhiker.com/2013/01/04/an-update-about-hitchhiking-solo-as-a-female-in-turkey/ an aimless hitchhiker] :''My friend and I (both female) hitched through Turkey from the Greek border to Cappadocia and it was quite stressful. We never waited long for a ride and most of the people we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. However, I would say that with about 90 percent of our rides we got our butts, boobs, or crotches grabbed, or at least asked for sex. We had to make our driver leave us on the side of the road a lot in the middle of nowhere so that was kinda dangerous. And it took us about 10 hours to make it 25 miles from just before Istanbul to just past the city. People kept trying to take us into the city or someplace we didn't want to go. We were so glad when we finally made it out of Turkey at the Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all of the other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack of respect, to some extent, on our part, for the local culture. When hitching here maybe you can learn how to say "we are just traveling and we aren't looking for sex may we still have a ride" before getting in a vehicle. For the record, our drivers always let us out when we told them too and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbings.'' :''I have just finished my second two-week trip alone through Turkey just hitchhiking, and my experience has not been at all like the above. I was quite shocked when I read it! I was traveling for long distances almost every day and I must have hitched with over fifty drivers – and only one of those drivers touched me apart from to shake my hand, and I was asked for sex twice, relatively politely, and both accepted no as an answer. I was treated with courtesy, respect, generosity, kindness, invites home to meet their families, and yes, tea and oranges. Also people kept buying me bus tickets rather than 'letting' me hitchhike on, which was horribly embarrassing! I think people who picked me up probably did consider that I might be a prostitute, but easily accepted that I wasn't judging on behavior. I suspect that experiences like the above depend on inappropriate behaviour or dress, or horribly bad luck. I don't speak Turkish, so sometimes it was a bit boring, which was probably the worst thing about hitchhiking. I would recommend not understanding the questions about whether you're alone or married- not speaking Turkish can actually help! And also be aware that Turkish women hitchhiking sit in the back seat of cars, same as in taxis.'' :''I hitch-hiked with a male friend for 3.5 weeks in Turkey. We started from Istanbul, to Safranbolu, Yozgat, Malatya, Nemrut Daig, Cappadocia, Kalkan and back to Istanbul. I was asked to have sex with the bus conductor after one of the bus conductor invited us to take us and he found out that my friend and I are just friends traveling together. Well, that's just a minor issue. We got picked up by an old man when we were hitch-hiking from Cappadocia to Nemrut Dagi. The old man had only 2 fingers on his right hand, and he was driving at the speed of 150 km/h, drinking tea and talking over the phone while my friend and I were sitting at the back! He drove us to a town nearby to do some sight-seeing and invited us to stay with his daughter's family! We ended up staying there for 3 nights. My fiend joined her husband to work while i stayed at home with the wife doing some traditional stuff! The hardest route to get a ride was probably from Antalya to Kalkan. It was late and no one wanted to pick us up! In the end, two guys who worked in a restaurant picked us up and sent us to our friend's doorstep!'' :''Summer 2012 we spent hitch-hiking around Turkey. Me (male) and my girlfriend have experienced a lot of hospitality from Turkish drivers and hosts. Many times they stopped on the road and they offered us lunch/dinner. Turkish men never hardly spoke to my girlfriend (they fully respect fact that woman is in relationship with other man). Once whilst hitch-hiking the bus pull-over. We explained that we don't have money for payment - it was any problem. Another fantastic thing about hhiking in Turkey is you rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes, drivers pull-over their car on the highway and sometimes you just have to walk alongside the road and they will stop the car. Great experience, but I really recommend to go there as a mixed pair!''  :"A female friend and I hitchhiked from the Georgian border to Istanbul. Turkey is one of the easiest countries in the world to hitch rides. Wait times, even in bad locations, rarely exceed ten minutes. The hitchhiking is so good that it pays to be picky about who you ride with: in Turkey you will have the privilege to turn down truck drivers in favor of faster vehicles. Although slower, most trucks will stop to offer rides. While hitchhiking at night, we were allowed to nap in the sleeping berths that long-haul trucks have. Be polite, respectful, and learn a few words of Turkish and you will have great experiences (free food, impromptu tour guides, beds to sleep in, etc.). However, you should be cautious if you are a solo female traveler, as even mild friendliness towards unrelated males will be misconstrued as flirtation." - [[User:vmpfc1|vmpfc1]] :"Hitchhiked along the Black Sea Coast from Georgia to Bulgaria. Turkey was easy enough for me even for such a huge country. There was no issue sleeping on beaches or sleeping in fields on the outskirts of towns (I always asked for permission off of security guards etc. which most private property had). The cities are really big though due to the big populations, walking out of them can take ages, especially Istanbul which is very difficult to hitchhike out of. Turks are super proud too for the most part so don't offend them and also don't urinate on the side of the road unless you are certain no-one will see (its definitely not acceptable)" - [[User:HoboSpirit|HoboSpirit]] == Links =={{nomadwiki}}* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/otostopRail/ Turkish hitchhikers FB group]

[[Category:Southeastern Anatolia|southeastern part]][[Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]][[Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya (Province)]][[Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale (Province)]][[Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla (Province)]][[Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]][[Category:Turkey| ]]