Yugen Earthside is a curated platform for sustainable adventure package trips. CARBON REMOVALS INCLUDED WITH EACH BOOKING!

Yugen Earthside | Sustainable Travel Made Easy

Incredible experiences you'll feel great about

Perfect for couples, families, & groups of mature travelers

We can help you find the most responsible way to bring your trip to life. Book your free consultation with our travel expert to chat about:

Yugen Earthside automatically includes carbon removals with each trip booked.

Have amazing experiences through local partners with sustainability at the core of their operations.

Save time by choosing an expertly crafted itinerary; customize it if you like.

Enjoy a personalized approach to finalizing your trip.

Receive comprehensive sustainability guidance.

Yugen Earthside is a sustainable travel booking platform and agency. We connect mindful travelers to responsible trips expertly designed and run by our local partners.

Our company is a certified net-zero Social Purpose Corporation.

Here’s why clients love booking through us:

Yugen Earthside automatically includes carbon removals with each booking.

We provide you the option to add on carbon offsets during checkout.

At least 1% of gross profits are donated to impact projects.

Sustainable Travel Company on Instagram: "Carbon removal is the process of taking existing CO2 from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground.

Find an in depth blog post any carbon removal and carbon offsets on our site!

➡️ Follow us for all things sustainable travel!

#carbonremoval #carbonreduction #carbonoffset #carbonoffsetting #carbonneutraltravel #carbonneutral #carbonneutrality #carbonneutralcompany #thereisnoplanetb #climateaction #climateactionnow #sustainabletravelcompany #leadbyexample #tomorrowsair @tomorrowsair_ #travelresponsibly #makesustainabletraveleasy"

Sustainable Travel Company on Instagram: "Have you been dreaming of summiting a mountain?

Our ethical Mount Kilimanjaro climb is here for you! 🗻

Conquer Africa’s tallest mountain and bask in your sense of accomplishment 💪🏽

Back down at sea level, revel at Tanzania’s majestic wildlife 🦓

Contact us today to plan your climb & safari adventure for you or your group - we can adjust your package between climbing routes and days and safari days until it’s just right.

Yugen Earthside automatically includes #carbonremoval with each booking, and our local partner #carbonoffsets your trip ✅✅

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What is sustainable travel? Discover the 3 pillars of sustainable tourism & why traveling sustainably is so important.

Sustainable Travel 101 | Yugen Earthside | The 3 Pillars

If you’re wondering what sustainable travel is, or where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

Hopefully, you’re already taking some sustainable actions in your personal life. Maybe this means taking the bus to work, or committing to a zero-waste home.

There are so many things that count as being “sustainable” to some degree, but many sustainably-minded people stumble when they hear the word “sustainable” followed by “travel”. 

What exactly does sustainable travel mean? Let’s start with the definition of sustainable tourism:

United Nations World Tourism Organization

Sustainable tourism takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.

Sustainable travel, therefore, is an umbrella term for the many ways that individuals can travel in a way that supports sustainable tourism at your destination. You can think about your travel behavior within the context of these three pillars:

Having a positive impact on the environment

Respecting the local society and culture

If that sounds simple to you – great! If you’re scratching your head, the below should help: we’ll take you through examples of actions you can take related to each pillar.

Sustainable travel actions for the environment 

This is not an exhaustive list, but it should start increasing your awareness about what types of things to think about on the go.

Transportation: This can include taking public transportation to and from the airport, visiting destinations closer to home so you travel shorter distances, limiting your flights per year, and making an effort to walk and use rental bikes while on your trip.

Lodging: Seek out certified eco-lodging where possible. The more people who demand green accommodations, the more normalized it will become. Consider staying in boutique guesthouses, or asking your hotel about their water and energy consumption.

Activities: Make zero- or low-carbon emission activities, like cycling, hiking, trekking, or kayaking the focal point of your trip. It’s likely these will be in nature reserves, parks, gardens, or other protected natural areas. Enjoy the beauty – and maybe consider donating to its preservation!

Products: Bring zero-waste products with you. Things like a reusable water bottle, collapsible cutlery, extra tote bags, and hygiene bars (for example, a shampoo bar) will reduce your single-use and plastic waste. Receive our complete sustainable travel packing list for free by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.

