Pre – Trip Information
Singing with optional hiking

Luggage

Aboard the gulet there is limited storage space, please do not bring large suitcases onboard. We advise you to bring only what you need for this trip. You will also find it useful to have luggage with wheels as you’ll need to carry your luggage the short distance through the marina to the gulet.

To help you to pack lighter you’ll find a hairdryer in your bathroom. Bathroom and beach towels are also provided.

Electricity

European—two round pins, bring an adaptor with you. Electricity for charging mobile phones, cameras, Kindles etc is available when in port (first and last nights) or during the evening when the generator is on. Electrical current: 220v, 50Hz 

Currency

The currency in Turkey is the Turkish Lire (TL) although Euros and Pounds Sterling are readily accepted. You can pay your onboard expenses (drinks, excursions) in Euros or Pounds Sterling so you don’t need to worry about the exchange rate. Of course, Turkish Lire are also accepted.

You will get a much better rate in Turkey than in your home country. Change your currency onboard or at a  Currency Exchange Shop in Marmaris or Fethiye.

Internet

If staying connected is important to you please arrange for an international data package with your mobile phone provider in the UK, ensuring you understand the charges you will incur. Wifi isn’t available for you onboard.

Dietary Requirements—if you have specific needs you may want to bring your own snacks/bread etc as they may be difficult to find in Turkey. Please ensure you have advised us of your dietary requirements BEFORE your arrival by logging into your booking.

Snacks—Full board is included in your holiday but please feel free to bring any extra snacks you might like to have. There’s nowhere better than Turkey to buy dried fruit and nuts!

Water & Drinks

• Drinking Water is supplied onboard for hiking and singing. However to protect the environment small plastic bottles of water are chargeable. If you bring your own refillable water container you can drink as much water as you want for a small fee of £15 for the week. Payable onboard. Boat tap water is OK for cleaning your teeth.
• There is a reasonably priced bar onboard selling soft drinks, water, wines, beer and spirits. The bar price list is located near the bar together with the drinks account/tab which you can settle at the end of your holiday in Turkish Lire, Pounds Sterling or Euros. Please note that it is prohibited for you to consume your own drinks onboard, all drinks must be bought from the bar.
• Tea and instant coffee is supplied at breakfast and afternoon tea. If you would like tea/coffee outside these times a small charge is applicable, even if you have brought your own teabag because of the time/preparation which takes the crew away from their other duties. Filter and Turkish coffee are also available to buy.

Tipping & the Crew

• There will be a crew of 2 or 3 people, they will be Turkish and will speak a limited amount of English. The Captain will be a MasterSailor certified by the Ministry of Turkish Maritime Operations. There will be a cook and sailor onboard who will have their own quarters. Together they take care of the sailing, route planning, cooking, cleaning and other duties to maintain seaworthiness. They are onboard with you to take care of you and your safety 24/7 for the entire trip.
• It is customary in Turkey to tip for good service, it is absolutely at your discretion but most customers tip the crew at the end of the trip as a way of showing appreciation for receiving care and attention 24/7. An average amount to go by is £40 or 45 Euros per traveller for the week, some people pay more, some people pay less.

Fiction

Birds Without Wings—Louis de Bernieres. A tragic love story set after the First World War. Based upon one of the villages we visit, the story chronicles the rise of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

The Thread—Victoria Hislop. For the first time a young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents story of how they had to flee their home in a Turkish village and escape to Greece and further persecution.

Ayşe’s Trail – Atulya K. Bingham. Ayşe Metin –  a 38 year-old mother from Istanbul – decides to tackle the Lycia Way in Southern Türkiye. Unknown to Ayşe, as she clambers over the precipices of the Mediterranean coast she is walking in someone else’s footsteps some 2500 years earlier. 

Middlesex—Geoffrey Eugenides. An interesting story of how a gene passes through 3 generations of Greeks. The story starts in a Turkish village and follows their journey of a new life in America.

Portrait of a Turkish Family—Irfan Orga. The story of a wealthy bourgeois family in Istanbul in the early 1900’s.

Seven Houses: A Novel Alev Lytle Croutier. From a grand villa in Smyrna to a silk plantation near Mount Olympus, from a little cottage in a dusty town to the indifferent apartments of a modern day high rise, Seven Houses charts the rocky, uncertain course of one family’s ever-shifting fortunes across the twentieth century.

The Janissary Tree— Jason Goodwin.  A historical mystery novel set in Istanbul in 1836, written by Jason Goodwin. It is the first in the Yashim the Detective series, followed by The Snake Stone, The Bellini Card, An Evil Eye and The Baklava Club.

Reference

Anatolian Days and Nights—Stocke and Brenner. A travel memoir which is a love affair with Turkey.

Tales From the Expat Harem—Various Authors. A series of short stories sharing the experiences of foreign womenliving in Turkey.

