Changes

|currency = New Turkish Lira (TRY)|hitch = {{Very Good}} (<rating country='tr'very good'')/>|hitchbase = [http://hitchbase.com/orte.php?l_id=196 hh spots]|avp = ([http://ve.free-travels.ru/articles/item.php?country=turkey ru]) ([http://209.85.135.104/translate_c?hl=en&langpair=ru%7Cen&u|BW =http://ve.free-travels.ru/articles/item.php?country=turkey en])TR

Hitchhiking in It'''Turkey''' is easy. Sometimes it may be customary to contribute a few Liras not very likely that drivers will ask for money, but for some hitchhikers this is unheard ofit happens occasionally. Looking like western backpacker will get If you feel your status as a lot of attention when traveling outside the major tourist areas. Oftenfree hitchhiker is unclear, the first vehicle make sure to pass will stop for say ''para(m) yok'' before you (sometimes even if they are going get into the opposite direction!)car. Lifts with big trucks are On the most common since cars may be very full. Turkish truck other hand, this might offend drivers are generally very friendly who genuinely want to help you and helpful, but may do not speak a word of English. Knowing some German words may helpexpect money.

===Climate=Safety ==During Turkey has been getting a bad reputation for female hitchhikers following the summer temperatures tend murder of [[Pippa]] in April 2008 and many discouraging stories, ranging from minor harassment (see Personal Experiences below) to rise above 35 °C, especially 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 the SouthTurkey, so it they certainly prove that there is advisable a specific code of conduct different from any other country that needs to bring enough water and plan be respected in order to start avoid unnecessary problems. It will take a little bit of travelling in the early morning. Plan your travel country first to get used to this different dynamic, so this will be the time to be able extra cautious. Further reading for female hitchhikers – and anybody travelling in Turkey – is [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to reach your destination -turkey-for-girls.html this blog]. Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before midday.hitting the road!

==Transportation==When hitchhiking people may try to put you on What follows is a Dolmuş list of bring general guidelines for hitchhiking in Turkey. Remember, however, that you to the Otogar or bus-station. The Dolmuş (mınıbus) is cannot fully master the most common way different dynamics of public transport inside and social interaction, especially between cities & towns. They wıll stop anywhere on members of opposite sexes, until you've been exposed to the road even if inital special attention you don't call them. They are small buses that should be used for small dıstance travels. Generally they cost between 1 ll receive as a foreigner and 3 Lirapossibly made some beginning's mistakes.

For larger distances * 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 Bus (coaches) are more commonbiggest part of problems arise from the different conceptions of flirting in the West and in Turkey. They provide reliable service 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 pretty comfortableof their female companion. Free tea This will always be in a somewhat playful manner, and snacks are generally served along 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 way girl and don't really care what happens to her from this point and they generally stop 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 nice rest areashotpants and a tanktop, the least should be long trousers and a unrevealing t-shirt with sleeves down to your elbows. Some drivers may try Anyone wearing less than this (apart from the Western coastal regions maybe) will usually be seen as a prostitute, and without the necessary language skills to convince explain women's rights over their own body you might get yourself into hassle you don't really need. If you want to take be extra safe, you can also hitchhike with a headscarf and/or a buslong ("Iranian style") gown going down to your thighs and hiding your shape.* There is different things you can say about your marital status. If you do end up on travelling with a guy, the classical story of the married couple can work well enough, but won't necessarily stop a bus they are relatively cheap although 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 cheap 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 trains which a girl, it seems to be safer to say that you are slower but more adventurousunmarried - meaning, for most people, a virgin.[[Image:Mikeeg555 hitching in TurkeyThe purity of virginity is widely respected and can provide protection.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching You can usefully combine both of these strategies (if travelling in [[Turkey]]]]===Food===You a couple) by saying that you're cousins because a) you will never 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 worry about lack the girl.* Something that plays into the dynamics of food hitchhiking in Turkeyas 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. Many truck drivers As an effect of many of those girls being Russian, the words "rus" or "natasha" have coffee makers in their truckcome to mean "foreign prostitute". If your driver says any of those words, he's most likely asking if you're a prostitute. Turkish people are Make very very generous and it is seldom clear that you get a ride 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 offering has understood that you're not a prostitute, he'll usually not bother you foodabout it any more.* There is one main Turkish hand gesture that leads to confusion among foreigners. It's also is indeed extremely ambiguous, used in very cheap different situations and mainly meat based foodcomplicated to understand in its context. The experts are also good in producing a lot It consists of the index fingers of specific both hands rubbed against each other back and tasty sweetsforth. Some important meanings of it include casual sex, friendship, physical contact, geographical closeness of objects or places, money, etc. The tea (black tea You see that the meaning can range from explaining how to get somewhere or apple tea in Istanbul)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 brief list of useful vocabulary in difficult situations. Check out thepronounication guide in the [[Eastern Europe phrasebook#Turkish|Turkish phrasebook]].:* ''çok ayıp'' national drink and almost all the people that you will meet will offer you a tea- lit. "big shame", this the easiest way most useful thing to show say if somebody is harrassing you their hospitable culture(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"

