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== Border crossing ==
[[File:CraigThumbingAsiaTurkey.JPG|thumb|250px|right|[[User:Halt, Stop! Reudnitz kommt.|Craig]] hitching in [[Cappadocia]] en route to [[Malaysia]]]]
Obtaining a visa at the border is easy for most nationalities, and is sometimes even free. See [http://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Turkey Wikivoyage] for detailed information on visa matters.
* 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]]
* Iraq
** Only one crossing seems to be open for foreigners, the one south of Yuksekova
* 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 [[Antakya]] with [[Aleppo]].
Of the transportation options which involve payment, trains are by far the cheapest in As long as you stick to the countrysouth coast, especially if you are under 27, when you are entitled 'll be able to have a 20% discount on already cheap faresswim in the Aegean any sunny winter day. However, as On some places it's just hitching 100km north into the network doesn't reach far mountains and wide, most of what is interesting in Turkey is out of rail coverage, though they are still a good bet if you need a night's sleep during the ride, especially in inland regions where rail network is relatively denser.ll see snow too!
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. Inside the cities, it's even easier; ask them politely and they will take you a bit further ahead.
== Food == You will never have to worry about lack of [[food]] File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey. Many truck drivers have coffee makers in their truck. Turkish people are very generous, and it is rare that you will get a lift without a driver offering you food. The food jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey is relatively cheap]]While waiting beside the road, and is very meattown-to-based. There is also a variety of a good local produce of tasty sweets and snacks. The tea town minibus drivers (black tea or apple tea in Istanbulwhich can be recognized by banners proclaiming town names all over) is ''the'' national drink, and almost all the people that intercity buses will flash their headlights or honk at you meet offer — to ask whether you 'd like a ride (for a tea − this is probably the most common way fee, of showing you their hospitable culturecourse). A great way Don't be afraid to reduce your bottled water costs, especially in the hot southern/Mediterranean coast of Turkey is to use free cold water dispensers, locally called stop them and say "''sebilParam yok'' (pronounced which literally translates "I don''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 t have two faucets: red one delivers warm (or mildly hot depending on the weathermoney") 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 upsetsok?". A way couple of hitchhikers did this when a bus stopped beside them to reduce the risk may be allowing yourself drop a week after arrival in the region to get accustomed to local microflora passenger, and -fauna that may be present in the water then they kept doing this everytime, and then taking full advantage about 30% of ''sebil''sthe buses gave them a ride.[[File:turkeyhitch.jpg|thumb|350px|[[User:Chael777Sirrdc|ChaelSirrdc]]<small><sup>[http://wwwalso had great success hitchhiking on intercity buses.velabas.com/ site]</sup></small> hitching south to Bodrum, April 2008]] == Sleep ==[[Finding accommodation|Hospitality exchange]] 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. Smaller towns outside Inside the main tourist areas have very cheap hotelscities, starting at 8TL. Outside of populated areas, almost every gas station has a prayer rom called a it''mescit'' (pronounced: ''MES-jeet''), which are good places for sleeping. Just be respectful respect of their religion, take off your shoes, wash your hands and feet, s even easier; ask them politely and don't sleep by the wall where the ''mihrab'' (prayer niche) is. Don't ask gas station staff if you can sleep there because they will probably say no, but once you are inside, nobody will disturb take you. Many truck drivers will have an extra bunk in their truck cabin, and they are usually happy to offer it to a hitchhikerbit further ahead.
