Istanbul: Walks of Turkey shows you the mystery, the splendor, the sites

Istanbul, Turkey

with Walks of Turkey

Is there any other country that evokes such mystery, history and assault to your  senses in color, sounds, smells and tastes?

Day ONE:  Mosques and More

When Walks of Turkey was launched earlier this year I KNEW this way the way I could travel solo and be confident I would see everything and learn more.   The exceptional reputation of Walks of Italy assured me I would have a similar experience in 

exotic Istanbul.

  It was a great pleasure to be invited on two of the tours Walks of Turkey offer and the photos only tell a portion of the wonderful two day events I experienced.   I also learned a great deal about solo travel to exotic locations.

From the roof terrace in my hotel I had a view of everything.  This day started hazy

 The covered colonnade surrounding the interior courtyard of the                                            Blue Mosque

Before 9 am this popular site is less crowded but within an hours hundreds and hundreds of visitors flooded the interior

 We were prepared with scarves to cover our hair (women) and plastic bags were handed out to put our shoes into.  The entire interior was carpeted.  Our guide told us that year ago fine carpets lined the floor, either from donations or gifts.

Our guide Duygu, on day one was amazing and made all the difference.
She knew more history than my brain could absorb but went beyond the Ottoman Empire and told us
about religious customs, beliefs and practices.

No question was off limits but the three (tourists) were respectful:

Why are there only men working in the shops?
How many times a day are the devout called to prayers?
Is there a separate place in the mosque for women?
and on and on.....but she NEVER tired nor did she ever say 'I don't know".

Next stop:  Hagia Sofia:   Here it was not just the architecture but the history of the building that went back centuries.   

                     From the second floor of the Hagia Sofia there were great views of the Blue Mosque

Next Stop Basilica Cistern

The lighting is very dim but adds to the atmosphere 

There are GIANT fish (perhaps carp) swimming around in the dark

Part of a movie was filmed here and we debated if it was the Dan Brown adaption or a James Bond film.  Either way how they got a speed boat in here is the question.

There was one other couple on this part of the tour.
They were very friendly and did not mind a solo traveler at all.

At the end of the visit you can stop for a beverage at the underground cafe.   

          See part II for a review of the incredible food served during lunch!  Without a 'tour' I would never have found the restaurant nor been able to order such a wonderful assortment of great treats.

I was the guest of Walks of Turkey for the full day tour but the opinions and photos are my own.

Solo supplement be gone! More good news for individual travelers!

As seen on travel weekly, link below

from http://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Insights/For-solo-river-cruisers-strength-in-numbers

Insight River Cruise Insight

For solo river cruisers, strength in numbers

By Michelle Baran / July 08, 2015

--

In the past, passengers traveling alone were often seen as a bit of a liability — one passenger in one stateroom is definitely much less financially viable than filling ships with two people in each cabin.
Enter the single supplement, that nagging fee that solo travelers often have to pay to compensate for their economic inefficiency, which can cost as much as double the per-person cost of two people traveling together in one cabin. It is an unfortunate, but often necessary, single traveler tax.

Michelle Baran

But one by one, as the number of solo river cruisers continues to increase and as river cruise capacity balloons creating greater competition between the river cruise lines, solo passengers’ cumulative buying power is beginning to hold some sway, and river cruise companies are responding by adding more departures with waived single supplements. 

“It is extremely important that we continue offering programs specifically for solo travelers … without any additional costs or sacrifice,” said Kristin Karst, executive vice president of AmaWaterways, which recently announced that it will now have a limited number of base category (lower deck, category D and E cabins, which range from 160 to 170 square feet and have a fixed window), double-occupancy staterooms with no single supplement available on all of its 2015 and 2016 sailings. “We continue to see high demand in this fast-growing market.”
Additionally, Ama has four vessels that have two single cabins onboard with French balconies, and two vessels that have one single cabin with a fixed window onboard, all of which are 140-square-foot cabins with one twin bed.
Other river cruise lines have been increasing their offers for solo travelers as well.
Uniworld, which says that 10% of its customer base is made up of solo travelers, currently waives the single supplement on more than 80 departures — 54 in 2015 and 29 in 2016 — including on river cruises on the Rhine and Danube as well as in France, Italy and Russia. Uniworld’s waived single supplement offers are inventory controlled and as such, availability changes throughout the season.
Thus far, 20% of Uniworld’s 2015 Europe sailings had or will have a waived single supplement offer. These offers are not available for suites, but is otherwise not restricted to specific cabin categories.
For 2015, Tauck eliminated the single supplement on its lower deck, Category 1 cabins on its ships in Europe, something the company has been doing since 2013. While the program itself isn’t new, each year Tauck continues to sell out of the Category 1 cabins for solo travelers despite the fact that the company’s fleet has grown by 75% (from four ships to seven) since 2013. 
In addition, Tauck this year reduced the single supplement by up to $1,000 for solo travelers booking Category 4 and 5 cabins on 37 departures of 15 different river cruise itineraries.
Avalon Waterways, Scenic and Emerald Waterways all feature reduced and waived single supplements for solo travelers as well.

