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Walk like an Egyptian

I booked an Egyptian tour through travel talk. It well exceeded my expectations of what a tour generally provides. All the stops along the way where absolutely breathtaking and it was so nice to just jump on a bus at the end of the day, to be taken to the next destination, without the stress of planning your own holiday. The hotels, food stops, tour guides and the bus was absolutely amazing! I travelled with my mum and we had no dramas meeting some fantastic people we can call friends for life 😊 I would 100% travel again with travel talk.

Date of experience : 04 February 2021

Reply from Travel Talk Tours

Wow, thanks Brooke! We're very happy to hear you and your mum had such a great time and the trip through Egypt exceeded your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back on tour with us in the future.

19 day All About Türkiye tour

I have just finished the 19 day All About Türkiye tour with Travel Talk and had the best 3 weeks of my life! I am quite well travelled and have done tours with various other companies before, however Travel Talk well exceeded my expectations and have earned the spot as my new favourite travel company. Our tour had so much variety, from rich history and culture in Istanbul and Gallipoli, beautiful scenery, laid back vibes and great company on sail week in the South of Türkiye, and picture perfect bucket list moments in Fethiye (paragliding) and Cappadocia (hot air ballooning)! Due to the timing of our trip, we were lucky enough to have three different tour leaders: Mustafa - the man who knows EVERYTHING about Türkiye, Fiko - the down to earth, lovely and funny sail week king, and Erdem - the very flexible, accommodating and friendly guide that finished off our tour. I cannot stop raving about my incredible time on tour, so much so that I have convinced 3 of my friends to book the same tour for next year! I also cannot wait to come back and do sail week again next year, as well as book a few more tours with Travel Talk as the value for money, and the quality of the tour guides, accommodation, transport and food was just out of this world. Thankyou so much Travel Talk for the most incredible and memorable holiday of my life!

Date of experience : 22 June 2024

Amazing Highlights of Turkey trip

I just came back from my 7 days Highlights of Turkey trip and I loved it ❤️ It was very interesting, very intensive, I saw and experienced so much, and it makes me so happy ❤️ Everything was great for me: itinerary, sightseeing places, transport, accommodations, food. Big thank to our guide Mustafa for doing great job 🙏 I even can not say, what is my highlight because all activities and places were amazing: Istanbul with its history and mosques, Cappadocia valleys and hot air Ballon flight, Pamukalle thermal pools and paragliding, old Ephesus with its cats 😂, and so tasty Turkish food and specially desserts 😍 Thank you TravelTalk for this amazing experience!🙏 This is my second tour with you and I would do it again, and always recommend the company to my friends 😊 See you soon 😍

Date of experience : 02 June 2023

Balkan Discovery

I went on the Balkan Discovery with Travel Talk in November 2019. How amazing to see so many countries! It was the last tour of the season so it wasn't fully booked, which was perfect as everyone had 2 bus seats to himself. Almost every day you explore a new country together with your great tour guide and the fantastic local guides from time to time. As a Belgian between all native English speakers, at first I felt a bit the odd one out, but everyone was so friendly and we became really good friends in no time. Would definitely recommend TravelTalk tours for everyone, especially when travelling 'solo but in group'. The experiences and new friends are priceless!!

Date of experience : 25 February 2021

Wow, what a lovely review! Thank you Rani. Sounds like you made some great mates on the trip. Hope to see you back travelling with us soon!

12 day Anzac tour

Had a blast on the 12 day Anzac Day tour! So many wonderful experiences and memories made in amazing places with our super knowledgeable tour guide Mustafa and friendly drivers. Favourite experiences were the hot air balloon over Cappadocia at dawn, paragliding over the Pamukkale travertine terraces, exploring the ancient city of Ephesus and attending the Anzac dawn service at Gallipoli. I highly recommend this tour and the full 12 days so you don't miss out on the stunning sights and opportunities Türkiye has to offer! The tour was affordable and the website was extremely easy to book through. This is my second tour with Travel Talk, now I need to decide where to go next...

Date of experience : 25 April 2023

Highlights of Turkey - Tour Review

My husband and I recently went on the 7 days - highlights of Turkey tour. We honestly couldn't speak more highly of the tour. I have travelled on numerous tours (Topdeck and two previous Travel Talks tours) and this was by far the best tour I have ever been on. Our guide Mustafa was highly knowledgeable and provided insider and tips on Turkey to ensure we experienced an authentic account of Turkey, whether that be knowledge of the regions, food, culture. Mustafa also went out of his way to assist all group members. The tour group ranged in age from people in their early 20's to members retired. The accommodation stayed at was excellent and the bus very comfortable for some of the long bus rides. If you're thinking of visiting Turkey this tour is a must!

Date of experience : 06 May 2023

Turkey is Amazing!!!

Turkey is amazing! And this tour was a fantastic way to see so much of it. Our tour guide Mustafa shared so much of his knowledge with us on the history, the food and the culture of his beautiful country. He organised our days brilliantly to ensure we made the most of our time there. I loved that he suggested the best places to eat which were places I would never find on my own. First tour I have ever done and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to see the incredible Turkey.

Morocco was amazing

Our tour guide in Morocco was amazing, he was hilarious, so insightful and friendly. We had a great time, saw and experienced so much, and came home with so many amazing memories. Rode camels in the Sahara desert which was a massive tick off the bucket list, and also met some lovely people. 100% recommend! Worth every penny.

Date of experience : 24 February 2021

Amazing ANZAC Tour

Absolutely amazing experience on the 11 Day ANZAC Tour in Turkey. So grateful to have been able to attend the the memorial services on the ground that our ancestors fought on. Turkey is a stunning country! Mustafa, our guide, was top tier. The best tour guide we have ever had on a tour (and we've done a few) ❤️

Date of experience : 18 April 2023

I had an amazing time on this tour

I had an amazing time on this tour! Mustafa was an amazing guide who made the experience even more enjoyable. His knowledge and enthusiasm were contagious. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a fun and informative adventure!

Date of experience : 05 May 2024

12 Day Anzac Tour

Mustafa (tour guide) and the Drivers were the icing on the cake for our tour. Mustafa’s knowledge of his country is brilliant and felt very blessed to have him guide us. Everything we saw and experienced exceeded my expectations. The highlight was attending the Anzac Services. I would thoroughly recommend this tour.

Date of experience : 28 April 2023

Amazing 8 Day Morocco Tour

I did the 8 Day Adventure Morocco tour and can't recommend Travel talk enough! Excellent guide (Moroccan himself, even bought a portable data stick so we could all have internet on the bus trips!), accomodations were great and the activities were so much fun (camping in the dessert was the highlight).

Thanks for recommending us, Caroline. So happy to hear you loved the Saharan Desert Camping and travelling with a local guide.

My travel talk experience was great and memorable

My travel talk experience was awesome and fantastic. Me and my husband was on their Morocco and Turkey tours in 2019, they operated their tours in a culturally fun manner and the tour guides were very nice and very approachable. It exceeded our expection, we love to come back with them in our future travel. Thank you travel talk you made our 2019 as one of our memorable year! Jessie Mae Sia

Wow, thanks Jessie! It's always nice to hear the trip exceeded all your expectations. Let's hope we can make 2021 and beyond even more memorable!

Turkey adventure

It is my first time in Turkey and decided to travel with friends. We took the 9-day tour and it has been definitely amazing! The hotels were comfortable and food was great. Thei locations were at perfect spots. The bus was very comfortable and i have to say - best drivers ever, the ride felt like floating thst we barely felt the long drive. Mustafa is a master! He gave us every bit of information we needed. He was approachable but still professional and made sure we were all always safe and experiencing the best. Most of all, the itinerary has taken us to the best places and experiences that went above our expectations. Will definitely travel with traveltalk again…and again…and again…

Smooth and hassle-free

We are about to end our 9day Essential Turkey trip. It's our first time booking with Travel Talk and everything was smooth, convenient and hassle-free. Our tour guide Mustafa made it more convenient and fun. He went above and beyond to make the ends meet. He made sure that we have all our questions answered and gave us the best experience.

Date of experience : 12 May 2023

2 Tours with TravelTalk

I recently did 2 tours with traveltalk - 29/04 15 day Egypt and Jordan by land, our guide was Medo (Egypt), Haddy (Dahab) and Zee (Jordan). Medo was a blast, Egypt was full of big days and the most amazing sites and history ! Medo was an archeologist with lots of information and managed our group of 35. Haddy took over for Dahab and was such a lovely guy, wish we could of stayed longer!! It was the most relaxing place - Haddy took us for meditation in the Jordan mountains, we laid underneath the stars and he even gave us a yoga / breath work class early one morning by the pool. I did some more traveling then met up with 2 GFs for the 9 day Turkey tour on 20/05, our guide Mustafa was organised, genuine and very informative ! Our bus drivers were both so lovely, always looking out for us. Couldn’t of asked for a better team! Both tours have been perfect ☺️

Date of experience : 29 April 2023

Both my Turkey tours started with just…

Both my Turkey tours started with just me and by the end I had made so so many new friends, real friends, genuine, likeminded people who I’ve keep as friends since. Such an incredible thing, to think a tour and traveling through a foreign country is such an amazing experience just on its own even, but to leave knowing you have met people who will change your life forever. What more could you ask for from a tour?! I will always book tours with this company for this reason, I love to travel and experience new culture but to there is something so special about the memories you make with the people you travel with and travel tour gives you exactly that!

Date of experience : 26 February 2021

We love hearing about these experiences from our solo travellers! Thanks for sharing your review, Brittany. We hope to see you back on tour with us soon (with a few of your new travel mates). 🙌

Balkans Bonanza!

We went on the Balkans trip and it did not disappoint. Our guide Bojan, what a guy. A born leader, probably Moses in a former life. He brought sass, quick wit and more knowledge than Socrates himself. The food options were sensational, and accommodation was better than we ever could have imagined for the price. Can’t wait to travel again we can!

Haha epic, thanks Alice! We'll be sure to share your very kind words with Guide Bojan. We look forward to welcoming you back on tour with us one day soon.

Would love to do another tour!

I’ve been fortunate to lap up two Travel Talk Tours, one in Greece and one in Morocco. I’ve loved every minute of both. The knowledge of both tour guides was outstanding! Perfect balance of activities and down time. A very fun experience. Looking forward to doing another tour!

Date of experience : 06 February 2021

Thanks for the recommendation, Clare! Happy to hear you loved both the trips and learned a lot from the local guides! See you back on tour with us sometime soon.

12 Day ANZAC Tour

Just completed the 12 day ANZAC tour, what an experience. I actually can’t put in to words how amazing our time was, so refreshing to travel with people from home. Our guide Mustafa is an asset to Travel Talk, made our experience easy, fun, and well tailored to our groups needs. Can’t wait for the next trip!

Date of experience : 14 April 2023

Travel Talk

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$269 — 6,939

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Travel talk reviews & ratings.

Jay Kothari

Turkey by land

Dude, the 12 day Turkey by land was amazing! Our guide Mustafa was extremely knowledgeable and made this a trip to remember. The bus was very comfortable & our d...

Best of Turkey by Land - AMAZING!

This tour was one of the best things that I've done during my travels and exceeded all expectations. The itinerary, accomodation, activities & locations visited ...

12-days in Türkiye

Our 12-day trip to Türkiye was an incredible journey through time, culture, and culinary delights. From the stunning architecture of Istanbul's Blue Mosque and the T...

Summer Murray

Fantastic Turkey trip

I done the 10 day Turkey land tour and had a fantastic time seeing lots of different sights in Turkey. Mustafa was an excellent tour guide, always so helpful and kno...

Highly recommend Travel Talk

Had an amazing time on our 10 day Turkey tour. Our tour guide Mustafa was a pro who was friendly and relaxed and always gave us great tips. It was a well organised w...

See all Travel Talk reviews

Editoral Review of Travel Talk

British company, Travel Talk, strives to provide top notch travel experiences at reasonable prices.

What Makes Travel Talk Stand Out?

Travel Talk was born out of the desire to make extraordinary experiences accessible to ordinary people.

They have many niche tours such that finding a tour suited to your interests is easy, and you’re guaranteed to meet like minded friends along the way! All tours are led by local experts who are there to make your experience unforgettable.

Who Will Enjoy Traveling with Travel Talk?

In their own words, travelers on their tours “ have a desire to get off the beaten track, experience the culture and tradition all while having a little fun.” Single travelers are more than welcome, and provided you don’t mind sharing a room, no single supplement is required (with the occasional exception on sailing tours).

However, unlike their commonly compared counterparts, Contiki and Topdeck, Travel Talk presents itself as less of a constant ongoing party and more of a cultural experiences tour. Not to say there is not the occasional night out on the town - only that the more introverted may enjoy Travel Talk more than Contiki or Topdeck.