Wild camping is pretty much possible, OK, and legal except in large urban agglomerations. Just be discreet and keep out of sight of houses and roads. Private property such as farmland and oliveyards are technically off limits, but if you arrive late, break camp early and leave no trace of your stay (i.e. take your rubbish with you and do not damage crops), it is no problem at all to camp at those places[[File:turkeyhitch. Beware of fires, though, as most of Turkey lies in Mediterranean climatic zone which is very arid in summer, most of the country's terrain is naturally covered with dry grasses in summer monthsjpg|thumb|350px|[[User:Chael777|Chael]]<small><sup>[http://www. So while wild camping, try to avoid the temptation to build campfires; even cigarette butts that are not properly distinguished and disposed of can result in damages that you can't even dream ofvelabas. Another thing com/ site]</sup></small> hitching south to take note of while camping is the scorpions (''akrep'' in Turkish), especially in southern Mediterranean coast and in southeastern parts of the country—keep the zip of your tent and backpack always lockedBodrum, check and shake your shoes before putting them on.April 2008]]
:''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, A female friend and my experience has not been at all like I hitchhiked from the aboveGeorgian border to Istanbul. 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 Turkey is one of those drivers touched me apart from the easiest countries in the world to shake my handhitch rides. Wait times, and I was asked for sex twice, relatively politelyeven in bad locations, and both accepted no as an answerrarely exceed ten minutes. I was treated The hitchhiking is so good that it pays to be picky about who you ride with courtesy: in Turkey you will have the privilege to turn down truck drivers in favor of faster vehicles. Although slower, respectmost trucks will stop to offer rides. While hitchhiking at night, generosity, kindness, invites home we were allowed to meet their familiesnap in the sleeping berths that long-haul trucks have. Be polite, and yesrespectful, 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 learn a prostitute, but easily accepted that I wasn't judging on behavior. I suspect that few words of Turkish and you will have great experiences like the above depend on inappropriate behaviour or dress(free food, or horribly bad luck. I don't speak Turkishimpromptu tour guides, so sometimes it was a bit boringbeds to sleep in, which was probably the worst thing about hitchhikingetc.). I would recommend not understanding the questions about whether However, you're alone or married- not speaking Turkish can actually help! And also should be aware that Turkish women hitchhiking sit in the back seat of carscautious if you are a solo female traveler, same as in taxiseven mild friendliness towards unrelated males will be misconstrued as flirtation.''"
:''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 Hitchhiked along the Black Sea Coast from Georgia to Bulgaria. Turkeywas easy enough for me even for such a huge country. Me There was no issue sleeping on beaches or sleeping in fields on the outskirts of towns (male) and my girlfriend have experienced a lot I always asked for permission off of hospitality from Turkish drivers and hostssecurity guards etc. Many times they stopped on the road and they offered us lunch/dinnerwhich most private property had). Turkish men never hardly spoke The cities are really big though due to my girlfriend (they fully respect fact that woman the big populations, walking out of them can take ages, especially Istanbul which is in relationship with other man)very difficult to hitchhike out of. Once whilst hitch-hiking Turks are super proud too for the bus pull-over. We explained that we most part so don't offend them and also 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 urinate on the highway and sometimes you just have to walk alongside side of the road and they unless you are certain no-one will stop the car. Great experience, but I really recommend to go there as a mixed pair!''see (its definitely not acceptable)"
[[trash:Turkey]]
→Personal Experiences
Hitchhiking at night works well as long as you stand in a somewhat visible spot.
== Safety ==
Turkey has been getting a bad reputation for girls hitchhiking female hitchhikers following the murder of [[Pippa]] in April 2008 and the presence of many disheartening 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 good reading for girls female hitchhikers – and anybody else 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 going out to wave your thumbhitting 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 guys males travelling with girls a female to see how protective they are of the girls they're travelling withtheir 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 guy man travelling with a girl 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 in 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 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 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 girl, it seems to be safer to say that you are unmarried - 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 the girl.
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 ==
[[File:Erzurum.JPG|thumb|250px|In [[winter]] it can be cold.]]
During the summer temperatures tend to rise above 35 °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.
In [[winter]], though, it can be quite cold in Turkey. == Transportation ==[[File:Mikeeg555 hitching in Turkey.jpg|thumb|250px|left|[[User:Mikeeg555|Mikeeg555]] hitching in Turkey]]When you hitchhike in this country, people might try putting you on a ''dolmuş'' (mınıbus) or bringing you to the ''otogar'' (bus station). The dolmuş is the most common way of public transport inside and between cities & towns. These small buses that are advised to be used for small distances will stop anywhere on the road even if you don't signal them to stop. Generally, the ride on a dolmuş costs between 1 and 3 Lira. For larger distances buses (coaches) are more common. They provide reliable service and are pretty comfortable. Free tea and snacks are generally served along the way, and the buses tend to stop 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.
=== Hitchhiking buses ===
== 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]'' ''- 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 hithiking around'' ''- 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??" ''- 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 (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!''
== 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 ==
[[nomad:Turkeu]] [[trash:Turkey]]
{{hitchbase_country|196}}
[[wikipedia:Turkey]]
{{IsIn|Western Asia}}
[[Category:Turkey]]
