£25 for a 14-hour sleeper train with beds, a sink, and power points. £6.50 for a seven-hour scenic ride across central Türkiye. If you've ever assumed Türkiye is a fly-and-spend destination, this episode is here to change that picture entirely.

Tracy is joined by Sinead, a York-based travel blogger and passionate train traveller, to walk through her family's 12-day loop: Istanbul, down to the Aegean coast and the ruins of Ephesus, overnight to Konya, across to Cappadocia, up to Kayseri, into Ankara, and back to Istanbul. Mostly by train, on a real budget, with honest advice on what it actually costs.

✅ Building a Türkiye itinerary around each person's must-sees

✅ Booking Turkish rail through TCDD, sleeper availability, and mid-route delays

✅ What train travel is actually like, from sleepers to high-speed first class

✅ Visiting Ephesus and why the scale and preservation stand out

✅ Hiking in Cappadocia, finding cave churches, and watching balloons at sunrise for free

✅ A low-cost mosaic lamp workshop that turned out to be a trip highlight

✅ Eating well for less and saving money on flights with a reverse search strategy

✅ Packing light, carrying lira, using Revolut or Wise, and choosing an eSIM

If this episode has got you thinking about your own adventure, our free workbook, Plan Your Dream Trip with Ease, is a brilliant place to start.

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Guest - Sinead Camplin from Map Made Memories and York Travel Expert
Show notes - Episode 97

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