Travelling to Turkey |
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Getting Lira
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| 10. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:29 pm |
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That's good. One line to accomplish two things, what a relief! 
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| 11. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:29 pm |
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Quoting Loveprague: Quoting Elisabeth: Good point Loveprague...I was assuming it was Ataturk. |
Thanks Elisabeth I work in a hospital so I always check things very carefully  |
I work in hospital administration....hahaha...we don't listen to our clinical people, you know that!!
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| 12. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:39 pm |
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Can I pay for my visa with US Dollars? Sorry if that is a silly question.
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| 13. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:41 pm |
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Quoting mey0722: Can I pay for my visa with US Dollars? Sorry if that is a silly question. |
yes you can , they are cheaper now than they used to be too.
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| 14. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:43 pm |
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when you enter the baggage hall, there are 2 places to exchange money on each side at the bottom of the stairs. The rate is fair but you pay a commision. exchange only what you need for the day. The best rates are at Doviz offices or ATM's.
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| 15. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:51 pm |
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Perfect, thanks. You are all so helpful!!
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| 16. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:52 pm |
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I know this is also silly, but are their signs in English as well as Turkish in the airport? I imagine they are, as other parts of the world I've been to have this, but just checking! I won't need to know the Turkish word for "baggage claim" will I? I know, stupid question, but it can't hurt to ask!
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| 17. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 09:54 pm |
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most signs are in english as well. Also, most signs have pictures so even if you spoke no english or turkish, you could find your way.
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| 18. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 10:13 pm |
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Thanks. I'm sure I'm much more paranoid than I need to be. I figure it can't hurt to gather as much information as possible. I spoke to a colleague of mine and he travels to Turkey frequently. In Istanbul, he stays at a Best Western called The President Hotel. Says it's nice and affordable. A single room for the date I need it came up at $93. Here's the link if anyone is interested.
http://www.thepresidenthotel.com/default.asp
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| 19. |
18 Oct 2007 Thu 10:19 pm |
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Quoting mey0722: Thanks. I'm sure I'm much more paranoid than I need to be. I figure it can't hurt to gather as much information as possible. I spoke to a colleague of mine and he travels to Turkey frequently. In Istanbul, he stays at a Best Western called The President Hotel. Says it's nice and affordable. A single room for the date I need it came up at $93. Here's the link if anyone is interested.
http://www.thepresidenthotel.com/default.asp |
Don't take me wrong if I say I agree with you in your first sentence... 
Turkey and Istanbul are safe, there are imo no special precautions you should take as a solo travelling woman other than you should in other big cities. Use common sense and you'll have a wonderful time. I travelled solo several times, even for longer periods, so I'm speaking out of experience. If you have any questions, you can PM me.
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| 20. |
21 Oct 2007 Sun 11:57 am |
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Just to clear something up...
When you enter Turkey via Ataturk, they do NOT stamp your passport at the visa line.
Follow the signs, in English, as well as the crowd from your flight, to Passport. The first line you will come to is Visa. It is well marked. Pay for your visa with U.S. dollars or Euros, either is accepted. They will stick a visa onto one of the pages in your passport.
Then you go to the Passport line to get your passport stamped.
I'm sorry, but you do need to stand in two lines. The Visa line is relatively short, no longer than 10 minutes. The Passport line can be much longer, with waits ranging from 10 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on how many flights are arriving.
I recommend that you bring an ATM card and get your money (as YTL) from ATMs, which are widely available. Check with your bank before you leave on your trip to make sure that your password is valid internationally and to notify them that you will be getting money in Turkey.
If you use an ATM card, you never need to change money.
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