Mr K

Turkey Guru

For the past 25 years, my travelers have been invited to stay the night at a Turkish family’s summer home as they journey from Cappadocia to the Turquoise Coast. In 1989, when I first arranged for my travelers to stay with the family, the parents hosted, and their young children were delighted to have foreign guests coming to stay. The parents have since passed on, and the three adult sons now host my clients in the home. I am always so grateful to create such close personal interactions with locals and for my travelers to be genuinely invited into homes for mutual exchange and sharing…

My first visit to Turkey was in 1968, when I traveled there with my family to stay with our relatives in Istanbul. My father, the only son in a family with two sisters, immigrated to the US – his journey began from Turkey the day Russia attacked Poland in 1939. In the US, he earned a degree in architecture from UC Berkley, married my mom and started his family in Los Angeles, where I was born. After that first trip, we returned several times to visit with my grandmother and aunts and travel as a family throughout Turkey. So, when I founded my adventure travel company and started leading trips around the world, Turkey was the first—and always the foremost—country of specialization for us. I have been to Turkey as many as 20 times, exploring on my own and leading many small group trips.
Traveling as my client in Turkey, you are hosted like family, by family. Not my actual relatives, but by our lead guide who has grown to become like a brother over the decades. We started leading trips together in 1986 and have slowly grown our business together – always keeping it small and personal, like family. Not only is he like family, he’s an expert guide heading a professional tourism union and working with prominent academics, field archaeologists and scientists in Turkey, bringing the most fresh and accurate information to his guiding skills and teaching young guides to become experts. Each of my guests receives comprehensive pre-departure information, personal consultation on custom trip planning and special touches on the ground – such as in-home cooking demonstrations and la carte dining menus that focus on expanding the traveler’s culinary experience in Turkey.

Since 1975, I’ve been traveling and guiding around the world. While earning my M.S. degree in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan, I conducted field research in the national parks of Costa Rica. In addition to founding an award-winning adventure travel company, I’ve authored for Fodor’s, published articles on ecotourism and serve on numerous professional boards and conservation organizations.

Based in: United States
Preferred language: English
Market strengths: Family, Culture, Active
Other countries: Croatia, Slovenia

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