During the height of the pandemic, I like many others did some soul searching. When faced with the circumstances the world had to endure, including being isolated and contained in our homes, we were all also faced with the bitter reality of the quality of life we had created for ourselves. As we all know, and especially here in Turkey, an exodus occurred, but this time instead of it being a movement from the rural lifestyle to an urban one, many young professionals who had the means and the opportunity to work remotely, chose to make significant lifestyle changes and relocated to regions along Turkey’s southern coast.

From the millions that headed to their summer homes in Bodrum, or simply packed up and left Istanbul and Ankara outright, there has been an undeniable exodus to more rural and touristic regions in Turkey. Because the bottom line is: The pandemic made many of us question our lifestyles and decide to live more aligned with our values. When restricted from outside spaces, and especially the beaches and parks, suddenly many people realized the importance of nature and having outdoor space as part of their abode. And like me, I believe others also reassessed what is truly necessary for us to live our fullest lives.

I know I certainly had a change of heart and would go so far as to say I realized that I was not truly living according to my values. Fortunately, the varied geography in Turkey allows for a whole spectrum of lifestyles. From living in the big cities or their suburbs and residing in flats or gated residences to the same in many coastal towns that expats and digital nomads, in particular, had already discovered. The world is truly your oyster here in Turkey should you know what you want and how to get it.

What I discovered in the pandemic is that I had actually gotten my values all wrong. I have lived in 15 different homes and over a dozen different areas in Turkey forever seeking out the elusive detached, in Turkish "müstakil," home. I have had a number of strict requirements for the homes I chose to live in, which included being immersed in nature and ideally not even having a single building or similar structure in the vista. Interestingly, and on a tight budget, for years I have successfully resided in homes that fit these categories and I must admit, they have been spectacular. From glass homes on mountains overlooking the sea in the Assos region to a stone home in a village in Bodrum later gentrified with the entry of a luxurious golf course, to my most recent home in Dalyan equipped with a private flowing creek and visiting ducks in the dozens.

You see one of my top values has always been to live my life in harmony with nature and animals and to cause as little damage to the environment with my lifestyle. And so, I immersed myself in nature and lived a secluded life with a very selective number of social contacts and at least a half-an-hour drive to be able to even socialize. My own personal and radical life change came with a visit to the neighboring town of Akyaka, where I parked my car and didn’t feel the need to get back in it for something like three weeks and when I finally did, it was to pack up and move into this quaint yet boutique, kite-surf haven town that also happens to be spectacularly lush and beset in nature as it lines the Azmak Creek, which leads into the pristine sea and islets of the Gulf of Gokova. The setting was enough to satisfy my need to live in an area rich in nature and animals yet suddenly, I no longer needed to use my car, which means I was truly making a dent in my own potential carbon emission. Not only has using my car as little as possible become a core value for me, but I also realized that being social on a daily basis and especially with like-minded changemakers had become another core value I have chosen to live my life by.

I thank Turkey daily for offering me the amazing experiences this country does both socially and with its strong sense of community coupled with its immense and diverse history and nature. Luckily, there are so many towns in Turkey that offer the lifestyle I now chose to live by and many are also bike-friendly. From Dalyan to Marmaris, Fethiye, Antalya as well as the Çanakkale region, there are multiple self-sufficient towns immersed in nature that also offer well-equipped bus services should you want to venture further. Or, try any of these towns out for a month or so in the off-season as all of them will have "apart hotels," which are short-stay flats available throughout the year yet at more affordable rates and especially excluding summer.

Don’t get me wrong, most of Turkey’s cities are also revered for their nature and have self-sufficient neighborhoods that could accommodate anyone’s daily needs. All of Turkey’s cities also have advanced public transportation options and so there is actually no real need for a car whatsoever in this country – that is unless like me, you like to take the path less chosen or to persistently venture into new horizons alone and with the sole pursuit of being in nature. Gratefully, I realize now I got it all wrong because you can do all of those things and more and actually make a real and measurable positive impact on your own carbon footprint if you share those experiences with the amazing people one can meet when part of an active community.