09 Apr 2021
It is rare that the name fits exactly the people you meet, and this is what happened to us (mother with two daughters) when we took a very last minute decision to do a school spring break tour in Turkey, inspired by books of Troy and Greek mythology that my kids were reading. Hassle Free Travel is run by an incredible family: we were served by the young, bright & friendly sister and brother Ezgi & Ozgur who organised everything for us: transport in the most comfortable van, budget accommodation in most convenient locations and most importantly, a top-notch guide Erjan who is an absolute treasure of information for old and modern Turkey (including ancient Greece & Anatolia) - basically a google search in human form. This team arranged a private tour for our family and were flexible to change & adapt to our needs. The travels were far more Covid-safe than I imagined before I left, in the end I got the feeling we would be more exposed to Covid if we stayed home than in this tour. I have never met travel agents who were more disciplined and most friendly human being at the same time. This is no accident though: this company has been doing Gallipoli tours since 1970s when Ezgi's and Ozgur's dad first established the company so the dad covered the transport to and from Istanbul airport for us. On top of it, this company (largely through the most wanted guide) has a seriously specialised knowledge of Ancient Greek places which no one should die before visiting. My kids and I enjoyed an incredibly reasonably priced private tour of Canakkale, Troy, Ephesus, Pergamon, Dydymus, Priene, Miletus, Temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders of the world), Isa Bey Mosque in Selcuk, Virgin Mary House, Troy & Ephesus Museums & village of Sirince. There is something mystical about doing these places in times of Covid, you get to experience lots of places intimately, and you get private tours that you would, in other circumstances have to share with many others! I must say, I was most impressed how our driver and guide never ever removed the anti-covid masque from their faces! We feel humbled and privileged we got to travel with the Hassle Free Travel team, I would hire them again and invite them to my house also!