Voyage solo en Turquie, Jordanie et Grèce

27 years old white American from Georgia – 2 months removed from a serious break-up and 3 months before moving to east Asia for my job I decided to do the trip I had been planning for over 2 years. I went solo to Turkey, Jordan, and Greece and it was the experience of a lifetime. It was a beautiful combination of challenging, therapeutic, adventuring, social, isolating, connecting, lonely, exhilarating, historic. I highly recommend the concept of solo travel in your 20s if you have the means and the interest, it will help you grow into who you want to be.

I read a book called the Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan in 2023 and it got me interested in the Middle East and visiting those crossroads of eastern and western civilizations. My mother also went to high school in Bahrain and spent some time in Iran before the revolution, so I grew up with no inherent bias against Islam, Arabs or Turks that some southern Americans might grow up with . While I recognize there are unfortunate political situations in the ME, the citizens are just like you and me – people doing their best to get by.

I was completely solo the entire time and was not part of any group tour. Trip entirely planned, booked, and executed myself. I did make dozens of friends along the way, but as I ventured on to the next location we went our separate ways.

Pictures: all shot on iPhone16 Pro

Imgur link here: [https://imgur.com/a/4dS6N5p](https://imgur.com/a/4dS6N5p)

Budget: I spent way more than I had to, so my budget will not be relevant to most. Overall it was about $13k but this trip can totally be done for less than half with the same activities.

* Flights: $5k (first class both ways)

* Hotels: $1.5k

* Food: $3k (I could have saved a lot of money booking just airbnbs with kitchens and I recommend you do this)

* Rental cars: $1.5k (I had a car and drove from Istanbul -> Pamukkale -> Ephesus as well as a car for the entire stay in Jordan)

* Activities / souvenirs: $2k (paragliding, hot air balloons, Bosphorus cruise, Wadi Rum excursions, Petra tickets etc)

Trip Length: 22 days

Destination(s):

* 5 nights Istanbul

* 2 nights Pamukkale

* 2 nights Ephesus

* 2 nights Amman (Jerash and Syria border day trip)

* 2 nights Petra

* 2 nights Wadi Rum

* 3 more nights Amman (Dead Sea, Mt Nebo day trips)

* 4 nights Athens

Accommodation:

* « Archeo Hostel » Istanbul 5 nights – more of a party culture, I personally would not stay there again but if you are looking to go out every night and drink this hostel works. It was cheap so overall it was fine.

* « panoramic house » Airbnb Denizli 2 nights – this place was awesome the the owner was awesome. Dude ended up taking me paragliding on a whim and it was possibly the most exhilarating experience of my life. kitchen was great, awesome view of Pamukkale and the hot air balloons in the morning

* « apartment in Selcuk » Airbnb 2 nights – another great Airbnb with a great view, kitchen, and beds. Ended up drinking and smoking all night with the owner who also owns the turkish rug/antique shop in town. Highly recommend and it was only $125 or so.

* « W Amman » 2 nights – This is a true 5\* hotel, I paid on points and used Marriott SNAs to upgrade to the penthouse suite. You are treated like a king, highly recommend.

* « Marriott Petra » 2 nights – A nice hotel, I would recommend it. The restaurant is good and very western if you are looking for what’s probably the only American food in Petra. Also paid with points.

* « Wadi Rum Bedouin Camp » 2 nights – Wadi Rum is awesome and my host Ali was great. The dome was super cool, AC, Starlink Wifi and a King bed. Highly recommend. Food is the only oddity in Wadi Rum, you eat what they feed you 3 times a day and there are no other options. Overall would recommend.

* « W Amman » Amman 3 more nights – Again, treated like a king. I’ll stay there anytime I’m in Amman for life.

* « Mosaikon Glostel » Athens 4 nights – I wanted to try a mixed dorm so I stayed in what’s probably the nicest mixed dorm hostel in Greece, only issue is they advertise a kitchen but you can not use. Still recommend this place very much. Also met literally the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my mixed dorm then had the best date of my entire life overlooking the acropolis, so yea 10/10 stay here.

Activities:

Istanbul:

* Bosphorus cruise – Airbnb experience, probably best with someone but was still cool to see. Probably a lowlight activity personally as I was the only solo person.

* Hagai Sophia- Probably the actual lowlight of Turkey in my personal opinion. The majority of it is sealed off to practicing muslims, so the part that foreigners can see is very little. Also expensive for what is a maximum 30 minute experience. However, it is a requirement to see and I do recommend just to say you saw it.

* Blue Mosque – A really cool mosque, one of the only with 6 minarets. again, an absolute requirement to visit.

* Camlica mosque – This is not a « Hidden » gem per se in that it’s very visible in Istanbul, but I’m not sure how many tourists end up here. This complex is abolsutely incredible, I ended up sleeping outside for a couple hours at the on-site cafe then spending a couple hours inside. My personal highlight of Istanbul.

* I play a lot of pickleball in USA, and there is a pickleball group that plays near Zorlu . If you happen to be looking for pickelball in Istanbul, I can connect you with the group that organizes.

* I rented a scooter for 2 days and drove around Europe and Asia side. If you have a motorcycle license in your country, this is such a great way to actually see the whole city at low cost on your own terms and own schedule.

