ZEN's Message

Welcome to ZENTURKEY.COM tours.
First up, let me introduce myself and the ZENTURKEY website. I'm a New Zealander who arrived here in Turkey back in April 2000. Back then I was on my Big OE (the Kiwi 'Overseas Experience') and arrived in time to attend a very moving Dawn Memorial Service at Gallipoli. Afterwards, I travelled on through Turkey and ended up living and working on tree huts in Olympos.

After several months of meeting and making many new friends, I was offered a job in tourism in Istanbul. I spent the next two years learning the ropes there and was then offered an opportunity to run a tourist agency here in the city.

I've been managing the company for over four years now, developing my contacts, stream-lining the process of getting my clients around Turkey safely while maximising their travel experiences.

The most recent step on my journey has been this opportunity to create a website, one where I can offer tours in and around Turkey in a more accessible way, and so ZENTURKEY.COM was born.

These days I am selling tours online, making it simpler for both myself and my clients, in that reservations and travel plans can be made before travellers arrive in Turkey.

Obviously the website means I have less overhead costs and it allows me to offer even better rates and great service. I'm based here in Turkey and as the General Manager of Ayala Travel's Sultanahmet Branch Office, I am available to my customers 24/7. If people run into problems while travelling... whether it be a need to change their tour program or help solving problems like an unexpected illness, I am able to help and advise.

So come visit this country I've come to love. Turkey... the bridge between Europe and Asia, the place where you are guaranteed many opportunities to meet some of the most hospitable people in the world. And I promise, if you enjoy Turkey half as much as I do you're sure to have a trip of a lifetime.

Operations Manager, Hayden Mann