If you're a student journalists or happen to know one aspiring to become travel writers, there's no reason to wait to do slave work at an internship where you won't see the outside of a cubicle. Rough Guides and BikeHike Adventures are offering a contest that will send one one travel-hungry student to Istanbul on assignment.

You'll get to be a travel-writing assistant for Terry Richardson, author of The Rough Guide to Istanbul, who's researching a new edition of the book. But as is the case with any assistant gig, you'll be the one doing the grunt work researching and updating the guidebook. Be prepared to do some solo traveling.]]> Jennifer Kester 2011-02-02T09:46:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/11/17/1159/5563

Here at Jaunted, we are seemingly always discussing the newest (and awesomest) in-flight amenities, airline meals and airport lounges that come part and parcel with the price of your ticket. Alas, there are even more extras to discover during international travel, like the fact that Turkish Airlines takes passengers with long layovers on FREE tours around Istanbul.

It works like this: if you're flying on Turkish and switching flights at Istanbul's Atatürk Airport and you've got a layover of six hours or more, then you can head to the airport's Hotel Information Desk to partake in a free tour with a private guide. Stops on the tours usually include time at the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar. The itineraries do vary, but you can check ahead of time here to see exactly where the tours go and when.

[Image: TurkishAirlines.com] ]]> JetSetCD 2010-11-17T11:45:50-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/10/26/15657/620

They've called on Kevin Costner and the FC Barcelona soccer team in the past for their TV commercials, but this season Turkish Airlines has upgraded to Manchester United for a hot new spot.

Here at Jaunted, we love us some airline commercials and Turkish doesn't release nearly as many as, say, Southwest. So a new Turkish ad is a rare occasion, and this time they're showing off the spaciousness of their planes (note: in business class) by using the soccer players' best moves. We approve, although we could have done without the strained singing at the end.

Check it out above, and don't forget the Top 5 new airline ads for fall.]]> JetSetCD 2010-10-26T15:06:57-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/8/2/6319/31117

If you think you have the chops to be a travel writer—or are willing to do whatever's necessary for a free trip—here's your big break. Great Hotels of the World is holding a travel-writing contest whose winner will go to Istanbul on assignment.

The prize includes all of your flights, a five-night stay at Istanbul's Midtown Hotel, breakfast, dinner and "VIP travel writer treatment"—though most credible travel scribes do it anonymously to get the everyday person treatment. ]]> Jennifer Kester 2010-08-02T15:31:15-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/7/29/195922/402

When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Every culture with spicy foods seems to have that one milky drink that perfectly cools down your mouth. For instance, you order a lassi in India and a horchata in Mexico, and an Ayran in Turkey. It's a cold, yogurt-based beverage which we've found in not only Turkey, but also in the small grocery stores of the Astoria section of Queens, New York and also the Döner Kebap shops around Europe. Berlin especially loves a cold Ayran with their kebap.

The taste: Ayran is a simple drink, so easy to make that you could whip it up no problem at home. The major three ingredients (or only three, if you're making it plain) are water, yogurt and salt. Thus, it tastes exactly like natural yogurt watered down with salt water. Although this isn't the most appetizing description, trust that Ayran is quite tasty. The first sip just hits those places on your tongue that need to be caressed during a spicy meal. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-07-30T16:06:14-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/8/19/15551/1125

Turkish tourism has taken a sustained hit this year, both because of the recession and because of some geopolitical dustups that we aren't about to get into. Regardless of the cause, the country's tourism board realizes they need to make up some ground. As a result, they're launching a new campaign to emphasize the wide array of travelers who will find something in Turkey, from history buffs to pilgrims to sports tourists.

The ad push includes a commercial they planted in the center of Times Square, a revamped new web presence with information about events, to a YouTube channel with a bunch of videos. The channel can be a little over-exuberant in places—the description of Turkey as the "cradle of civilization" and the "center of world history" will be news to Baghdad and Rome—but it does a good job highlighting the different kinds of options travelers can avail themselves of. ]]> Omri 2009-08-20T08:59:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/23/13120/3213

Turkish Airlines wants you to feel like a flight attendant is always hovering over your shoulder on your next flight. The Star Alliance member tapped Kevin Costner for its latest commercial, which features the "Field of Dreams" actor making significant eye contact with an attendant who then serves him dinner and puts in his bookmark (not a euphemism) as a bouncy tune suggests he "feel[s] like a star." Let's just hope he didn't show her the business in gratitude.

We saw this spot over and over on CNN International last month and never once registered that it was Costner. (In fact, we didn't even remember the airline name, just the tune as heard through a haze of jet lag.)

That said, doesn't his presence actually undermine the claim that anyone flying Turkish Airlines will feel like a star, considering Costner was an A-lister at one point and is still pretty famous. Maybe they teamed up with him because of his long and happy history with turkeys from "Waterworld" to "Swing Vote." Costner has actually been to Turkey before, though, on a world tour with his country band, Kevin Costner and Modern West.

Turkish Airlines recently suffered a nasty crash outside Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport in February in which nine died as the plane broke into three places in a botched landing.

Related Stories:
· Kevin Costner Rounds Out The Wacky Crowd At Tribeca Grand [HC]
· Turkish Arlines Jet Crashes Outside Schiphol Airport [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted] ]]> egw 2009-06-23T15:23:20-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/