Tourism Information Office Addresses and Telephones

When traveling, please remember these IMPORTANT POINTS :

This list is confidential, and for the use of certified Servas travellers only. When your trip is over, you must return it to the Servas official you received it from.

Follow hosts' instructions carefully on how and when to contact them.

Do not call hosts before 9:00 A.M. or after 10:00 P.M.

Upon arrival at a host's house, show your Letter of Introduction as soon as possible, without being asked for it. It will prevent misunderstanding; it will provide them information about you, so that the visit can get off to a good start. Prepare in advance photocopies of the letter, so that a host may keep a copy if he/she desires.

Please respect the rule that only the host can decide whether you may stay overnight or not. Servas protocol requires that visits be limited to two nights only, unless the host issues a personal invitation to stay longer. Spend time with your host and his/her family; learn about them; exchange views with them. Do not treat your visit as a mere stay at a hotel.

It is customary in Turkey to take a small present especially if you are invited to their homes.

Turkey is an Islamic country so it may be easier for couples and females to be invited to hosts' homes. Especially female hosts invite female travellers and couples more readily than they do male travellers.

Drug consuming and drug dealing are illegal In Turkey. Your are not allowed to use drugs at hosts' homes. There have been some complaints about this. Hosts are strictly advised to inform the police and the Servas coordinator, if travellers do not observe this law.

Generally organised hospitality like that of Servas is hard to understand for Turkish people since hospitality is deeply embedded in the culture. Therefore, Turkish hosts get out of their way to host you, get burnt out and tend to drop out of Servas . So, please keep in mind to impose as little as possible on the host. Insist on splitting the costs when you are going out with them. Do not expect your host to pay for your expenses, such as telephone costs, entrance fees, meals, etc. Find out the cost and pay your own way.

Check out the house rules with your host and respect them.

Should you have a problem or misunderstandings with a host, please tell the coordinator so that we can clarify the issue and resolve any conflicts.

Offer to pay for all your telephone calls and Internet use.

Informally, talk to as many people as you like about Servas , and tell them to write or to call the Turkish coordinator for information about membership.