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/2010/11/11/151348/84

Every so often, we go through serious destination crushes, and we bet you do too. When it was summer in New York City, we were all about looking up airfares to Iceland, but now that it's cold and getting dreary, the exotic entrances. Which means that we've got our eye on Istanbul, and umm yea we're totally going to spend the weekend wasting hours on Wikipedia pages and Netflix documentaries about the city's history and landmarks. Or we could just book a flight and be done with it. That could also happen.

Luckily for travelers who also need a serious escape, Turkish Airlines just launched a sweet fare sale to coincide with the beginning of direct flights between Washington DC, Los Angeles and Istanbul. If you book before December 31 and travel before March 31, 2011, then flights on the DC route are $751 including taxes & fees and $999 on the LA route, same deal.

It's almost as good as that mindblowing Lufthansa sale that ended last week, but with the Turkish Airlines flights, you don't have to switch planes in Germany. These are direct, baby!

Here are all the details on the flights, and we'll (maybe) see you at the Blue Mosque.

[Photo: Bulent-LtBaSpotter]]]> JetSetCD 2010-11-12T14:27:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/9/21/115836/203

What international airline is adding the most new direct routes to the US in the next year? If you guessed Turkish Airlines, you'd be right. The airline's CEO, Dr. Temel Kotil, was in New York City yesterday and we made sure to catch up with him to talk about Turkish's campaign to get more Americans interested in Turkey and their fast-expanding airline.

What Turkish Airlines' CEO Dr. Temel Kotil has to say... · On the next adventure for Turkish Airlines, in the US:
"We want to be the largest company on Earth," says a smiling Dr. Kotil, and although that sounds like the height of ambition, Kotil counters by stating that years ago, when they wanted to be Southern Europe's largest airline and in the top 3 for Europe, that was also counted as too ambitious. But both those goals have now been attained, and to continue expanding, they're looking at the US.

Three new routes will begin in the next several months: Washington DC, Atlanta and Los Angeles to Istanbul. Beyond that, Kotil wants to add twice daily flights from New York and new routes from Detroit, Boston, Houston and Miami. ]]> JetSetCD 2010-09-22T09:35:48-05:00 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/2010/2/1/155647/7047

Have you ever heard of Pegasus Airlines? We can't remember if we have, but apparently they've been flying for 19 years in Turkey, and have some pretty great rates for travel around Europe, especially with their current Valentine's Day promotion.

Let's say you'll be in London for good old Valentine's, but you've got a little extra vacation time. Why not skip Paris but still honor the memory of the romantic Orient Express by hopping a flight to Istanbul? If you book on Pegasus before February 13, and fly between February 11 and 15, then the second passenger travels for 50% off.

Or just forget it and wait until March, when the airline begins service between Paris-Orly and Istanbul, with tickets starting from 49.99 EUR one-way. Yes, Pegasus considers itself a low-cost carrier, so you in-flight meals will cost money, but you can at least pre-order them. Perhaps it's time we finally dipped our toes in the Bosphorus...

Related Stories:
· Pegasus Airlines [Official Site]
· LCC news [Jaunted]

[Photo: Pegasus Airlines]]]> JetSetCD 2010-02-01T16:30:10-05:00 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 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/