So, wave your lone traveler flag high and proud, solos! It would appear you are no longer a liability but rather a hot commodity, and river cruise lines with their ever growing number of cabins to fill are vying for your business, one solo traveler at a time.


Thank you for sharing great tips for Individual Travelers!

Learn about yourself on a solo trip

So much to remember from the non stop events over the past 9 weeks.  

First thing I do when I return to the USA is obtain a new passport.
For the second time a customs official has questioned if I was the same person on the passport!

This week he broke out laughing!

I reminded him in 30 years he would be old too.  But he did not believe me.


Other travel surprises:

I do not like unplanned travel!
There were NO seats on the train I tried to reserve this week to take me from Lyon France to Torino, Italy and on to Florence where I left my luggage.

After 5 weeks of train travel this had never happened before

Reservations:  I do not like not knowing where I will sleep the next night.   Of course money solves all problems but when an entire town is booked because of a scout competition, I found I had to move on because 'there were no rooms at the inn'.

WIFI:   When there was a short term train strike and the hotel had no wifi and there are NO LONGER internet cafes, I had a melt down.   Of course it was solved, but this caused my hosts to ask if 'I had ever traveled before'?    And this prompted creating a list of what make my travel more difficult.
Now I search for a mobile wifi device that works in all countries.

Slow Travel:
Because of some commitments to do interviews or participate in events, I found myself traveling every 2 days.  That barely gives you time to unpack!  Finding a laundry on short notice is also more difficult.  Here again the problem was solved in Lyon via the internet.  Hotels need to install coin operated laundry facilities.

Down Time
A writing trip that gives you NO time to write is not productive.   Returning from a trip with more than 30 stories to remember and write will keep me chained to the computer for 2 months.  All worth it but reports from the road would make far more sense.


Some things I noticed on this trip:
Everything in Germany was a new experience since I had not been there since my 'see Europe in 3 weeks trip' after college.
Traveling in Italy is easier because I know what to expect and how to solve the strike problems or missed trains.
Large train stations are like mini cities and Germany has some wonderful stations.   They offer luggage storage, all kind of food (up until 9pm or even 8pm), clean bathrooms for 1 euro, one offered showers.  And two had shopping malls within 1 block of the station!
Germany has the BEST reservation staff.   Day one I asked for a day ticket to Cologne to 'test' my train skill and made reservations for seats on my next travel leg.  When the train was late and I missed the tight connection, the reservation office with BAHN simply found me a seat on the next train without any charge.   Wonderful.  Not so for the BAHN office in Bolzano................1 hr wait for a reservation.

Changes since last year:

Women here do not wear 4 inch heels.  Women are now wearing stylish flat shoes

And they walk and walk.  This must contribute to no weight gain.

No one tries to talk with ‘strangers’. Perhaps there are too many of us over the years and they get tired of us

In Italy and Germany most of the sandwiches are one type of pork or another.   If you do not prefer port, travel with the word for chicken or turkey     A very luck encounter with a young woman in Germany who spoke Italian as well as English.  Thanks to her I traveled with the word 'turkey' written on an index card.

The isolation of the 'cell phone' is getting worse.   No one looks up from that small screen.

This year fewer tourist were blocking the view by holding ipads in the air.

Far more real cameras were seen.   And yes the selfi stick is still out there.  Now they offer one with a 3 foot stand so you don't have to tire your arm.    Ridiculous.

EPIC DISATER ON NCL

I sail transatlantic solo every year to work in Italy for HometoItaly.com and am accustomed to the 'couple' atmosphere aboard a ship.
But I was NOT prepared for the masses of bodies pushing and shoving at EVERY event.

With nearly 4,000+ passengers there are NOT enough tables to feed everyone in the food court, there are NOT enough chairs on the pool deck, there are NOT enough seats in the entertainment venues.

When people have to wait the group can become ugly.   An example was the stop in Palma.  Imagine 4,000 people exiting at the SAME time because NCL did not plan a longer stop in Palma.   It looked like a line of prisoners going to the exercise yard.  


When we arrived at the end of this maze the EXIT DOORS WERE LOCKED and the masses piled up pushing and complaining.   Every day aboard this ship feels like you are leaving a soccer stadium.