Top Destinations

Travel Talk’s most popular tour destinations include Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Greece. Travel Talk also offer a range of tours to The Balkans, Africa, Ski Bansko, Croatia, Asia and plenty more.

Travel Talk Style

Travel Talks travel style is all about cultural discovery and having a good time. Accommodations are chosen within a variety of comfort levels, and Travel Talk strives to choose where you stay and how as it’s own experience - not just as an afterthought.

Travel Talk tours are budget conscious, but depending on the destination, you may experience anything from a 5 star resort to riding aboard a traditional felucca on the Nile.  

Why Choose a Tour with Travel Talk?

They are committed to providing a real, adventurous, cultural, and above all local experience. Yet they are careful to not force the comfort zone too far. You will receive outstanding service, accommodation, transportation, and attention from your tour guides. Itineraries cover the must see tourist spots as well as hidden gems. It’s the perfect travel experience that won’t break the bank.

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About the company.

At Travel Talk, we have one focus - to make your trip the experience of a lifetime without breaking the bank. Being avid travellers ourselves, we know what is essential to creating that perfect trip and combine all these elements in every one of our tours. With fascinating destinations, expert guides, like-minded travellers, premium accommodation, and travel — not to mention competitive prices; we strive to tick all the boxes with unique and authentic travelling experiences. Explore exotic destinations like Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Russia or India & Nepal. Embrace the authentic culture and otherworldly experiences in Morocco, Iceland and the Balkans. Then meet the warm sun and cool waters of Greece, Croatia, Spain & Portugal. Commemorate the fallen on ANZAC Day, hit the snowy winter slopes in Ski Bansko, and sink a beer with like-minded travellers at Oktoberfest in Munich! Travel Talk group tours are ideal for culture-hungry adventurous travellers chasing unique travel stories around the world. Travel Talk guests are not just tourists, but avid travellers. Join us on one of our tours to find out the difference.

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An honest review of Travel Talk Tours; Egypt and Jordan

Hello friends! It’s been a while. We’ve been some busy little travelers this past year that we’ve been away. We have a quite a bit to catch up on, that’s for sure! We’re gonna make this first blog post fairly simple. We’ll get into the nitty gritty details in the next few posts about our recent trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. For today, I just want to get started on a little review of the company we chose for that trip – Travel Talk Tours .

We ended up choosing to do a tour of Egypt and Jordan, then traveled through Israel on our own. We’ve never done a tour before, but it seemed like an easy choice for this trip since there is SO much to see. Visiting Egypt has been a childhood dream of mine. It just seemed like such a daunting task trying to fit everything. There is a lot to do and see in these countries. Since it is a much different type of trip than visiting somewhere like Europe, it gave us peace of mind having the transportation and planning figured out for us.

We’re very glad we ended up doing a tour and 100% recommend seeing this part of the world in this way. We brought along two friends on this trip and I think we all agree that this was the trip of a freaking lifetime ! It was so fun to experience it all with each other! If you’re on the fence about visiting any of these 3 countries, I can confidently say that you should definitely GO!

Since I couldn’t find a ton of resources on this specific tour, I’ll breakdown what we did, how much it cost us, and all the things I wish we would have known ahead of time. I hope this is helpful and I hope one day you all make it to see this part of our world!

Travel Talk

We chose Travel Talk Tours for our Egypt and Jordan adventures. We ended up going with them for a couple of reasons.

They offered the most options when it came to itineraries and the routes that they followed throughout Egypt and Jordan.

They cater to a younger, more adventurous crowd which appealed to us since we love meeting other likeminded travelers. Their demographic is 18-39, although we did have a couple travelers who went over this age range. They got along just fine, so if you happen to not meet that age criteria, don’t let it deter you!

The other reason is their price point. Travel Talk’s base price is pretty cheap for what is offered. They basically cover all hotel rooms, breakfasts, and the transportation between stops. Compared to a few other tour companies this is the best bang for your buck. We’ll get more into the pricing in a bit.

We chose the 15 day Egypt and Jordan discovered by Nile Cruise . We were choosing between the Nile Cruise and the Felucca tour and we’re VERY grateful we went with the cruise. I’ll definitely go in to more detail in the next post about our actual days spent in Egypt, but lets just say that when we were all needing a toilet every 15 minutes, it was really nice to retreat to our own room to do so. 🙂 The felucca is basically a sailboat that they turn into a big bed that sleeps 10-15 people. A lot of our group went with the felucca and loved it, although it was a bit more of a rugged experience. The bathroom is located on a little motor boat that follows the felucca and will come close when you need it. The felucca group did get to swim in the Nile and have beach bonfires, so it just really depends on what kind of experience you want. 

The accommodations of Travel Talk are exceptionally nice and most of them are 3-5 star hotels. A few of the places we stayed were the nicest hotels we had ever been to. Which was a nice surprise because I’ll be honest – I didn’t expect that in Egypt. A lot of our preconceived ideas about the country were shattered, in the best way!

We started in Cairo and ended in Amman, Jordan. We spent 11 days in Egypt – about 9 days on the Africa side and 2 days on the Asia side on the Sinai Peninsula. Then we journeyed to Jordan for the last 4 days. Although there’s always places you wish you had a little extra time in, I think this amount of time in each place was really adequate for all the major sites and monuments. Here’s a look at how our route went with the number of days we spent at each stop.

Along with that, they do a great job of showing you all the touristy and famous sites, along with experiences you wouldn’t normally know about or see online. They mix the tourist and local stuff really well to make it still feel like you’re getting a unique experience instead of a super generic tour. For example, we went to a lot of local bazaars and had dinner with local families. For the price, we felt like we got the most convenient and compre hensive tour of Egypt and Jordan.

Price Breakdown

Travel Talk actually does a decent amount of discounted pricing throughout the year and it’s worth it to wait for that. We bought our tour when they were doing a 2 for 1 sale, which gave us a significant discount. I recommend signing up for their email subscription so you know when their next sale is coming. We got our tours for $1260 per person, saving us almost $500 on each tour. On top of this price we paid $250 per person in cash when we checked into Cairo. I’m still unsure what this totally went to, although it was described online as a local payment.

The pricing of our same tour is currently $1700, but now includes the local payment. The biggest thing to note is that the tour is not all inclusive. It doesn’t include any of your entrance tickets, meals outside of breakfast, tips, visa, or transportation to the airport. This isn’t the case for all of the tours, so look into the fine print when deciding on which suits you best. We didn’t have to figure out our transportation from the Cairo airport to our first hotel, but did find transportation out of Jordan. Make sure to factor a taxi price into your budget as well. 

I’ll be completely honest, there was a lot of extras that we paid for on our own. There was about 6 optional activities in Egypt and 4 in Jordan. We knew we probably wouldn’t be back to this area for a while so we partook in everything! This added to the feeling that everything was a “once in a lifetime” thing. We did almost every single activity and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you do the same! Be prepared to pay a decent amount on top of your base tour price and budget for the extra expense. If you’re a single person, it won’t be as bad. As a couple we paid quite a bit more than we had initially anticipated – but still recommend doing everything extra!

We paid for all of our lunches and most of our dinners, averaging about $10-12 per person per meal. Breakfasts were almost always provided and they were always a large spread. Our cruise meals were included, so for 3 days we didn’t worry about buying any meals.

Another thing we didn’t initially realize we were paying for was our entrance tickets to the monuments. This ended up being a pretty significant amount of money. Again, if you know how much to budget for it, it doesn’t have to seem like so much. That’s why we’re here to help, since we had literally no idea what we needed to save!

On our first night in Cairo, we were given a list of the optional activities that we paid for in advance that night. As well as paying for the activities, Travel Talk also collects a mandatory tip for the hotel staff and the drivers. This goes for Egypt and Jordan. At the end of our time in Egypt, we gave a cash tip to our guide Mo and another cash tip to our guide in Jordan. Although this is technically optional to tip your tour guide, we recommend budgeting this in because your guide is well deserving! It’s up to you how much to tip, although Travel Talk recommends $3-5 a day as a fair price. 

Backsheesh In Egypt, NOTHING is free. Culturally, there is a tipping system called the backsheesh. You will hear it for just about everything. Someone opens the door for you, tip. Someone offers to take your photo in front of a monument, tip. It can be really overwhelming and at times pretty annoying, but it’s part of the Egyptian culture! We just made sure to ask Mo when it was actually appropriate and when we should give someone a backsheesh. Make sure to keep some small bills and coins on you when the backsheesh occasion occurs. 

Price  Breakdown Per Person Tour: $1260 Local Payment: $250 Travel Insurance: $182

Egypt   Visas: $25  Entrance Fees: $140 Optional Activities: $360 Meals : $60 Snacks/Alcohol: $68 Souvenirs: $55 Tips: $80 Approximate Egypt Total: $758

Jordan Visas: $106       – The Jordan Explorer Pass includes a 2 day entrance to Petra and waives your tourist entry visa fees. Entrance Fees: $25 Optional Activities: $78 Meals: $35 Snacks/Alcohol: $40 Souvenirs: $10 Tips: $45 Exit Fees: $13 Approximate Jordan Total: $352

* Approximate Total per person : $2,802 – this will depend on the extras you choose, souvenirs, etc. and doesn’t include your flights!

Having a guide

This one doesn’t need too much explaining. A guide felt essential, especially in Egypt and was also nice in Jordan. We just couldn’t have gotten the same background history on our own. Our experience in Egypt really wouldn’t have been the same without our tour guide, Mo. He was local to the area, born and raised in Aswan and had studied immensely to be a tour guide. We got to explore a lot more on our own in Jordan but our guide Osama was very helpful when it came to the history of the country and the attractions we visited. 

Tour size vs. group size

This one is a little hard to explain but I’ll try my best. Since there are so many different options for tours, Travel Talk breaks people up in to smaller groups based on your itinerary. Lets say there was 100 of us that started our journey in Cairo all together. We got broken up into 3 groups – A, B, and C – of around 30 people. Most of our group (B) was on the same tour through Egypt, but some split up before we headed to Jordan. Some people from group C ended up on our Jordan tour – so we got new friends for that leg of the trip. This smaller size group ensured none of us could really get lost and we got a more intimate experience with our guide and each other.

Having the itinerary taken care of/ease of travel

I mentioned this above already, but it cannot be understated. Egypt was a daunting place to plan and the fact there was an itinerary that felt just for us was amazing. Our itinerary hit everything I wanted to see and even things I didn’t know I would’ve missed seeing. The fact that all of our inner city and inner country transportation was taken care of gave us total peace of mind. Especially since the public transportation is basically non existent. Having a nice air conditioned bus in 100 degree weather was the cherry on top.

We felt very safe

This could have been due to the fact we had a really nice bus (the nicest out of all 3 groups!) or maybe that we had a security guard on board with us at all times. Either way, Egypt and Jordan were both 10 times more safe than we anticipated. Cairo was probably the place we felt most unsafe – but in a city of 21 million people, I think that’s normal. We also had a full blown police escort when the 3 tour groups caravanned to southern Egypt and back. The Egyptian Tourism Board actually requires this for tour groups. They are definitely taking precautions to make tourists feel safe!

Meeting new people while still getting privacy

You guys know we are big proponents of hostels, we love them. We love the experience that hostels bring us getting to meet new people. This tour gave us the luxury of having our own room but still getting that hostel style experience with our group mates. This was probably one our favorite elements of the tour. If you’re a single on this tour, Travel Talk will bunk you up with another single, most of the time. Maybe you’ll get lucky and get your own room for a night or two! Either way, everyone will be meeting up in the common areas to hang out so you’ll get a chance to meet new people no matter what.

The extra expenses

This can be avoided when you know ahead of time how much to budget or at least a ballpark range. You also don’t have to partake in every optional activity and can save money by not doing lunches with the group. We recommend not doing that, but if you’re really on a tight budget it might help.

The time spent traveling between places

This just comes with the type of trip this is. I’m not sure there’s a way to avoid this unless you have an unlimited amount of time to visit these countries. Even then, you’re probably not interested in doing a tour if that was the case.

Not enough time in some of the monuments

This one comes with the territory too. It’s already hard to herd a group of 30 or so people through a monument. Then add the time explaining to them the vast history and then also giving them free time to explore on their own. We spent extra time in some places we wish we didn’t and didn’t get enough in the places we really wanted. Sometimes it just works like that. Our guide was really gracious to our group and let us go off on our own if we didn’t want to listen to his explanation. He always gave us a time to be back at the bus and let us make our own decisions.

