The Churches of the Revelation

Your passport

Türkiye asks for a passport valid at least six months beyond your arrival date, which for this trip means valid through late April 2027 at the very least. It also needs at least one completely blank page for entry and exit stamps. Travelers have been turned away at Istanbul for a full passport, so open yours and look.

Your visa — most likely, nothing to do

United States tourist passports do not require a visa for stays of 90 days or less. Nothing to apply for, nothing to pay. If you hold a passport from any other country, check your nearest Turkish consulate for e-Visa requirements, and do it early rather than late.

Your travel protection

If you purchased travel protection, the policy does you no good sitting in an inbox at home. Before you fly, write down three things and carry them with you.

There is a place to write all three under Who to Call. Fill it in before you leave. Leave a second copy with someone at home.

Your prescriptions

• Bring enough for the full trip plus several extra days, in original labeled containers.
• Pack them in your carry-on, never in checked luggage — you will change planes in Istanbul on Day 3.
• Carry a copy of the prescription itself for anything unusual or injectable.

Your money

• Tell your bank and card issuer you will be in Türkiye, so a legitimate charge does not lock your card on Day 2.
• The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards are widely accepted in Istanbul and Izmir; small vendors, tips, and some restrooms want cash.
• There is no need to buy lira before you leave home. Rates at airport ATMs and city exchange offices are better than what you will find in the States.

Your phone, and the people at home

Add an international plan for the week or install an eSIM before you fly — it is far cheaper than roaming, and it is the difference between finding the group and standing in a bazaar hoping. Wi-Fi is available at all three hotels and on the coach.

Send someone at home a link to this page, or a photograph of At a Glance. It carries your hotels, dates, and every number they would need. It is the single most useful thing you can give the people who will be praying for you while you are away.

Tell us what we should know

If anything has changed since you booked — a mobility concern, a dietary need, a new medication, a family situation we should be aware of — email us at [email protected]. Earlier is always better than at the airport, and nothing you tell us is an inconvenience.

Entry into Türkiye

• No visa is required for United States tourist passports on stays of 90 days or less. Your passport must be valid at least six months beyond your arrival date and have at least one blank page — Türkiye enforces both.
• Make sure you receive an exit stamp when you leave. A missing exit stamp creates trouble on a future visit.
• If you hold a passport from any other country, check your nearest Turkish consulate now. Many nationalities use the Turkish e-Visa system, which is quick online but not instant.

Register your trip, and see your clinician

Enroll in the U.S. State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at step.state.gov. It takes five minutes and it means the nearest consulate knows you are in the country and can reach you if something regional happens. Inspire enrolls nothing on your behalf; this one is yours.

Türkiye requires no vaccinations for entry from the United States. What is worth doing is a conversation with your own clinician or a travel clinic four to six weeks out — routine immunizations current, any prescription refills timed to cover the trip, and a plan for anything you manage day to day. Bring documentation for injectables or controlled medications.

The long flight

Set your watch to Istanbul time when you board. It reframes the whole flight.

• Drink water steadily and go easy on alcohol and caffeine — cabin air is dry and both make the first day harder. Get up and walk every couple of hours. Compression socks are worth it on a flight this length, particularly if you have any history of swelling or clots.
• If you land in the morning, try to sleep on the plane. If you land in the evening, try to stay awake.
• Medications, one change of clothes, glasses, chargers, and your travel protection details go in your carry-on. Always.

Arriving at Istanbul Airport

Istanbul Airport is enormous and well signed in English. The sequence is passport control, then baggage claim, then the exit into the arrivals hall — allow an hour from wheels-down, longer if several wide-body flights land together. Your Inspire arrival assistance will be waiting past customs, and you will hear from your Inspire Concierge before you ever depart about where to meet. Do not leave the terminal or take a taxi on your own; if you cannot find your greeter, call the Traveling Guest Line at 405-400-7138 — it is answered around the clock — before you go anywhere.

Customs, and one serious warning

Returning U.S. residents may generally bring back $800 of goods duty-free after a trip of this length. Keep receipts for anything substantial. Do not bring home fresh produce, meat, or plant material.

Antiquities are the one to take seriously. Türkiye prosecutes the export of ancient artifacts vigorously, and penalties include detention. Do not buy coins, pottery, marble, or “old” objects of uncertain provenance, and do not pick anything up off the ground at an archaeological site. A pebble from Ephesus is not worth what it can cost you.

Flying home from Izmir

Izmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) is small and straightforward. Arrive three hours before an international departure. If you shopped substantially and had the vendor prepare VAT refund paperwork, the refund desk is before security — build in the extra twenty minutes or skip it.

What the week feels like

Late October in western Türkiye is the good season. Istanbul runs to highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 50s, with rising odds of a grey or wet day. Izmir and the Aegean coast are warmer — highs near 70, lows around 50. Pamukkale sits inland and drops cooler after dark. Expect roughly one day in five to bring rain.

Layers, not bulk. A long day at Ephesus can start at 55 degrees in the shade and finish at 75 in full sun on open marble.

