MY TURKEY ADVENTURE TERM & CONDITIONS

Safety and Security

A basic awareness of your surroundings will go a long way in keeping you and your belongings safe. We recommend keeping your passports, extra cash, and important documents in your hotel room’s safe or, if unavailable, with the hotel front-desk staff. Try not to carry large amounts of cash. Pickpocketing is a problem in urban areas, particularly in Istanbul’s large crowds. Keep your personal effects close—a bag or purse that can be zipped or a money belt are recommended. You may also want to bring a luggage lock for added security during air transit.

While Turkey is a relatively safe country to visit, please trust your guide’s judgement and experience if he or she tells you to avoid certain neighbourhoods or activities.

When exploring on your own, please be aware of the “Let’s get a drink” scam, which has targeted tourists in recent years. A stranger (someone telling you they are a guide or fellow traveler, for example) will invite you to a bar or restaurant for drink/food. These people work with the bar/restaurant, and your bill will be horribly high (we have heard of people being forced to pay 3000TL for a bottle of raki or wine). It can become precarious if the tourist refuses to pay. While this scam tends to target single-travelers (particularly men), small groups of 2-3 people can also be targeted.

There are some touristy restaurants that do not list prices on their menus, or they will attempt to inflate your bill by serving you extra portions without you having ordered them. Keep a menu at the table to double-check your bill and make sure to clearly state how many portions you want when ordering. Your guide will be happy to give you recommendations for high-quality, honest places to eat during your free time, so don’t hesitate to ask!

Protests and demonstrations, however well-intentioned, can turn rowdy or violent. If you encounter a protest, leave the area immediately.

Finishing Point

We are happy to help with your post-tour plans! Let us know if you would like us to arrange a hotel reservation, airport transfer, or activity.

What to Bring

We recommend packing as lightly as possible. Hotels and buildings in Turkey often lack entry ramps, and public transport can get quite crowded (limiting the space for luggage). For daily activities, a day pack or large purse will suffice.

Make sure to bring all necessary documentation, including passport, visa (if needed), itinerary, flight information, and any travel insurance papers.

As for clothing, the weather in Turkey will vary depending on where your tour takes you and the time of year during which you travel. Please check the weather statistics for an idea about seasonal items. For tours traveling to more conservative areas, we recommend bringing a few modest-clothing items (long-sleeved shirt/sweater and pants/long skirt). Women may want to bring a scarf for mosque visits.

Money

The currency in Turkey is the Turkish Lira (TL). My Turkey Adventure accepts tour payments in Turkish Lira, Euros, or US dollars. While most restaurants, bars, and shops in urban areas will accept credit and debit cards, you will need to have TL on hand to use for smaller items, local shops, and tipping. Every traveler is different when it comes to spending habits, therefore it’s entirely up to you when deciding how much money to bring.

Your guide will point out exchange offices and/or banks for you to change or withdraw cash. If you need to change money at the airport, keep the amount low as the rates will be poorer than those in the city center.

We recommend keeping some extra cash (around 100EUR) to use in case of emergency or unforeseen circumstances.

Tipping

At restaurants, it is customary to leave a 5-10% tip if you are satisfied with the service.

For taxis, just round up your fare (for example, if your trip is 15.25TL, give 16TL).

At hotels, we recommend tipping 1EUR per person per day.

If you are happy with your tour and would like to show your appreciation, tips for your guide and/or driver can be given at the end of your tour. While the amount is solely at your discretion, we recommend tipping around 2EUR per person per day to your driver and 4-5EUR per person per day to your guide.

Optional Activities

We offer a variety of optional activities to supplement our itineraries. These can be found on our website, or you can ask us for recommendations.

Meeting with your Guide

For day and Multi-day tours, your meeting time will be specified on your reservation E-mail.

Emergency Numbers

We can be reached at the following numbers:

+90 544 291 07 89

+90 242 242 07 89

In-country Emergency Numbers:

Police: 155

Ambulance/Medical: 112

Insurance

We strongly recommend that our passengers select a travel insurance policy to cover the duration of their tour. This should, importantly, cover any medical expenses incurred, but we also recommend insurance for personal liability, cancellation, and loss of luggage.

Tour Confirmation

All of our tours are instantly confirmed via email upon booking. Day tours can be booked up until 24 hours before the start of the tour. Multi-day or group tours can be booked up until 7 days before the start of the tour.

Itinerary Disclaimer

While we rarely have to deviate from our itineraries, travel can be unpredictable. We reserve the right to make alterations to our itineraries in cases of unforeseen circumstances (i.e., bad weather or local circumstances).

Payment

Payments can be made by credit card on our website or by wire transfer. If paying by credit card, you will be charged in full at the time of booking. If paying by wire transfer, you can pay a 20% deposit via transfer and pay the remaining 80% at the start of your tour. We accept payments in Turkish Lira, Euro, and U.S. Dollar.

Cancellations and Refund Policy

Cancellations on multi-day tours will receive a full refund if they are cancelled before 21 days.

If you cancel your tour 21 days or less before the tour departs, you will receive a refund of 80% of the tour price.

The tour operator advises all customers to purchase travel insurance in case of unexpected travel interruption of illness.

To confirm a booking, a deposit of 20% of the total tour price is to be paid by the customer.

If a reservation has to be cancelled, customers will be charged a fee depending on how far from the departure date the cancellation takes place. To cancel, a customer needs to notify the tour operator in writing of such.

No shows forfeit entire payment.