Final Thoughts

Go in with an open mind! Like I mentioned above, sometimes we can’t get the best of both worlds. Yes we spend a lot more time in the bus than we initially anticipated, but your options are seeing the most you can or spending an extended amount of time in Egypt. Given the timeframe, we had to maximize our time the best we could. This also goes with your preconceived ideas about the country of Egypt itself. We had our own ideas about its safety, culture, people, religion, etc. We learned a LOT and we’re really grateful we had a local guide to show us the good, bad, and ugly of his country. He really changed our view of the Egyptian people.

Egypt and Jordan are both Muslim countries. If you’ve followed this blog or know Kenny and I at all, you know we love to find the best local beer when we travel. This was probably the biggest culture shock we experienced – alcohol is almost NON EXISTENT. Egyptians smoke like its a national pastime, but you won’t find a corner bar anywhere in the country. Now, they know that most tourists aren’t Muslim. There are duty free stores to buy booze, open at very specific times. For certain times, like the cruise or felucca, your guide will get a list of alcohol you want and bring it for your convenience to enjoy. Don’t plan on finding anything you’re used to in the States, and to be honest, don’t even plan on liking what you’re drinking. But if you really have a hankering for a beer or liquor, there will be at least one option from the duty free stores. Just something to be aware of, since it was very different than anywhere we’d ever been. We’re gonna talk a lot more about this in our podcast episode on Egypt, coming soon!

If you’re on the fence between the Nile Cruise and the Felucca, I’d still say go with the Cruise. Most of our group went with the Felucca and had a great time, but we loved our intimate and relaxing time on the river boat. The felucca is definitely a very unique activity, but if having a bathroom close by is important to you, go with the cruise. We might have missed the beach bonfires but I think we got just as fun of an experience with the cruise staff and small group activities.

Do all the optional activities! A lot of them are things you might not ever get to do again in your life so why not live it up while you’re here!

At some point during your time in Egypt, you will probably get sick. Almost everyone on our tour got sick. Drink only bottled water and for the first couple days try not to eat anything raw or uncooked. Travel insurance was mandatory on our tour but I’m so glad we had it just in case. We went with World Nomads and definitely recommend having insurance for this trip!

Okay folks. There you have it. Our very in depth and honest review of Travel Talk – and why you should use them for your next vacation! Let us know any other questions or comments you have below! Til next time,

The Traveling Taveners

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Kenny and sadie tavener.

An Honest Travel Talk Tours Review 

Are you looking to book a tour with Travel Talk Tours ? Read this first.

I am not one to usually book a tour and would much rather explore a country at my own pace and to my own itinerary. However, with the desire to go to Egypt and Jordan, I decided it was best to book a tour. Based on what I had heard about safety concerns from other travellers. 

After much research I stumbled across Travel Talk tours, which offered a great range of tours travelling through both areas. I also read a few reviews online, which gave me confidence in the company. After reading the itineraries, I decided this was the company for me. 

This blog post will contain my full review on my experience with Travel Talk tours, and whether I would recommend them to others. I am not being paid or sponsored to write this post.

Table of Contents

Who are Travel Talk Tours?

Travel Talk tours are a UK based company, offering unique experiences all around the world. They have a large range of itineraries for most countries, meaning there is plenty to suit any traveller. They also use local guides, to offer a more authentic experience. 

They cater to the ages of 18+ with their tours ranging from adventure to laid back. The group size is usually around 10-30 people. And from what I experienced; they are not a party tour company like Contiki! 

When and Where did I go? 

I booked the “Fantastic Jordan and Egypt” tour, which was an 18-day tour, travelling through Jordan and Egypt. I went on this tour on the off season, during the months of May and early June. 

How Were the Guides? 

Our guide for Jordan was simply fantastic. Omar was full of knowledge, had a great sense of humour but was also very caring of everyone on the tour. One person got sick, and another had blisters on their feet, he made sure they were well looked after and had everything they needed to get better. 

Sometimes it’s hard to make history interesting, but he managed to do this! He also made the handling of payments for extras, tipping and much more very easy. Which takes a lot of stress out of a holiday. 

Adham was our guide for Egypt, and he has some incredible knowledge! It was great having a guide you could ask almost any question and they would have an answer for you. Although he cared about the group, it was a little less than the Jordan side. This I can understand as the group for Egypt was twice the size of Jordans. 

Adham did do an excellent job of accommodating for my friend and I when it came to vegetarian meals, which was very appreciated! Sometimes meaning searching for some falafel sandwiches when we couldn’t eat much at buffets. He also did help with extra things like helping plan transport outside the tour, which is always helpful! Overall, he too was a fantastic guide. 

Was the Price Reasonable? 

Overall, I thought the price was very reasonable for what I was getting. I essentially explored all of Jordan and Egypt in one tour, and we packed a lot in! Could of I gotten it cheaper if I did I by myself? Most likely. But I wouldn’t of the got the information I got on this tour. 

The entry fees and extra activities are not included in the price, which did end up making this a bit more costly. The entry fees for Egypt are quite pricey and unfortunately you don’t get a choice if you’d like to visit a spot or not. 

I paid $3673 AUD for the whole tour. This included: 

• All accommodation, in 4& 5-star resorts 
• Airport transfers 
• 2 internal flights: Amman to Jordan and Dahab to Cairo 
• All transport: buses, trains and a felucca 
• 17 breakfasts, 3 lunches and 4 dinners 

What was the Transport like? 

Transport was perfectly fine in both countries. Both buses had A/C, charging points and the bus in Jordan even had free WIFI! The buses were very comfortable, even for the 4am starts or overnight trips. 

The overnight trains were well overnight trains! They were clean and had good service, it was an efficient way to get from one place to another. The airline used was Air Cairo, which is your basic internal airline. We got 23kg of luggage for these internal flights. 

My only negative with the transport was there a lack in communication with when my internal flights were. I had to email Traveltalk multiple times to get my flight information. For my final flight I was told it wasn’t included during my tour, which set me into a panic to try and organise. Later being told that it was. So, the communication part, may need a little more work. 

What was the Accommodation like? 

The accommodation all round was very nice! If you are used to travelling as a backpacker and staying in hostels, this will be very luxe for you. Some of the hotels had incredible views and facilities. They were all in pretty good locations, had good security and comfortable beds. All of the hotels had AC and private bathrooms. 

The best accommodation was in Luxor.  This was luxe . There are also several amazing restaurants in the complex, the Thai food was mouth-watering.

• Everything is organised for your, which is actually a nice way to travel. Just make sure you are on the bus on time! 
• You get very knowledgeable guides.
• Cultural experiences. You will get to experience some things and places which you probably wouldn’t if you travelled by yourself. 
• Ease of transport and comfort.
• You get the chance to meet some incredible people from all over the world. I actually made some of the best friends on this trip and created some incredible friends!
• You don’t have to organise ticket entries, as the guides do this for you. They also handle all of the tipping with a tipping kitty paid at the start of the tour.
• SIM cards were organised for us in Egypt, which made life so much easier.
• Long bus rides, this is going to happen regardless, as the travel times are long. 
• You don’t get a choice whether you want to visit somewhere or not. Some days you just want to stay in a hotel room and relax, you don’t get this option. 
• Long days. You see a lot on this tour, which means there is little down time.
• Early morning starts. If you enjoy a sleep in, you won’t get many on this tour! 
• Not much choice on where to eat. Most nights you can choose where you want dinner, but if it’s during the day – you will go where the tour goes. This is usually a buffet which is at ‘tourist prices’. 
• The tour is very fast paced. You also don’t get an option on how long you want to spend at a place. For the pyramids we only had 1hr, which wasn’t enough time. 

Overall Opinion? 

I would book a tour with Travel Talk again and I am not a tour person! It does help with comfort and ease, especially in a country where there may be safety concerns or a language barrier. 

You do need to weigh up the positives and negatives. I personally wouldn’t choose a tour over travelling independently, but I would choose travel talk tours if I was going to go on a tour again. The guides, accommodation, transport, and overall service was very good. They also regularly have sales, so you can get tours at great prices! This was by far one of the better tour companies I have used.

In short, I would recommend Traveltalk tours to a friend. 

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Hi beautiful people, my name is Beck! Thank you for dropping by. I’m an Australian travel blogger and amateur photographer, who loves a bit of a solo adventure. I’m currently working in Australia while travelling as much as I can manage!

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Making solo travel easier.

Travel Talk Tours Review – Save 5%

Types of Girl about the Globe – Under 40's, Adventure, Budget, City & Sightseeing, Culture, Sailing, Winter Sports GatG

If you are aged 18-39 and are looking for an adventure tour company, look no further than Travel Talk, a budget-friendly tour company for adventurous and cultural travellers. Find out why they are a great company to choose in this Travel Talk Tours review.

Travel to Cappadocia in Turkey on one of their tours

Who Are Travel Talk?

Designed for 18 to 39 year olds who are looking for affordable tours with a premium service, they offer group tours to Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, and more. Travel to the Balkans, Jordan, or on one of their Iceland affordable tours, or immerse yourself in a well-known experience such as an Anzac tour or Oktoberfest.

For the sailing solo you can join the Travel Talk sail Croatia trip to explore Croatian islands or go island hopping in Greece . For the winter sports solo you can ski or snowboard in Bansko. They have so many tours!

Travel Talk uses a higher standard of hotels than Topdeck and G Adventures yet their prices are more competitive. Instead of local buses, they use premium transportation, so you know that you're getting a good deal for your tour price.

Travel Talk Tours Review

Why do we think they are a solo female-friendly company? We asked Shelly Glaizner from our solo community   for her personal experience of the company…

I was backpacking around Europe on a budget and decided that whilst I was so close I should take the opportunity to see Turkey (being Australian and coming from a large island means that everywhere in Europe seems ‘close by' to us). I decided a month before the tour was due to start that I wanted to go and booked the Travel Talk Essential Turkey 10 day tour .

I had a few must-see items on my list, such as the spectacular white silica terraces of Pamukkale, the enormous halls of the Grand Bazar in Istanbul, and the fairy chimneys at Göreme Valley. There were also some must-dos on my Turkey bucket list and a hot air balloon ride over the stunning landscape at Cappadocia had to be experienced during my trip. 

Their Essential Turkey tour starts and ends in Istanbul and travels through Cappadocia, Konya, Pamukkale, Ephesus, Kusadasi, Troy, Canakkale, and Gallipoli, before returning to Istanbul.  

It includes all of these highlights too !

Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace Museum, Derinkuyu Underground City, Goreme Open Air Museum, Cavusin, Pigeon Valley, Uchisar, Ihlara Valley, Pamukkale White Terraces, Ephesus Ancient City, Troy Ancient City, Anzac Cove, Beach Cemetery, Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, War Trenches.  

Travel Talk reviews

What Are The Pros and Cons of Travel Talk?

I was drawn to Travel Talk straight away. They were one of the tour companies where their tour description was clear and descriptive, they ticked all the items on my must-see and do list and at $1365, it was one of the best value trips I could find. 

If you're wondering “ Why is Travel Talk so cheap? ” There is a local payment that isn't part of the tour payment and is not meant to cover all entrance fees to the sites or act as spending money on the tour. This payment isn't included in the tour price so it seems cheaper. 

As the entry fees weren't included for most sites, I hadn't been prepared to bring any additional cash, so I found myself frequently looking for ATMs. As a positive, it was nice to see where your money was going. Tickets were bought at the gate in front of you, rather than through a third party.

They often have their Travel Talk 2 for 1 offer where you can bring a friend along for free. If you go solo, like I did, you save nearly half the cost (45%) instead. 

The white silica terraces of Pamukkale

Travel Talk Turkey – Was It Good Value?

The accommodation on the tour ranged from 4 to 5 star hotels, which I thought was great value for the tour price.

The buffet breakfasts and dinners provided were delicious. Because there was so much to see, sometimes we arrived late at night and left early in the morning so were unable to make the most of the hotel amenities, but the sights were amazing to see.

The hotel in Pamukkale was spectacular. The belly dance performance at the hotel's poolside and the four-tiered thermal pool powered by hot springs created a memorable evening. 

The fairy chimneys of the Göreme valley, Cappadocia in Turkey

What Were The Benefits of Taking a Travel Talk Tour?

I enjoyed trying the local cuisine and appreciated our guides taking us to different places for lunch. I was able to try the local food and delicacies, from a shish kebab to Gozleme and Teste Kebab. I even had the opportunity to make a Turkish pizza called a ‘pide.'

Our local tour guide also happened to have spent his later years living in Australia. Being local meant that his knowledge of the country, its language and its culture were second to none.

This also meant that his English was fantastic. He always spoke loud enough for everyone to hear (a common issue in group tours), and was friendly, approachable and willing to help with any problems.

All in all, my experience with Travel Talk was an overwhelmingly positive one. I recommend Travel Talk and would definitely travel with them again. You can read more Travel Talk tours review on their website

* N.b. Girl about the Globe has secured a 5% discount with Travel Talk on all their tours (except festivals & experiences such as Anzac, Ski and Oktoberfest). * Enter the code “GATG55” to obtain the discount.