Promised shuttle buses:  NOTHING PROVIDED


So the solution is to go where the crowds don't follow:  you are forced to eat early (as if you lived in Florida) or late.   Too late and they have already closed the buffet and you eat cold pizza or burgers.

You watch a movie out on the deck.  Too cold for many people to watch a NOT first run movie.

No one is in the library but it is a midget area next to a bar.........only good early in the morning.

There is a quiet zone on the top deck and the ONLY place you don't hear children having a meltdown.

And of course you can stay in your room

Why I took the trip?  The price was so low it was more cost efficient that staying in a hotel the last week of my trip.....of course I imagined I could work the entire trip, sure that didn't happen

Travel Books NOT for Tourists

Meet the Locals and Learn About your Destination

 I asked Gigi to introduce herself to Mature Solo Travel because travel is not a 'age' it is an attitude.

Hey all! My name is Gigi Griffis and I'm a world-traveling entrepreneur and writer with a special love for inspiring stories, new places, and living in the moment.

In May 2012, I sold my stuff, gave up my lease in Denver, Colorado, and took to the road with a growing business and a pint-sized pooch named Luna.

Since then, I've been traveling full-time mostly in Europe. I've spent quiet months in the Italian countryside, long summers in the Swiss Alps, and surprisingly sunny Novembers in places like the French Basque country or Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. 

So, how do I support my travels? I'm a freelance writer for travel magazines and I write and publish a series of unconventional guidebooks called the 100 Locals series.

 The idea behind the books is that the best travel advice comes from locals. They know where to find the hidden-away pizzeria with no English menus, how to locate the quietest, most beautiful hiking trails in the Alps, and--just as important--how to fit in with the local culture. 

And so my books are collections of interviews with people who live in and love Italy, Paris, Barcelona, Prague, and now Switzerland.

• http://gigigriffis.com/book       to obtain your copy 

Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/resonant/17211213105/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/resonant/17023862239/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/resonant/17003777407/sizes/l

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gigi Griffis
Travel Writer & Guidebook Architect at gigigriffis.com
Facebook  I  @gigigriffis 

Going to Italy? Paris? Prague? Barcelona? I wrote a guidebook series for you

Off the Beaten Track in Germany

Munster:   Famous for Beer, Bikes, Churches NOT Cheese

There is so much to see on this whirlwind tour of Western Germany's towns that may not be on the list of top tourist locations.      My visit started in Dusseldorf with a side trip to Cologne.  I wanted to test my solo skills of navigating the train system without any knowledge of German.  

Stories on the 'woman in the tower', the oldest cake store and the bike garage to follow!

Munster:   My first adventure was two filled days exploring this busy college town north of Dusseldorf.  There appears to be more bikes than cars and I found there are 'bike rules' that give bikers the right of way.    
I explored by foot and the helpful 'hop on hop off bus' that gave me a city overview on a rainy morning.  The tourist office in the center of town gives you great maps and information on what to do and what to see.   

The cloister at the Dom (cathedral) in Munster

Ms Brugete Nygkebgiff, a licensed tour guide in Munster agreed to forgo the 'bike tour' for a fast walk that showed me all of Munster and made many suggestions for food and activities that a solo traveler might enjoy.    The library in Munster is a perfect place to take a break from the weather and hours of walking.    There is a WC in the lower level, public computers on the second floor and a lovely café I tried on my second day in Munster.    A great spot for individual travelers or groups.

Juliane Unkelbach with Munster Marketing hosted my dinner at a wonderful beer hall!  This beer was GREAT and although I had to ask Juliane what each dish was called, it was all wonderful.

Who said German food was all sauerkraut and hot potato salad?  And please note the size of the water glass and beer glass

-I enjoyed  "Kalbsrückensteak westfälische Art".

 large plate of vegetables was inluded

Westfälischer Pfefferpotthast  

The owner of Pinkus Muller

The entire staff was very welcoming and a solo traveler could easily enjoy a meal here.   Later in the evening (after 8pm) the restaurant did fill up.   They must come for the food or the beer?

Our beer named "Pinkus Spezial".  This was a very smooth beer that is nothing like "beer' at home.   It was easy to ask for another!

My visit to Munster was hosted by Munster Marketing but all opinions are my own.    I will surly return to Munster, perhaps for the Christmas market!

Off the Beaten Track in Germany: Cologne

 

While the cities of Florence and Venice fight the locks of Love, Cologne celebrates this

'tradition' and adds the bridge tour to your list of must see's in Cologne

 

How many locks are there?

If you don't have a lock, you can leave a message

Off the Beaten Path in Germany

Going outside your comfort zone is difficult
 for many of us.