==Sleep==All towns in Turkey have As a brief summary: As a ''OtoGar''girl, be aware of your body language - smiling, eye contact, being flattered by compliments are all bad ideas. As a bus terminalguy hitchhiking with a girl, stand your ground, show presence; always make sure to sit next to the driver. Most of them will offer a warm and fairly safe place If the driver talks mostly to spend the nightgirl, it's a bad sign.But you Girls should be careful dress modestly and try make sure not to place be confused with Russian prostitutes ("rus", "natasha"). Be picky about your baggage in a way so you will wake up if anybody tries to take itrides. Most smaller towns outside importantly though, keep in mind that in 99% of the main regions have very cheap hotelscases all will be fine, starting at 8 Lira.Many truck drivers will have an extra bunk in their truck which they are usually happy especially if you pay attention to offer if they are stopping for the night. those guidelines!

==License plates==The first two numbers As a guy travelling with a girl it is rare that you will be hit on with the notable exception of the far Eastern part of the Turkish number plates indicate country. However travelling alone as a guy you will/might be asked for sex depending not so much on your attractiveness in the city where Western sense as on how exotic you are (i.e. being big and blond will most likely increase the car is registeredlevel of attention). These are sorted from 1 Keep in mind that just even if a guy asks you to 81 alphabeticallyhave sex with him it does not necessarily mean he's gay. This rule is not applicable Especially in Eastern Turkey it's very common among unmarried straight men to engage in casual sex among each other as an effect of an extremely conservative society and sometimes horrible ramifications for villages that became girls having pre-maritial sex. However other than the status nuisance of cities quite recentlybeing asked for sex you're unlikely to run into any problems.

