(Note: professional guides provide their services for a fee. Although they welcome inquiries about scheduling and availability of their services, they expect to be paid when they provide tourism information. You may be asked to arrange payment before questions are answered. Also, if you reserve a guide’s time in advance, you may be asked to arrange credit card payment at the time of reservation, just as for a hotel room, rental car, or flight. Please note that guides are not travel agents, and are not licensed to make reservations or other travel agency services.—Tom Brosnahan)
Hi, I’m Erkut Aldeniz. I had 2 dreams in my childhood: To read all the books in our library, and to travel to every single place in Turkey. I consider myself lucky that I fulfilled both dreams.
I was born in İmroz Island (now called Gökçeada) in the North Aegean Sea in 1971 and spent 6 years of my childhood there. My family then moved to Çanakkale. Spending your childhood half an hour from Troy and just across from the Gallipoli Peninsula where you get visitors from all over the world motivates you to get out of your tiny corner of the globe.
I then went to a boarding school in Izmir where the language of teaching was English; and then to Istanbul and came out of high school in 1990 to go to college in Ankara where I spent 4 years, earning a BA Degree in American Studies from Hacettepe University.
I earned my professional guiding certificate from the Ministry of Tourism in 1995.
As a Professional National Guide, I first started guiding for a local travel agency in Kalkan, which is on the South Coast of Turkey following this I lived in Cappadocia for 5 years, and was leading tours all over Turkey.
At present I am based in Istanbul. I can (and do) provide Professional Guiding Services all over Turkey and I mostly specialize in historical sightseeing itineraries. My primary concern while laying out itineraries is your priorities.
I’ve also been recruited by the Union of Tourist Guides as an instructor guide for their annual Guides’ Training Trips.
I have two serious hobbies which I would refer to as passions rather than hobbies: I am a Master Scuba Diver, currently with over 600 dives logged in the seas of the world; and I am an amateur cook who participated in a large number of cooking classes and workshops all over the world.
My goal in guiding is to offer cultural sightseeing tours in the most flexible way where I define each itinerary according to the guest’s conditions, needs and requirements.
I also like to combine the sightseeing with any possible outdoor activities (not necessarily meaning adventures and adrenaline) in a way that the I am not only your guide but also your dive buddy, or the paddler, or the rider and I keep you company in all aspects of the tour.
I am also an Emergency First Responder, updating my skills every 2 years. It feels safe to travel with someone who knows what to do if need be.
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