Introduction
We are not youngsters any more, and we have traveled extensively in our lifetimes. To wit, we’ve been abroad more than a hundred and fifty times, to nearly fifty countries on six continents. We normally travel about a hundred days a year, and in most cases, we do not use a travel service of any kind. We also avoid cruises.
Having said the above, when we decided to go to Turkey for our very first time, we searched long and hard, and Travelous seemed the perfect choice for us. After talking to Chris Bazos on the phone several times, we booked the Classic 14-Day Tour to Turkey (we’ve also booked an Egypt tour with Travelous). Obviously, we are enamored with Travelous, for a number of reasons. First off, we like a private tour, and all of the Travelous tours are private. Secondly, the price of Travelous tours is quite competitive. Third, the Travelous staff are friendly and very competent. And Fourth, you can modify the tour to meet your personal interests.
To say that we had a good time in Turkey would be an understatement. We were quite frankly blown away by the historic sites therein, and we have been to both Greece and Egypt several times. Turkey is right up there with both, which are among our favorite countries to visit. In short, when we travel to countries that we are not familiar with, or that we want the security provided with a local guide, we plan to continue to travel with Travelous for as long as we are able.
Highlights of Our Turkey Trip
Although it is not always the case, we opted for one tour guide and one van driver for the entire two-week tour, during which we visited too many sites in Turkey to list (check out the Classic Tour on the Travelous website). Suffice it to say, we felt by the end of our stay that we had made new friends. For example, our van driver took us to his family’s personal cave in Cappadocia! And, not to be outdone, our tour guide took us to his family home in the countryside near Izmir, whereupon we met and reminisced with his parents and sister. We also dined with our new-found friends at least once a day for the entire two weeks. This is the kind of service you won’t get in a group tour!
We also went off-grid on a few occasions. When our tour guide would inquire, “How would you like to do such-and-such? It’s not on the list, but we can do it if you want to.” And of course, we did – in each and every case. As I said, we’ve traveled a bit in our day, but this was the trip of a lifetime for us!
Our Photo Album
Here a just a few of the photos we took along the way.
