In 2012, I traveled through Turkey for six weeks — sometimes on my own, sometimes with my boyfriend. My trip through the country first saw me traveling overland from Istanbul to Fethiye with stops in Cannakale, Selçuk (to see Ephesus) and Pamukkale. From Fethiye, I spent 11 days sailing a yacht around the southwest coast, visiting Göcek, Gökkaya, Kekova Roads, Kalkan, Karakaören, Kas, Kayaköy and Uçagiz.

I finished my time in Turkey with a stay in the tiny village of Kadikalesi.

I genuinely didn’t know what to expect from my visit to Turkey. I’d struggled an awful lot while traveling solo through Morocco due to the harassment and abuse from local males — so much so that I’d had to cut my trip short — and I’d heard from several people to expect Turkey to be similar, though not as intense.

I was interested to see if I’d experience anything like the same level of hassle in Turkey, and what difference there would be between traveling alone and traveling with a guy.

A Noticeable Difference — But Not a Bad One

My boyfriend and I arrived in Istanbul late afternoon, and within a few minutes I could tell that Turkey would be nothing like Morocco.

That evening, as we wandered around the Sultanahmet neighborhood, I felt as safe as I feel back home in England. I didn’t feel vulnerable, I had no worries and I definitely didn’t feel any level of discomfort. From the local men there was no staring, no whistling, no leering and very little attention directed my way.

The following morning, I decided to head out alone and see what Istanbul was like for a solo female. I was surprised to instantly notice a difference, barely making it 20 meters from my apartment before being approached by a local man who wanted to chat.

I received so much more attention while I was traveling alone than with my boyfriend, though it never felt like I was being harassed. Simply avoiding eye contact would prevent most men from approaching me, and the rest would leave me alone if I indicated I didn’t want to talk with them. They were never abusive or intimidating in any way. In my experience, the local men were friendly, helpful, and slightly flirtatious. Their attention didn’t ever feel malicious.

In fact, I had just one isolated incident during my entire six weeks in Turkey that left me feeling uncomfortable.

My boyfriend and I were taking a tram through Istanbul during rush hour and were seated on opposite sides of the tram car, making it appear as if I were alone. It was a few minutes after sitting down that the man next to me started leaning into my side a little too often and a little too hard. I slid further away from him, but he followed along and began rubbing his elbow up against my side in a sleazy manner.

I felt uncomfortable, and so I got up and stood for the rest of the journey. Problem solved. Sure, I could have completely imagined this and maybe the tram was a little bumpy, forcing him into me, but it still left me uneasy and glad to get off the tram.

I was slightly concerned about visiting the smaller, lesser-visited towns in Turkey, such as Kadikalesi, knowing that these areas see fewer tourists and would likely have more conservative locals. However, outside of Istanbul, I had no issues whatsoever and felt incredibly safe for the rest of my time in the country.

Safety Tips for Female Students in Turkey

Use Common Sense

Be sensible, and don’t go crazy just because you’re on vacation. When I travel alone, I always take care not to drink too much alcohol, and I stop drinking as soon as I start feeling tipsy. I don’t accept drinks from strangers or anybody I don’t know extremely well – you never know if somebody has tried to spike your drink. I’m also wary of any men who are overly friendly, whether it’s day or night.

Research the unsafe neighborhoods in each city before you arrive and make sure to avoid them. Read hostel reviews thoroughly, too, paying special attention to the comments left by female travellers -- these are our favourite hostel booking websites to use. Avoid going out alone at night unless you feel 100% comfortable doing so, and steer clear of any dark alleyways or poorly-lit areas.

Act As If You Belong

Whenever anything bad has happened to me while traveling, it’s been when I’ve stood out as a dazed and confused tourist. In Turkey, this doesn’t mean covering up with a head-to-toe burqa, but walking with purpose. Stride confidently and look as though you belong by not spending ages staring at a map or looking lost. Figure out where you need to go before you step outside so you can appear confident to anybody looking to scam an innocent tourist.

Avoid eye contact as you pass men in the street, especially if you’re receiving attention that makes you uncomfortable. If they try to follow you, talk to you, or act in a way that makes you feel unsafe, keep your head up, your eyes on the ground and don’t engage with them. If they’re persistent, I find that simply turning to them, firmly saying “no English” and briskly walking away diffuses most intimidating situations.