• Cancellation made between longer than 21 days prior to the starting date of the booked tour: full refund

• Cancellation made between 21 and 15 days prior to the starting date of the booked tour: 20% charged in cancellation fee of the total tour price

• Cancellation made between 15 and 7 days prior to the starting date of the booked tour: 80% charged in cancellation fee of the total tour price

• Cancellation made between 7 and 1 days prior to the starting date of the booked tour: 100% charged in cancellation fee of the total tour price

Booking

All of our tours are instantly confirmed via email upon booking. Day tours can be booked up until 24 hours before the start of the tour. Multi-day or group tours can be booked up until 7 days before the start of the tour.

Arrival Day

Welcome to Turkey and to a new adventure! Unless we have arranged an alternate meeting point for you, please make your way to your starting-city hotel. Your guide will meet you at 6:00pm in the hotel lobby for introductions and tour preliminaries. If you arrive early, you can opt to store your luggage at the hotel and go exploring or ask us about some pre-tour activity recommendations.

Airport Transfer

If you have booked an airport transfer with us, we will arrange for a driver to take you to your hotel. He/she will meet you outside the airport terminal with a sign bearing your name. The arrival waiting area can get quite busy, so please look carefully for your name.

Joining the Hotel

If you have booked a multi-day and/or group tour or you are already in the starting-city, you will meet your guide at the hotel. Hotel check-in times usually begin from 2:00-3:00pm. For multi-day and/or group tours, we will meet in the hotel lobby at 6:00pm for introductions and tour preliminaries.

My Turkey Adventure Privacy Policy

My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) is committed to protecting your personal information. We want you to understand our Privacy Policy and what it means to you. 

What is personal information and how do we use or disclose it?

Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, and includes your name, contact information, travel itinerary and other information described below.

Booking Travel

My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) may collect, use or disclose your personal information, either directly or through our agency and booking partners, for the purposes of offering or booking travel services on your behalf, such as your name, age, address, phone number, e-mail address, emergency contact information, passport information, travel medical information (where required), insurance details, ISIC information (where applicable), nationality, residency, nutrition preferences, trip evaluations, travel and accommodation preferences, comments you provide us, trip destination information, and payment-related information. This personal information enables us provide you with trip information, book flights, accommodations, process payments, and provide similar travel services.

If you book a My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) trip, My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) may rely on local service providers. Please be aware that My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) may be required to provide certain personal information to our service providers for the purposes of delivering your experience. For example, if you book flights through My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A), we will be required to provide certain personal information to the airline for the purposes of securing your ticket. When you book travel services with us, you consent to collection, use and disclosure of your personal information by My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A)—and the corresponding collection and use by the relevant travel partners or suppliers—for the purposes of administering and delivering the travel services you requested.

• Your personal information may also be used for the purposes of:
• Enabling us to better understand your needs as a customer and determine eligibility for our products and services;
• Informing you about our products and services, or those of our partners that we believe may be of interest to you (provided that we have received valid consent from you, if such consent is required);
• Providing ongoing service and support, including resolution of any issues with the services or products you request from My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A);
• Ensuring the safety and security of our passengers and products;
• Carrying out internal accounting and administration of our business;
• Complying with laws, regulations, and immigration requirements.

Travel Agents and Agencies

My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) collects personal information (as described above) from agents and agencies as required to book My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A)’ trips and be properly credited for such booking. If you are an agent travelling with My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A), My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) may also collect employment-related information to confirm your eligibility for travel-industry promotions.

Contests and Newsletters

We may also collect personal information, including contact information such as name, address, and phone number or email address if you elect to enter a contest or sweepstakes with us, subscribe to our newsletter, or request a brochure. We use this personal information for the purposes of administering the contests/sweepstakes or delivering the information you request.

Employment

My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) collects personal information from those individuals applying for employment or similar positions at My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) to the extent necessary to (i) identify the individual and (ii) evaluate their suitability for the applied-for position. This information may include name, contact information, educational and employment background, criminal record verification, residency and/or citizenship information, and other information necessary for us to screen potential employees and staff.

Service Provider Arrangements

In addition to the third party travel suppliers outlined above, My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) may transfer your personal information to third parties who provide services on our behalf. For example, we may use service providers to authorize and process payments, host our customer service operations, serve advertisements on our website, send email or other communications, or run our contests and promotions. Your personal information may be maintained and processed by our service providers in the US or other jurisdictions. For information about the polices or practices of our service providers, please contact us at the email address above. Our service providers are given the information they need to perform their designated functions, and we do not authorize them to use or disclose your personal information for their own purposes.

European Residents: Transfers of Data Outside Europe

Please note that if you are resident in the UK, European Union or European Economic Area (“EEA”) we may hold your personal information outside of the EEA. For instance, your personal information may be held by us in Turkey (which has been recognized by the European Commission as having an adequate level of privacy protection).

We may also need to transfer your personal information to travel suppliers and other third parties outside of the EEA, for instance where a supplier is based outside of the EEA. Countries outside of the EEA may not have the same level of privacy laws as exist in the UK, Turkey and the EEA. We will take reasonable steps to ensure that your privacy rights are protected.

Sale of Business

We may transfer any information we have about you as an asset in connection with a merger or sale (including transfers made as part of insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings) involving all or part of My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) or as part of a corporate reorganization or other change in corporate control.

Legal and Compliance

My Turkey Adventure (M.T.A) and our service providers may provide your personal information in response to a search warrant or other legally valid inquiry or order, to an investigative body in the case of a breach of an agreement or contravention of law, or as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law. We may also disclose personal information where necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims and to investigate or prevent actual or suspect loss or harm to persons or property.

How is your personal information protected?

We have implemented measures designed to help protect personal information in our custody and control. We maintain reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification and disclosure of personal information in our custody and control. Unfortunately, no collection or transmission of information over the Internet or other publicly accessible communications networks can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, and therefore, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any such information. We have personal information retention processes designed to retain personal information of our customers for no longer than necessary for the purposes stated above or to otherwise meet legal requirements.