Travel Talk Turkey Tours

If it’s your first time to Turkey and you're unsure about travelling there independently, you may prefer to take one of their tours. Their tours also include airport transfers, and you get to explore Turkey with a group of like-minded people. As well as the Essential Turkey tour for 10 days, they also run these Turkey tours from 5 days to 19 days.  

• Istanbul to Cappadocia – 5 days
• Fantastic Turkey – 7 days
• Highlights of Turkey – 8 days
• Sail Fethiye, Kekova, Fethiye – 8 days
• Amazing Turkey by Land or by Gulet – 10 days
• Best of Turkey by Land or by Gulet – 12 days
• All About Turkey – 19 days

About the Author

Shelly Glaizner is a solo traveller from Australia. She has a passion for travelling, food and writing and loves putting them all together as she travels about the globe. Her next solo trip will be to Africa, where she plans to spot the big 5, sail down the Nile and hopefully find treasure in a Pharos tomb to finance her next adventure.

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7 Reasons Why You Should Pick a Travel Talk Tour

Last Updated on August 2, 2024

This site contains affiliate links for products and services we recommend. Read my disclaimer  for more information. If you make a purchase through these links, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a small commission (for which I am very grateful).

Travel Talk Tours is a leading tour company based in the UK.

With their wealth of experience, they’re adept at arranging once-in-a-lifetime experiences for all kinds of travellers, explorers and globetrotters.

I have been lucky enough to experience two of their Travel Talk Tours this year, one to Egypt and one to Turkey. Both incredible experiences and memories were made that will never be forgotten!

In this post, I will go through the reasons why taking a Travel Talk Tour is a great option for any type of traveller.

While there are already plenty of glowing Travel Talk Tour reviews, I decided to throw in my two cents based on the Travel Talk holidays I’ve been lucky enough to experience.

So this is the only Travel Talk Tours review you need to read!

🧳 MUST-HAVE: Before you head out on your trip, make sure you have travel insurance. I recommend either SafetyWing or World Nomads .

Table of Contents

7 Reasons why you should Consider a Travel Talk Tour for your Next Holiday

1. affordability.

One of the key things I love about Travel Talk is the affordability of their tours. If you compare one of their tours to that of their competitors you will notice a huge difference in price.

They always come out on top when it comes to price, which is so important for travellers these days. You really do get the most for your money.

Why is Travel Talk so cheap? Who owns Travel Talk and why are they so generous? Is Travel Talk Tours legit, considering the low cost?

I can tell you that it certainly is legitimate … and I’m not about to complain about the price!

2. There’s No Age Limit

There’s something brilliant about the Travel Talk Tours age range – there isn’t one.

Other tour companies such as Contiki are organised for a specific (younger) demographic. But Travel Talk Tours has no such restriction.

Although I’m young myself, I find other tours discouraging when they have an age limit attached. Fortunately, there’s no Contiki age limit stopping anyone from taking a Travel Talk Tour!

I just think to myself when I’m older and looking for tours that it must be discouraging when tours say you’re too old to join in.

But as I said, there’s not age limitation here, and the number of happy Travel Talk reviews from older holidaymakers is proof that you’re only as old as you feel!

👡 PACKING TIP: Looking for the best shoes for travelling? I highly recommend getting a pair of Chaco’s – They are my favourite!

3. Knowledgeable Guide

On both tours that I have been on, the guides were incredibly knowledgeable and this is the most important part of any tour!

In my opinion, travelling is all about learning so the number one thing you should look for in a tour is how much you will learn and experience.

Having a fantastic guide who knows nearly everything about the country really does make a huge difference on how your tour goes.

The quality of the guides is something that is talked about frequently in the Travel Talk Tours reviews!

🚲 Check out their tours here

4. Fun Experiences

I promise you will have the most fun experiences on these tours. The guides always have tricks up their sleeves. Plus, being on a bus with a group of people is bound to end up fun anyhow.

You are bound to make some lifelong memories while on your tours with Travel Talk.

5. The Optional Activities

On every tour, there are optional activities but I noticed that on each Travel Talk tour they are not to be missed, especially in comparison to that of others!

They offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as ballooning over Cappadocia to cruising down the Nile on a felucca.

There are lots of activities that they offer as an extra but to be honest, you won’t want to miss any of them!

📸 PRO TIP: My go-to camera for all my travels is the Sony A7iii – I highly recommend it!

6. They Go to Some Great Locations

Travel Talk has tours all over the world from Europe, the Middle East and South-East Asia.

They don’t only cover countries but some fantastic events such as Anzac Day (not to be missed for Kiwis and Aussies!), Oktoberfest and La Tomatina.

They also have sail tours such as the Travel Talk Sail Croatia and Sail Greece options.

I can highly recommend the Middle-East tours. The Travel Talk Egypt reviews were so good that I did the Travel Talk Egypt tour, and I also took the 10-day Turkey Travel Talk Anzac tour.

It’s a great way to see countries you may be too nervous to travel to on your own.

Here are some other highlights of the Travel Talk Tours destinations:

• Travel Talk Morocco – Camel trekking in the Sahara or windsurfing in Essaouira.
• Travel Talk Croatia – Sailing in the sunset and wine-tasting in walled cities.
• Travel Talk Iceland – Stargazing at the Northern Lights and floating in geothermal baths.
• Travel Talk Greece – The blue domes of Santorini or some island-hopping from beach to beach.
• Travel Talk Jordan – A jeep safari through Wadi Rum Desert and the stone walls of ancient Petra.

With all these amazing locations, my one complaint as a Kiwi is that they don’t [yet] have any Travel Talk NZ tours available!

Although I am a huge advocate for travelling solo, I also really liked the safety net that was provided by doing tours through this country. Which brings me on to my next point.

7. It’s Easy

Taking a tour is the easiest kind of travelling you can do.

The guides organise everything, you feel safe and you literally don’t have to lift a finger which is a main attraction for people to take tours in the first place.

Especially to countries you may not feel comfortable with organising travels on your own or travelling solo.

If you are looking for a reputable tour company to spend your next holiday with I can highly recommend Travel Talk.

My two tours with Travel Talk were sponsored – however that doesn’t affect my opinion on the tour and I can say from the bottom of my heart I would take another tour with them in a heartbeat!

📦 PACKING TIP: Don’t leave home without a solar powered battery pack so you can keep your devices connected at all times.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are no age restrictions when booking a Travel Talk Tour! If you’re travelling with group members on either end of the age spectrum, check the terms and conditions for details about how best to accommodate them.

Yes you can. If you want a private room to yourself there is an additional single supplement payment, but if you don’t mind sharing a room there’s no extra cost for solo travel.

Other articles you will love:

• My Epic 9-Day Tour of Egypt with Travel Talk Tours
• Enjoy these Incredible Europe Contiki Tours
• Experiencing Anzac Day in Gallipoli with Travel Talk Tours

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11 Comments

Perfect reasons that make a Tour group the best. I often do self guided walking tours not knowing which is the best. These kind of pointers help.

Cool post Anita, I’m all for taking tours, however have sometimes found them limiting, especially if you come across something you want to spend more time at, on or in. But…. if you get an awesome guide, you often find yourself in places only the locals know. Your photos are incredible by the way.

I normally travel solo or with just a friend and have been to both Egypt & Turkey without using any agency or group tour. From time to time however I do travel with a group and total strangers to some places so I can understand and do agree that these kind of trips can be fun too! To me though, the deal breaker is having knowledgeable guides travelling with you – definitely one of the biggest advantages of travelling with a tour company as the cost of having guides when you travel on your own can be rather expensive.

Always good to hear about great travel tour companies like these guys. I haven’t actually ever done any group tours, I’ve only ever done self-guided so would love to join one. Having fun experiences is super important! How did you find the group sizes?

Its nice to know they have affordable tours with optional activities. Ill have to check them out the next time were in the area!

Excellent criteria for selecting the best tour group! Age is important to me too because I often have my children with me. Thanks for sharing the information on Travel Talk Tours – it sounds like a wonderful experience.

As I’ve gotten older, I really do love organized tours! I love how there’s no age limit for this one. Thanks for sharing, this is the first time I’ve heard of Travel Talk!

My favorite point is that there is no age limit! That’s so awesome. I feel like a lot of tour companies nowadays only cater to young travelers like 17-30. But travel is for everyone and should not be limited!

Am definitely going to be checking out Travel Talk tours, now that am heading out to UK for my post grad. The reason for opting a tour, is the guide, and travel talks seem to deliver on that bang on.

I love your comment on age. I started to backpack at 42 and felt welcome. I always thought , what would these young backpackers do 30 years from now? I guess everyone will age. Its refreshing to see perspective like yours.

Im interested in a tour of Turkey. I want to take my grandson who will be 17 years old

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Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

Travel Talk Tours Review: The Best of Turkey by Gulet

Last updated: October 30, 2023 . Written by Laurence Norah - Leave a Comment

A few years ago we were invited to Morocco and Egypt with Travel Talk Tours . In Egypt we took their Jewels of the Nile tour , and in Morocco we did their Exotic Morocco Tour .

We really enjoyed our experience on both these tours, so when Travel Talk Tours reached out to invite us on one of their most popular tours, Best of Turkey by Gulet , we were happy to accept.

The Best of Turkey by Gulet tour is a 12 day tour of Turkey that aims to visit the majority of Turkey’s highlights. It also includes three nights on a traditional wooden masted ship.

In this post I’m going to share our experiences of this tour of Turkey. I’ll go through each day in detail, share our thoughts on the experience, and hopefully help you decide if this tour is for you!

First though I’m going to go into some practical details about our tour and hopefully answer any questions you might have about taking a Travel Talk Tours trip.

Table of Contents:

Who are Travel Talk Tours?

If you’re not from Australia or New Zealand, you might not have heard of Travel Talk Tours . This isn’t because the company is Antipodean, but rather because its marketing efforts are largely aimed at this audience.

More specifically, Travel Talk Tours is very popular amongst Aussies and Kiwis who are living in the UK on work visas, and who use the UK as a base for adventures. Of course, lots of other people of varying nationalities take the tours, which are all led in English.

The good news is that if you’ve come here wondering if Travel Talk Tours is a real, legitimate company, the answer is a resounding yes! Based out of the UK, Travel Talk Tours have been successfully running tours for years.

Travel Talk Tours operate tours in an ever expanding number of countries around the world, using their own expert local guides and their own custom made tour itineraries.

They are ABTA members, which means they are held to a high standard of service, and mechanisms are in place to protect you as a traveller should any issues arise with your trip.

They focus on providing amazing value tours with high quality accommodation. For me though, the real test of quality is traveller feedback. And I would say that pretty much everyone I spoke to on all the trips I’ve been on has been very happy with the experience they had with Travel Talk tours.

In fact, a great many of my fellow travellers had been on a number of Travel Talk Tours before, and were planning more in the future. So if that isn’t a good indicator of quality, I’m not sure what is.

What’s the Bus like on a Travel Talk Tour?

The tour we took in Turkey had 44 people on, which is pretty much the maximum size for a group. This meant that we had a large bus, which I have to say, was the most comfortable bus of any Travel Talk tour I’ve taken.

The bus was a big modern Mercedes coach. It had very comfortable reclining seats with air conditioning, an on-board fridge for keeping our drinks cold, tray tables, in-seat USB and AC power sockets, and even seat back televisions.

Ok, so the seat back televisions had the choice of Turkish movies or Turkish TV, but still. It’s the thought that counts.

It was also kept amazingly clean. I’m sure the whole coach was washed at least twice a day to ensure we had a good view out of the windows. Top marks to our drivers for looking after us and the coach so well.

Overall, the bus was definitely comfortable, and plenty of people took advantage of the long drives to get some good naps in.

There were only two niggles with the bus. First, Turkey was very hot whilst we were there, with temperatures close to 40C / 104F on many of the days of our trip.

On these days, with 44 hot and sweaty people on board, the bus air conditioning did sometimes struggle to keep the bus very cool, especially with the large glass windows and the sun beaming in. So whilst it never got uncomfortably hot, it did feel a bit warmer than we might have hoped for.

Second, there was no on-board toilet on the bus. To be fair, this could also be seen as a blessing, as the odor from a bus toilet isn’t really something you need on a long distance trip. In addition, we stopped very regularly for the toilet, usually every 2 – 2.5 hours. And if anyone really needed to go, all it needed was a word to the tour guide, and a stop would be made. So I think the toilet situation was fine.

What’s the Accommodation Like on a Travel Talk Tour?

Travel Talk Tours pride themselves on the level of accommodation they offer. On the tour in Turkey for example, hotels are listed as being 4* and 5* quality.

