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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|Turkish truck drivers are generally ]], 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 German may helpSee the Safety Chapter below.
Some It's not very likely that drivers might will ask you for a few Liramoney, and if but it happens occasionally. If you are not willing to contribute to the cost of the ridefeel your status as a free hitchhiker is unclear, please learn make sure to say ''Param para(m) yok'' (I have no money) before getting in you get into the car. On the other hand, this might offend drivers who genuinely want to help you and do not expect money.
Having Hitchhiking at night works well as long as you stand in 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 signboardssomewhat visible spot. 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 == Safety ==Turkey has been getting a bad reputation for a liftfemale hitchhikers following the murder of [[Pippa]] in April 2008 and many discouraging stories, have your backpack on ranging from minor harassment (see Personal Experiences below) to near-miss murder/rape cases like the ground '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 front of'' your feetTurkey, in a position they certainly prove that there is easily visible and recognizable as a backpack by passing by driversspecific code of conduct different from any other country that needs to be respected in order to avoid unnecessary problems. As many It will admit, seeing a large backpack and camping gear such as a mat always makes Turkish drivers more comfortable with the idea of letting take a stranger in their car—since it kind little bit of proves that you are travelling on budgetin the country first to get used to this different dynamic, not a serial killer—and thus enabling you 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 get lifts far more quickly-turkey-for-girls.html this blog].Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before hitting the road!
:[[User:Alex|alex]]: I did not find it difficult to hitchhike What follows is a list of general guidelines for hitchhiking in Turkey. Most lifts I had were with trucks (coming from Remember, however, that you cannot fully master the East)different dynamics of social interaction, especially between members of opposite sexes, trucks have also until you've been what I saw the most in exposed to the east. I did find it easy to get a long lift across Turkey, even when I found it difficult to get such inital special attention you'll receive as a lift at the border to Iran directly (most trucks went along the coast South at the time I have been there). However, I also found the truck drivers I met quite lonely foreigner and searching for (close) contactpossibly made some beginning's mistakes.
== Getting * 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 ==Citizens 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 most EU 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 tanktop, the least should be long trousers and a unrevealing t-shirt with sleeves down to your elbows. Anyone wearing less than this (apart from the Western countries coastal regions maybe) will usually be seen as a prostitute, and without the 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 a headscarf and/or a long ("Iranian style") gown going down to your thighs and 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 get work well enough, but 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 3 months visa girl, it seems to be safer to say that you are unmarried - meaning, for 10 Euro 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 the girl.* Something that plays into the dynamics of 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 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. German* 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 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, Czechetc. 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, Latvian listen to your intuition and Italian citizens are allowed don't worry about being picky. Remember that even if you say no to enter several cars you'll still not wait very long.* To finish, a 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 country without any visa at allmost useful thing to say if somebody is harrassing 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"
Hitchhiker [[UserAs a brief summary:Guaka|Guaka]] had As a terrible experience at the [[Kapitan Andreevo]]girl, be aware of your body language -Kapıkule [[border crossing]] in October 2008 when he was refused entry smiling, eye contact, being flattered by compliments are all bad ideas. As a grumpy border guard who was probably looking for ''baksheesh''. It took guy hitchhiking with a lot of convincing girl, stand your ground, show presence; always make sure to be allowed back sit next to the truck driver. If the driver talks mostly to get back his (Guakathe girl, it'sa bad sign. Girls should dress modestly and make sure not to be confused with Russian prostitutes ("rus", "natasha") backpack. The next day there was no problem Be picky about your rides. Most importantly though, keep in mind that in 99% of the cases all will be fine, especially if you pay attention to get in.those guidelines!
From [[Georgia 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 country. However travelling alone as a guy you will/might be asked for sex depending not so much on your attractiveness in the Western sense as on how exotic you are (country)|Georgia]] i.e. being big and blond will most likely increase the rest level of Caucasus, attention). Keep in mind that just even if a guy asks you to have sex with him itdoes not necessarily mean he's easiest gay. Especially in Eastern Turkey it's very common among unmarried straight men to enter the country at [[Sarpengage in casual sex among each other as an effect of an extremely conservative society and sometimes horrible ramifications for girls having pre-Sarpi border crossing]] on the Black Sea coastmaritial sex. Crossing However other than the Sarp/Sarpi borderpost on foot is allowednuisance of being asked for sex you're unlikely to run into any problems.
== Safety ==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!Police and Terrorists
===Women hitchhiking 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.