Sustainable travel actions to support local societies

First, there’s a concept you should be aware of: tourism dispersal. It’s considered as a possible antidote to over-tourism. 

Tourism dispersal is the concept of encouraging travelers to go beyond the ‘hot spots’ to help reduce the burden on places where the amount of tourism is causing damage, and spreading the benefits of tourism to less-trafficked areas.

Keep this in mind as you think about what your real impact is on the societies and cultures of the places you visit. Tread lightly, and approach your destination with an awareness of your impact on others, and a genuine willingness to learn from those different from yourself. 

Be respectful: This goes for dress codes (such as covering your shoes and toes at sacred sites), cultural norms (for example, you may need to tone down the PDA in some places), and general niceties – like learning how to say a few words in the local language.

Be adaptable: Table service might take longer, public transportation might be less frequent, tipping customs might be different, and people may be more polite or rude than you expect. Remember, you are the guest in somebody else’s home when you travel. Be patient and kind.

Connect with locals: Speaking with locals is perhaps the best way to truly get a feel for a place. Befriend your barista, do a homestay, or participate in a local workshop or class. You’ll understand your destination on a deeper level and might come away with a new friend or get tipped off to a hidden local gem.

Get off the beaten track: Seek out authentic experiences that will draw you away from the hordes of tourists. This might mean going to a lesser-known destination or monument or doing an unusual activity. A unique experience will give you a deeper insight into the culture, and perhaps feel all the more special because not every tourist will have done it.

Sustainable travel actions to support the economy

Here’s another concept you should know about: economic leakage.

Economic leakage refers to money leaving (or leaking out of) the destination’s economy and trickling back to parent companies generally based in countries that have a more developed economy.

While economic leakage is usually a bigger problem for island states, smaller nations, and developing countries, you should be mindful about keeping as much of your tourism money as possible in the destination you visit by doing the following:

Support local businesses: Stay in boutique accommodations, eat at local restaurants, and take tours with local operators and guides. Wherever you spend money, try to confirm that the business is owned and managed by locals, as well as provides employment with fair wages to local residents.

Watch what you buy: Double check that any local products or souvenirs you buy are actually made in the destination. You’d be surprised at how many knick-knacks look local but are made in a different country. If you’re not sure where something was created, just ask. Locals are typically quite proud to inform you when something is a handmade or regional product.

Spread out your support: Visiting different restaurants and shops throughout your stay can help support more people in the local community rather than concentrating your tourism revenue in only a few places.

By the way, we encourage you to carefully weigh whether or not you stay at an all-inclusive resort. While the following does not apply to 100% of all-inclusive resorts, please consider that:

Many are owned by parent companies in first-world countries, setting the stage for economic leakage

They may employ locals primarily for the menial, lower-paying tasks rather than higher-paying management roles

By their nature, they reduce motivation for travelers to spend money in the community beyond the resort

If you’ve picked up on some overlap between these three pillars, you’re not wrong.

Caring for the environment preserves the land that locals call home and can also help protect public health in the community through downstream effects. Supporting local businesses helps the local economy as well as the residents who run those businesses. 

The intertwined nature of these pillars is part of what makes sustainable tourism so complex and nuanced, and it’s also why it’s so important to think about how your individual actions can impact these three areas: the environment, societies, and economy.

Parting thoughts to help you think sustainably

We want sustainability to be easier to incorporate into your travels, whether you’re a solo backpacker, a group trip enthusiast, or a couple seeking a luxury retreat. Sustainability might not be the singular driving factor in planning your next vacation (yet!), but if you’re at least thinking about the three pillars of sustainable tourism, that’s a great start.

The idea of sustainable tourism will become increasingly mainstream. Sustainable travel shouldn’t feel inaccessible, overly expensive, or like you’re making a compromise. Most of the time, you can go where you want to go, and do what you want to do – but there will be a more responsible way to do it and a less responsible way to do it.

Yugen Earthside is here to help you on this journey by...

Increasing your awareness through informative blog posts

Giving you sustainable tourism resources

Helping you learn about the climate impact of travel and what you can do about it

Making it easy to discover the best sustainable experiences we can find

Yugen Earthside is a certified net-zero Social Purpose Corporation dedicated to promoting the long-term, responsible growth of tourism. We automatically include carbon removals with each guest's booking and donate at least 1% of gross profits to impact projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Armed with this knowledge, we warmly invite you to browse our trips and travel sustainably with us!

