TURKEY
Sep 23 – Oct 9, 2024
PRICE
$4,890
DURATION
17 Days
GROUP MAX
16 People
PHYSICAL
Easy
WEATHER
Humid, Warm, 80F-90F
TOUR OVERVIEW
Absorb the magical splendors of Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Sleep in a cave hotel and take a hot air balloon ride in the Cappadocia. Sail on a gulet under the sun and stars from Olympos to Fethiye. Explore the hot springs and travertines at Pamukkale. Marvel at the Roman city ruins of Ephesus. Haggle like mad in the Grand Bazaar.
TOUR LEADER
Dan Brubaker
TOUR PRICE
$4,890
SOLD OUT
Maximum 2 Travelers per Reservation
$500 deposit per person is required to reserve space. The availability of space is based on a first come, first serve basis.
100% of the balance is required 90 days before the first day of the tour.
SEPTEMBER 23 • • •
Arrival into Istanbul in the morning, or the day before. Transfer to hotel. After lunch, we visit Topkapi Palace with its 4 courtyards and hundreds of rooms including the Harem. Welcome dinner. Stay in Istanbul for 2 nights.
SEPTEMBER 24 • • •
Highlights of Istanbul: the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Blue Mosque), Hippodrome of Constantinople, the 1,482 year old Ayasofya (Hagia Sophia). After lunch, we explore and haggle at the Grand Bazaar.
SEPTEMBER 25 • • •
Travel 6 hours to Ankara. Visit Ankara Citadel with a sweeping 360 degree view of the city below, and Hamamonu, a beautiful restored area with many 1920s and 1930s houses now filled with cafes, restaurants and art galleries. Overnight in Ankara.
SEPTEMBER 26 • • •
Visit Anitkabir (Ataturk’s Mausoleum) in the morning. Then travel 5 hours to Goreme. Stay in a cave hotel in Goreme for 2 nights.
SEPTEMBER 27 • • •
Optional hot air balloon ride in the early morning. Explore the rock cut rooms, stairs and passageways at Uchisar Castle. Other sights include: the monastic complex composed of several rock cut churches at Goreme Open Air Museum; the mushroom shaped fairly chimneys at Pasabag and Zelve Open Air Museum, which once housed a large cave dwelling community.
SEPTEMBER 28 • • •
Optional 2 to 3 hour hike at Pigeon or Rose Valley in the morning. Travel about 4 hours to Konya. Visit Mevlana Museum and local bazaar. Learn about the Whirling Dervish sect of Islam. Overnight in Konya.
SEPTEMBER 29 • • •
We travel 9 hours from Konya to Antalya. Take a cable car ride to top of Tünektepe for a magnificient view of Antalya. Stay in Antalya for 2 nights.
SEPTEMBER 30 • • •
Morning visit at the world’s best preserved Roman theatre at Aspendos, then Antalya Archeology Museum. Free time in the late afternoon and evening to explore the Kaleici district of Antalya on your own. Sample crispy and savory borek at Börekçi Tevfik, and visit Punto Dondurma, famous for ice cream.
OCTOBER 1 • • •
Drive 2 hours to Demre in the morning before starting out on a 4 day, 3 night wooden gulet cruise. Visit the Sunken City, an ancient Lycian period town that was destroyed by the earthquake in the 2nd century. Anchor down near Kekova Island. Go over to Kalekoy to visit Simena Castle as well as walk through the town’s cobbled streets.
OCTOBER 2 • • •
Cruise from Gokkoya Bay to Kas, a small fishing village where we will have time to explore shops and cafes. Cruise past Kalkan and moor at Aquarium Bay for the night.
OCTOBER 3 • • •
Going north on the coastline, we will wake up to the amazing views of Butterfly Valley. After breakfast, we can opt for sunbathing, swimming or hiking up to the waterfall. Moor at the Blue Lagoon for lunch. Go on an optional paragliding over Oludeniz. Anchor at St. Nicholas Island for the evening where we walk up through the island ruins to witness the sunset.
OCTOBER 4 • • •
Enjoy breakfast at St. Nicholas Island. Then cruise to Samanlik Bay or Taran’s Bay for swimming and lunch. Disembark at Fethiye after lunch, and check into hotel. Free time in the afternoon.
OCTOBER 5 • • •
We travel 4 hours inland to Pamukkale to see the fascinating chalky white travertine pools. Visit Hierapolis Museum and Necropolis. Then 4 hours to the port city of Kudadasi. Overnight in Kudadasi.
OCTOBER 6 • • •
Spend the day in Ephesus, the former capital of Eastern Roman Empire. See the ruins of Temple of Artemis. Visit Ephesus Museum and Basilica of St. John. Overnight in Izmir.
OCTOBER 7 • • •
Travel 5.5 hours from Izmir to Bursa, the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. Experience a traditional hammam. Overnight in Bursa.
OCTOBER 8 • • •
Travel 4 hours from Bursa to Istanbul. After lunch, we explore the underground Basilica Cistern with 336 columns and Dolmabahçe Palace. Late afternoon cruise on the Bosphorus Strait. Farewell dinner. Overnight in Istanbul.
OCTOBER 9 • • •
After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for your flights back home.
- 13 nights in 3-star or 4-star accommodations.
- 3 nights on a wooden gulet boat with private bathrooms.
- 23 meals: Breakfast (16), Lunch (3), Dinner (4)
- Services of 2 deaf Tour Leaders on call 24 hours a day.
- Services of local deaf and/or hearing guides.
- All transportation expenses.
- All admission fees for attractions and museums mentioned in the itinerary.
- Most tips, except for your Tour Leaders.
- Informative travel preparation packet.
- $100 discount per person on your next regular tour.
- Domestic and/or international airfares.
