You know those spontaneous trips that somehow always turn out to be the best ones? Well, this was one of them. I had three days off after my US flight, it was my boyfriend’s birthday, and we wanted to go somewhere to celebrate, so we ended up in Turkey, Istanbul.
But….the chaos before we actually got there…
Starting off, I landed around midday from Boston after a 13-hour flight and zero sleep. I was dead tired but still excited to travel, yes, I still get excited to travel even though it’s my job, hehe. I got home around 2 pm and our flight to Istanbul was from Dubai at 6 pm. So, quick shower, unpack, repack, get ready, and run out the door. It was rush hour, so the drive from Abu Dhabi to Dubai took almost an hour and a half. We took our own car, parked it at my friend’s place, and grabbed a taxi from there.
Why not just fly from Abu Dhabi? Well, there were no flights until after midnight the next day, and since we only had three days, I wanted to make the most of it.
Boarding was at 17:15, we arrived at 17:20. Departure? 18:00. I was panicking and we were literally running for our lives. It was our first time at Dubai Airport and we had no idea what to expect, luckily it wasn’t too busy and things went smoothly… until we realized our gate was faaaaar away. Suddenly, an airport staff member appeared with a buggy and started racing 🏎️ us to our gate. Yes, we were the last ones to board, but oh, the relief stepping onto that plane! Little did we know our trip home would be ten times more nerve-wracking… but more on that later.
We rented a small apartment in Şişli, really pretty area where you can find everything, and the sea isn’t far. We arrived around midnight, went straight to bed, and started our day early the next morning.
Breakfast in a cozy café nearby, then off exploring! First day: 25,000 steps. Second day: 28,000. Yep, we walked everywhere, and it was absolutely worth it. The weather was perfect. We walked down to Beşiktaş, where I tried filled potatoes for the first time. Verdict: delicious.
The next day, we walked to Beyoğlu, had coffee and San Sebastian cheesecake by the Galata Tower, then continued to an area called Fatih, super cozy to walk around, full of small antique shops selling things like old vinyls, cassette tapes, and all kinds of cool stuff.
Apart from all the baklava we ate, we had dinner at Cigerci Bahattin. Loved the concept – you pick your meat, get your skewers, and they bring bread, salad, tabbouleh, yogurt… the whole table’s covered. For two people, it was a feast, but we were starving and finished it easily.
Our last day started off smooth, we packed our stuff and grabbed breakfast at Café Nero before heading to the airport. Since we both travel on what’s called staff tickets, there are pros and cons, they’re super cheap, but you’re waitlisted until the last minute. You only get a seat if there’s space. So, until check-in closes, you’re just hoping for that magic “cleared” status so you can get your boarding pass and sprint to the gate.
Everything looked fine… until I checked the flight loads. The plane back was full. Panic! I had an early morning flight for work the next day. At the airport, we found out it was overbooked. It was already late afternoon, and I started running around checking other flights. Found one, overbooked too. We were going from counter to counter, begging for any available seats. Finally, I found a flight with three seats left. I didn’t risk it, booked a full-fare ticket on the spot, checked in, and ran to the gate (again)…
My boyfriend still had a few days off, so he wasn’t in a rush. He stayed at the airport and caught a flight to Dubai the next morning. He took our car, I grabbed a taxi from the airport and got home around 2 am. My alarm for my next flight? 5 am. 🫠
Was it worth it? Definitely. Three amazing (and chaotic) days in Istanbul, stories to laugh at later, and lessons learned about always having a plan B when flying on a waitlisted ticket.
Safe travels, everyone ✈️
