Originally Posted by
Worcester
I live in Istanbul as an Ex Pat, it is a minor concern but after attacks in Paris and other major cities I don't feel the risk here is greater than any other major city. The Turkish police are efficient for the most part.
More afraid of Turkish domus and taxi drivers...
Candidly, I think the risk is significantly higher now in IST than Paris or any other place in Western Europe or the USA. There are just more "bad guys" there with more grievances, and more access. And that's before one considers the relative skills of the Turkish police (I'm no expert on that).
That said, based on what we know today, I don't think anyone needs to cancel a trip to IST. The odds are still very, very low that you'd be a victim. The major risk is to your peace of mind.
Originally Posted by
MileageAddict
I have award tickets booked to Istanbul for late May with onward travel to Greece. I've been to Istanbul before so it's not like I absolutely have to go there.
I'm traveling with my girlfriend who is a not nearly as seasoned a traveler as me and if I change my itinerary, it would be more for her benefit/peace of mind.
I'm going to think about it for a week or two before I do anything.
I'd give it until at least March before pondering a change. Let's see what happens. If things stay "hot" in IST, maybe you can still visit and just lay low -- stay away from the top tourist attractions/neighborhoods.
Originally Posted by
GUWonder
I know people who were in a WTC tower when a van/truck bomb was used and when 9/11 happened.
But there are situations where one attack may mark the beginning of a series of related attacks that happen in a tighter time FRA, and more directly related way than that. Some would say that Turkey has managed to rather extensively stir more than one nest of hornets within the past twelve months, and thus "lightning striking twice" may be way more likely now than during some prior periods.
Yeah, I'm kind of expecting more attacks in IST. Kind of like you'd expect more attacks in Baghdad (but, obviously, not as bad as that). This is a different situation from Paris where there MIGHT be more attacks, but there's at least an equal chance that nothing else will happen this year. Travel to IST right now requires real thought; this isn't just a nervous-nelly situation.