Currently, holidays have become a lifestyle for all people. Anyone can go wherever they want, both domestic and foreign. What’s more, lately a lot of travelers are traveling as backpackers.

Vacation without exclusive tour packages feels more exciting and can save on budget. Talking about domestic and foreign tourist destinations, it seems there will be no end. There are so many cities and countries that are very suitable to visit for a backpacker-style vacation.

Turkey is no exception, yep a country that is very friendly to Muslim travelers is indeed very suitable to be your next tourist destination.

Actually, backpackers to Turkey are not much different from other countries, what distinguishes it is that the majority of Turkey’s population is Muslim, so finding halal food and places of worship is not difficult.

So, here are some tips for those of you who are planning to go solo backapacker to Turkey in 2020 for the first time. Check out the following reviews!

1. Prepare an itinerary

First of all, you have to prepare an itinerary first. Itinerary is a detailed travel record made to make it easier for us to live our vacation. So that your trip will run more orderly, effectively and efficiently.

Usually the itinerary contains about when to leave and return, how much the budget, tourist destination locations, consumption costs, and others. If you have trouble, you can see examples of itineraries on the internet or backpackers blogs.

2. Go In Winter

The best time to visit this country is during winter, which is around December – March. At that time, this country was not crowded with foreign tourists, aka this is the low season.

Because basically, Turkey does not have special winter tours. So that rarely tourists choose this season as their vacation time. Automatically, if there are not many visitors, the price of plane tickets, accommodation rentals, and tourist admission tickets will be cheaper.

3. Booking tickets in advance

After arranging the next itinerary, the next step is to order a plane ticket. The flight route from Jakarta to Turkey is the cheapest ticket price if without the promo it can reach 10 million one way. PP means it’s already 20 million for transportation alone.

But it’s not backpackers if you can’t find a profitable solution. You can look for tickets in advance, for example 3-7 months before departure. Besides being cheaper, if you are diligent in opening the ailine app or website, chances are that you can get promo prices, right?

4. Booking Accommodations While Still In Indonesia

On vacation abroad besides plane tickets, you have to book accommodation too early. Don’t look for lodging on the spot, because this will make it difficult for you. Turkey has a variety of cheap lodgings in the center of its cities.

As a reference you can stay at the Nomad Cave Hostel located in Cappadocia. This hostel is one of the most recommended by backpackers in the world. Besides the affordable price, you will enjoy the sensation of staying in a cave, it will be an exciting experience, right?

5. Make sure the passport validity period meets the requirements

It’s better before leaving, first check the validity period of your passport. Make sure if the validity period is more than six months. Why should these tips be in the series of your vacation plans, because not a few travelers underestimate this trivial thing.

If the validity period is under six months it will cause things that will ruin your vacation plans. For example, you will be stuck when you want to check in at the airport, at immigration, and even get deported in your destination country.

6. Take Care of Visa Don’t Forget!

Apart from the passport, the documents required for traveling abroad are a visa. Without this document, you are in danger of not being able to enter your destination country. Actually, there are two types of Turkish visas, namely VOA (Visa On Arrival) and e-visa. You can choose one of the two.

Either VOA or e-visa makes it easy. What distinguishes it is the fee for making it, which is cheaper ¬e-visa than VOA. For e-visa the fee is around 392 thousand, while VOA is 492 thousand. This price can vary depending on the dollar value.

If you are an e-visa, you can take care of it online on the official website for making a Turkish state visa. As for VOA, you can make it when you arrive at Istanbul Ataturk Airport. You just have to go to the VOA counter at the airport. Both are easy, right?

7. Seeking Information Regarding Transportation There

The next tip is to find information about the transportation that you will use to visit tourist locations and your destination city. You can adjust it based on the distance between the inn and the destination location.

Public transportation in Turkey that can be used as an alternative is metro, tram, bus, taxi, seabus, funicula, city tour bus (hop on hop off bus), or combine them according to your needs. To save even more and make it easier for you, buy Istanbulkart at a metro or tram station.

8. Looking for information regarding tourist destinations

In addition to finding out what transportation to use, also find out your destination. In your itinerary, you must have determined where you will go. It is not limited to recording the places.

Get to know these tourist spots too, so when you arrive there are not really silly, because before you have been googling first. In addition, find out about how many HTMs, open hours, and transportation that reaches the place.

9. Recognizing Turkish

Because Turkey is a non-English speaking country, there aren’t many people who understand and can speak English. Usually, traders in shopping centers can speak English a lot.

At least you know the basic languages. These tips are to make it easier for you to interact with local residents, especially if you need certain information. If necessary, just download you on your phone.

10. Asking the Information Center

Another way when you need help, come to tourist information or information centers. Relax .. the officers there are fluent in English and of course you will be served well.

In addition to the information center, you can also ask local traders. They will help you when you need help. If necessary, save the local city emergency call number just in case. For example, the Turkish police number is 155.

Those are some tips that you can follow when traveling to Turkey for the first time. Make sure that your trip is comfortable and safe!