To avoid Turkey due to protests and earthquakes?

[Question285]

I’m considering a family holiday this summer in the Antalya area with two young DC. It would be a package holiday and I’m not planning to leave the resort.

DH is not keen because he’s worried about recent protests and seismic activity. I’ve checked the government travel advice, and, while it mentions these, it only advises against travel close to the Syrian border.

I know lots of people go on holiday to Turkey without any issues, but DH is against it. I’m trying to convince him, but so far I haven’t pushed too hard because I’m not sure if I’m being unreasonable.

It’s been a stressful year and I really need a holiday with some sunshine and warm weather. Would you go on holiday there or is it best to avoid it?

Due to a set of circumstances that would be very outing to list, we have limited options, so please don’t suggest other destinations, I’m only interested in opinions on Turkey.

YANBU - go to Turkey
YABU - avoid it

I would go.
But if DH refuses, hand over the responsibility of booking something to him.

I wish I had, but unfortunately we’re past that point. Also, if I let him organise it, we would not be going anywhere. He doesn’t care much about holidays.

I want the DC to experience beach holidays, but they’re too young for me to take them on my own.

I went to turkey, with 7,11*13 year old kids , package, was great.

They need tourism money and keep things running pretty well. Army is huge. It's safe from war and all that.

However - sounds like your husband doesn't care, so why go with him?

And if your kids are too young to go on their own with you, they are too young to appreciate or remember it, so why take them?

Go somewhere closer on your own, UK, peak summer, will be much less stress.

Been to Turkey often over the last 30 years and also with dc and it is absolutely fine. You will be quite a way from the Syrian border. It is a lovely place to visit and I would have no issue with going.

The DC are not too young to appreciate it, but they’re too young to go in a pool on their own for example. So there need to be two adults there.

We’ve been on some great UK holidays, but we’ve also been on some where it rained and was cold in the summer. Also, it’s a lot more work to cook or eat out with the DC than to go to all inclusive.

You can get earthquakes anywhere in the Eastern Mediterranean. For me, worrying about those is like worrying about the plane crashing.

On the other question: Turkey is governed by an authoritarian regime that imprisons its political opponents. But the upside of that is that, like Egypt, any hint that the anti-government protests might threaten the flow of sweet, sweet tourism cash is going to be ruthlessly suppressed. So I would have no concerns on that score, at least from the point of view of my safety as a tourist. You'd have to take your own view on whether you want to implicitly support the regime by going, but thousands of people jet off to Dubai, which is much worse, without any qualms.