Everything travelers need to know about carbon offsets and carbon removals, & how travelers can positively impact the environment.

Carbon Offsets & Carbon Removals Explained | Yugen Earthside

Carbon offsets and carbon removals are two types of purchases travelers can make to mitigate their impact on the environment.

Air travel is bad for the environment. The travel and tourism industry is estimated to contribute 12% of global CO2 emissions by 2025, about half of which is driven by transportation including flights, according to Sustainable Travel International. At a high level, we need government regulation and more corporate action from big companies (especially airlines) to enact meaningful, long-term change with global impact. On an individual level, being familiar with one’s travel emissions, carbon calculators, carbon offset programs, and carbon removal technologies is a great starting point to becoming a better-informed and more action-oriented responsible traveler.

Let’s start by taking a closer look at carbon offsets, which you have probably heard of before. We’ll dive into carbon removals, a new topic for many, right after that.

Carbon offsets refer to programs or schemes designed to reduce or avoid future emissions. Sometimes, carbon offsets also refer to the removal of carbon, but we separate out these terms (“carbon offsets” and “carbon removals”) as there are important distinctions we’ll discuss below. 

Carbon offsets can be purchased by people or companies in an effort to negate or compensate for emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. When purchased, what you’re usually buying is actually a carbon credit. Carbon credits “are measurable, verifiable emission reductions from certified climate action projects,” as described by South Pole, a climate and carbon consultancy that designs, develops, and implements carbon offset programs.

Examples of low-carbon impact trips in Portugal are below.

What are examples of carbon offset projects?

There are many projects designed to help offset carbon, and generally, these offsetting schemes fall into four categories.

Forestry: This includes all of the projects involving reforestation, or planting and maintaining trees. Reforestation projects are extremely common to see in this space, and what you may think of when you hear “carbon offsetting”. 

Energy: Energy projects for carbon mitigation are centered around renewable and solar-powered energy initiatives. This includes projects such as building wind farms or installing solar panels. Energy projects are also quite common to see.

Community: Community projects focus on providing locals with appliances and equipment, like clean cookstoves, that allow them to conduct their daily lives in a way that emits less carbon. For example, clean cookstoves are more efficient at cooking food and use less fuel (sometimes they’re even solar-powered). 

Coasts: Coastal conservation projects involve preserving and caring for coastlines where there are wetlands like salt marshes or seagrasses, which are very effective carbon capture ecosystems. Coastal carbon projects get less visibility than some of the other project types – but check out the Blue Carbon Initiative for more information.

There are myriad companies selling carbon offsets. Some are designed to ‘offset your life’ while others are more specific, such as to help you offset emissions from your travels. Here are a few things to look for when choosing a carbon-offsetting company:

What project types do they support? If you’re passionate about trees or the ocean, for example, you can find companies that specialize in these areas of impact.

Are they certified? The Gold Standard and Verra are two of the most well-known certification labels for carbon offsetting schemes.

Does the carbon offset organization practice transparency? This means not only describing the projects but also providing up-to-date proof via progress reports or annual reports on the initiatives and their effectiveness. Some companies will also link scientific documents or white papers backing up their work. The more information they provide about their work, the better you can evaluate the project’s legitimacy.

One way to travel more sustainably without separately buying carbon offsets on your own is to book tours through companies who are already doing this legwork for you. For example, Yugen Earthside's local partner in Türkiye leveraged the lull during Covid to work with South Pole to measure and act upon the carbon impact of each of their tours. They adjusted their itineraries to be more slow-travel-focused and incorporated the cost of offsetting the related carbon emissions into each of their trips, resulting in carbon-neutral experiences.

Discover some of our sustainable and carbon-neutral tours in Türkiye below.

Carbon offsets and the risk of greenwashing

When it comes to climate action and knowing which carbon offset programs are veritable, the waters can get murky quickly. There's no way around it: Preventing greenwashing is a challenge.

What is 'greenwashing'? Greenwashing is when companies make or use environmental claims, statements, or tactics to promote their products and brand, without being fully transparent about their sources or accuracy. 

There are concerns about companies self-reporting projects and progress without much official oversight.

There have been studies done showing that companies vastly over-report progress.