Pamukkale (personally a highlight for me):

* I drove the 9 hours between Istanbul and Pamukkale and I **highly** recommend this if you have the opportunity. The Aegean side interstate is just beautiful, the roads are incredibly wide and the speed limit is 100mph and there’s basically no cars. Osmangazi Bridge is the coolest bridge I’ve ever been on, and it’s mad fun to drive over.

* Paragliding Pamukkale -**do this**. I personally have been a bit afraid of heights, I do not care for roller coasters and never sky dived. But my airbnb host was like oh come paraglide it will be fun. 15 minutes later we jumped off a mountain and flew for 20 minutes and it was both a heart attack and the experience of a lifetime. There are no rules in rural Turkey, so I didn’t have to sign anything or wear helmet/pads. Just trust the guy to not kill me, and I survived.

* hot air balloons – also a must. I did not go to Cappadocia, but the hot air balloons in Pamukkale were just as cool.

* Pamukkale hike / theater of Apollo – also a must, just one of the coolest places you could ever find yourself. I feel like Pamukkale is a less ventured to and I am here to say you need to make it a staple of your trip to Turkey.

Ephesus:

* The owner of my Airbnb gave me a scooter for the few days I was there, so I was able to ride in the villages, to Ephesus, to Kusadasi, and the Temple of Artemis area. Ephesus is awesome and has so much history, it’s also a must.

* Ephesus was a more « quiet » experience for me, I ended up spending a lot of time with the owner of my Airbnb and drinking/smoking with him and his family.

Amman:

* Amman honestly feels like an American outpost in the middle east. It’s got the hectic atmosphere of the ME, but is designed like Tampa, FL it’s very odd. I enjoyed it.

Jerash / Ar-Ramtha:

* I did not like Jerash, I know everyone says it’s so cool but I did not care for it and ended up spending more time up at the Ar-Ramtha Syrian border than I did at Jerash.

* The Ar-Ramtha Syrian border is generally closed, but you can go all the way to the gate. The border guards came out and asked me what I was doing, but once I shared I am just a curious American we talked a bit before I went on my way. I wanted to go to Daraa, Syria but if I got stuck there is no American embassy so I decided it’s most wise to not push the envelope.

Petra:

* Petra is a world wonder for a reason. I went to Petra by night and then spent the whole next day hiking Petra. I went in the front end, all the way to the « backway » entrance and back. It’s awesome and an absolute must if in Jordan.

* I ate camel here with some locals and it was really good, highly recommend.

Wadi Rum:

* Wadi Rum is probably on paper, the coolest place I’ve ever been. You are truly in the middle of nowhere with only Bedouins who have mostly never left southern Jordan.

* Sandboarding was **sick** make sure you specifically ask to sandboard. I did almost break my wrist, but you will not do that so don’t worry.

* There are no rules in Wadi Rum. I checked into my dome, and then just walked through the desert for a couple hours – no shirt, no shoes, no cell service, just go. I slept on a rock formation for a few hours until it got dark then walked back. There are other tourists, but overall you may see 5-10 people over the course of 2 days. It’s just the best.

* Because I was solo, I ended up making friends with the actual local Bedouins (who do not work in tourism) and we sat in their half-tent and smoked and drank all morning. They have a really awesome culture, very community and freedom oriented.

Amman 2:

* Mt Nebo was cool, but specifically the drive through what is the Jordan Valley might be the best drive on earth? I personally am not religious, but I am spiritual and just being in that part of the world makes you understand why the people of that area became religious those thousands of years ago. The feeling you get overlooking the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea are next level.

* The Dead Sea kind of sucks? Definitely still go float in it to say you did it. But the beaches are trashy, wanted me to pay 50JD but I just drove another mile and kinda went off the allowed path and got into the Dead Sea myself. Then you are so salty you can’t open your eyes. So do it, but beware it isn’t very enjoyable.

* Bethany by the Jordan – Lowlight of the entire trip. Jordan as a country has ruined what should be a very cool experience. You get max 10 minutes to be at the East Bank and you’re shuffled through a required tour the entire time. I was not allowed to be alone. 0/10 experience, but it is one of those « musts » if you are into religious history and in Jordan.

Athens and day trips:

* Acropolis – not much to say here, it’s incredible and a must

* Mount Lycabettus – probably the highlight of Greece for me, the views are next level. Must do

* Delphi – also a must. I para-glided over the olive orchards then visited the Delphi ruins. The drive up is something else!

* Corinth / Mycenea – maybe less visited, but very cool for being so close to Athens. The drive up the mountain in Corinth is special and the views are awesome.

* I did not visit any islands because I feel like that might be more of a couples / honeymoon experience one day, but 5 days in and around Athens was awesome for me. I enjoyed capping the trip off back in a more Western country with Western food and accommodations.

What Went Right:

* didn’t die

* didn’t get arrested

What Went Wrong:

* a motorcycle hit and run my rental car in Amman, so be careful of that?

* I should have booked more places with kitchens to save money on food.

* The scammers are so \*\*\*\*\*\*\* annoying. It feels very inhuman to wave off another person speaking to you, but they really do just want your money. It’s unfortunate, but any local who is eagerly trying to help you or sell you something without prompt, they will not take no for an answer – you literally have to leave and act like they are not even there. This is probably why I did not like Jerash, the entrance is entirely scammers.

Final Verdict: trip of a lifetime!