<table border="0"><tr><td>Police and Terrorists 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.*01 [[Adana]] 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.*02 [[Adıyaman]] 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. *03 [[Afyonkarahisar]] It's just a damn shame when people are pitted against each other and this is the reality in heavily Kurdish regions of Turkey.*04 [[Ağrı]] Answer their questions, stand your ground about hitching and camping, don't fear the armoured cars and AKs ...and enjoy the tea.*05 [[Amasya]]*06 [[Ankara]]== Climate ==*07 [[Antalya]]*08 [[Artvin]]*09 File:Erzurum.JPG|thumb|250px|In [[Aydınwinter]]*10 [[Balıkesirit can be cold.]]*11 [[Bilecik]]*12 [[Bingöl]]During the summer temperatures tend to rise above 35&nbsp;°C, especially in the South, so it is recommended to secure yourself with sufficient supplies of water, and to plan travelling in a way that most of the actual hitchhiking would be earlier in the morning or in very late afternoon, to avoid a burning sun.*13 [[Bitlis]]*14 In [[Boluwinter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey. *15 [[Burdur]]*16 [[Bursa]]As long as you stick to the south coast, you'll be able to have a swim in the Aegean any sunny winter day. On some places it's just hitching 100km north into the mountains and you'll see snow too!*17 [[Çanakkale]]*18 [[Çankırı]]=== Hitchhiking buses ===*19 [[Çorum]]*20 [[Denizli]]*21 File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[DiyarbakırUser:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]]*22 [[Edirnehitching in Turkey]]*23 While waiting beside the road, town-to-town minibus drivers (which can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) and intercity buses will flash their headlights or honk at you — to ask whether you'd like a ride (for a fee, of course). Don't be afraid to stop them and say "''Param yok'' (which literally translates "I don't have money"), it's ok?". A couple of hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to drop a passenger, and then they kept doing this everytime, and about 30% of the buses gave them a ride. [[ElazığUser: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 bit further ahead.*24 [[Erzincan]]*25 [[Erzurum]]*26 File:turkeyhitch.jpg|thumb|350px|[[EskişehirUser:Chael777|Chael]]*27 <small><sup>[[Gaziantep]http://www.velabas.com/ site]</tdsup><td/small>*28 [[Giresunhitching south to Bodrum, April 2008]]*29 [[Gümüşhane]]*30 [[Hakkari]]== 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. In general, people in northern and inland regions of the country are friendlier towards hitchhikers. If put systematically, the level of ease to get a lift in various regions of the country is as follows in general, from easiest to hardest: *31 [[Hatay]]: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.*32 [[Isparta]]*33 [[Mersin]]As can be clearly seen, less touristy somewhere is, easier to attract a lift there. That being said, however, there are of course helpful drivers on the highways of the south, too, although they seem to be exceptions rather than the rule.*34 [[Istanbul]]*35 [[Izmir:Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya Province]]*36 [[Kars:Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale Province]]*37 [[KastamonuCappadocia]]*38 [[Kayseri:Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla Province]]*39 [[Kırklareli:Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]]*40 [[Kırşehir]]*41 [[Kocaeli]]== Personal Experiences ==*42 [[Konya]]*43 ''- Some recent thoughts and reflections about hitchhiking Turkey as a solo female at [[Kütahya]https://anaimlesshitchhiker.com/2013/01/04/an-update-about-hitchhiking-solo-as-a-female-in-turkey/ an aimless hitchhiker]''*44 [[Malatya]]*45 [[Manisa]]*46 [[Kahramanmaraş]]''- 2020 february i hitchiked from Batumi border to Istanbul and 1200 km i did in 2.5 days (with sleeping in nights). Just stick to main highways and make text with big city 300 km away. On the paid highway i got ride in 5 minutes.. Also i seen alot of local youth hitchiking around''*47 [[Mardin]]*48 [[Muğla]]*49 [[Muş]]''- Hitchhiking out was really a hassle. It is easy to get a lift, but people do not understand that you need to follow the highway. They think you want to take a bus, and thus it gets complicated. In other parts of Turkey I had a recorded message by Turkish friends explaining what I was actually doing and what I needed from drivers. I didn't have it when leaving IST, and it was a mistake. Get a Turkish friend to record a message on your phone which you can play to the 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??"*50 [[Nevşehir]]*51 [[Niğde]]*52 [[Ordu]]''- 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.''*53 [[Rize]]*54 [[Sakarya]]</td><td>''- 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.''*55 [[Samsun]]*56 [[Siirt]]*57 [[Sinop]]''- 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.''*58 [[Sivas]]*59 [[Tekirdağ]]*60 [[Tokat]]''- 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!''*61 [[Trabzon]]*62 [[Tunceli]]*63 [[Şanlıurfa]]''- 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!''*64 [[Uşak]]*65 [[Van]]*66 [[Yozgat]]''- 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.''*67 [[Zonguldak]]*68 [[Aksaray]]*69 [[Bayburt]]''- 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)''*70 [[Karaman]]*71 [[Kırıkkale]]== Links ==*72 [[Batman]https://www.facebook.com/groups/otostopRail/ Turkish hitchhikers FB group]*73 [[Şırnak]http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html Hitchhiking Guide to Turkey for girls]*74 [[Bartın]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*75 User [[ArdahanUser:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]]*76 hitched along the Silk Road and wrote about his experiences here: [[Iğdır]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!*77 [[Yalova]]*78 [[Karabük]]== Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==*79 [[Kilis]]*80 [[Osmaniye]]{{nomadwiki}}*81 [[Düzce]]</td></tr></table>{{Cities Turkey}}

{{IsIn|Western Asia}} [[Category:Turkey|*]][[Category:EuropeWestern Asia]][[Category:AsiaSouthern Europe]][[Category:Middle EastRoute from North Cape to Cape of Good Hope]] [[de:Türkei]]__NOTOC__[[es:Turquia]][[fr:Turquie]][[pl:Turcja]][[tr:Türkiye]]