There are tricky nuances to consider. For example, it’s not usually ‘trees’ being planted (even though that’s what companies will say), but rather ‘seedlings’. Seedlings have a much higher chance of dying before they can become effective carbon-capturing trees. An important consideration to be aware of is whether or not companies discuss reforestation in terms of protecting the long-term growth of what they plant, as opposed to just how much they’re planting.

Looking for certifications and transparency, combined with the types and quality of projects the company supports with these nuances in mind, should help you feel more confident about avoiding greenwashing. This leads us to…

Is carbon offsetting a scam? Do carbon offsets actually work?

Candidly, there are a lot of mixed reviews about whether or not carbon offsets do in fact work. While blanket statements declaring all carbon offset programs to be a scam may lack accuracy, it seems like more and more companies tout carbon offsetting efforts almost as a ‘get out jail free’ card.

There are reputable programs genuinely fighting the battle against climate change, but it can be hard to sift through what these are.

We cannot emphasize enough the need to seek out certified, transparent, and science-backed projects. We also urge mindful travelers to stay skeptical and ask questions before contributing to a program if they’re feeling unsure.

Examples of low-carbon impact trips in Romania are below.

Why can the price of carbon offsetting vary so much?

Something that may seem puzzling to people is why – or how – the price of carbon offsetting can vary so much. This contributes to the overwhelming nature of the topic: on top of finding verifiable projects, each person’s budget varies, and being overwhelmed with choices across a broad spectrum of price points further muddles things.

For example, we conducted a simple case study looking at two different offset methodologies for a round-trip flight between Seattle (SEA) and Paris (CDG).

Sustainable Travel International: STI calculates the carbon footprint of an economy flight based on the mileage between SEA and CDG. Their results show 2.24 metric tonnes of CO2 which will cost $35.84 to offset ($16.00/metric tonne).

Cool Effect: Cool Effect does not base its calculation on airport codes, but rather on ranges of flight times. The flight duration between Paris and Seattle is about 10 hours. Using the ’10-12 hours’ duration bucket, Cool Effect applies a long-haul estimate of 1.89 tonnes of CO2 per leg, so a round-trip flight would generate 3.78 tonnes, and cost $55.26 to offset ($14.62/metric tonne).

Here are six of the many reasons prices per metric tonne can vary:

Project type: It costs different amounts to do something like plant a seedling compared to providing an energy-friendly cook stove.

Project location: The country where a project is being implemented can affect the price. A project in Iceland will cost a different amount than a project in an African village.

Implementation: Even once a project has been defined, it can cost variable amounts to roll out the implementation and oversight.

Research and science: The cost of research and science used to develop and back projects can vary based on the number of scientists, their expertise, salaries, and time spent on the project.

For-profit vs. not-for-profit: Whether or not the company behind a carbon initiative is a for-profit or a not-for-profit company can also affect how much they are charging for carbon offsets.

Percent of the cost going to the project: Many projects will also tell you what percent of your payment for a carbon offset is actually going to the carbon project(s). Transparency here is key. For example, Cool Effect mentions research fees, credit card fees, registry fees, and admin fees, but there can also be fees related to marketing and education about carbon projects. Fees aren’t necessarily bad, but you should understand what they are as they will affect how much you pay for your offsets.

In short, our stance is that, yes, buying credible carbon offsets is better than doing nothing.

This is not to take away from the myriad complications that come with offsets, as discussed above. It is also not to take away from the fact that major companies and countries should be drastically reducing emissions in the first place, and they are sorely failing us in this regard. (In fact, the magnitude of the problem seems almost comical to shift on to individuals; but somehow sitting by and doing absolutely nothing seems worse than at least encouraging education and action amongst travelers.)

Discover trips focused on scientific research and conservation.

Carbon removals occur when existing carbon in the atmosphere is captured and permanently stored outside of the atmosphere. The effect of carbon removals is immediate, as compared to carbon offsets, which reduce or compensate for future emissions. What we like about carbon removals is that they feel less theoretical than carbon offsets: actual carbon is sequestered from our atmosphere in a quantifiable and measurable way; whereas with carbon offsets one might be left wondering if that seedling will actually become a carbon sink in the future. While carbon removals seem more tangible, some still call them a dangerous distraction from the pressing issue of slashing emissions.