Of course, this isn’t 5* as you might expect at the Savoy or the Ritz, with suited attendants pressing buttons for you in the lift. Although I always find those experiences to be super weird anyway. I can press my own buttons!

In our experience, the accommodation provided by Travel Talk Tours is very comfortable. The hotels are clean, most have pools, and for the price of the tours they are amazing value. If you are used to travelling on a budget in hostels and backpacker properties, this is going to be a welcome step up.

The only exception to the hotels was the period of time on the Gulet. Obviously, this is a wooden sailing ship, so accommodation is a lot more simple.

Note that you can do skip this section of the tour and stay on land by booking either the Best of Turkey by Land or Amazing Turkey by Land tours, which are essentially the same tour, but with time spent on land instead of on the Gulet. See more on these later on in the post.

Rooms on the Gulet feature fairly small double beds with a simple ensuite shower and toilet.

When we took the tour, it was actually too hot to sleep in the cabins (which didn’t have A/C), so everyone slept on deck, using the cabins as a sort of glorified walk in wardrobe and toilet.

Personally I loved sleeping on deck under the stars and waking to magnificent sunrises, but this of course is not going to be for everyone, and the quality of sleep will vary depending on how well you sleep surrounded by other people and the noises of a boat at sea.

You can see more on our Gulet part of the tour in the day by day breakdown of the trip below.

Be aware that if you are travelling as a solo traveller, you will generally be paired with another traveller of the same sex. If you want to have a room to yourself this is possible, but a supplement will be charged. Everyone on our tour was sharing, either with a friend, a partner, or someone that was assigned to them, and I didn’t hear any negative feedback about the arrangement.

The only slight issue was that many of the hotels had a policy of issuing only one room key to each room, so solo travellers had to coordinate a little bit around room access.

What’s the Food Like on a Travel Talk Tour?

Of course, the food will vary depending on the country you visit. However, Travel Talk does try to ensure that you get good, high quality food that includes many local specialities in the country you visit, and this has been our experience in Morocco, Egypt and Turkey.

On the trip we took in Turkey, most of our breakfasts and dinners were included. These were predominantly served at our accommodation, and were buffet style with a wide choice. With the exception of the hotel in Cappadocia, all the food was excellent, with a wide choice, even for the vegetarians in the group.

The hotel in Cappadocia wasn’t bad per se, but the choice and quality wasn’t as good as the other hotels we stayed at, so it sort of stuck out. Still, one less good set of meals out of all the places we had inclusive meals at certainly isn’t bad!

On the gulet, all our meals were included. We had freshly caught grilled fish on the first night, and many other traditional dishes including kofte over the rest of the adventure. The meals on the boat were really excellent.

For the other meals that were not included, our guide generally recommended local restaurants that served Turkish specialities. This was when we were able to really sample some local dishes, including Köfte, Menemen, Mantı, Testi Kebap, Şiş Kebap, İskender Kebab, Pide and Baklava.

On the days that featured longer bus rides, lunch was generally at the break points, where there would be one or more dining options, often a choice between traditional Turkish food or western fast food options that you will be familiar with like McDonalds.

Overall, I would say that the food options on the tour were very good and pretty much everyone was happy with the choices. If you have dietary requirements though, or follow a strict vegan, gluten-free, or vegetarian diet, you should definitely get in touch with Travel Talk in advance of your trip, to be sure your needs can be accommodated.

Who Will be on a Travel Talk Tour?

As noted earlier, Travel Talk predominantly attracts folks from Australia and New Zealand onto their tours due to the focus of their main marketing efforts. This was the case on the tours we took in Morocco and Egypt, and was a theme that continued in Turkey.

On the trip in Turkey for example, there were 44 people in the group. Of those 44, there were two Canadians, two Chileans, one Brit (me!), and everyone else was either from Australia or New Zealand.

Of course, the trip is open to everyone, and all nationalities are welcomed. Just don’t be entirely surprised if your tour is mostly made up of Aussies and Kiwis.

In terms of age, Travel Talk Tours are primarily aimed at ages 18 – 39. In my experience on the tours we’ve taken, as well as from chatting to the guides, most travellers fall into a mid-twenties to early thirties age bracket, with a few outliers at either end.

Again, this isn’t a mandatory policy, and any ages are welcome. On our tour in Turkey for example, there was a young at heart couple in their 70s, and they were certainly welcomed into the group by everyone. The youngest person on our tour was 21.

Finally, our tour was roughly 70% women and 30% men. There were a mix of singles and couples, as well as solo travellers and friends travelling together. In my experience, everyone on all the Travel Talk tours we’ve been on has been really friendly and open to meeting new people. So you can definitely take one of these tours as a solo traveller and not be worried about being on your own.

Is this a Party Tour?

You might be thinking that if you take a large group of relatively young people from Australia and New Zealand, put them all together, and send them on a holiday together, that what you have is a recipe for late night parties and hungover days.

This is not an unreasonable assumption.

However, in our experience with Travel Talk Tours , whilst most people certainly enjoy a beverage or three in the evenings, and there will always be someone up for late nights, the overall vibe is pretty relaxed. There’s no pressure to party, and many people will have an early night. After all, there are a lot of early starts on the tours!

So you can go either way, and you’re bound to find some like minded people to either party with, or bade goodnight to at an earlier juncture.

If you want a more hardcore party every night and sleep all day sort of tour, then I would say that Travel Talk Tours might not be the perfect fit for you. Although no-one will stop you of course! It’s also worth noting that most of the tours we’ve been on have been in predominantly Muslin countries, where alcohol isn’t always easily available. That said, it was easy to find and buy across Turkey.

What’s Included on a Travel Talk Tour?

Travel Talk are really up front about what is included and what isn’t as part of the tour rate. They also provide a really detailed pre-departure guide for every tour, which includes an overview of any extra costs, as well as lots of practical information for your tour.

This pre-departure file can be downloaded from the tour overview page for each tour on the Travel Talk website , and we highly recommend you look at this to help you plan your budget and for practical information on your trip.

For our 12 day Travel Talk tour, the following was included:

• Airport transfer on arrival
• Tour guide for the duration of the trip (with the exception of the Gulet cruise)
• 12 nights accommodation
• 11 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 8 dinners

The following was not included:

• Return airport transfer (although advice was offered on how to get back to the airport, and a shuttle could be arranged)
• Travel insurance (this is required, and we would always advise having this anyway!)
• Other meals
• Water / soft drinks / alcoholic drinks (most hotels included two small bottles of water per day)
• Entrance fees to sights and museums
• Optional activities
• Flights (although Travel Talk are able to book flights for you if you wish, for extra)
• Visas (most nationalities need a visa to enter Turkey which can be bought online here ).

If you are wondering what the costs of meals and additional activities are, Travel Talk includes all this information in their pre-departure file so you can budget in advance.

As a guide, entrance fees for the year we visited, 2019, totalled 410 Turkish lira (approx £60). Meals ranged from 30 lira to 70 lira (£4 – £10), depending on choice.

The major optional activities on our trip were hot air ballooning in Cappadocia (€190), the Turkish Bath (130 TL) and the Turkish Night (160 TL). Of those, I would say that the hot air ballooning is definitely one to budget for, as it’s an incredible experience.

Day by Day Overview of the Best of Turkey by Gulet Tour

The tour we took was the 12 day Amazing Turkey by Gulet tour, which you can see and book on the Travel Talk website here .

Here’s what we did on each day to give you an idea of what to expect if you take this tour, or one of the similar tours like Best of Turkey by Land , Amazing Turkey by Gulet , or Amazing Turkey by Land .

Day 1 – Arrival into Istanbul

The first day was the arrival day. Arriving into the new Istanbul airport (IST) was a welcome change from the hectic experience of the old Ataturk airport, which seemed busy at whatever time of day we were here.

After collecting my bags, we were met by a man holding a Travel Talk sign. The airport transfers are arranged for efficiency, so a group of people can be transported together, but no one has to wait too long. The couple who had already arrived had waited a short while, and another couple arrived shortly after I did, after which we were escorted to a shuttle bus for the 40 minute ride to the hotel.

The hotel on the first night was the Legacy Ottoman, rated as a 5* hotel. The entry lobby was very pretty, and the location was fantastic, right next door to the old spice market. My room was on the small side, but it was clean and had everything I needed.

There were two main events on the first day, a welcome presentation by our Travel Talk guide, and an optional evening meal. Depending on the time your flight arrives into Istanbul, you’ll be able to make one or more of these events.

At this event we met our guide who would be leading the tour, Yavuz. Yavuz has been leading tours in Turkey for 25 years, and was a Turkish national with huge amounts of experience and knowledge about the country, its sights and its history.

The welcome presentation was around an hour long, and covered a wide variety of topics, from what we’d be doing and seeing, through to useful information on things like tipping, drinking water, food, and optional activities.

Most of the folks who had come in opted for the evening dinner as it was a good opportunity to start to meet our fellow travellers. This was held in a roof top restaurant a five minute walk from the hotel. This offered lovely views across the Bosphorus. Our guide Yavuz explained that the speciality of this restaurant was grilled kebabs, although there were plenty of choices. The meat and starter selection of bread and dips were excellent.

After dinner, some folks headed on to partake in shisha or a couple of more drinks, most, like myself, headed home for bed after a long day of travel.

Day 2 – Exploring Istanbul

The second day on the tour was the first actual full day of sightseeing. The nice thing about this day was that we were staying in the same hotel, so there was no need to pack up!

After an expansive buffet breakfast, we met Yavuz at 8.30am in the hotel reception. The plan for the day was to explore some of the sights of the old town of Istanbul, including the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace Museum.

Obviously there is a great deal more to see in the city, but these are certainly the sights that most first time visitors will want to come to.

Of course, some people on our tour, myself included, had visited Istanbul before. The nice thing about our time in Istanbul was that Yavuz was very flexible, so folks were welcome to come on the walking tour, or to explore themselves. They could also join the tour for a part of it, and then wander off (after letting Yavuz know of course).

I took the whole tour, which lasted from around 8.30am through to 2.30pm. In that time we visited three major sites. At the start of the tour Yavuz issued us with headsets so we could hear him – with around 35 people on the walking tour, this made hearing him a lot easier.

Our first stop was the beautiful Hagia Sophia . A church has stood on this location since 360AD, with the present structure dating from 532. Originally a Christian church, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a Mosque from 1453 onwards. However, as of 1935 it became a museum, and so it is no longer an active place of worship.

Every time I’ve visited the Hagia Sophia over the past several years, there has been some some of reconstruction work happening, which is probably to be expected with a building of this venerable age. It’s a pretty magnificent place though, and we spent around 45 minutes inside, with some time spent with Yavuz explaining some of the more interesting features, and the rest of our time given over to free time.

This was a fairly common theme throughout the tour – we would always be given information and history about what we were seeing and experiencing, followed by some free time to explore on our own and take photos. This worked well for everyone as far as I could tell, and we never felt rushed, herded, or like we didn’t have enough time to explore.

After the Hagia Sophia we visited the Blue Mosque. This was a little disappointing during our tour as it was undergoing major renovations so most of it wasn’t really visible. Of course, this wasn’t the fault of Travel Talk, or anyone really, but it was definitely not as impressive as it could have been. Luckily I’d visited before, and so was able to remember if from that time.

From the Blue Mosque we went for lunch. Lunch, like most days on the tour, was at each individuals expense. We had around an hour allocated for lunch, and we were free to eat where we liked, although most chose to eat where Yavuz recommended, at the famous Pudding Shop. Here we had a variety of options, although the specialty of Izkender Kebab was recommended, so that’s what I went for.

After lunch we visited the Topkapi Palace Museum . This was the home of the sultans of the Ottoman empire, and is a vast sprawling palace complex set across a hill with commanding views across the Bosphorus Sea. Here our tour ended, and we were left to explore on our own, and make our own way back to the hotel.

The last activity on our second day was another optional extra, and it was a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus. Given we could take our own drinks on board, everyone was pretty excited about this, and pretty much everyone came along.

It was a pretty wonderful cruise, lasting around 90 minutes and giving us panoramic views of both the Asian and European sides of Istanbul. The evening was lovely and warm, and with a few beers to accompany the sunset, it was a lovely way to end the day.

Ok, so we really ended the day with dinner in Istanbul. Nothing formal was arranged, but we pretty much all wandered out as a group and found a nice restaurant to eat at together. I then headed for bed, as the third day was the beginning of the early morning starts!

Day 3 – Gallipoli / ANZAC sights

The third day of our Travel Talk Turkey tour was the first day on the bus. We’ve taken two Travel Talk tours before, and so I was familiar with the necessity for spending a fair amount of time on a bus.

Given the vast size of Turkey and places covered on this trip, I knew a lot of bus time would be required. So the comfort of the bus was certainly an important factor as to the quality of the tour.

