Community guidelines

1. Be useful

Answer the question that was asked. Say when you were there, what you paid, and what you'd do differently. “It depends” is fine if you explain what it depends on. If you don't know, it's okay not to reply. Opinions are welcome; please label them as opinions.

Good questions get good answers. Include dates, budget, who you're travelling with, and what you've already found out. Use a clear title: “Istanbul airport to Sultanahmet at 2 am — taxi or Havaist?” beats “Help!!”.

2. No advertising, no affiliate links

This forum has no ads and no affiliate deals, and that goes for members too. Do not post affiliate or tracking links, coupon codes, promotional posts, or “DM me for a tour”. Recommending a specific hotel, guide or company because you used them and liked them is exactly what the forum is for — just say so plainly and link to their normal website if useful.

Accounts created mainly to promote a business are removed, including the posts.

3. Disclose if you work for a business you mention

Owners, employees, guides and agents are welcome here — your knowledge is valuable. But if you mention a business you work for, own, or are paid by, say so in the same post (“Disclosure: I run this hotel”). Undisclosed self-promotion is treated as advertising. Writing fake reviews of your own or a competitor's business, or asking others to, leads to a permanent ban.

4. No personal data of other people

Don't post other people's phone numbers, home addresses, ID numbers, car plates, photos of identifiable strangers or private messages without their consent. Naming a business and describing what happened is fine; posting a receptionist's personal WhatsApp is not. Think twice before posting your own passport or booking details, too.

5. English preferred

The forum is in English so that the widest range of travellers can read and reply. Turkish words and phrases are very welcome (and often the point). If English isn't your first language, don't worry about mistakes — clarity matters more than grammar.

6. Search before asking; avoid duplicates

Many questions (ETA/visa, SIM cards, Istanbulkart, balloon prices) have recent, detailed threads. Search first. If a thread is recent and answers your case, reply there rather than opening a new one. If it's out of date, open a new topic and link to the old one. Moderators may merge duplicates.

7. Be civil

Disagree with the claim, not the person. No harassment, slurs, or discrimination of any kind. Political arguments are not what people come here for and get locked.

8. Reporting

Every topic and reply has a Reportbutton. Use it for spam, advertising, personal data, harassment or anything that breaks these guidelines, and add a short reason. Reports are private; the author isn't told who reported them. For anything urgent or legal (copyright, defamation, your own personal data), email [email protected] or use the contact form.

9. Moderation ladder

Moderators are volunteers and act in this order unless the case is severe (e.g. fake reviews, doxxing, threats), in which case we skip to the end:

1. Warning. The post is edited or hidden and you get a notification explaining why.
2. Temporary ban. Usually 7 or 30 days. You can read but not post.
3. Permanent ban. The account is closed; spam accounts are removed together with their posts.

Moderation actions are logged. If you think a decision was wrong, reply to the moderation notification or contact us; a different moderator will look at it.

10. Content you post

You keep ownership of what you write and grant the forum a licence to display it, as described in the terms of use. Posts stay online even if you delete your account, because other people's answers depend on them — they are shown as written by a deleted user.