- All other meals not mentioned in the itinerary and personal expenses.
- Turkish e-visa.
- Any COVID-19 related tests.
- Travel insurance.
Why do you need travel insurance?
LEARN DIFFERENT SIGN LANGUAGES!
Hands On Travel is a proud sponsor to Intersign University which provides sign language courses in many different countries.
Learn MoreTOUR MANAGER
Dan Brubaker
TOUR PRICE
$4,890
SOLD OUT
Maximum 2 Travelers per Reservation
$500 deposit per person is required to reserve space. The availability of space is based on a first come, first serve basis.
100% of the balance is required 90 days before the first day of the tour.
Why do you need travel insurance?
LEARN DIFFERENT SIGN LANGUAGES!
Hands On Travel is a proud sponsor to Intersign University which provides sign language courses in many different countries.
Learn MorePRICE
$4,890
DURATION
17 Days
GROUP MAX
16 People
PHYSICAL
Easy
WEATHER
Humid, Warm, 80F-90F
GALLERY
Got a Question?
First, please scroll through our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have further questions or need help with a specific topic, feel free to contact us! Thank you.
RESERVATION
Spots are based on a first come, first serve basis. A $500 deposit per person is required to reserve your space and can be paid with a debit or credit card. Alternative payment options include personal check or wire transfer. After registration, you will receive an automatic email response with further instructions. Full payment is due 90 days before the start of your tour.
Absolutely yes! You can contact us by clicking this link and fill out the form and we will get back to you. Above all, we want to make your tour a memorable one for your group.
HOT is proud of the three distinct reasons that allow it to be different from other tour companies: they use sign language exclusively, travel in small groups which provide an intimate experience while also having more flexibility on their schedule, and spend time visiting places they love versus wasting time at places where there wasn’t much interest..
Generally, all tours will provide accommodations in double rooms with private bathrooms and breakfast, transportation expenses including lunch and dinner (depending on the itinerary), museum entrance fees along with a $100 credit towards your next full tour. In addition we provide you with information about each specific tour so that you can be fully aware of what is included.
We will be happy to assist you with a custom-designed tour, tailored towards your preferences. If not, stay up to date by joining our mailing list in order for us to provide you with any future tours that we may have availability for.
Did you know that we have travel consultants who can assist you? You can go to our Travel Consulting page for more information. The best way to accomplish this would be to seek out friends and/or family members (usually in order of 6 people) so they will lower the costs significantly, or advertise open spots on your tour publicly. We also have discounts, and some other advantages! What’s more- we are able to lower the level of accommodations as well as remove extras all together which make it feasible for a low cost.
It is often easier for us to permit single travelers when it comes time to sign up for our tours. If you are unable to find a partner and need assistance, please contact us as we may have singles available on the list- pending your approval first. There are some tours that allow exceptions for those seeking not only with partners but also without them too!
If somebody backs out, please register on our wait list or contact us directly so that we can put you on the wait list for a similar tour. We will also keep your name up to date with our latest tours and alerts about similar upcoming trips in order to give you a chance at joining them.
TRAVEL PROTECTION
Hands On Travel recommends that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. Travel protection plans include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more. To learn more about how to help protect you and your trip investment, visit the following link: TRAVEL PROTECTION
Don’t hesitate. We will stay in touch with you from the date of deposit until your arrival at the starting point of your tour, to make sure that all is well before departure. You can contact us via phone or e-mail any time for questions and we will remain in communication throughout your trip!
BILLING
No, we do not charge any extra fees or fuel surcharges. The listed price is the price you pay. Including tax.
You can find this under our Terms & Conditions. If you find it necessary to cancel your confirmed tour reservation, you must notify HOT about it by e-mail. You may transfer your space to another suitable person or request us to seek replacements. If your replacement is found, HOT will, at its discretion depending on the time frame, refund your deposits/payments or apply it towards a future Hands on Travel tour that is to be taken no more than 3 years after the dates of the original tour. If your replacement is not found, the cancellation of your reservation will become effective and the following charges will apply: (a) if cancelled more than 90 days before the first day of the tour, all installment or additional payments will be refunded to you minus the non-refundable deposit of US $500 per person and any non-refundable payments that HOT has made to suppliers. (b) if cancelled less than 90 days before the first day of the tour, no refunds will be made.
Since tour prices are quoted as a package, no partial refunds can be made for the unused portion of any tour including lodging, meals, or any other items that are included in the tour price. This does not apply to those who wish to participate in only a portion of a tour. In this case, we can pro-rate costs for the unused days.
After registration, you will receive an automatic email reply with further instructions. A $500 per person booking deposit is required to reserve your spot on the trip and can be paid by personal check, credit card and/or wire transfer. Full payment is due no less than 90 days before the start of the trip.
If you need to cancel or postpone your trip 3 or more months before the start, all monies paid will be refunded minus the $500 non-refundable deposit. You can also transfer the entire amount of your deposit to be used for a later trip if we are able to find replacements.
DURING THE TOUR
Big coach buses separate us from local people. We fail to experience or understand the “hands on” lives of locals.
We started out as a walking tour company. Walking offers close-up experiences with local people and hidden gems to discover.
It’s much easier to communicate full to everyone in semi-circle and make sign language 100% accessible. No more missing what is being said.
We’d be able to dine in smaller, cozier and unique restaurants that would offer a local culinary experience unlike large, tourist-oriented restaurants. And, we’d be able to stay at smaller accommodations in prime locations unlike large chain hotels outside the city limits.
We strive to include local guides for certain days to promote maximum cultural experience as well as exchange deaf-related insights.
Most of our customers will gain insightful observations and deeper understanding on how Deaf people live on a local level.
Most of our customers will gain insightful observations and deeper understanding on how Deaf people live on a local level.