Thankfully, I am pleased to report that on our tour the bus was excellent. With 44 people in our group, we obviously needed a large bus, and we had a pretty huge Mercedes. Also, with 44 people, every seat was full. Still, the bus didn’t feel cramped at all, with plenty of recline space, foot space, and overhead luggage storage.

Our departure on the third day was at 7.30am from the hotel, which meant an early breakfast. Our group was timely, and we pulled away from the hotel by 7.40am. Being on time on a group tour is key to a successful day!

The third day of the tour had us heading out of Istanbul and to Gallipoli, particularly well known to Australians and New Zealanders as the site of the Gallipoli campaign in World War 1.

This was a bit of a drive. We travelled for a couple of hours, then had a 20 minute coffee break. Then there was another two hour drive, during which everyone on the bus got to have time to introduce themselves using the microphone, which was a good way to quickly get a feel for who was on the tour.

At midday we stopped for lunch at a road side lunch location, where a traditional and great value Turkish buffet style lunch was on offer.

We got to Gallipoli at just before 2:00pm, and we spent just over three hours exploring many of the locations here, including Anzac cove, North Beach, Lone Pine cemetery and Ari Burnu cemetery.

If you’re not familiar with the Gallipoli campaign , this was a campaign in the First World War which took place for almost a year, from the 17th February 1915 until 9th January 1916. The goal was to take control of an important shipping lane, weaken the Ottoman Empire, and create a supply route to Russia.

The campaign involved a great many troops from Australia and New Zealand, and is credited as being the place where Australia and New Zealand developed a sense of national identity. This is likely why a visit to the Anzac sites is so popular with citizens of these countries.

In terms of the campaign, it is fair to say it started badly, and only got worse.

Gallipoli started with a failed naval campaign to conquer the straits. Following this, it was decided that a land based invasion would be the best option, with troops from Australia and New Zealand (the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, or ANZAC) as well as Britain and France making up the almost half a million strong landing force.

They faced around a third of a million embedded troops, nearly all of whom were Turkish.

The landings started on the 25th April 1916. This day is now a public holiday in Australia and New Zealand, and commemorations are held every year in memory of the events.

Suffice to say, the landings did not achieve their objectives. Difficult terrain, the challenge of maintaining supply lines, and extreme weather conditions conspired against both side. In total, there were over half a million casualties.

Following a series of failed attempts to advance much beyond the beaches and surrounding hills, the decision to evacuate the remaining troops was taken in late 1915, with the bulk of the evacuations taking place in December 1915.

History is unclear as to whether anyone actually won, as both sides suffered heavy losses. Generally it is regarded as either a stalemate or a defeat for the Allied forces.

Today, the region of the battles is a huge area of memorial for those who lost their lives on both sides of the battle. There are over 30 cemeteries spread across the region, as well as various monuments and information panels. It is a sobering place to visit, and I’m glad I was able to learn a bit about this piece of history on our tour.

After visiting the Anzac locations, it was back in the bus for a half hour ride to the ferry terminal, where we crossed the Dardanelles and found ourselves on the continent of Asia. The ferry ride took around 30 minutes, after which it was another 30 minute drive to our hotel for the night, which we arrived at just after 7pm.

Here, there was a lovely view of the sunset, which I took a number of photos of whilst enjoying a beer. The majority of the group jumped into the hotel pool, before we had a good buffet dinner and ended the day.

Day 4 – Troy

Our fourth day started with an 8am departure. Almost a lie-in! This was due to be a long day on the bus, with the main highlight being the city of Troy.

From our hotel, it was only a half hour ride to Troy. This meant we got to explore the ruined city and pose in front of the famous Trojan Horse before it got too hot. This was definitely welcome, as temperatures during the day when we visited Turkey were hitting 41C / 106F!

We spent a couple of hours exploring the ruined city of Troy under the guidance of Yavuz, who shared with us the history of this famous location. I learnt for example that there have been at least 9 cities built on this location, dating as far back as 3000 BC, with the last city abandoned in 500 AD.

That is a lot of history for one place, and as you would imagine, Troy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

After Troy, it was time for a long bus journey. We left Troy at 10.30 and stopped once for a restroom break, before stopping for lunch at 2.30.

This lunch stop was a definite highlight. We went to a remote restaurant in the mountains where our group were the only people. Traditional Turkish Pide (flatbread with different toppings) was the speciality here, as well as kebabs and baked cheese. I will admit I may have slightly overeaten at this lunch stop!

We were then treated to some traditional Turkish singing by the restaurant owner, before resuming our bus journey. One rest stop later, and we pulled into our hotel in Kusadasi at 7pm, just in time for the sunset.

According to our Travel Talk itinerary, we were due to have the afternoon free to explore Kusadasi, but in reality we only had around half an hour of light, which was a bit of a disappointment after a long day on the bus. The hotel pool had also closed by the time we arrived.

Still, there was live music at the hotel and we all sat and enjoyed dinner around the pool nonetheless!

Day 5 – Ephesus & Gulet

The fifth day of our Travel Talk tour in Turkey started with a 7.30am departure. Yes, these are getting earlier. And yes, they are going to keep getting earlier!

Highlights of the fifth day were a visit to the ruined city of Ephesus, a stop at a pottery workshop, and embarking on our boat adventure!

The first stop of the day was at Ephesus, which we got to at just after 8am. Again, this early morning arrival meant we missed the heat of the day, and there was lovely soft warm light casting a glow over everything, which was rather pleasant.

Ephesus, for those of you not familiar with Ancient Greek settlements, was an Ancient Greek settlement on the Ionian coast. It was built in around 1,000 BC, and lasted until the 15th century AD.

A lot happened in those 2,500 years.

Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was also home to the library of Celsus and a theatre with room for 25,000 spectators – the largest in the world at the time.

It is also believed that one of the gospels of the bible was written in Ephesus, and that the Virgin Mary spent the last few years of her life in this region. John the Apostle is said to be buried nearby as well.

As you can imagine, there’s plenty to see and do at Ephesus, and we spent around 2.5 hours here with Yavuz showing us around. Our tour was interrupted for a short while as one of our participants was stung by a huge hornet, necessitating a trip to a clinic for intravenous antihistamine.

Travel Talk insists on travellers having travel insurance, and for good reason!

After Ephesus, we went to a nearby pottery workshop, where we watched local artisans create pottery. We were then given the opportunity to purchase pottery if we wanted, and many members of the group picked something up.

Following the pottery workshop it was time for lunch, which we had in a traditional local eatery famous for its Gözleme. This is a flatbread which is rolled very thinly, and then filled with various toppings, including minced meats, potato and spinach.

Lunch was eaten on low tables which we sat around in groups on carpeted floors and cushions, which certainly felt very traditional. Lots of local people also seemed to be eating here, which was a good sign.

After lunch, it was back on the bus. We left lunch at around 1.30pm and arrived into Fethiye at around 7.30pm. We stopped every couple of hours for restrooms and snack / water purchasing, but this was definitely a long bus ride!

It was all worth it though, as when we arrived into Fethiye we were assigned our Gulet!

A Gulet is a traditional wooden Turkish sailing ship, and for those of us on The Best of Turkey by Gulet or Amazing Turkey by Gulet tours, this was the part where we embarked on a three night sailing adventure.

A brief note on how Travel Talk structures its tours, which was something we also observed in Egypt. Often, there will be multiple tours offered in a country, which offer similar itineraries with some tweaks.

For example, the tour I was on was called the Best of Turkey by Gulet. However, also on our tour were people on the following tours:

• Best of Turkey by Land
• Amazing Turkey by Gulet
• Amazing Turkey by Land

These four tours are similar, but with some key differences. The “Best of” tours are 12 days long, with the last day consisting of a long bus ride from Cappadocia to Turkey, followed by a night in Istanbul. The “Amazing” tours are only 10 days, but you get to fly back to Istanbul from Cappadocia.

The other difference is the Gulet, as the name suggests. Those in the group on the “by Gulet” tours spend three nights on a Gulet, whilst those on the “by Land” tours spend those three nights at a resort near Fethiye. During this time there are a number of other sights and activities, including a visit to Saklikent canyon, a mud bath, and the so-called turtle beach.

Obviously, which tour you choose will depend on your interests. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the Gulet accommodation is quite basic, consisting of pretty small cabins with no air conditioning. No-one on our trip had any issues with this, but if that’s not for you, the land version might be preferable!

Anyway, back to the tour. We arrived in Fethiye and boarded our Gulet. We were split into two groups, with 14 people on one Gulet and 16 on ours. This was pretty much the maximum that each boat could take.

Each room on-board the Gulet had a fairly small double bed as well as a wet shower / toilet room. There was also some storage. It rapidly became apparent to everyone though that sleeping below decks was going to be a real challenge. In August Turkey is hot, and the Gulet has no air conditioning – just a small window for air.

The rooms when we sailed were definitely too warm for sleeping in. The good news is that there was a huge deck area covered in mattresses, and we were able to take out sleeping gear from our rooms up to the deck when it was time to sleep. I love sleeping under the stars on a warm night, and this was a real treat.

In terms of meals, all three meals on the Gulet were included, breakfast, lunch and dinner. There were three crew on board – the Captain, who spoke good English, and then two assistants, one of whom was responsible for all the delicious meals we ate.

These included traditional kofte, freshly caught fish, and a variety of other Turkish dishes. We definitely didn’t go hungry.

For power, there was a large power strip available with power available during the day when the boat was under power, and in the evenings when a generator was running. So charging devices like phones and cameras was possible, but there were no power strips in the rooms themselves.

One major downside to the Gulet was that we weren’t allowed to bring any drinks of our own on board. This included water. Whilst bringing a water bottle or two on board in a backpack was ok, we couldn’t exactly stock up.

Three days in the heat on a boat in Turkey where you have no choice but to buy water at inflated prices is not cool in my opinion. I appreciate a need to make a profit, and didn’t mind paying a little over the odds for beer (around €4.50 for a beer), but I definitely felt that overpriced water was unfair.

Ok, so that’s it with complaints about the Gulet!

Our first evening on the Gulet had us sailing for around half an hour from Fethiye to a sheltered cove in the Fethiye Gulf, where as soon as possible, everyone jumped into the water. The water was magnificently warm and clear, and swimming in it became a primary theme of the following days. While we swam, the crew made us dinner, after which folks chatted, played cards, and then drifted off to bed in clumps.

I’d definitely recommend bringing ear plugs and an eye mask for this part of the trip if you are a light sleeper and plan on getting either an early night or a lie in, as a boat isn’t the quietest of places, and the sun comes up early!

Day 6 – Gulet

We woke to a spectacular sunrise on our first day, and motored for a while to a lovely spot for breakfast in the Yassica islands. Again, as soon as the boat stop and the captain deemed it safe, everyone jumped in the water. It was becoming apparent by this point that most people in the group were part dolphin.

The rest of the day was probably the most relaxed of all the days on the whole trip. Time was spent either relaxing on deck, swimming in the sea, or motoring to a new location, from where we would repeat the cycle.

We got three meals a day, as well as afternoon tea and biscuits. For snacks, we were visited from time to time by a boat selling ice creams. This was definitely a highlight of each day.

Our second day on the boat also saw us have the opportunity to ride inflatables, including a banana boat, towed behind a high speed boat. This was a great value experience and everyone who took part seemed to enjoy it. I definitely enjoyed watching!

Finally, the day ended with dinner, plenty of card games, a few drinks, and bed under the stars. I think the photos probably share the experience better than my words.

Day 7 – Gulet

Our last day on the Gulet largely replicated the second day, with lots of swimming and relaxing. The highlight of the boat time was when we motored to a sunken bath house, which we were able to explore.

On board the boat I should mention there was plenty of leisure space, life jackets, as well as floatation devices like rings and noodles. There was also snorkelling equipment, including goggles, snorkels, and flippers.

In the evening of the third day we actually motored back to Fethiye. We arrived at around 5pm, which was a little bit sad for most of us on board as it meant no more swimming in the warm sea.

Still, all was not lost! Everyone took advantage of being moored near the town centre to do some exploring and shopping, and many people went out in the evening for a few drinks as well. Again, we slept on the boat for the third and final time.

Day 8 – Pamukkale

On the 8th day we left the boat at 9.15am. You might think this would mean a nice long lie-in, but sleeping on the deck means you generally get up not long after sunrise.

We had breakfast on the boat, and then left for the bus, where we were reunited with our land based travellers. They seemed to have had a very relaxing time, mostly lounging by the pool interspersed with a bit of sight-seeing. Some of them had also gone paragliding, one of the optional activities for the land based travellers.

