|pop = 71,158,647
|currency = New Turkish Lira (TRY)
|hitch = {{very good}}<rating country='tr' />
|hitchbase = 196
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Hitchhiking in '''Turkey''' is easy. Sometimes it may be customary to contribute a few Lira, but for most hitchhikers this is unheard of. Looking like a Western backpacker will get you a lot of attention when travelling outside the major tourist areas. Often, the first vehicle 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 very often quite full. Turkish truck drivers are generally very friendly and helpful but may not speak a word of English. Knowing some German may help.
Some drivers might ask '''Turkey''' is an extremely hitchhiking-friendly country. Your waiting times will rarely exceed 15 minutes on reasonably used roads, even off the main roads. On smaller roads, the first vehicle passing you is likely to stop for you. Also you 're very likely to be invited for moneytea and food, and if you are not willing often also to contribute 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 the cost learn at least a few words of the ridebasic [[Eastern Europe phrasebook#Turkish|Turkish]], also for your safety. Turkey has a very distinct reputation, please learn especially when it comes to say ''Param yok'' female hitchhikers, but once you get on terms with the dynamics of interacting with Turks (I have no moneylikely only after you make your first mistake, though) before getting in you'll usually be fine. See the carSafety Chapter below.
While waiting beside the roadIt's not very likely that drivers will ask for money, many town-to-town minibus drivers (which can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and but it happens occasionally intercity buses will flash their headlights or honk at . If you − feel your status as a free hitchhiker is unclear, make sure to ask whether yousay ''d like a ride para(for a fee, of coursem)yok'' before you get into the car. Shake your head both sides On the other hand, this might offend drivers who genuinely want to show help you're and do not interestedexpect money.
Hitchhiking at night works well as long as you stand in a somewhat visible spot.
== Safety ==Turkey has been getting a bad reputation for female hitchhikers following the murder of [[Pippa]] in April 2008 and many discouraging stories, ranging from minor harassment (see Personal Experiences below) to near-miss murder/rape cases like the one [[User:AlexZenit|alexZenit]]: I did not find it difficult to hitchhike and the girl he was travelling with experienced in TurkeyNovember 2011. Most lifts I had have been with trucks (coming While these things shouldn't deter anybody from the East)travelling in Turkey, trucks have also been what I saw the most they certainly prove that there is a specific code of conduct different from any other country that needs to be respected in the eastorder to avoid unnecessary problems. I did find it easy to get It will take a long lift across Turkey, even when I found it difficult little bit of travelling in the country first to get such a lift at the boarder used to Iran directly (most trucks went along the coast South at this different dynamic, so this will be the time I have been there)to be extra cautious. However, I also found the truck drivers I met quite lonely Further reading for female hitchhikers – and searching anybody travelling in Turkey – is [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for (close) contact-girls.html this blog].Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before hitting the road!
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.
* 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. * 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 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 female companion. 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) that the girl might be interested/easy.* Another important point, if one that goes somewhat without saying, is about clothing. Turkey is definitely not the place to hitchhike in hotpants and a [[Signs|signboard]] tanktop, the least should be long trousers and a unrevealing t-shirt with sleeves down to your elbows. Anyone wearing less than this (together with apart from the thumb extendedWestern coastal regions maybe) certainly helpswill usually be seen as a prostitute, since most Turkish hitchhikers and without the necessary language skills to explain women's rights over their own body you might get yourself into hassle you don't use one really need. If you want to be extra safe, you can also hitchhike with a headscarf and/or a long ("Iranian style") gown going down to your thighs and therefore it draws much more attention hiding your shape.* There is different things you can say about your marital status. If travelling with a guy, the classical story of the married couple can work well enough, but won't necessarily stop a determined guy from trying his chances. Also keep in mind that many truck drivers un(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, it seems to be safer to say that you are unmarried -used meaning, for most people, a virgin. The purity of virginity is widely respected and can provide protection. You can usefully combine both of these strategies (if travelling in a couple) by saying that you're cousins because a) you will be seen as a unmarried virgin, b) male relatives traditionally protect unmarried female family members and c) a cousin might at some point also have been picked by the family to be a future husband to seeing signboardsthe girl. Writing * Something that plays into the name dynamics of first town on hitchhiking in Turkey as well are the mostly Russian/Eastern European prostitutes that can be found practicing their trade all over Turkey. As a girl hitchhiking, be it alone or in company, you will at some point likely be confused with one of the working ladies. As an effect of many of those girls being Russian, the words "rus" or "natasha" have come to mean "foreign prostitute". If your route -no matter how small driver says any of those words, he's most likely asking if you're a prostitute. Make very very clear that you have nothing to do with this, say ''yok'' very clearly without hesitating, smiling, laughing, or any other even remotely flirtateous reaction. Be insulted. Likewise it's not a very good idea to say that you're Russian or even from any Eastern European country that could be associated with Russia, especially Ukraine. If the driver has understood that you're not a prostitute, he'll usually not bother you about it any more.