Carbon removal projects involve taking carbon out of the atmosphere (sometimes called ‘negative CO2 emissions’) and storing it somewhere – generally underground. Carbon removals are not talked about as much in mainstream news, so you may be unfamiliar with these types of projects. We’ll walk you through two examples.

Tomorrow’s Air uses technology to capture and store carbon:

A carbon removal collector uses a fan to pull air into it.

A filter inside the carbon removal collector captures carbon dioxide on its surface.

When the filter is filled with carbon dioxide, the carbon collector is closed.

Highly concentrated carbon dioxide from the filter is mixed with water and then pumped deep underground.

Through natural mineralization, the CO2 reacts with basalt rock and turns into rock.

Tomorrow’s Air has wonderful resources to learn more about carbon removals, the science behind them, and more. 

Nori is a marketplace for regenerative farmers who use soil for carbon capture and storage. 

A supplier reports a verifiable carbon removal project.

An independent third party is brought to objectively estimate carbon removal.

Separate third parties are brought in to verify the carbon removal project.

A Nori Removal Tonne (NRT, one tonne of CO2 removed and stored for a minimum of 10 years), is created for additional carbon removal.

Buyers purchase NRTs directly from the suppliers.

You can learn more about Nori’s process here.

Carbon removals tend to be far more expensive than carbon offsets. This is in large part because the technology being developed to sequester and store carbon is new. As with any technology, it is more expensive due to its novelty and the research, development, and innovation that goes into creating it. As the technology becomes more mainstream and demand for it increases, the price should come down in the future.

We are big fans of carbon removals! We strongly encourage all travelers to become Tomorrow’s Air subscribers. We love them because their innovative technology is transparent and practical, and they are focused on the travel sector. Further, they extensively work to educate and advocate for carbon removals and therefore push the cost of their technology down by increasing everyday demand through subscribership. (Disclaimer: We are not sponsored by Tomorrow’s Air. We are a corporate partner and we issue our carbon removals through Tomorrow's Air for each client who books a trip with us.)

Discover trips focused on local cultures and communities.

What’s better: carbon offsets or carbon removals?

Carbon offsets and carbon removals are inherently different, and accordingly, they both serve a purpose. Below, we compare key features of both carbon offsets and carbon removals. 

They can be purchased relatively easily through many verified NGO projects

They impact the future – not today, and that’s only if they’re effectively managed in the long term

The effect of carbon offsets is to reduce or avoid future emissions, not address any actual CO2 in the atmosphere today

They can sometimes feel like a “get out of jail free” card for travelers and companies

Prices are highly variable, making it difficult to decipher the differences between projects and the impact

They have an impact today by removing existing carbon directly from the atmosphere

They are significantly more expensive, so many people can’t afford them

The technology to capture carbon is new and it will take time for prices to come down

There are fewer choices of companies doing verified carbon capture

To summarize: Carbon offsets are cheaper to buy but won’t impact carbon emissions already in the atmosphere; rather, they will help to reduce or avoid future emissions. Carbon removals are more expensive but they sequester carbon currently in the air via direct capture for permanent storage, and we believe this to be more effective than carbon offsets.

As a company, we remove carbon through a monthly Tomorrow’s Air subscription and offset the remaining carbon of our enterprise emissions through Pachama. We recommend our travelers follow a similar approach: Become a regular subscriber for carbon removals, and additionally offset what you cannot reduce or remove.

Note: Our monthly contributions to Tomorrow's Air on behalf of our company's corporate emissions is separate from the carbon removal contributions we make to Tomorrow's Air on behalf of each client who books a trip with us.

This leads us nicely to our company motto for Climate Impact…

“REP” your Planet (Reduce, Estimate, Purchase)

Reduce your carbon emissions as much as possible in the first place. Here are nine ideas to reduce your carbon footprint from travel.

Opt for trains or ferries instead of planes if possible: Alternative transportation methods like trains and ferries emit less than 16% of what a plane would emit.

Take direct flights if flying is necessary. This BBC article sums it up well: “Taking off uses more fuel than cruising. For shorter flights, this accounts for a larger proportion of the journey.” 

Fly economy: this helps reduce the flight’s carbon emissions per passenger. A World Bank study, reported in Reuters, found that “flying business class emits about three times as much carbon as an economy class because the seats take up more room and more of them are empty.”