Scams Do Exist

Scams exist in every country in the world, so make sure you research the current scams in Turkey before you arrive. I checked the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums, searching for “turkey scam” and selecting posts made within the past 12 months. It was only because I’d done this that I was able to avoid being scammed in Istanbul.

I was crossing a bridge when a shoe shine vendor walking in front of me happened to drop his brush on the ground at my feet, continuing walking as he did so. I stepped over the brush and continued walking. In Istanbul, a very common scam occurs when shoe-shining vendors deliberately drop their brushes in front of you, and when you kind-heartedly pick it up and chase after them to give it back, they’ll thank you profusely and offer you a shoe polish to thank you. Once the polish is complete, they’ll ask for a ridiculous sum of money in exchange. I’d even heard of this happening to people wearing flip-flops!

Fake Wedding Rings are Silly

After there was an issue with the yacht that left the guys on board stranded in the middle of the ocean with no fuel, and myself and two girls waiting for them to arrive in Fethiye, we found ourselves in need of somewhere to stay for the night.

With the other girls being much more nervous being in Turkey than I was, we elected to stay in a mid-range hotel rather than a hostel, and they insisted I wear my ring on my wedding finger — something I’ve never done while traveling before.

And it’s probably something I’ll never do again.

While we were speaking to hotel staff and the girls were making a big deal about our “husbands” being stranded on a yacht the next town along, the staff simply stared at me and singled me out: “You too? You are married too?” As somebody who is often mistaken for a teenager, especially when I’m not wearing make-up (as I wasn’t in Turkey), I awkwardly went along with the story but didn’t think anybody found it particularly believable. I just felt ridiculous.

As a student, it's unlikely that anybody will believe that you're married unless you look much older than you are.

Cover up

I was surprised at how few people covered up in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, where you’ll frequently see the locals wearing short skirts and revealing tops. So, while it isn’t completely necessary to cover every single inch of your skin, I found that the more conservatively I dressed, the less attention I received.

However, the less touristed the destination, the more I felt the need to cover up. In the tiny village of Kadikalesi, for example, I made sure to wear far more than I did in Istanbul because the locals were much more conservative.

No matter where I visited on the coast, I found wearing a bikini on the beach to be fine.

Don’t Expect Fantastic Hospital Care Outside of Istanbul

Hopefully, you won’t find yourself in a hospital in Turkey however, I was unlucky enough to need a visit.

It was in Selçuk that I woke up drenched in sweat as the room violently spun around me for no apparent reason. For the next three hours I was crying, vomiting and trying everything possible to stop the room from moving. Nothing was helping and I could barely move, so it was time to visit the hospital. There was something seriously wrong with me.

I was given so many tests (all from male doctors, some requiring me to take my top off), received no answers and was then put in a room with a bed and drip, where I waited for a doctor to arrive. I was told it wouldn’t be long but ended up waiting for over four hours. The doctor gave me a five minute inspection that involved mostly just listening to my heart and asking me if I was pregnant, and then sent me away with some pills and little explanation as to what was actually wrong with me.

In fact, I only found out what the diagnosis was after speaking to a friend of mine who is a doctor (I had benign paroxysmal positional vertigo — where small crystals in your ear become dislodged, drift into your inner ear and as they roll around, ie, whenever you move your head, they brush against the hairs in your inner ear causing your brain to think that you’re moving, making the room spin around and around…).

The price of my treatment came to $400, which was, conveniently, the exact amount the excess on my travel insurance was (a situation like this is exactly why you need travel insurance!). I was not quoted a price for my treatment until I had spoken to my travel insurance company.

I obviously can’t say that healthcare in Turkey isn’t great after having one poor experience in a relatively small town — I’m certain hospitals would be far better in Istanbul. However, I wasn’t impressed with the care I received.

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I arrived in Turkey apprehensive and left eager to return and see even more.

However, it would be fair to say that while I was in Turkey, I was based entirely in areas that see some degree of tourism. I have heard of problems, for both males and females, in the southeast region of the country (mainly close to the border with Syria and Iraq) but having not personally been there, I cannot comment on the safety of this area.

From the destinations I visited, I found Turkey to be a safe country for women to travel through, and I had far fewer issues traveling there than in countries like Morocco, China, and even the US.

 

As long as you use your common sense, behave how you would at home, and take care not to draw attention to yourself, you’ll be able to have a safe, happy, and enjoyable trip.