* There is one main Turkish hand gesture that leads to confusion among foreigners. It is- indeed extremely ambiguous, used in very different situations and complicated to understand in its context. It consists of the name index fingers of both hands rubbed against each other back and forth. Some important meanings of it include casual sex, friendship, physical contact, geographical closeness of objects or places, money, 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 casual sex. Nothing more can be said than to use your common sense and not to be overly paranoid.* When it comes to accepting rides, listen to your intuition and don't worry about being picky. Remember that even if you say no to several cars you'll still not wait very long.* To finish, a farther and bigger city brief list of useful vocabulary in difficult situations. Check out the pronounication guide in the [[Eastern Europe phrasebook#Turkish|Turkish phrasebook]].:* ''çok ayıp'' - lit. "big shame", the most useful thing to say if somebody is goodharrassing you (sexual or not.):* ''Allah aşkına'' - lit. "for Allah's love", i.e. for God's sake:* ''kuzen'' - "cousin", ''biz kuzen'' - "we are cousins":* ''evli'' - "married"
Also while waiting for As a brief summary: As a liftgirl, have your backpack on the ground ''in front be aware of'' your feetbody language - smiling, in a position that is easily visible and recognizable as a backpack eye contact, being flattered by passing by driverscompliments are all bad ideas. As many will admit, seeing a large backpack and camping gear such as guy hitchhiking with a mat girl, stand your ground, show presence; always makes Turkish drivers more comfortable with make sure to sit next to the driver. If the driver talks mostly to the idea of letting girl, it's a stranger bad sign. Girls should dress modestly and make sure not to be confused with Russian prostitutes ("rus", "natasha"). Be picky about your rides. Most importantly though, keep in mind that in their car—since it kind 99% of proves that you are travelling on budgetthe cases all will be fine, not a serial killer—and thus enabling especially if you te get far quicker lifts.pay attention to those guidelines!
== Getting In ==Citizens As a guy travelling with a girl it is rare that you will be hit on with the notable exception of most EU and other Western countries can get the far Eastern part of the country. However travelling alone as a 3 months visa guy you will/might be asked for 10 Euro or moresex depending not so much on your attractiveness in the Western sense as on how exotic you are (i.e. German, Czech being big and Italian citizens are allowed blond will most likely increase the level of attention). Keep in mind that just even if a guy asks you to have sex with him it does not necessarily mean he's gay. Especially in Eastern Turkey it's very common among unmarried straight men to enter engage in casual sex among each other as an effect of an extremely conservative society and sometimes horrible ramifications for girls having pre-maritial sex. However other than the country without nuisance of being asked for sex you're unlikely to run into any visa at allproblems.
Hitchhiker [[User:Guaka|Guaka]] had a terrible experience at the [[Kapitan Andreevo]]-Kapıkule [[border crossing]] 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.Police and Terrorists
{{Cities From 2019 I can account for a great and likely growing suspicion of anyone strange on the road, specifically in Eastern Turkey}}, where the police are sure there are terrorists everywhere. Knowing the Kurds having gone through this area and Iraqi Kurdistan before, I doubt more than a fraction of a percent of them, if any, are hostile, however times in turkey are edgy to say the least. Do NOT let this stop you, but be advised you might be wayleighed a number of times if hitching through the mountainous regions, especially if you look kürdi, have military gear like mine, or for whatever other reason look suspicious. Here are some serious-business police and military forces, and if you're stopped they might just scare the life out of you. But don't worry. If you aren't doing anything wrong, the worst you'll get is a proper shakedown and lots of questions. I have sat next to some of the finest names in terrorism, as well as the finest police and military forces, and they all (they all) offer you tea and treat you well. Stay uninvolved, and never use a term like Kurdistan around the Turks. Just be aware that the Turks are petrified of the PKK and other groups and might either suspect you OR (and more likely for you more civilian types) insist you take a bus or camp near their checkpoint, citing the dangers of terrorism in the region. This should be considered a significant headache at times, leading to slowdowns, but no effective trouble in the long run and no reason at all to avoid these areas. It's just a damn shame when people are pitted against each other and this is the reality in heavily Kurdish regions of Turkey. Answer their questions, stand your ground about hitching and camping, don't fear the armoured cars and AKs ...and enjoy the tea.
