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== Border crossing ==
Visas can no longer be obtained on arrival, so if you are a nationality that needs a visa, be sure to buy it online in advance. See [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Turkey Wikivoyage] for detailed information on visa matters.
==== [[Armenia]] ====
Be aware of the fact that, although Turkey and [[Armenia]] share a land border, this border is ''closed'' because of continuing political issues.
==== [[Bulgaria]] ====
* [[Kapitan Andreevo-Kapıkule border crossing]]
==== [[Georgia]] ====
* [[Sarp-Sarpi border crossing]]
* [[Posof]]
==== [[Greece]] ====
* [[Ipsala]]
==== [[Iran]] ====
* [[Bazargan-Doğubeyazıt border crossing|Doğubeyazıt]]
* [[Yuksekova-Esendere border crossing|Yuksekova]]
==== Iraqi Kurdistan ====
* There is one border crossing to Iraqi Kurdistan, just south of Silopi.
==== [[Syria]] ====
* There are a number of border crossings, but most are closed due to the ongoing unrest. In peace, the busiest one is Bab al-Hawa, connecting [[Antalya]] with [[Aleppo]].
== Food and sleep ==
Take a look at the [http://nomadwiki.org/en/Turkey Nomadwiki] article for this!
[[trash:Turkey]]
{{move_to_nomadwiki}}[[nomad:Turkey]]
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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:Zenit|Zenit]] and the girl he was travelling with experienced in November 2011. While these things shouldn't deter anybody from travelling in Turkey, they certainly prove that there is a specific code of conduct different from any other country that needs to be respected in order to avoid unnecessary problems. It will take a little bit of travelling in the country first to get used to this different dynamic, so this will be the time to be extra cautious. Further reading for female hitchhikers – and anybody travelling in Turkey – is [http://youarealltourists.blogspot.com/2008/04/hitchhiking-guide-to-turkey-for-girls.html this blog]. Safety is always important while hitchhiking, so check the [[Hitchhiker's safety|Safety]] article before hitting the road!
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 (i.e. being big and 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 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 nuisance of being asked for sex you're unlikely to run into any problems.
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.
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.
== Climate ==
=== Hitchhiking buses ===
[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]]
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. [[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 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]]
== Cities and License plates ==
{{Cities Turkey}}
== 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:
== Personal Experiences ==
Some recent thoughts and reflections about hitchhiking Turkey as a solo female: httpat [https://shelobify.wordpressanaimlesshitchhiker.com/2013/01/04/an-update-about-hitchhiking-solo-as-a-female-in-turkey/an aimless hitchhiker]
:''My friend and I (both female) hitched through Turkey from the Greek border to Cappadocia and it was quite stressful. We never waited long for a ride and most of the people we rode with insisted on buying us chai (just tea) and meals. However, I would say that with about 90 percent of our rides we got our butts, boobs, or crotches grabbed, or at least asked for sex. We had to make our driver leave us on the side of the road a lot in the middle of nowhere so that was kinda dangerous. And it took us about 10 hours to make it 25 miles from just before Istanbul to just past the city. People kept trying to take us into the city or someplace we didn't want to go. We were so glad when we finally made it out of Turkey at the Bulgarian border. It was an adventure though and I would recommend traveling through Turkey, just be aware that all of the other women standing on the side of the road are prostitutes. It was all just a giant misunderstanding and a lack of respect, to some extent, on our part, for the local culture. When hitching here maybe you can learn how to say "we are just traveling and we aren't looking for sex may we still have a ride" before getting in a vehicle. For the record, our drivers always let us out when we told them too and nothing dramatic happened beyond the daily grabbings.''
== Links ==
{{nomadwiki}}
* [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]
[[wikipedia:Turkey]]
{{IsIn|Western Asia}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
[[pl:Turcja]]
[[tr:Türkiye]]