Turkish Reflections—Mary Lee Settle. A cross-country odyssey into history, legend, mystery and myth.

Essential Items

Walking Boots—Leather or waterproof fabric, with or without ankle support and they need to be broken in. Trainers or walking sandals are not recommended for this terrain which is loose and stony. NOTE: these paths and trails are rocky and littered with loose stones. Appropriate hiking footwear MUST be worn.

2 or 3 pairs of walking socks. Blisters can be avoided by wearing a thin sock underneath (not cotton) or buy a pair of ‘guaranteed not to blister’ socks which are made up of two layers.

Hat— don’t under-estimate how easy it is to become overheated when we are hiking. A  sun hat can also help to protect your scalp, nose and back of the neck from sun burn.

Very Useful Items

Walking Poles—a pair works best; they are not essential, but good for balance on uneven ground and helps to protect your knees (even young ones!)

Waterproof anorak and trousers—lightweight (April, May, Oct) Generally we don’t hike in the rain. it’s so infrequent that we do our best to avoid it.

Trousers/shorts—loose enough not to restrict your movement. Jeans aren’t a good idea for walking. Zip off trouser legs are useful

Rucksack (day pack) to carry water, camera, packed lunch and other bits and pieces

Re-fillable Water Carrier—There are a range of plastic bottles, flasks and Platypus type water systems. You will need to drink 2 to 3 litres each day.

Swimwear, sun screen, sun glasses, sun hat – beach towel provided

Non-essential – but these might be useful to you!

Flip flops/soft soled shoes—shoes aren’t worn onboard, but the deck can be very hot in June—September. They are also useful at the mudbaths. They should have clean soles and not hold small stones.

Water/beach plastic shoes—these are useful when we have a dinghy transfer and you have to climb onto a pebbly beach from the dinghy

Binoculars—maybe!

Walking Sandals—useful for a couple of short walks and excursion day.

Basic First Aid kit

Anti-histamine tablets and/or creams—many people discover hayfever type allergies in a different environment, useful for bee stings too!

Insect Repellent—gel with 50% DEET is useful. Sprays are OK but they tend to get blown away rather than go on your skin!

After Bite—an ammonia stick is the only thing to stop the itching after a mozzy bite

Blister protection—such as Compede etc—carry a variety of strategies to deal with hot spots or blisters that can occur from your boots and socks which will get damp

Sunburn cream and Lip Balm

Wet Wipes or hand gel

Headaches/pain relief—Paracetamol or Aspirin

Mild injury—anti-inflammatory such as Nurofen or Ibuprofen

Arnica—for bruising or sprains

Tick Removal Tweezers—walking in woodland areas carries the small risk of being bitten by a tick which should be removed properly to help to prevent Lyme Disease.

NOTE: the walking guide will also carry a small basic first aid kit for personal use.

Passport

Please ensure that your passport will be valid for 150 days from the day you arrive in Turkey.

Visa

With effect from March 2020, British Passport holders no longer need to apply for a visa for travel to Turkey for stays of less than 90 days.
If you hold a passport from a different country you should check whether or not you need a visa  https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ If you plan to visit multiple times or plan to stay for more than 90 days please refer to the Turkish Consulate General for more information.

Travel Insurance

It is a condition of booking that you have Travel Insurance. You are strongly recommended to book your travel insurance as soon as you have booked your holiday.

It is your responsibility to check you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy; for example illness, injury, death, pre-existing medical conditions, loss of baggage and personal items, cancellation, trip disruption, curtailment, emergency rescue and repatriation. Should you not be able to get cover for any of these (or other) situations then you agree it is your responsibility to cover any costs associated with repatriation or emergency health care.

You must provide evidence of your insurance upon arrival at your destination.

If you choose not to have travel insurance the costs associated with any loss you incur for any reason, due to any cause are solely your responsibility.

Flights

By now you have probably already booked your flights to/from Dalaman airport. Please ensure you have provided your flight details by logging in to your booking.

Transfers

One group transfer is provided each way between the gulet and Dalaman airport, the cost is £10 pp each way. It will be arranged to meet flights carrying the highest number of people in your group. If your flights are outside these times we will arrange additional transfers for you. The price will be advised.

Health & Fitness

General Health – if you have limited mobility or have specific needs relating to your health (for example a CPAP machine) please advise us no less than 14 days before you arrive.

Hiking is optional on all of our trips. If you intend to hike your health and physical condition must be commensurate with the grades of the hikes.

You will be required to submit a medical questionnaire as proof that you are fit enough to participate in the hikes if you have a pre-existing medical condition or are over 70 years of age.

Regardless of your age, if you have a pre-existing medical condition which is not well controlled and has required medical intervention in the past 24 months, you must also complete a medical questionnaire.