I have travelled the world and have been on many amazing adventures, but, I must say that my tour of Turkey with Serif Yenen was my best trip yet! Travelling with Serif, I not only learned about Turkey's rich history, but also had the chance to engage with the people, experience the culture, and explore the cuisine. I was most impressed with the connections he made between the country's and the region's rich history, culture, geography and gastronomy.
Serif is an historian, writer and professional guide, but most importantly he is an awesome and engaging teacher. He shares the history of Turkey and the region, in a way that makes it easy to comprehend and retain. He encourages questions and leaves plenty of time for individual exploration.
Serif is attentive to his clients needs. I appreciated him checking in to ensure that expectations for the tour were being met. While he has fixed itineraries, he was also flexible and willing to make adjustments to accommodate expressed interests. He achieved that by either adjusting the schedule, or guiding you on how to explore further on your own.
If you love exploring the gastronomy of a country in addition to its history, Serif will take you to the most authentic and delicious places to eat. I honestly had so many amazing meals and treats touring with Serif, when friends ask what was the one thing I liked best, I answer with my top 5 favorite things. LOL.
Serif is a well respected guide. It was not uncommon for a Turkish guide leading another tour to stop and let us know what a mentor Serif has been to them. They made sure to let us know we were touring with the very best. I am eagerly awaiting the English version of Turkish Odyssey, the authoritative guidebook that he wrote. He sparked such an interest in me in this part of the world, that I want to delve deeper. That's the mark of a great teacher!
I rarely visit any country twice because I have so many places in the world I want to see. That said, I will definitely return to Turkey to tour with Serif again. His love of his beloved country is infectious and I caught the bug!