Travel closer to home, or do “staycations”. Going shorter distances requires fewer emissions.

Pack light. .The weight of a plane factors into how much fuel it uses and therefore how much emissions it emits.

 Prioritize public transportation. This goes for your transit to the airport or train station as well as once you’ve arrived at your destination. Bonus: this is generally the most budget-friendly way to get around, too!

Choose trips centered around low-carbon impact activities. Think of walking, cycling, hiking, and trekking adventures.

Discover some of our cycling tours below.

For any unavoidable emissions resulting from your trip, take charge and estimate your vacation’s carbon footprint. There are simple tools like Air Miles Calculator and the International Civil Aviation Organization that will purely calculate the air mileage of your trip. There are also more complex tools like the Belgian company Green Tripper and the UK company Carbon Footprint that help estimate carbon emissions for additional trip components like other modes of transportation (cars, trains, and more), accommodation, and more.

Don’t worry if some of these tools give you different estimates, and also don’t fixate on achieving a “perfect” calculation. When it comes to being a responsible traveler, we advocate heavily for ‘progress over perfection.’ Being mindful of your carbon emissions and calculating your travel emissions are great steps that set you up for success with the third and final step, which is taking action.

We recommend picking a tool or two and testing them out, perhaps even comparing the results they give you. The most important thing is to find a tool that you like, trust, and can incorporate into your normal travel planning process.

What is ‘air mileage’? Air mileage, as opposed to standard (land) mileage, accounts for traveling through air mass. In other words, it accounts for wind. If you see this level of specificity in a carbon calculator tool, feel free to use it since technically it is more precise. However, don’t get hung up if you only see standard mileage on the calculator.

P: Purchase carbon removals and/or carbon offsets

Purchasing carbon removals and/or carbon offsets is how you can translate your awareness and preparedness from steps 1 and 2 into meaningful change. We recommend a blended approach of combining carbon removals and offsets to achieve net zero for your flight, overall trip, life, or company.

More resources on carbon offsets and carbon removals

Here are other ways you can think about having a positive impact on the environment when you travel:

Choose tour companies (like us!) that take climate action, for example by automatically including carbon removals through Tomorrow's Air with each guest's booking, and optionally allowing clients to add-on carbon offsets to their trip through Sustainable Travel International.

Choose airlines that are using newer fleets (which are more fuel-efficient), and making the transition to sustainable aviation fuel.

Eat vegetarian (even if you don’t normally eat vegetarian, perhaps challenge yourself to do so for the duration of your trip!).

Use sustainability filters on sites like Booking.com, or book your accommodation on sites that specifically focus on eco-friendly accommodation. See our roundup of the top 10 sites for sustainable hotels and accommodations here.

For more resources on carbon offsets and carbon removals, please visit our Climate Impact page.

This post was originally published on Aug. 31, 2022, and updated in October 2023.

Carbon Offsets & Carbon Removals Explained

Your complete guide to sustainable travel in Türkiye. Learn more on how to travel responsibly and ethically in this country. 

Sustainable Travel Guide: Türkiye | Yugen Earthside 

This guide will cover everything you need to know about sustainable travel in Türkiye. You will find an overview of Türkiye’s environment, economic standing, and sociocultural background through a sustainable lens. You will also find key do’s and don’ts for sustainable travelers that will help prepare you for your visit. Our guide also highlights sustainable travel activities and tips that tourists can incorporate into their trip to Türkiye.

Why do we write “Türkiye” instead of “Turkey”?

The spelling of “Türkiye” instead of “Turkey” is important for several reasons, including accuracy and respect. f“Türkiye” is the Turkish name for the country, and it is written in the Turkish alphabet. Using the correct spelling shows respect for the local language, the country, and its people, and shows cultural sensitivity.

Sustainable Travel in Türkiye: Key Sustainability Pillars

Türkiye’s diverse landscape is primarily made up of several mountain ranges. Türkiye’s mountainous landscape has evolved thanks to the tectonic plates that exist beneath its surface. The country remarkably exists on three tectonic plates: the Eurasian plate, Arabian plate, and Antalonian plate, literally existing as a land bridge between the continents of Europe and Asia.

Thanks to Türkiye’s geology and volcanic history, we can find here some of the most unique landscapes on earth! One of the most iconic for tourists is Cappadocia, which boasts eye-catching canyons, intriguing caves, and spectacular rock formations known as fairy chimneys.

