Thank you so much for attending our wedding! We hope this guide will offer some guidance and comfort on your trip to Türkiye. We really hope that guests make use of their vacation time to explore the region around Çesme and İzmir in addition to attending our wedding. Please see the section Traveling in Türkiye below for recommendations and tips.

Nearly all guests attending this wedding from outside of Türkiye will not require a visa. Only guests from Vietnam will want to make arrangements prior to their arrival.

You can check your status here.

If you do not have an international cell plan, we recommend getting a SIM card prior to traveling to Türkiye to limit the frustration of traveling without access to maps and communication and the additional costs levied on travellers getting a domestic SIM.

If your phone is eSIM-compatible, we recommend using Airalo. If not, there are plenty of sketchy third-party services, e.g. on Amazon, that we found to be surprisingly reliable.

To reduce risk, we recommend using Google Maps map download feature to save a map of the İzmir region, including Çesme, prior to your departure.

Getting to Çesme will require flying into Izmir (ADB). After arriving in Izmir, you'll need to travel to Çesme. This is about a one hour drive.

For guests from outside of Europe, we strongly recommend flying Turkish Airlines to Istanbul (IST) and then to İzmir (ADB). Istanbul and İzmir are the first and third largest cities in Türkiye and so flights are timed for travellers to make it across the sprawling IST airport in-time.

For travelers from Los Angeles and some major US cities, there are direct flights to IST. Please check the Turkish Airlines website here.

For European travelers, there are direct services to İzmir from numerous cities. This can provide a more efficient and economical option than flying on Turkish Airlines.

We are currently expect guests to arrange their own ground transportation to their lodging. If you feel this is a limiting burden, please get in touch with us.

After arriving in İzmir (ADB) the next step will be getting to Çesme. This is about a one hour drive. You can get to Çesme using a rental car or hotel-provided shuttle service. Given that car rental is about $30/day and the shuttle service is about $50, we recommend getting a rental car. Just be aware that many rental cars are stick shift, so be sure to filter for automatic transmission if you cannot drive stick. If you choose to drive, see the section on Driving in Türkiye below.

The route from ADB to Çesme is straight-forward and road signs clearly indicate the route. Note that the freeway to Çesme is a toll road. The very modest fee will automatically be forwarded to the rental company and will be added to your bill.

Be aware that the area near the hotel & venue has seen a frantic pace of development with construction vehicle traffic impacting road quality. As you near the hotel, drive carefully.

The Welcome Reception, Ceremony, and Wedding Reception will all occur at On'Live Hotel located in Çesme, Türkiye. There is another colocated hotel, Ontur Hotel, that has more family-friendly accommodation for guests visiting with children. To limit logistical complexity, we strongly recommend getting a hotel room at either of these hotels to attend the wedding. That said, there are numerous hotels within a 15 minute drive of the location.

On'Live/Ontur Hotel have their own pebble beach. However, the straight between Çesme and the island of Chios (Turkish: Sakız) is a bit chilly. See the section below for recommended beaches if you seek warmer waters to bathe in.

American tourists will find the transition to driving in Türkiye generally straightforward. Most roads are well-paved and well-signed. Urban traffic is dense but generally flows more efficiently than American streets due to the use of traffic circles. Freeways are less common than in America and have less traffic.

Consider the following tips as you navigate & drive:

• There are many stray animals in Türkiye. Please be cautious for their safety.

• Roads identified in green are freeways. Roads identified in blue are highways. Destinations identified in brown are historic ruins.

• If you plan on traveling within İzmir, get the smallest vehicle that will accommodate your family to facilitate parking.

• Finding urban parking can be a nightmare in some neighborhoods of İzmir (for visitors from LA, imaging finding parking in Koreatown). Observe how other cars are parked to understand what sort of parking is appropriate within a given neighborhood. Respect private no parking signs, cones, and bricks that may be laid out. There may be private parking lots that have reasonable rates depending on where you are.

• Some inter-city highways will have Jandarma (Gendarmerie) checkpoints. Respect the signage, slow down, queue, and prepare your documentation if observed. Rest assured they are not looking for you.

• Legally, there is no right-turn-on-red as in America. That said, we have never been penalized for it.

• Unlike America, Türkiye is civilized and the left lane is used for passing in highways and freeways when they are not congested. Do not drive in the left lane if you are not passing. If you notice someone tailgating you and flashing high-beams, be respectful and merge right to allow them to pass.

• On highways, there are speeding cameras. Whether or not they are currently active is random. Please slow down to the speed limit when you observe a sign to avoid a ticket. Tickets are reasonably priced for American and European tourists but can be complicated to pay so it is better to avoid them.