What Did They Say?

Hi Kazim, thanks for arranging our tour with wonderful Güzin. She was so knowledgeable and accommodating. We had a terrific day. The experience was like a visiting a city with and old friend.  Cheers

Hello Kazim,  I wanted to thank you for the great guide you sent us. Volkan has been super cool – lots of explainable history, good advice, great atmosphere, …. a very nice day!  Please send our thanks again to Volkan. Best

Kazim and Yesim:  It was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for a wonderful program that exceed my expectation.  You did a wonderful job preparing everything to make this a trip impossible to forget. Looking forward to see you again in the future. Take care

Kazim,  Just a quick note to thank you for the great arrangements you made for us for our trip to your wonderful country.  The hotels were perfect, and some of them really fun and unique.  And I certainly enjoyed Turkey and hope to come back again soon. So again, thanks for your great help with this trip.  I really appreciate it.

Hello Kazim,  I wanted to write and thank you for all you did to make our trip to Turkey so fantastic.  Everything ran very smoothly.  It was probably as well run as any tour we have ever taken.  Of course, the face of a tour is often the guide and Yasemin was outstanding.  She was working on details all the time even while the rest of us were taking naps in the bus.  If she switched something around, it was purposeful in getting us somewhere at the best time for crowds or the sun or whatever.  On top of that, she managed all the repeat questions from certain tour members that would drive a normal person crazy.  All in all she was amazing and one of the best tour guides we have ever had.  Of course, while the face of the tour is usually the guide, I do realize that a lot of important work goes on “back at the office”.  I want to thank you for all your efforts and information.  I wrote you about a number of issues over the last year and, not only were your responses timely, but they were always complete and very helpful.  Past experience has shown me that is rarely the case, so I certainly appreciated the time and thoroughness you showed. Kazim, thank you again for everything.  Here’s hoping that tourist travel to Turkey increases in the future.  All our best.

Hi Kazim, I just wanted to thank you for organizing a great tour through a ‘little’ part of Turkey. We very much enjoyed the trip which was made so much better by having Sami as our guide. Sami was fantastic. We returned home ready to go back to Turkey… so much more to see.  The accommodation you arranged was great but we all felt that Nisanyan House was a fantastic break in a beautiful part of the world.  Thank you again and I look forward to catching up with you on our next trip to Turkey. Regards,

Dear Kazim,  I have been meaning to write you – my sincere apologies for the delay! I had a chance to speak with Chris, who was so happy with Baltac and especially Sami. Thank you! I really appreciate all your guidance and services you and your staff provided. The students had a remarkable experience in Istanbul. They are already sharing their experiences with the dean of faculty and other professors on campus!  Thank you, again, and I wish you all the best for the summer.

I wanted to let you know that we had an absolutely wonderful time every day of our trip. The people of Turkey are wonderful, polite, friendly and very welcoming. We had a wonderful guide, Sami Özçini and a great company that planned our trip with great attention to all details and great service, Baltac Tours (Kazım Uzunoğlu)! They have a lot of experience working with great companies such as Road Scholars. Everything ran smoothly and beyond my expectations and it cost less than the group tour I had previously booked. They patiently worked with me developing an itinerary and booked great, quaint and regional boutique hotels away from the trodden tourist hotels. They provided a car and the guide did all the driving. The roads are excellent, the gas stations are superior in cleanliness and convenience than the ones we have in the US.  The archeological richness and physical beauty of this country is unsurpassed and the guide was extremely knowledgeable and highly informed.

I would encourage you to recommend this company to your clients that are interested in going to Turkey. Please let me know if you have any questions and feel free to share my name and contact information.

Dear Kazim,  I wanted to thank you for putting together such a perfect tour of Iran; it couldn’t have been better– from Yasmine & Nadire to the cities & places we visited to the deluxe hotel rooms (which included the most amazing nite view of the shrine from my hotel window in Qom).  Traveling to Iran has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time & when saw Road Scholar finally added Iran to its offerings I went back to teaching last year so I could afford to go. I thought the pace and scheduled sites & activities were just as described — even better as Nadie & Yasmine were able to add some wonderful cultural events which became available once there. Nadire demonstrated breadth of knowledge and enthusiasm for her subject as well as incredible patience & sense of responsibility for the group. The opportunity to go to Qom and see another side of Iran was invaluable, as was being able to meet & talk with the two Imans. Being able to interact with people in their homes — Shiraz & the bread making, as well as the girl’s orphanage was just as meaningful for me as historical sites.

I feel Yasmine & Nadire went well beyond what was expected to try & meet this groups unique needs/demands– and always with a smile and great patience.  I had read that one of biggest dangers in Iran was the roads, but the bus driver and his helper were terrific and all of us were very comfortable riding with them.  They too went beyond their roles as drivers to help with transfer of luggage, convenient drop offs & pick ups etc.

Please know how much I appreciate the thought & planning you put into creating this tour– it is an experience I will never forget.  Though I’m sure you’ve heard before, please know too what an incredible tour leader you have in Yasmine– a perfect partner for Nadire.  May the year(s) ahead hold many more tours for you & Yasmine.  A most sincere thank you,

Kaz, All of us send our sincere thanks for your help arranging our visit to Turkey.  We had a wonderful time and were so impressed by the beauty of your country and the Turkish people.  And, it was a great pleasure to find out how much we all enjoyed your Turkish food. The accommodations, transportation and guides were first class and the entire trip was flawlessly planned and executed.  Any time we get the chance, we will encourage our friends to visit Turkey and use your services to insure they have a fantastic time. Sincerely,

Hi Kaz, David and I were on your tour several years ago, but have never forgotten our amazing time in Turkey with so many good people, great cultural experiences, and your wonderful guidance.  By far, you have been the best motorcycle guide we’ve ever enjoyed on the many trips we’ve taken around the world.  I’m writing not just to thank you, but also to let you know we are thinking of you, your family, and your beautiful country today as it faces the tragedy of terrorist acts. There is no way to really explain such destructive acts.  In the face of it all, I think of our time in Kona when you introduced me to Rumi. Now later, and many hours-time reading Rumi’s insightful messages of love, it is his wisdom I consider at this time as we all try to find our way through this thoughtless violence.  Sending you warm thoughts, hope, and appreciation,

Dear Kazim, I have safely arrived. My experience with Baltac was so positive.  You deserve great success. Thank you. With my best

Kazim,  I wanted to let you know that Volkan was wonderful. He made our trip to Turkey a wonderful one. His knowledge of history is incredible. If I remember 25% of everything he told us I would know a lot!  Thank you,

Dear Kazim,  I just had to write to tell you how wonderful the tour was with Bihter. She is a remarkable lady. I enjoyed every moment that we had with her. She is extremely knowledgeable, patient and has a good sense of humor. All the qualities that make a good guide. Your tour itinerary was also enjoyable. The fact that there were only 3 of us make it extra special. We all felt truly lucky that you had continued with the tour despite the low number of participants. What an experience! The coastline was stunning. The ruins were amazing. I will be promoting Turkey and Road Scholar programs there (through Baltac Tours) to everyone. Unfortunately in these turbulent times many people here in the United States are very worried about traveling abroad but I am reassuring them that we were perfectly safe. Bihter took her responsibilities very seriously and made sure that our walks were safe. She gave good advice about being in Istanbul as well. All and all it was a trip of a lifetime for me. Thank you!!!!

Dear Kazim, We had a wonderful trip! Thank you for making all the arrangements — everything went smoothly as clockwork. Bekir was an excellent and knowledgeable guide, and made the day enjoyable. We are very happy with how everything went. Thanks so much,