An Unexpected 3 Days In Türkiye

Nikki Wynn

Jun 1, 2025 — 2 min read

Istanbul wasn't on our radar but when a last minute invitation came, we couldn't say no.

We've said "yes" to a lot of off the cuff opportunities in the last couple of months, even if it derails us from other goals (let's just say the van build progress is slow). This trip to Istanbul was one of them.

It's not procrastination, I swear. We are excited about finishing the van build and making our way towards Mexico and beyond. It's more that it has been a brutal 24 months of delays, limbo and starting over. We thought we would be sailing through Africa right about now. We had the next few years of our lives all planned out. But sometimes things don't work out to plan. And part of keeping our chins up, bouncing back and figuring out "what's next"...is giving ourselves permission to just say "yes" to any opportunity that sounds fun.

So, when a last minute invitation came our way to attend the President's International Yacht Race in Istanbul, Türkiye, we weren't going to say no. Because we've never been to Türkiye and why not. But honestly, the biggest draw was that our friends Rico and Victoria were going. We've become close over the past few years and this opportunity to travel together was just too good to pass up.

The trip was short and sweet, especially considering it was international, but it was just enough to know we NEED to come back. The city of Istanbul was charming but this region of the world is where civilization began. Places like Cappadocia with its balloon festival, bronze age carved homes and towering rock formations are calling to us next.