As a solo traveler I have challenges every day I am on the road exploring and experiencing new places.

My Italian blog, Home to Italy rewards me with several months each year in a country that has many secrets to share with this Italian American.  

In April I will return to Germany for the first time in  years.  My short previous visit was part of the college '21 days' to see all of Europe trip.  One quick stop and a great train ride south to Switzerland.

This adventure covers 8 cities considered off the beaten track:
Munster, Koblenz, Wiesbaden, Wurzburg, Regensburg, Augsburg, Heidelberg and Trier.     

If you know Germany and can suggest the oldest cake store in town, what hand made product the town is known for or even a tradition/festival I can experience, please share.

Watch for posts from Germany in April!   A new country, a new experience, a big step outside the comfort zone.  I do not speak German!

No Solo Supplements: Lion World Travel

A Press Release I received from Google sharde GREAT NEWS
for Solo Travelers

Lion World Travel Caters to Passengers Looking for Single Rooms

  1   0   0   93

April 07, 2015 15:46 ET | Source: Lion World Travel

DELRAY BEACH, FL, April 7, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lion World Travel is now offering special deals on several itineraries where there is either no single supplement (or in some cases extremely low supplement) for single travelers.

"The single traveler demographic is increasing and now forms a significant portion of the leisure travel market," said Lucille Sive, President of Lion World Travel. "Too often, single travelers must contend with an added expense just for traveling solo. Lion World Travel wants to better serve those clients by waiving the single supplements on some of our most spectacular, well-known deals."

Single travelers may prefer to travel alone, or have little choice but to do so. Many holiday makers enjoy traveling solo as they find this is the best way to tailor their own experiences. Some tourists enjoy traveling with a friend but prefer the privacy of their own room. As part of a family or group, a person may be the third or fifth traveler requiring a single room.

Most of the tourism industry has not catered to the needs of single travelers. Although single supplements appear unfair, travel providers calculate costs of lodging and transportation based on two travelers as this is the most common way to travel. Hotels reason that the operating costs of running a room are the same regardless of how many people occupy the room, so the room price will remain the same or similar, no matter if there are one or two people in the room. Therefore, the per-person rate is based on half of the room rate (which would typically be the additional charge for single travelers).

Lion World Travel is pleased to offer a selection of special deals where single supplements are waived, resulting in a truly affordable vacation.

These specials feature wonderful itineraries to some of the most popular destinations in Africa. Solo travelers should take advantage of these opportunities and travel at the same individual price as the couple in the room next door!

Lion World Travel is always adding new itineraries and travel dates, so please check the single room specials section on the website to view the applicable itineraries. Also be sure to check out Sive's blog where she addresses women traveling solo to Africa.

For details and reservations, please contact Lion World Travel at 1-800-387-2706 to speak to one of their Africa specialists, or visit www.lionworldtravel.com.

About Lion World Travel
Lion World Travel is the leading tour operator from North America specializing in group and individual tours to Southern and East Africa, and is a member of the renowned Travel Corporation, which also includes: Trafalgar Tours, Contiki, Brendan Vacations, Insight Vacations, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection and Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. In its 50th year, clients continue to benefit from Lion World Travels' destination knowledge, expertise, and emphasis on customer service. With their safari specialists all having first-hand knowledge of Africa, Lion World Travel can confidently assist clients in creating an African adventure that fits their specific interests as well as their budget. Extraordinary service, affordable luxury and value for money are what keep clients coming back to Lion World Travel.

Winner of the South African Tourism Ubuntu Awards "Top Producing Tour Operator for North America" for 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014

Winner of "Certificate of Excellence for TripAdvisor" for 2014

Winner of the South African Airways "Award of Excellence in Travel and Tourism for North America" for 2012

About The TreadRight Foundation
Created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation's family of brands, The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit working to ensure the environment and communities we visit remain vibrant for generations to come. To date, TreadRight has helped support more than 35 sustainable tourism projects worldwide. The foundation's guiding principle is to encourage sustainable tourism development through conservation, leadership and support for communities.

TreadRight's past project partners include WWF, Conservation International and The National Trust in the UK. Current initiatives include sponsoring the National Geographic Society's inaugural "World Legacy Awards," helping to combat wildlife crime with WildAid, and empowering individuals with the Alliance for Artisan Enterprise.

To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit us at TreadRight.org.

Susan Chou
Public Relations Coordinator
Twitter: @Susan_TravCorp
E-mail: Susan.Chou(at)TravCorpUSA.com

Arnelle Kendall
Vice President of Public Relations
Twitter: @ArnelleKendall
E-mail: Arnelle.Kendall(at)TravCorpUSA.com

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