Health Traveler
Definite Guide to Medical Tourism

Medical Tourism Destinations - Turkey

The Republic of Turkey has long held exotic intrigue in the minds of many westerners, seemingly embodying the very notion of a foreign land, rife with adventure, mystery and excitement. For all of the romantic notions that people around the world drape upon Turkey, it's surprising to find that this corner of the world actually holds up to much of the mythology surrounding it where so many other places may disappoint those who grew up fantasizing about this or that country. Turkey is every bit as interesting as it looks in the movies.

It is important to understand the local customs wherever you go, especially when traveling away from your own home continent. When you know a little bit about the local customs and traditions, it simply becomes easier to get around, to get along with people and to make the most of your visit. For instance, in the US, if you go into a cozy, local coffee house, you expect the smokers to take it outside. In Turkey, there are "kahve's," Turkish coffee houses that traditionally served as places for men to hang out, have a few coffees and smoke "nargile." Going into such an establishment and asking someone to put out their smoke would be the equivalent of doing the same in a cigar store in the US or in England.

Speaking of these coffee houses, if you've never had Turkish coffee before, don't be surprised when they hand you a cup of espresso with the grinds still in it. This intense brew will give any double shot back home a run for its money.

For some years, the currency in Turkey was known as the "NTL" or "New Turkish Lira." Today, it's back to simply being called "Lira." When exchanging pounds, dollars, yen or any other currency for Turkish Lira, it's generally a good idea to wait until you actually arrive in Turkey to do most of your money exchanging. You may need a few Lira to get around on the way in, but the exchange rates within the country tend to be far, far greater than the exchange rates outside of Turkey. Wait until you arrive, and you should see a substantial improvement on the exchange rate, putting much more money in your pocket.

Traveler's Checks aren't really recommended, however. One of the best ways to get hold of Turkish Lira is to simply use your ATM, credit card, or debit card in a cash machine somewhere within Turkey. You can use foreign notes such as Euros and dollars, it's legal, but it's not very convenient. Even if many places do accept foreign currency, it's never a guarantee, so rather than worry about it, it's a good idea simply to get ahold of some Turkish Lira right away and use it as your primary form of currency.

Tipping is a whole different art form in Turkey. For instance, you're not actually expected to tip taxi drivers, though it is considered polite and makes things easier all around for both parties if you round your fare upwards. In restaurants, use the same judgment you do back home.

You will probably want to stop at a Turkish Bath House, or Hamam while staying in Turkey. These bath houses are a Turkish tradition dating back centuries. Men and women, poor and rich, young and old all share in these bath houses alike, and they serve very much the same purpose as the ancient Roman bath houses. At the end of a stay in one of these Hamams, the staff will typically line up to "Bid farewell" to guests. At which point, they will generally be expecting a tip of about fifteen percent, spread out evenly from hand to hand.

Tour guides may be tipped at your discretion, though the irony here is that any tour guide who is always expecting a tip is typically seen as a bad tour guide. Any tour guide deserving a tip will appreciate the gesture, but not think any less of you for not tipping. Expect to tip fifteen to twenty three Lira a day, splitting the cost among the group. This only amounts to about ten to fifteen dollars, US, as of the time of this writing, so it's really not much if the guide is really stellar at their job.

That said, if a guide takes you to a shop and you find something you really like, it's customary to give the guide a ten to fifteen percent commission on the purchase price.

One of the greatest aspects of Turkish culture for visitors is the hospitality that the country is known for. It's common for a Turkish family receiving a guest to prepare the best foods they have on hand, to offer them the best seat at the dinner table, to lend them the best bed to sleep on and so on. If staying with friends or acquaintances in Turkey, don't be put off by this hospitality, it's just their way. The idea behind this is that whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever your religion, however much money you have in the bank, you are "God's guest" and will be treated as such.

Medical Tourism in Turkey

Turkey's medical tourism industry is fairly young compared to certain other countries, having really started making its impact on the world stage in 2009, when Turkey joined the European Union. Turkey has always offered competitive pricing when compared with other countries, and sitting between Asia and Europe, combined the best medical techniques from both sides of the Republic. However, it wasn't until the joining of the European Union that standardized procedures and certification measures were put into place across the board from one end of the Republic to the next. Today, Turkey enjoys competitive pricing, a wide range of available medical procedures and the standardized quality that you would see in the US or Europe.

While still new to the medical tourism scene, Turkey's presence has been anything but unnoticable, and they are quickly becoming a hot spot for travelers who are looking to find affordable surgery and other procedures.

With the privatisation of certain public owned entities, Turkey is also showing itself to be very open to the notion of free enterprise. Knowing this, the market for medical tourism in the country should only become more competitive in the near future and the foreseeable future thereafter. Turkey remains one of the most tempting and fast-growing spots in the world for medical tourism, and it doesn't look like that will change any time soon.