A personal story::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. 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 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.== Climate ==
Note[[File: During our travels in Turkey, hitch-hiking or otherwise, we also saw this handsign (rubbing both forefingers together) many timesErzurum. Although JPG|thumb|250px|In [[winter]] it could can be misconstrued as meaning “sex” it has many different meanings such as “relationship” “friendship” “partner” etc. So if a Turkish person makes this hand gesture don't automatically assume they are asking you for sexcold.]]
Another personal story: :I have just finished my second two-week trip alone through Turkey just hitchhikingDuring the summer temperatures tend to rise above 35 °C, and my experience has not been at all like especially in the above. I was quite shocked when I read South, so it! I was traveling for long distances almost every day and I must have hitched is recommended to secure yourself with over fifty drivers – and only one sufficient supplies of those drivers touched me apart from to shake my hand, and I was asked for sex twice, relatively politelywater, 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 plan travelling in a prostitute, but easily accepted way 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 most of the worst thing about actual hitchhiking. I would recommend not understanding be earlier in the questions about whether you're alone morning or married- not speaking Turkish can actually help! And also be aware that Turkish women hitchhiking sit in the back seat of carsvery late afternoon, same as in taxisto avoid a burning sun.
Another personal story::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 handIn [[winter]], and he was driving at the speed of 150km/hthough, 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 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!Traveling it can be quite cold in Turkey by hitch-hiking rocks! I never hitch-hike before but my friend has been hitch-hiking since he was 9!.
== 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 ==
When 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 hitchhike in this country, people might try putting — to ask whether you on 'd like a ''dolmuş'' ride (mınıbusfor a fee, of course) or bringing you . Don't be afraid to the stop them and say "''otogarParam yok'' (bus stationwhich literally translates "I don't have money"), it's ok?". The dolmuş is the most common way A couple of public transport inside hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to drop a passenger, and then they kept doing this everytime, and between cities & townsabout 30% of the buses gave them a ride. These small [[User:Sirrdc|Sirrdc]] also had great success hitchhiking on intercity buses that are advised to be used for small distances will stop anywhere on . Inside the road cities, it's even if easier; ask them politely and they will take you dona bit 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]] == Regions and Their Hitchability ==While in general it is fairly easy to attract a lift in Turkey, locals't signal them 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 stop. Generallyget a lift in various regions of the country is as follows in general, from easiest to hardest: :Southeastern Anatolia (usually the ride on first car passing by offering a lift) > North coast (Black Sea Region) (one in every ten cars offering a dolmuş costs 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 1 Central Anatolia and 3 LiraSouth Marmara. 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. * [[:Category:Antalya (Province)|Antalya Province]]* [[:Category:Çanakkale (Province)|Çanakkale Province]]* [[Cappadocia]] * [[:Category:Muğla (Province)|Muğla Province]]* [[:Category:Southeastern Anatolia|Southeastern Anatolia]]
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 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.== Personal Experiences ==
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 fares. However, as the network doesn't reach far '- Some recent thoughts and wide, most of what is interesting in reflections about hitchhiking Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still as a good bet if you need solo female at [https://anaimlesshitchhiker.com/2013/01/04/an-update-about-hitchhiking-solo-as-a night-female-in-turkey/ an aimless hitchhiker]''s sleep during the ride, especially in inland regions where rail network is relatively denser.
== Hitchhiking Buses-"Para miouk,it's okey?" ==
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). Dont be afraid to stop them and say "Para miouk, it's ok?"(no money).Me and My friend pedro did this when a bus stopped beside us to drop a passanger, and then we would do this everytime, and about 30% of them gave us a ride.Inside the city its even easier, ask them politely and they will take you a bit further ahead.
== Food ==You will never have ''- 2020 february i hitchiked from Batumi border to worry about lack of [[food]] Istanbul and 1200 km i did in Turkey2. Many truck drivers have coffee makers 5 days (with sleeping in their trucknights). Turkish people are very generous, Just stick to main highways and it is seldom that you get a make text with big city 300 km away. On the paid highway i got ride without a driver offering you foodin 5 minutes. The food in Turkey is relatively cheap, and is very meat-based. There is also a variety Also i seen alot of a good local produce of tasty sweets and snacks. The tea (black tea or apple tea in Istanbul) is youth hitchiking around''the'' national drink, and almost all the people that you meet offer you a tea − this is probably the most common way of showing you their hospitable culture.
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: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending on the weather) water, while the blue one offers comfortably cold water. 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 ==[[Hospitality exchange]] networks ''- 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 many friendly members in Turkeyit when leaving IST, and they 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 you me with an accommodation.ride please??"
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.