Day 8 was another long day of bus riding as we headed to Cappadocia. The main sight on the way were the legendary white terraces at Pamukkale, which we arrived at at 2.30. There was no formal lunch stop on day 8, instead we visited a supermarket where we bought supplies to eat on the bus, so as to save time.

Pamukkale are travertine terraces, formed by calcium deposits over thousands of years, and are a stunning sight known in Turkish as the Cotton Castle. They’re a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and are also known as the White Castle.

I’m not going to lie, these were a bit of a disappointment. If you look at photos of the white terraces, they are beautiful white stepped terraces filled with incredible turquoise waters.

Unfortunately, for most of the year, the terraces are largely dry. Water is artificially channeled around them, and whilst it is sometimes channeled into the terraces, this does not happen very often. When we visited, only a tiny part of the terraces had any water in.

There is a path running through the terraces with a number small pools that you can bathe in, but on the day we visited (a weekend in August), it was mind blowingly busy. This didn’t deter many of our group members from having a swim in the pretty waters, but they did report that the cleanliness of the water left very much to be desired, with a lot of detritus including band-aids clogging the base.

Still, once I got over the disappointment of the lack of water and the amazing crowds, I was definitely impressed by the formations.

I walked around a fair bit, and found some quieter locations to take some photos, and enjoy the views which are expansive and impressive. I’d definitely never seen anything quite like it.

Pamukkale is also home to the Greco-Roman city of Hierapolis, which was built on top of the “White Castle” in the 2nd century BC.

This is often overlooked by visitors, but if you have the energy, there are plenty of sights to see here including a museum, ancient baths, a theatre, a Necropolis, and more.

We had around two hours to explore Pamukkale, which was definitely plenty of time.

From Pamukkale it was back in the bus at 4.30pm, from where it was only a half hour drive to the hotel. This was one of the nicest hotels we stayed at in my opinion, with thermal pools for bathing, large swimming pools, and a gorgeous view of the sunset.

There was also a free evening belly dancing show!

Day 9 – Cappadocia

Remember how I said that departure times got earlier every day? Well, our 9th day had us leaving the hotel at 6am. Breakfast started at 5.30am, so we were able to eat, but it was definitely an early start – before sunrise in fact.

Still, most people were pretty good at napping on the bus, and our guide left us in silence for a couple of hours with the interior lights off, so we could nap if we wanted.

From the Pamukkale area to the Cappadocia region is a long way, so we spent a long time on the bus on day 9. This was interspersed with regular restroom stops as well as a lunch time stop at around 2pm.

We arrived into the Cappadocia region at around 2.30pm, and we stopped a couple of times for some photo opportunities and to stretch our legs.

The main highlight of this day, other than watching the changing scenery through the bus windows, was our visit to the Derinkuyu underground city.

This is the largest underground city in Turkey, once home to 20,000 people who lived up to 60 metres underground during its heyday from 780 to 1180.

In these times, the region was often invaded. The underground cities were a vital place of refuge and safety for the areas inhabitants.

Derinkuyu, the underground city we visited was the largest of these underground cities in the region. It was connected to many other by kilometres long underground tunnels, creating a huge underground network.

Today, the underground city of Derinkuyu is open to visit down to around the 8th storey underground, which is approximately half of it. This was definitely an interesting place to visit, although not one if you are claustrophobic! We had around an hour on site, which included time with our guide explaining the layout and history.

From Derinkuyu, we headed on to our hotel, which was to be home for our two nights in Cappadocia.

There was an optional evening activity of a traditional Turkish bath. This was a fairly popular option, with around half the group opting for the experience. This was sex segregated, and everyone wore bathing suits so there was no nudity.

The Turkish Bath experience lasted around an hour in total, and included time in a sauna, a massage, and some time relaxing with apple tea. Finally, it was time for bed because, you guessed it, our tenth day had an early start!

Day 10 – Cappadocia

Our tenth day in Cappadocia was the day of the most popular optional activity on the tour – hot air ballooning! Of the 44 people in our group, 33 chose to go ballooning. This is one of the most iconic activities in Cappadocia, and one of the main reasons many people choose to visit the city. Between 100 and 150 balloons fly here every morning, weather permitting, and it’s an incredible sight.

The good news is that even those not opting to take a hot air balloon flight still had a good option. 11 of us had a shuttle bus arranged to a viewing point, where we could watch the balloons setting off. So even if you don’t fly in a balloon, you can still get a sense of the experience if you want. Or you can take advantage of the time to sleep in, if you prefer.

Unless you choose to sleep in, it’s going to be an early start. In our case that meant leaving the hotel by 5am, either to be ballooning by sunrise, or to watch the balloons take off into the sunrise.

I’ve been lucky enough to fly in a hot air balloon in Cappadocia twice already, so on this trip I opted to stay on the ground and see what that experience was like.

I am pleased to report that it was truly wonderful. We were particularly lucky on the day we went as the wind was gently blowing towards us, meaning most of the 150 or so balloons which launched floated right over our heads.

Speaking to those who went ballooning, they also had a fantastic experience, which lasted around 75 minutes from take off to landing. Note that basket sizes vary, but the company that Travel Talk used when we visited have around 24 people per basket.

After such an early start, everyone headed back to the hotel for a spot of breakfast before a day of sightseeing. Cappadocia is famous for its rock formations, and we visited the Goreme Open Air Museum, as well as a number of pretty viewpoints, including Pigeon Valley and Love Valley.

We also spent an hour or so at a jewellery shop. I will say that this tour in general did not feature a great many shopping specific stops, but the two we did stop at seemed to feature high quality products and most folks on the tour picked a few things up.

Lunch on the tenth day was at a restaurant famous for testi kebabs. These feature lamb cooked in a traditional clay pot over charcoal, which is then broken open with large knife. This was a really tasty meal, and lots of our group had fun wielding the pot opening knives!

Finally, after a few more sight seeing stops, our group headed back to the hotel at around 3.30pm. This was when those folks on the 10 day tours caught their flights back to Istanbul, so there was a large round of goodbyes in the hotel lobby before they were transported off.

Those of us staying had one final treat in store – the optional Turkish night, which pretty much everyone had signed up. Something about the promise of unlimited alcohol seemed to waken even the most tired of souls.

So, after a relaxing afternoon snooze, it was back on the bus for a short transfer to an evening of dance and drink. This was, despite obviously being a purely tourist event, a huge amount of fun. There truly was unlimited alcohol, including traditional Raki, and our group danced and drank fiercely until the show was over.

The belly dancer in particular was excellent. Even if she did pull me up and make me dance in front of a room of hundreds of people.

Day 11 – Drive to Istanbul

The 11th day of the tour was, to be honest, not much to write about. It’s a very long way from Cappadocia to Istanbul, and we spent basically the whole day on the bus. We departed the hotel at 7.30am and arrived into the hotel at 7.40pm.

The good news was that around half the group had left already, so everyone had two seats to themselves. We also stopped at least every couple of hours for use of the toilets and to buy any snacks, and we had a longer stop at a huge outlet mall for lunch.

In Istanbul, we all went out for dinner as a group, visiting the restaurant we’d been to on our first night.

Day 12 – Flight home

The last day on the trip was really just the day that everyone left. We said our farewells over breakfast, and then folks departed at various times through the day.

Some people were staying in Istanbul for more sightseeing, others were flying home, others were on longer trips and so left for new destinations.

But yes, all good things come to an end, and that was the end of our time in Turkey with Travel Talk Tours! Now I’ll write a few words in summary, and share some helpful information so you can plan your own trip.

What we Liked About the Best of Turkey by Gulet Tour

This tour was an excellent way to see a lot of Turkey in a relatively short time. Our guide, Yavuz, had been running tours in Turkey for 25 years, and really knew his stuff. He also had a good sense of humour, which made the tour more fun.

The group of people on the tour were a lot of fun to hang out with, and the large group meant there were lots of people to meet and chat with. Normally I’d think that I wouldn’t like a large group tour, but this trip proved me wrong on that front! Everyone was really friendly and a joy to spend time with. I left with a lot of new friends.

In terms of sightseeing and activities, some of the real highlights for me were the three day Gulet trip, the morning watching the hot air balloons in Cappadocia, and our time visiting Troy and Ephesus.

To be honest though, I really enjoyed the whole experience, and can definitely recommend it if you are planning a trip to Turkey.

Anything We Didn’t Like About the Best of Turkey by Gulet Tour?

Not everything in life is perfect and it would be unfair to only list the positives on a tour. So here are a few things that weren’t ideal on the trip.

First, the real downside of a trip like this are the long bus rides and the early morning starts that went with those! Whilst the bus was certainly comfortable, and there were plenty of rest stops along the way, a long bus ride is still a long bus ride.

I, and many others on the trip, helped the time pass by reading, watching downloaded movies or TV shows, playing cards, or listening to music.

Of course, our guide Yavuz did share information as we went on what we were seeing, but on a 10-12 hour ride we couldn’t expect him to entertain us the whole time!

Still, visiting the various highlights of Turkey will inevitably require these long bus rides, so I don’t see much opportunity to improve this. Just be prepared in advance, and if you want to skip the long bus ride back to Istanbul from Cappadocia, consider the 10 day version of the tour which has you flying back instead of taking the coach.

Alternatively, some of our group just paid for the flights themselves separately, and met us back in Istanbul. This is something you’d want to arrange yourself of course, and you’d also need to figure out the airport transit.

The other disappointment I guess was Pamukkale, as there was no water in most of it, and it was both insanely busy and very hot. Visiting at a peak time of year on a weekend was definitely not ideal.

Finally, taking soft drinks onto the Gulet, at least water, should definitely be allowed. It’s a minor thing, but one that would improve that part of the trip.

That is pretty much it for things not to like. If you don’t like long bus rides, this tour is probably not for you. Otherwise, we think you’ll have a great time.

Should you take the Best of Turkey by Gulet Tour?

To be honest, we can’t answer this question for you. I did my best to talk to absolutely everyone on the trip to get their thoughts on the trip, and overall everyone had positive things to say. Some were on their first Travel Talk Tours adventure, others had taken multiple tours with the company already. Some people had never taken a group trip like this before at all, and were definitely enjoying themselves.

I think this is a great tour if you want to see a lot of the country, learn some history, make new friends, and have a relaxing break in the middle. If you’re not into swimming or boats, then you might prefer the land based version of the tour instead.

Otherwise, I’d encourage you to just read through this post and make up your own mind as to whether this sounds like the right tour for you!

If you don’t like the sound of a tour, see our guide to spending 2 weeks in Turkey , which has loads of information on all the other options you have for getting around the country independently.

If you have any specific questions about the tour, or about Travel Talk Tour in general (we’ve taken 3 of their tours), just ask us in the Comments section at the end of this article.

Practicalities for Travel in Turkey

To help you plan your time in Turkey, here’s some useful information around things like internet access, drinking water, and electricity. Note that lots of practical information of this nature is also helpfully provided in the pre-departure file by Travel Talk tours.

Money in Turkey

Turkey uses the Turkish Lira as currency, which is available in both coin and note form. ATM’s are widely available across the country, and credit cards are also accepted in most locations.

You will definitely want to have a few coins handy, as sometimes there’s a small fee to use the toilet (between 1 and 2 lira when we visited). It’s also common to tip for service, usually up to 10%.

Electricity in Turkey

Turkey uses a 2 pin Type C / Type F plug. This is the same as you would find across the rest of Europe, and the voltage is 220V to 240V.

If you are travelling from a country which uses a different plug style, like the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand, you will need a travel adapter like this . If you are coming from the Americas, you will also need to consider the change in voltage. We’d suggest reading our guide to travel adapters to find the best solution for you.

Safety in Turkey

Turkey is a generally safe country to visit, and we’ve never had any problems here. In our experience, the only thing to really watch out for are the rogue taxi drivers with rigged meters. You can avoid these by only getting taxis from official taxi stands, or getting your accommodation to call a taxi for you.

Otherwise, just practice the same safety precautions you would when at home, and you should be fine. On a tour with a reputable operator like Travel Talk, you shouldn’t have any problems, and your tour guide will be there to assist you should any issues arise.

Internet Access in Turkey

WiFi was available at all the hotels we visited in Turkey, but other than at the hotels and some of the restaurants we stopped at, free wifi was fairly rare. There was no WiFi on the Gulet for example.

However, it is possible to buy SIM cards with data in Turkey, and our guide gave us tips on where to do that in Istanbul. These even worked while we were on the Gulet.

On our tour, quite a few people opted for the local SIM as prices for data were very reasonable. However, if you can cope without data for a day (three days on the Gulet!), then you will be able to get online at the hotels. Alternatively, you could look to the roaming options your operator has for Turkey.

In my case, I have a personal hotspot device which I used during my time in Turkey when I wanted to get online.