== Safety Climate ==Following the [[Pippa|recent events]] in April 2008, this [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html hitchhiking guide to Turkey for girls] 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 [[Safety]] article before going out to wave your thumb!
===Women hitchhiking in Turkey===[[File:Erzurum.JPG|thumb|250px|In [[winter]] it can be cold.]]
A personal story::My friend and I (both female) hitched through Turkey from During the Greek border summer temperatures tend to Kappadokya and it was quite stressful. We never waited long for a ride and most of rise above 35 °C, especially in the people we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. HoweverSouth, I would say that so it is recommended to secure yourself with about 90 percent sufficient supplies of our rides we got our buttswater, boobs, or crotches grabbed, or at least asked for sex. There is a hand sign in Turkey that means sex, which is quite different from that we have seen in America (much nicer, actually) you just rub your two pointer fingers together back and forth. It took us a while to figure out what that meant! We had to make our driver leave us on the side of the road plan travelling in a lot in the middle of nowhere so way 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 most of Turkey at the Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I actual hitchhiking would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all of earlier in the other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack of respectmorning or in very late afternoon, 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 avoid 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 grabbingsburning sun.
In [[winter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey.
== Climate ==[[File:Erzurum.JPG|thumb|250px|In [[winter]] it can be cold.]]During the summer temperatures tend As long as you stick to rise above 35 °C, especially in the Southsouth coast, so it is recommended to secure yourself with sufficient supplies of water, and you'll be able to plan travelling in have a way that most of the actual hitchhiking would be earlier swim in the morning or in very late afternoon, to avoid a burning sunAegean any sunny winter day.On some places it's just hitching 100km north into the mountains and you'll see snow too!
In [[winter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey.=== Hitchhiking buses ===
== Transportation ==
[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]]
When you hitchhike in this countryWhile waiting beside the road, people might try putting you on a ''dolmuş'' town-to-town minibus drivers (mınıbuswhich can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and intercity buses will flash their headlights or bringing honk at you — to the ''otogar'ask whether you' d like a ride (bus stationfor a fee, of course). The dolmuş is the most common way of public transport inside and between cities & towns. These small buses that are advised Don't be afraid to be used for small distances will stop anywhere on the road even if you them and say "''Param yok'' (which literally translates "I don't signal have money"), it's ok?". A couple of hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to stop. Generallydrop a passenger, and then they kept doing this everytime, and about 30% of the buses gave them a ride . [[User:Sirrdc|Sirrdc]] also had great success hitchhiking on intercity buses. Inside the cities, it's even easier; ask them politely and they will take you a dolmuş costs between 1 and 3 Lirabit further ahead. [[File:turkeyhitch.jpg|thumb|350px|[[User:Chael777|Chael]]<small><sup>[http://www.velabas.com/ site]</sup></small> hitching south to Bodrum, April 2008]]
For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common== Regions and Their Hitchability ==While in general it is fairly easy to attract a lift in Turkey, locals' view of hitchhikers vary across the country. They provide reliable service In general, people in northern and inland regions of the country are pretty comfortablefriendlier towards hitchhikers. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the wayIf put systematically, and the buses tend level of ease to stop get a lift in nice [[rest area]]s. Some drivers who pick you up various regions of the country is as a hitchhiker may try to convince you follows in general, from easiest 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.hardest:
== Food ==You will never have to worry about lack of [[food]] :Southeastern Anatolia (usually the first car passing by offering a lift) > North coast (Black Sea Region) (one in Turkey. Many truck drivers have coffee makers in their truck. Turkish people are very generous, and it is seldom that you get every ten cars offering a ride without a driver offering you food. The food in lift) > Northwest/European Turkey is relatively cheap(Thrace) (most waits not exceeding 5 mins) > Inland steppes (Central Anatolia, and is very meat-based. There is also a variety of a good local produce longest waits likely ~20 mins) > Northwest/Asian Marmara (South Marmara) > Aegean Region > Southwest coast (Lycia) > Rest of tasty sweets and snacks. The tea Mediterranean coast (black tea or apple tea in Istanbulexpect waits up to two hours!) is ''the'' national drink, with eastern mountains (Eastern Anatolia) perhaps falling somewhere between Central Anatolia and almost all the people that you meet offer you a tea − this is probably the most common way of showing you their hospitable cultureSouth Marmara.
