Turkey, Marmaris

8 July 2011

Day 1 Turkey

The decision to visit Turkey was made one week before I went. My first choice of a travel agent wasThomson’s, I chose a package holiday because it was more feasible and easier. The holiday was booked by a personal visit to Thomson’s in Newquay. It was easier to choose the destination, by being in the travel agent, and I know all the staff which reduced barriers to entering the travel agent and to communication with the staff . I was offered a choice of 3 or 4 holidays including Turkey. I chose Turkey because it is unique and different to where I had been before; I had been told that Turkey was a very good place to visit.

Perceptions of risk at the time of booking:

Booking assistance on and off the plane; transfers.
Risk that connections would fail due to lateness or cancellation.
Injections/inoculations?; visa?; suitability of the accommodation.
I didn’t ask whether Turkey provided a disabled-friendly environment.
Travel Insurance

Arrival at Airport (Exeter)

I visited the help desk to confirm the assistance that the travel agent had previously arranged for me. I set off the alarm at security due to the metal in my body.

The plane departed on time. Toilet facilities on the plane were a barrier, otherwise the flight was good.

Disembarkation

I asked the stewardess on the plane if I could visit the cockpit. I was given permission to do so. A lady from the airport helped me off the plane but left me before passports etc. This left me very apprehensive about luggage: no help with luggage on carousel; this is a risk and a barrier. Apprehension about finding the baggage is an example of risk for the following reasons:

Misinformation or lack of information about which carousel was being used meant that the baggage was hard to find. This lack of assistive information caused anger levels to rise, which could, possibly, instigate the onset of a seizure. This would create real risks to well-being in a foreign environment.

Loss of baggage would cause difficulties for the disabled which may not prove to be problematic for those without disabilities. There were also barriers involved in this situation including inadequate communication by airport staff assigned to assist the disabled . My speech impairment combined with the language barrier made it very difficult for me to communicate.

I passed through passport control where I was charged £10 for a visa. I was last out of passport control and I was confused about where to go next because all the other passengers had gone on ahead. My assistance left me stranded so I had no alternative but to follow the crowd to ensure that I caught the transit coach. THIS IS A RISK AND A BARRIER. There was no-one to help me. I didn’t know which coach I was supposed to be on. THIS IS A RISK. I asked some English people to help me. They found where I had to go.

The Thomson’s help desk assisted me to board the correct coach.

Marmaris Town

The Hotel at Marmaris

Arrival at the hotel at 5:30 am: I was driven by a hotel employee who didn’t speak English to another hotel and it was difficult to communicate with the staff. I was not told why I was being taken to another hotel (No availability and no facilities for the disabled allegedly). I was alone.

At 10:00 am I was picked up and taken back to the original hotel where I met with the tour rep and asked her to move me to a hotel where English was spoken.

I was very irritated by this time because of bad communication Thomson’s because they didn’t allocate me to a hotel that could deal with my disability.

The hotel manager arranged for me to change hotel by asking a lady guest if she would be prepared to move on my behalf. She agreed to do this. I was grateful to the guest for helping me out but felt guilty that the guest was being inconvenienced on my behalf. The hotel did try to accommodate me once they knew about my situation.

Hotel Facilities

Access was good for me but poor for someone in a wheelchair.

Not ideal for disabled tourists.

1/1

Excursions

I went on two boat trips in Turkey. During the first trip to an island, when I was disembarking, the steps were so steep that I slipped and put my leg in the gap between the steps. I was only able to keep balance because my other leg is strong. It was also a traumatic experience as on the island I felt treatment of me was like that of a second class citizen and I felt I was being mocked by the locals. At the hotel I had pay for a Doctor to treat my leg as it was bleeding and he gave me some medication for pain.

However I was not put off by these experiences and barriers and on my last day I went on a tour, this included a second boat trip to a nearby island but the boat was not accessible by wheel chair and not disabled friendly, this was a barrier for disabled tourists.

Describe your image.

The night before I flew back to England, I transferred to a different hotel, near the airport. The risk perceptions of this hotel were low because it was really accessible and as there was no language barrier I was able to communicate my needs. I walked into town and had something to eat. Everyone was very friendly and I was made welcome. Tourists from different backgrounds and cultures were very accepting of me.

I left the hotel at 1o’clock and caught a coach to the airport and I checked in; the airport was so big I got lost. Arrive Exeter the following morning at 8 AM.

Comments

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