You can read more about that in my detailed guide to getting online when travelling , which has lots of options to help you pick the right option for you.

Drinking Water in Turkey

Our guide advised us against drinking the tap water on our trip, and sticking to bottled water. Whilst in theory the water is treated and drinkable across most of the country, I can see why Travel Talk would prefer you not to take the risk – an upset stomach combined with long bus rides isn’t going to be fun for anyone!

So you have two options. You can buy bottled water as you go, or you can invest in a water filtration system.

Bottled water is available everywhere and is cheap, especially if you buy it at a convenience store rather than a tourist location or in the hotel. Bigger bottles are more cost effective.

We also have and use a reusable water bottle with a filter, so that is another option to consider. Currently we use and love our Lifestraw , which you can buy online here . You can read more about safe drinking water in our guide to safe drinking water when traveling .

What Other Tours do Travel Talk offer in Turkey?

Travel Talk Tours offer a wide range of tours in Turkey, from 6 days to 19 days. You can see and book the full range of Turkey tours here .

Further Reading

Well, that finished off our review of the Best of Turkey by Gulet tour! If you’re interested in reading more about the tour and booking it, you can do that on the Travel Talk website here .

We also wanted to share some other posts that we thought you might find useful, both on our experiences with Travel Talk on other tours, and on planning a trip in general. In no particular order:

• We have a guide to spending 2 weeks in Turkey , as well as a detailed 2 day Istanbul itinerary
• We also have a detailed guide to things to do in Cappadocia
• Our review of our Egypt Travel Talk Tours trip
• Our review of our Morocco Travel Talk Tours trip
• Our guide to the best travel adapters , best travel shoes for men and best travel shoes for women , if you’re looking for some new gear for your trip.
• If you want to capture some great photos on your trip, see our guide to the best travel cameras for tips on what to look for and recommended options across a range of budgets
• If you want some reading for your trip, check out The Lonely Planet Guide to Turkey , Fodor’s Essential Turkey , and the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide for Turkey

And that’s it! Have you ever taken a tour with Travel Talk Tours, or do you have any questions about our experiences? As always, we’re happy to answer your questions and listen to your feedback about this post in the comments below!

So you know: Our trip to Turkey was covered by Travel Talk Tours who covered the total price of our tour, all our meals, optional activities, flights to and from Turkey, and additional expenses. As always, what we write is our own personal opinion. You can always read about how we work with partners on our code of ethics here .

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Traveled in March 2023

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• Explore ancient Athens on a city tour
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• A K. Priebe · 8th February 2024 George was great. Very fun and knowledgeable. The best part of the tour! I really had a lot of fun! Trip date: May 2019 Review collected by Travel Talk

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Incredible 10 day Anzac Tour

Incredible 10 day Anzac tour led by the amazing Mustafa, he truly made the trip!! Saw so many wonderful sites around Turkey! Highlight was definitely the dawn service at Anzac cove and the hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia. Met some incredible people and made memories that will last a lifetime!

Date of experience : April 18, 2023

Good tour but some sparkle missing

A generally good tour of Romania and Bulgaria. Great mixture of people. Whilst the guide was very good (great knowledge and emphasis on keeping us together/safe) unusually they were a freelancer. Unfortunately the communication between them and Traveltalk didn’t seem great. They seemed to lack the ‘icing on the cake’ that other guides have had such as organising dinners in the evening (the group dinners weren’t honoured) and also advice on how to get back to the airport at the end.

Date of experience : November 02, 2023

Amazing Turkey tour!

I undertook the Essential Turkey 10 day tour with our guide Mustafa. He made our tour easy and extremely enjoyable. Very knowledgeable, accomodating and nothing was ever too much trouble for him to ensure all guests were comfortable. His humour and character enhanced the whole experience. The itinerary covers all the amazing sights for a first time traveller to Turkey. The bus was always clean and the drivers were polite. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone going to Turkey!

Date of experience : April 27, 2024

Don't trust Traveltalk!!

Traveltalk was happy to take my deposit last 31st August 2022 but 8 months later cancelled the tour for tOctober 2023. With flights and hotels booked before and after of the tour, the cancellation (after our correspondence with Traveltalk was stamped CONFIRMED) left us loosing money and we had to rebook with another company to try and match the dates and had to pay $3000 more. This has left us disgusted with the service. Don't put your trust in the company!

Date of experience : May 18, 2023

Twelve unforgettable days in Türkiye

The 12 day Turkey by land tour has been an unforgettable experience. Each day brought a change in scenery and destination. Mustafa was our guide and I couldn’t have been more impressed with how he handled everything our group could have needed/wanted and more. He has done everything from helping us arrange airport transfers, advising on places to eat, arranging additional side tours, and even acting as a waiter during a lunch stop. He handled the whims of 40 people, and did it with a smile everyday. The tour itself had a nice mix of sightseeing and relaxing. Nearly everyday there was an activity and we were given free time to explore each stop. Because we were covering so much of the country though that also included some days filled with lots of bus travel. Frequent stops were made and everyone’s comfort was seen to. Tour highlights included a busy day sightseeing in Istanbul, exploring the ancient ruins of Ephesus, karaoke at the hotel in Fethiye, and hot air ballooning in Cappadocia. The group got along well, and saying goodbye was bittersweet. I look forward to being able to visit this wonderful country again!

Date of experience : May 11, 2024

Turkey essential Tour

First timers on a tour, wasn't quite sure what to expect, turned out to be an amazing experience. The itinerary was very well thought out and the trip covers interesting places and amazing areas like Pumakkele and Troy. Without a doubt, our Tour guide Mustafa made our tour, he made himself available and was always happy to help, his attention to detail was exceptional and he looked after us at all times and, of course, many Dad Jokes to keep us all entertained. Made our Tour! We thank Mustafa for showing us his Home and welcoming us as well.

Date of experience : April 29, 2023

The 9 day essential Turkey tour is…

The 9 day essential Turkey tour is hands down the best trip I've done. I do believe this is due to Mustafa being our tour guide and the amount of knowledge he has regarding Turkey. Nothing is too big or small and he is happy to answer any questions you may have. Hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, as well as Gallipoli are definitely my highlights. You won't regret doing this tour, and all the hotels are amazing.

Date of experience : May 20, 2023

A small time in a big country, 10 day tour by land

10/12 day Turkey by land. This land of Turkey is big so the bus time is long. Thanks to our guide, who constantly multitasked to keep our tour running smooth, it was a great experience. Our guide was our waiter, advisor, historian and became a friend through the tour. He offered his considerable experience to ensure our little time in this big country was used efficiently. Expect lots of buffet food, long bus trips, a big group of over 40 if travelling in spring or summer. But overall a great experience. I am glad I flew back after 10 days. To Travel Talk; Ideally this would be an 11 day tour with a night to relax together in Cappadocia. Our last night was before a 4:50am pick up! And on the same day we had a flight to Istanbul to officially finish our tour at the airport at 8pm. So our last day was long and our goodbyes to a great group were short. Travel talk could change this.

Had a great trip to Morocco and Egypt…

Had a great trip to Morocco and Egypt with traveltalk pre covid and can't wait until group tours are back up and running again! Having the ability to see so much whilst solo traveling really takes the stress out of a trip to a country where you don't know the language as a solo female. They also have some optional activities during their trips that you can choose.

Date of experience : February 24, 2021

Reply from Travel Talk Tours

So happy to hear we could help take all the stresses out of planning a trip as a solo female traveller! Thanks for sharing your review of Egypt and Morocco with us, Danica.

We did the 9-day Essential Turkey tour and had THE.BEST.TIME! The sites visited were awesome, our tour guide Mustafa was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and an absolute crack-up and the bus drivers were lovely also. The highlights for me were definitely the hot air balloons and Turkish bath in Cappadocia. There were of course some long bus journeys, but were manageable with lots of stops along the way. For anyone on the fence about visiting Turkey on a Travel Talk tour, you absolutely must do it!!

Date of experience : May 13, 2023

Essential Turkey - 9 day classic overland

The itinerary was well planned and full of activities! The tour guide (Mustafa) was friendly, knowledgeable and always on hand to answer any questions. There were a few long days travelling via bus but was necessary and had several rest breaks to break up the long journeys. Highlight was visiting Gallipoli and Troy!

Date of experience : May 06, 2023

The booking process was very easy and clear.

The booking process was very easy and everything on the website is explained in good details. The guide Mustafa was extremely helpful and was very good at keeping us informed about daily activities and had a PowerPoint presentation for us on the first night. Our tour was big we had 40 people on it mostly aussies, what a fun group. The days were full on with activities and travelling. The places we visited on the itinerary were very interesting with history. I learnt a lot! Breakfast and dinners included were all buffet so prepare to over eat your way around turkey. The lunches were really good and definitely take the guides recommendations. This tour really highlighted the best of what Turkey has to offer. Just be prepared to be on the bus as there’s lots of driving. The bus drivers and guide were really lovely. Best guide!

Date of experience : May 10, 2024

Informative, comfortable and a great trip!

I have just done the 9 day essential turkey tour and would definitely recommend. I was hesitant due to the large group sizes but our guide Mustafa was so good at organising everyone and ensuring everything ran smoothly. We got to see so many fantastic sites and Mustafa was so engaging and informative about everything there was to know about the areas. His dad jokes are on point! These really helped with getting through the long bus journeys. The hotels we so nice and definitely not places I would usually get to stay. Thanks for a fabulous trip!

Date of experience : May 27, 2023

Smooth, Informative, and Fun 🥳

Completed the 9 day Essential Turkey tour and it was amazing. We normally like to do our own thing when travelling, so were a bit hesitant about the tour but it did not disappoint. Our guide, Mustafa, was a blast and made the whole experience smooth, informative, and fun! Recommend this tour and look forward to doing many more.

Date of experience : May 28, 2023

Amazing Turkey Tour!!!

First time using the company Travel Talk Tours after being recommended it by a friend. The tour covers the highlights of Central and Western Turkey. Ample time to explore all the areas. All hotels were excellent. The tour with our guide Mustafa has been an unforgettable experience. Mustafa has gone above and beyond to make this experience as smooth, interesting and enjoyable as possible. He is well informed, hilarious and easy going. It's the little things such as making sure everyone has ordered the correct meals and has started eating before he sits down for his meal. The company looks after their employees and the coach provided was clean (cleaned daily by the drivers), modern and comfortable.

Date of experience : June 03, 2023

Already looking forward to another travel talk tour

Highly recommend the 9 day essential Turkey tour. The tour has been very well organised allowing us to get to many sights before other tour groups arrived. Big kudos to our guide Mus + the bus drivers. Mus has amazing knowledge of his country and has gone above and beyond to ensure the trip goes smoothly. I’ve loved learning about Turkish culture and life along the way. Trip highlights included seeing sights of Istanbul and waking up to watch the hot air balloons in the beautiful scenery of Cappadocia. The couple of long days on the bus have been broken up by stops along the way, lunch at Turkish restaurants and interesting facts. I’m already planning my next travel talk adventure and highly recommend this trip to anyone wanting a taste of Turkey.

Best Tour company I’ve ever used! 10/10 recommend.

Coming to the end of the 11 Day Travel Talk Anzac special tour and this is hands down the best tour I’ve ever done. Our guide Mustafa has been an absolute gem and made everything such a breeze, an awesome person who is full of knowledge and very passionate about what he does. The tour itself has the best of Turkey included in it. Highlights were hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, Pamukkale and the Anzac service. 10/10 would highly recommend to anyone!

Date of experience : April 25, 2023

Incredible trip and even better memories

My Greek island hopper tour was amazing. Made so many friends, memories and ate heaps of delicious authentic food. My tour guide Kostas was so skilled, friendly and patient with all of us, making sure to help us in even the most dire of situations. The only thing I could possibly fault is the accommodation but we were only sleeping there so I didn’t mind too much!!

Date of experience : February 04, 2021

We're so happy to hear your loved travelling the Greek Islands with Guide Kostas! Thanks for sharing your review.

ANZAC 12 Day

The 12 day ANZAC tour was incredible, an absolute must for any Aussie or Kiwi! Turkiye has completely exceeded my expectations, with so much to see and do. Not to mention our amazing guide Mustafa who went out of his way to ensure we saw everything and had the best experience possible. I could not recommend this tour highly enough, and if in doubt suggest the 12day tour above the shorter options so as to not miss out!

Date of experience : April 26, 2023

Essential Turkey Tour

The essential Turkey 9 day tour was fantastic from start to finish. Mustafa the guide was excellent, he has a fantastic way of engaging with everyone. I learnt so much from him, super informative. We had plenty of time to take photos without feeling rushed. Everything was extremely well organised, l would highly recommend this trip to anybody. It covered all that was in the itinerary and extra; adapting to us and what we wanted. 10/10 👍🏼