However, Türkiye’s positioning over these tectonic plates also poses a natural disaster risk: it is one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world. In February 2023, Türkiye witnessed the worst earthquake event in its history.

When natural disasters occur in Türkiye (or in any country), it has several impacts on tourism.

Short-term: Ongoing or upcoming trips are disrupted or canceled, respectively.

Medium-term: It takes time to recover and rebuild affected areas and communities.

Long-term: Travelers need to re-acclimate to the thought of travel in or near the affected area, and feel safe and confident that they’ll have a positive experience.

According to Condé Nast Traveler following the February 2023 quake, it was important to remind tourists, that “the disaster zone makes up only a fraction of Türkiye's overall land mass, meaning most of the country is safe to travel in.” (Read more about the economic impacts of the earthquakes in Türkiye in the next section.)

Earthquakes aside, Türkiye is home to the mythical mountain, which also happens to be a former volcano, Mount Ararat (known as Mount Ağrı). The country’s highest peak can be found in the east, close to the Armenian border, and is an attractive spot for many climbers. The mountain ranges in Türkiye are mostly underdeveloped, something that excites many adventure travelers and makes Türkiye a great sustainable travel destination.

Türkiye is also considered to be a notable destination for visitors because it is surrounded by water on three sides. It has shores along the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. As a result, Türkiye is gifted with many beautiful beaches and turquoise waters, making it the perfect spot for beachgoers and water lovers who enjoy sea-kayaking, snorkeling, sailing, or swimming!

As mentioned above, Türkiye’s economic landscape has been seriously impacted by the country’s history of natural disasters. In 2023 alone, Türkiye lost $34.2 billion from the earthquake in February, which doesn’t include the cost of reconstruction.

There have been many actions put in place to support the local economy including the establishment of the Disaster Reconstruction Fund, and humanitarian aid from the EU. However, since the Turkish tourism sector alone provides nearly 2.6 million jobs, tourism is an extremely important industry, and “revenue from this industry is especially critical at this time.”

Tourists are reminded that, if possible to safely visit a different part of the country after a natural disaster, their visit makes all the difference to local businesses. In the case of the February quake, the main tourist destinations were “far from the quake-hit areas and are mostly unaffected.”

Spending money on local businesses, such as hotels and restaurants, is one of the simplest ways to support local economies as well as the country’s economy as a whole. For more information about how to be a respectful tourist in Türkiye in the post-Earthquake period, you can read more here.

Türkiye, previously part of the Ottoman Empire, is one of the few countries that span multiple continents. It is an incredibly rare destination featuring both Eastern and Western influences. 

Throughout history, Türkiye has been conquered by many different groups in Europe, Africa, and Asia including the notable Greek, Persian, and Roman empires. You can see the remnants of various cultural influences across the country. The resulting cultural fabric is a fascinating blend of traditions and practices.

The majority of the population in Türkiye are Muslim. You can see the deep connection Türkiye has with Islam today in the architecture, the daily call to prayer, and other social practices. Even though there are many residents who don’t practice religion strictly, it is still very closely connected to Turkish society, especially in rural areas. (Find helpful do’s and don’ts for visiting a Muslim country below.)

Today, around 75% of the population is ethnically Turkish and roughly 90% of the population speak Turkish as their first language. English is one of the most popular foreign languages spoken. However, it shouldn’t be assumed that all people in Türkiye understand English. Knowing some important phrases in Turkish such as ‘please’ (lütfen), 'thank you’ (teşekkürler), and ‘can you help me?’ (bana yardımcı olabilir misiniz?) is highly recommended for travelers.

Ensure your routine vaccinations are complete before visiting Türkiye. It is advised that you should look into your vaccination needs roughly 8 weeks before your trip.

Anti-malaria medication also might be worthwhile if you are planning to visit between May to October (a popular time for many trips here). This is when travelers are at the highest risk of catching malaria.

Additionally, in 2023 there were increased cases of gastrointestinal illness, such as salmonella, in travelers returning from Türkiye. Travelers are advised to wash their hands thoroughly, eat fruits that are peeled, and only eat thoroughly cooked foods to reduce their risk of contracting these illnesses. (Find other do’s and don’ts below.)

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