Russian travel blogger Alexandra Konovalova has warned tourists against making expensive transport and mobile coverage mistakes when visiting popular holiday destinations across Turkey.
Writing on her personal channel on the Zen blogging platform, Konovalova highlighted airport taxi services as the initial financial trap for independent visitors arriving in the country.
She explained that holidaymakers travelling outside organised package tours do not need to hire the first available cab waiting outside airport arrivals terminals. Instead, she advised travellers to arrange an individual transfer in advance or board a group shuttle service to save money.
Turkey remains one of the world's primary travel destinations, attracting millions of international visitors annually to Mediterranean resort hubs such as Antalya and cultural capitals like Istanbul. While package holidays often include airport transfers in the overall cost, independent tourists frequently rely on local transit options immediately after landing at major international gateways.
Mobile data options for tourists
Konovalova also singled out purchasing local SIM cards as one of the most unnecessarily costly decisions a tourist can make during a trip to Turkey. She noted that mobile network operators in the country do not offer financially advantageous packages specifically designed for foreign visitors.
Rather than buying a physical card from a local kiosk, she recommended utilizing electronic SIM technology. She explained that she relies on an eSIM while travelling in Turkey, which allows users to purchase internet packages online before installing them according to digital instructions and activating mobile data upon arrival without inserting a physical card into their device.
An eSIM, or embedded subscriber identity module, is a programmable digital SIM built into modern smartphones that enables users to connect to cellular networks without using a physical card. Travelers frequently use digital data plans to avoid costly international roaming fees or local carrier registration surcharges imposed on foreign mobile devices.
Public transport savings in Antalya
For getting around resort towns, the blogger urged holidaymakers to choose public transit systems rather than relying on local taxis. She pointed out that a single journey on public transport using an official AntalyaKart transit card currently costs 42 liras, which equals roughly 72 Russian rubles.
Antalya, located on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey, is a major resort city known for its beaches, historic harbour, and extensive municipal transport network, including modern buses and trams operated via the AntalyaKart smart card system.
The travel blogger previously visited Turkey alongside her Hungarian husband. Reflecting on her earlier experiences in the country, she described her overall impressions of the trip by stating that the metropolis of Istanbul reminded her of Russia.
Istanbul is Turkey's largest city and economic center, famous for spanning territory across both Europe and Asia along the Bosphorus Strait.
