Türkiye is fast becoming a popular destination for digital nomads and caters well to remote workers, especially as many domestic operations are also switching to the working-from-home option. While this has made the conditions for those of us working from our computers much easier over the past few years, with coworking spaces and the likes popping up all over the place and the cost of living affordable for those on a foreign salary, I argue the notion that Türkiye has always been a great destination for digital nomads and expats like me, my mother and the vast community of foreigners residing and retiring here can attest to and here’s why:

Turkish Values

The Turks are known for their hospitality, which certainly extends to visiting foreigners, especially those who choose to live here. While they certainly will appreciate it if you attempt to speak their language, it certainly is not a must as most Turks speak a certain degree of English and jump at any opportunity to be able to practice their language skills. Turks will go to all ends to help people and most of the time, just for the sake of it. They love giving gifts, being neighborly and social, and going on spontaneous adventures. Turks have strong family values and as you can witness from the number of adorable street animals we share our lives with, they love caring for their furry friends, which for me is always a sight for sore eyes after living in places where painfully strays are nearly non-present.

Housing and Homestead

The housing in Türkiye is comparatively affordable for foreigners and there is a wide range of options from villas to village detached houses, apartments in gated communities to flats found just about anywhere. It is rare to find a studio-sized apartment because Turks traditionally prefer to share their homestead with family members and friends rather than secure a smaller space for themselves. Turks love to garden and sit on their balconies with a cup of tea for a game of tavla (backgammon) and admittedly, most homes and apartments have been built to accommodate this need. This means that the majority of homes in Türkiye will have some sort of outdoor space in the form of a balcony or a garden and you can easily make it one of your demand criteria for the type of home you choose to live in, especially if you are sourcing a living space from a real estate agent or an online website.

Türkiye's Cafe Culture

The Turks’ love for coffee and tea is certainly nothing new, but luckily, in addition to the traditional tea gardens and coffee shops where locals are pretty much always welcome to laze away the day, there is a new wave of comfortable cafes and gourmet coffee shops opening all over the country for the sole purpose of socializing, studying or working at your table. It is extremely rare for people to be asked to leave a space and, in many cases, even difficult to pay your bill in a timely fashion as sitting and enjoying a cup of tea and coffee is an inherent part of Türkiye's history and culture.

For the Love of Food

Turkish cuisine is delicious, diverse, based on fresh seasonal produce and affordable. From dining out for long and lavish meals to snacking on street foods after midnight, a lot is available for people who like to eat out. In the same vein, the selection for sourcing the best products is vast and, in many cases, is centered around the weekly farmers' markets and local producers.

The Nightlife

I am always amazed at how on any given day of the week in most cities and towns, you can find people sitting at cafes, dancing to live music or just strolling on the streets. Furthermore, the after-hour soup vendors and street food stalls can have lines out the door well after midnight. How they can afford the money and the time allotted to just enjoying life has always amazed me as someone who tends to turn into Cinderella at midnight. And, most of the partying people you see out on the streets will still be able to wake up bright and energetic in the morning for work. There is no arguing that the Turks have a love for life and enough energy to express it!

The Spontaneity

Many of the aforementioned factors, such as whiling away a day at the café or dancing on the streets at night, occur spontaneously in Türkiye. The Turks are famous for making tentative plans, followed by the idiom "Inşallah," which means "God Willing." So while it may be hard to get most Turks to adhere to a specific time or plan, you could literally end up on a wild adventure with them at the drop of a hat. I now know to be as ready as possible for anything at any time in Türkiye because you never know where you could end up if you wanted to. This means I always dress for success, have ample cash on me and stock up on snacks and water and any supplies literally in my bag on my side because a simple stroll could turn into a reuniting with old friends or a whirlwind adventure with new ones. The sky is the limit when it comes to living for the moment in Türkiye!

The Nature

I have lived in Istanbul, which is also revered for the amount of greenery and bodies of water the vast metropolis also harbors, but personally, I love the coastal and forested areas of the country. But in Türkiye, there is truly something for everyone. If it is rock climbing you like, there is an area in Antalya for that, the coastline of Marmaris is excellent for bikers, the plateaus and lakes of the Black Sea regions are spectacular, lively cities such as Eskisehir and Canakkale have wonderful nearby natural and historical getaways and Cappadocia is undisputedly one of the most miraculous natural geographies that ever existed.

The History

A bucket list for Türkiye could pretty much be endless. Is it some of the most ancient archeological sites you seek to see, soar in a hot balloon, or paragliding over the country’s aforementioned geographical wonders? Hike along the ancient Lycia and Carian Trail or traverse the steps of Saint Paul and dip into the spring baths of Cleopatra ... need I say more because I could. The coast is littered with rock tombs carved into hills thousands of years ago, there are underground cities and cisterns and churches dating back to the start of the A.D. era.

Culture and Arts

While I grew up in Los Angeles, many might be surprised that it was in Türkiye that I got to witness ballets and operas from visiting state troupes from all over the world. My introduction to museums, archeology and anthropology, in which I would get a degree happened in Türkiye. There are language and arts courses in towns all over the country, many of which are free and events such as seminars, conferences and philosophy night are regular occurrences everywhere.

The Safety

For me, and especially as an American, I have to say the top reason that I chose to live in Türkiye is safety. I have spent months in Türkiye camping under trees, in homes without keys, not locking my car doors and walking home at all hours of the night, each of which are things I could never have done while growing up in Los Angeles. If someone were to harass me, I just tell the closest market vendor and they help. I have heard of break-ins but believe it is economically driven and rare for people to be harmed. And while yes, there are horror stories that pop up in the news all the time that seem to be crimes of passion which do happen everywhere, whereas in other countries, such as my native U.S., I would feel scared to send a child to school or even the movies no less, because of the sheer randomness of the violence that seems to occur there more regularly.