Istanbul, what can I say?
nice people, great city vibe, yummy foods, and beautiful sceneries.
But this beauty comes with a cost.
Tourist scams and traps!
in my 8-day stay in Istanbul, I've encountered 3 of the 5 tips I'm gonna mention.
So subscribe cause I'm saving your ...
So the very first scam that I personally experienced was taxi rates,
if you ask in English, and the taxi driver understands that you are a foreigner, they might overcharge you.
that happened to me, from Taksim to Cevahir shopping mall the taxi driver asked for four times more than the actual price.
so I decided to take the longest walk of my life.
What's the solution? Use this site to calculate the taxi fee from your location to your destination.
Yup, easy peasy.
Number two, again I've encountered this one.
in Taksim square, there are beautiful photography spots, and the pigeons all around you make your photo vibrant and alive.
obviously, some guys sell grains and seeds to attract the birds! but be careful.
they force you to spread the seeds and then charge you. even if you weren't asking for it, they make you do this!
and when half of the seeds are gone, you end up paying for it. So I was taking pictures and a guy came and suddenly put a glass of seeds in my hand and quickly left.
So that I cannot reach him. But I said sorry and left the glass on the ground and left.
Number three, ladies and gentlemen, luckily I haven't faced this situation cause I always wear comfy shoes while traveling.
But I've heard this is pretty common, there are some shoe shiners working in the streets, and I've heard sometimes they walk and drop a brush or other stuff deliberately.
And if you pick it up to return it, at first they offer a free service, but after they're done they charge you more money than usual.
If you witness something fell and you are really kind you can notify them to pick it up, but don't touch it yourself. Notify and pass.
Wait I won't go to the next point before you like this video and subscribe to my channel. Don't hesitate and click.
Ok And now number four, let me get straight to the point.
Just don't go to bars and clubs with strangers smiling at you or you end up paying for their ridiculously expensive drinks cause they leave you with the bill.
Number five happened to two of my relatives, pickpocketing is seriously common, especially in crowded places.
Do not bring all your money or travel documents with you when you are sightseeing.
Keep them in your hotel, and do not use your back pockets for placing your phone or money.
Have a hidden pocket inside of your clothes. That might help.
Hey, Don't get scared by the scams and do visit Istanbul, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time there.
That's pretty much it, for more tips and tricks about traveling subscribe to Shelly's life channel, bye-bye...