Solo Female Travel: Discovering Turkey
Overall Turkey is a very safe place for solo female travellers and there are plenty of females who travel across Turkey alone. So you are bound to meet similar solo females along your journey.
The Turkish people are extremely friendly and welcoming towards females. So expect a lot of people making conversation with you, buying you food and gifts and not expecting anything in return!
Make sure you dress appropriately in cities outside of Istanbul as these are mainly Islamic places so modesty is important. You will need to wear long floaty trousers or skirts that cover at least past your knees and preferably a loose top that covers your shoulders. Istanbul is a very liberal city so feel free to wear whatever feels comfortable.
What to expect:
Staring – it isn’t an unfriendly stare as people are just interested in you and think it is unusual that a female is alone without a group or a male companion
Catcalling – this is quite common but again nothing unfriendly, it just may make you feel uncomfortable at times if men are saying things to you in Turkish that you don’t understand
Being asked if you are married or receiving marriage proposals – if you feel uncomfortable with this then just say you are married or even wear a ring to get rid of any unwanted attention
Being asked to have a ‘one night stand’ with men – if you don’t want to do this then just politely decline or say you are married or have a boyfriend
Asked to go out for dinner or drinks – politely decline if you are not interested or say you have a boyfriend
Safety and Scams:
Taxis/Tours/Guides – Make sure to always agree on a price before starting the journey or tour as if you don’t they will rip you off and charge you a lot more than what you should have paid so make sure to always do this.
Tourist Shops – You may be approached and asked to come into someone’s shop to try some snacks or to have some tea. Please avoid doing this as they may try and guilt trip you into buying things. Or even worse they could always put something in your drink. Just avoid accepting free things where you can.
Turkey’s borders – Be careful when travelling close to Turkey’s borders with other countries as there is always a risk of the situation escalating near the borders with places such as Syria and Iraq. There is also a risk of terrorist activity so exercise caution when travelling within 5 miles of the border.
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