A great way to reduce your bottled water costsAs can be clearly seen, especially in the hot southern/Mediterranean coast of Turkey less touristy somewhere is , easier to use free cold water dispensersattract a lift there. That being said, locally called ''sebil'' (pronounced ''say-beel'')however, which can usually be found on the sides there are 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: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending course helpful drivers on the weather) water, while the blue one offers comfortably cold water. Though the water coming out highways of the faucets is not from a commercially-bottled jarsouth, and likely from the city water networktoo, 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 although they seem to local microflora and -fauna that may be present in exceptions rather than the water and then taking full advantage of ''sebil''srule.
== Sleep ==* [[:Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya Province]]* [[:Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale Province]]* [[Cappadocia]] * [[:Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla Province]]* [[Hospitality exchange:Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]] networks have many friendly members in Turkey, and they can help you with an accommodation.
All towns in Turkey have an ''OtoGar'', a bus terminal. Most of these offer a warm and fairly safe place to spend a night. Nonetheless, 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. == Personal Experiences ==
Smaller towns outside the main tourist areas have very cheap hotels, starting ''- Some recent thoughts and reflections about hitchhiking Turkey as a solo female at 8 Lira[https://anaimlesshitchhiker.com/2013/01/04/an-update-about-hitchhiking-solo-as-a-female-in-turkey/ an aimless hitchhiker]''
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, ''- 2020 february i hitchiked from Batumi border to Istanbul and legal except 1200 km i did in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet, away from sight of houses and roads2. 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 5 days (including removing any trash and not damaging any cropswith sleeping in nights), it is no problem at all . Just stick 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 main highways and make text with dry grasses in summer monthsbig city 300 km away. So while wild camping, try to avoid On the temptation to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result paid highway i got ride in damages that you can't even dream of5 minutes.. Another thing to take note Also i seen alot of while camping is the scorpions (local youth hitchiking around''akrep'' in Turkish), especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in [[Southeastern Anatolia|southeastern part]] of the country—keep the zip of your tent and backpack always locked, check and shake your shoes before putting them on.
== License plates ==
The first two numbers of the Turkish car plates indicate the city a car is registered in. These are sorted from 1 to 81 alphabetically. This rule is not applicable for villages that recently received the status of cities.
The number ''- Hitchhiking out was really a hassle. It is given easy to get a whole provincelift, ebut people do not understand that you need to follow the highway.gThey think you want to take a bus, and thus it gets complicated. [[Antalya]] In other parts of Turkey I had a recorded message by Turkish friends explaining what I was actually doing and [[Alanya]] are both 07what I needed from drivers. I didn't have it when leaving IST, as they are situated in and it was a mistake. Get a Turkish friend to record a message on your phone which you can play to the same province (Antalya Province)drivers who give you a lift. It should say something like: "I'm from COUNTRY, and right now I'm hitchhiking from PLACE to PLACE.Can you help me with ride please??"
