Traveling in Turkey Behind the Wheel

This is one of a two part series on driving in Turkey.

Traveling to Turkey is fantastic. Visitors  have the opportunity for many cultural and historic experiences. One adventure I wasn’t expecting in Turkey was  my time behind the wheel of our rental car.  Turkish drivers live on the edge with their death defying driving maneuvers. I will never forget my week of driving in Turkey. It felt like life on the edge every day.

 By the second day my travel companion was enjoying the motto, “When in Turkey, live as the Turkish do.” For him that meant driving with the same insane vigor as the local drivers. For me it meant a great deal of clinging to the arm rest and closing my eyes as I gasped at the continued antics of Turkish drivers. By day two in Turkey my companion had decided I should put my driving skills to the test. I think in that moment I stopped breathing. Was he insane? Seeing he was serious  and wanted me to give it a try I braved it and sped off on the mountain roads, wondering how we’d survive.  His emotional support made all the difference. Yes, there were more than a  few hair raising moments when Turkish drivers passed me on curves and tight roads where it seemed perfectly insane, but we survived and had an amazing adventure.

Tips I recommend for your time traveling in Turkey.

* Drive Defensively and realize you are NOT driving in America. You are driving in foreign country, where the rules are very different.

* Start with short drives to areas that feel managable.

* Drive in daylight.

* Be prepared with maps and make sure you fill up your gas tank for driving in the mountains.

Photo Credit Tricky Driving 300td.org

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