Smaller towns outside ''- 2 times I hitchhiked from Istanbul to Asia and once back to Europe. I didn´t have any map of the main tourist areas have city and I haven´t use any bus because hitchhiking from Istanbul is very cheap hotelseasy. 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, starting at 8 Lirajust raise you´re tumb and there is a big chance that you´ll come forexample to city center faster than by metro.''
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, ''- My friend and legal except in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet, away I (both female) hitched through Turkey from sight of houses the Greek border to Cappadocia and roadsit was quite stressful. Private property such as farmland We never waited long for a ride and oliveyards are technically off most of the limitspeople we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. However, however if you arrive lateI would say that with about 90 percent of our rides we got our butts, break the camp earlyboobs, and leave no trace of your stay (including removing any trash and not damaging any crops)or crotches grabbed, it is no problem or at all least asked for sex. We had to camp at those places. Beware make our driver leave us on the side of fires, though, as most of Turkey lies the road a lot in Mediterranean climatic zone which is very arid in summer, most the middle of country's terrain is naturally covered with dry grasses in summer monthsnowhere so that was kinda dangerous. So while wild camping, try And it took us about 10 hours to make it 25 miles from just before Istanbul to avoid just past the temptation city. People kept trying to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result in damages that you cantake us into the city or someplace we didn't even dream ofwant to go. Another thing to take note We were so glad when we finally made it out of while camping is Turkey at the scorpions (''akrep'' in Turkish)Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in [[Southeastern Anatolia|southeastern part]] just be aware that all of the country—keep other women standing on the zip side of your tent the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and backpack always lockeda lack of respect, to some extent, on our part, check for the local culture. When hitching here maybe you can learn how to say "we are just traveling and shake your shoes we aren't looking for sex may we still have a ride" before putting getting in a vehicle. For the record, our drivers always let us out when we told them ontoo and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbings.''
== Cities and License plates ==
{{Cities ''- 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.''
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 is given ''- 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 whole province, eminor issue.gWe got picked up by an old man when we were hitch-hiking from Cappadocia to Nemrut Dagi. [[Antalya]] The old man had only 2 fingers on his right hand, and [[Alanya]] are both 07he was driving at the speed of 150 km/h, as they are situated in 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 same province (wife doing some traditional stuff! The hardest route to get a ride was probably from Antalya Province)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!''
[[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]], somewhere between [[Ankara]] and [[Gaziantep]] 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 ''- Summer 2012 we spent hitch-hiking around Turkey. Me (male) and Their Hitchability ==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!''
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:
:[[Southeastern Anatolia]] (usually ''- A female friend and I hitchhiked from the first car passing by offering a lift) > North coast (Black Sea Region) (Georgian border to Istanbul. Turkey is one of the easiest countries in every the world to hitch rides. Wait times, even in bad locations, rarely exceed ten cars offering a lift) > Northwest/European minutes. The hitchhiking is so good that it pays to be picky about who you ride with: in Turkey (Thrace) (you will have the privilege to turn down truck drivers in favor of faster vehicles. Although slower, most waits not exceeding 5 mins) > Inland steppes (Central Anatoliatrucks 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, longest waits likely ~20 mins) > Northwest/Asian Marmara (South Marmara) > Aegean Region > Southwest coast (Lycia) > Rest and learn a few words of Mediterranean coast Turkish and you will have great experiences (expect waits up free food, impromptu tour guides, beds to two hours!sleep in, etc.). However, you should be cautious if you are a solo female traveler, with eastern mountains (Eastern Anatolia) perhaps falling somewhere between Central Anatolia and South Marmaraas even mild friendliness towards unrelated males will be misconstrued as flirtation.''
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.
* [[Antalya ''- 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 (ProvinceI always asked for permission off of security guards etc. which most private property had)]]* [[Çanakkale . 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)]]* [[Muğla (Province)]]* [[Southeastern Anatolia]]''
{{Template:Europe/countries}}
[[wikipedia:Turkey]]
[[trash:Turkey]]
Removed the suggestion to say "virgin", as I can say with confidence that this will be interpreted as willingness to have sex in Turkey.
|pop = 71,158,647
|currency = New Turkish Lira (TRY)
|hitch = {{very good}}<rating country='tr' />
|hitchbase = 196
|avp = turkey
|BW = TR
}}
[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]]
== 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 ==
{{nomadwiki}}
{{Cities Turkey}}
{{hitchbase_country|196}}
{{IsIn|Western Asia}}
[[Category:Turkey| ]]
[[Category:Western Asia]]
[[Category:Southern Europe]]
[[es:Turquia]]
[[fr:Turquie]]
[[pl:Turcja]]
[[tr:Türkiye]]