[[File:Turkish-truck-and-truck-driver-2008.jpg|thumb|right|350px|A truck, the driver, a boy working at the gas station and [[User:Guaka|guaka]], October 2008]]
<table border="0"><tr><td>
* 01 [[Adana]]
* 02 [[Adıyaman]]
* 03 [[Afyonkarahisar]]
* 04 [[Ağrı]]
* 05 [[Amasya]]
* 06 [[Ankara]]
* 07 [[Antalya]]
* 08 [[Artvin]]
* 09 [[Aydın]]
* 10 [[Balıkesir]]
* 11 [[Bilecik]]
* 12 [[Bingöl]]
* 13 [[Bitlis]]
* 14 [[Bolu]]
* 15 [[Burdur]]
* 16 [[Bursa]]
* 17 [[Çanakkale]]
* 18 [[Çankırı]]
* 19 [[Çorum]]
* 20 [[Denizli]]
* 21 [[Diyarbakır]]
* 22 [[Edirne]]
* 23 [[Elazığ]]
* 24 [[Erzincan]]
* 25 [[Erzurum]]
* 26 [[Eskişehir]]
* 27 [[Gaziantep]]
</td><td>
* 28 [[Giresun]]
* 29 [[Gümüşhane]]
* 30 [[Hakkari]]
* 31 [[Hatay]]
* 32 [[Isparta]]
* 33 [[Mersin]]
* 34 [[Istanbul]]
* 35 [[Izmir]]
* 36 [[Kars]]
* 37 [[Kastamonu]]
* 38 [[Kayseri]]
* 39 [[Kırklareli]]
* 40 [[Kırşehir]]
* 41 [[Kocaeli]]
* 42 [[Konya]]
* 43 [[Kütahya]]
* 44 [[Malatya]]
* 45 [[Manisa]]
* 46 [[Kahramanmaraş]]
* 47 [[Mardin]]
* 48 [[Muğla]]
* 49 [[Muş]]
* 50 [[Nevşehir]]
* 51 [[Niğde]]
* 52 [[Ordu]]
* 53 [[Rize]]
* 54 [[Sakarya]]
</td><td>
* 55 [[Samsun]]
* 56 [[Siirt]]
* 57 [[Sinop]]
* 58 [[Sivas]]
* 59 [[Tekirdağ]]
* 60 [[Tokat]]
* 61 [[Trabzon]]
* 62 [[Tunceli]]
* 63 [[Şanlıurfa]]
* 64 [[Uşak]]
* 65 [[Van]]
* 66 [[Yozgat]]
* 67 [[Zonguldak]]
* 68 [[Aksaray]]
* 69 [[Bayburt]]
* 70 [[Karaman]]
* 71 [[Kırıkkale]]
* 72 [[Batman]]
* 73 [[Şırnak]]
* 74 [[Bartın]]
* 75 [[Ardahan]]
* 76 [[Iğdır]]
* 77 [[Yalova]]
* 78 [[Karabük]]
* 79 [[Kilis]]
* 80 [[Osmaniye]]
* 81 [[Düzce]]
</td></tr></table>
== Regions ==''- 2 times I hitchhiked from Istanbul to Asia and once back to Europe. I didn´t have any map of the city and I haven´t use any bus because hitchhiking from Istanbul is very easy. There are a lot of cars and turkish drivers will not let you wait. If you are goning to Asia and you´re still in european part so the best spot is probably on the start of Bosphorus bridge. To get out from Istanbul you always need to take more cars(about 3-5 cars). In this city you can use hitchhiking as a public transport, just raise you´re tumb and there is a big chance that you´ll come forexample to city center faster than by metro.'' ''- 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 (Provincemale)]]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!''* [[Çanakkale ''- 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 (Provincefree 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.'' * [[Muğla ''- 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 (Provinceits definitely not acceptable)]]* [[Southeastern Anatolia]]''
== Links ==
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/otostopRail/ Turkish hitchhikers FB group]
* [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html Hitchhiking Guide to Turkey for girls]
* [http://abgefahren.hitchbase.com/DE/blogs/alex/20090213/just-hitching-rides-journey-eid-christmas Just hitching rides: A journey from Eid to Christmas] (Hitchhiking from Yemen to Germany), abgefahren Blogs
* User [[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitched along the Silk Road and wrote about his experiences here: [http://thumbingasia.blogspot.com/ Thumbing Asia From West to East] Turkey was big fun to hitch-hike. People are really hospitable everywhere - from Istanbul to Capaddocia, from Antep to Kurdistan!
== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
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{{Cities Turkey}}
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[[wikipedia:Turkey]]
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__NOTOC__ [[Category:Turkey| ]]
[[Category:Western Asia]]
[[Category:Southern Europe]]
[[es:Turquia]]
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[[pl:Turcja]]
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