Site days — this is most of the week

• Walking shoes you have already broken in. Closed-toe, with real grip. You will cover two to three miles a day on uneven stone, worn marble, and loose gravel. New shoes are the single most common regret on a trip like this.
• A light insulated or fleece layer, plus a packable rain shell. A compact umbrella if you like one.
• Sun hat and sunglasses. Almost none of these sites have shade.
• Sunscreen — the October sun at Laodicea and Hierapolis is still strong.
• A refillable water bottle and a small daypack for the day’s layers, water, and camera.
• Your Bible — print or on your phone — and something to write in. Whisper headsets are provided, so your guide will be in your ear all day; you will want to keep what you hear.

Istanbul, and the Blue Mosque

Day 2 takes us into working houses of worship, including the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. Modest dress is required, and it is also simple courtesy. Shoes come off at the door.

Pamukkale — the one nobody expects

You walk the travertine terraces barefoot, on warm wet mineral stone. It is one of the most memorable hours of the week, and it catches Guests unprepared.

• A small quick-dry towel and shoes that come off in one motion.
• A plastic bag for wet feet and a damp towel afterward.
• A swimsuit — our Pamukkale hotel has thermal pools, and after a long day at Laodicea and Hierapolis you will want it.

Day 3 — the domestic flight

We fly Istanbul to Izmir early on Day 3 with a checked bag limit of 25 kg (about 55 lb) and a carry-on limit of 8 kg (about 18 lb). These are enforced.

• Weigh your bag at home. It is a much better place to discover a problem than a check-in counter before sunrise.
• In your carry-on: medications, passport, travel protection details, phone and charger, and one change of clothes.
• Standard liquid rules apply on the domestic leg as well.

Evenings, power, and what to leave at home

All seven dinners are included, most at the hotel and two out in İzmir — Tavacı Recep Usta on Day 6 and Deniz Restaurant on Day 7. Smart casual is right throughout — a collared shirt or a simple dress is plenty. Bring one nicer option for the farewell dinner on Day 7.

Türkiye runs 220 volts with Type C and F round two-pin outlets — a standard European adapter. Most phone and laptop chargers handle 220V; a hair straightener or curling iron often does not, so check the label before you plug it in. Bring a power bank, and extra memory or storage: you will take more photographs than you expect.

Leave at home: a hair dryer — all three hotels provide one; expensive jewelry, and anything you would grieve losing; drones, which are tightly restricted and not permitted at archaeological sites; a heavy stack of books, bring one and your Bible; and more than three pairs of shoes — walking, evening, and something for the pool.

What a typical day asks of you

The sites, specifically

Ephesus Day 5

The longest walk of the week, roughly a mile and a half, largely downhill on marble polished smooth by two thousand years of feet. It is glorious and it is slippery. Shoes with grip matter more here than anywhere.

Pergamum Day 7

The Acropolis sits high above Bergama, and the site itself carries real elevation change over steep, uneven ground. The Asklepion below is flatter and easier going. This is the most demanding day of the week.

Pamukkale and Hierapolis Day 3

You walk the travertine terraces barefoot on wet mineral stone, which is warm, beautiful, and genuinely slick. Hierapolis above is a large, spread-out site with long distances between features and little shade.

Laodicea, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Thyatira Days 3, 4 & 7

Open archaeological ground: loose footing, low walls, uncleared stone, and sun. The walking is not long at any one of them, but the surface asks for attention with every step.

Istanbul Days 1 & 2

City walking on pavement and cobbles, with stairs and ramps at Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and down into the Underground Cistern. Shoes come off and on at the mosques.

What help looks like

• Nobody has to do every step. The coach is close at nearly every site, and sitting out a climb is a normal choice, not a failure. Your Concierges carry water and know where the shade and the benches are. Ask them.
• Trekking poles are welcome and genuinely useful at Pergamum and Hierapolis. A folding cane packs small.
• Most of these are ancient sites with limited or no accessible routes, and step-free access cannot be assumed anywhere on the itinerary.

An honest self-assessment

Not to discourage you — to let you plan while there is still time. Read these as a friend asking.

• Can you walk two to three miles over uneven ground in a day, with breaks?
• Can you manage a flight of stairs without a handrail?
• Can you stand for twenty to thirty minutes at a stretch?
• Can you get on and off a motor coach several times a day?

If any answer is no, or “not lately,” that is worth a conversation rather than a worry. Email us at [email protected]. There is nearly always a way to shape the week so you see what you came to see.

The weather, and seven hours ahead

You have chosen the best month. Istanbul in late October runs to highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 50s, with clouds building as the month goes on. Izmir and the coast are warmer and drier — highs near 70. Pamukkale, inland and higher, gets cool after dark. Roughly one day in five brings rain, so a packable shell earns its space.

Türkiye keeps a single time zone, UTC+3, which puts you seven hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast and ten ahead of the West. Türkiye does not change its clocks. Your first full day will feel long; the second will feel normal. Drink more water than you think you need, get into daylight, and go to bed at a local hour on Day 1 rather than napping into the afternoon.

Money

The currency is the Turkish lira (TRY). Cards are accepted almost everywhere in Istanbul and Izmir — hotels, restaurants, shops, museums. Carry some cash for market vendors, tips, and the occasional restroom. Bank ATMs give the best rate; withdraw lira rather than dollars.

• If a card machine offers to charge you in U.S. dollars, decline and pay in lira. The convenience rate is never in your favor.
• Keep a little cash in a second place. Not because Türkiye is unsafe, but because a wallet can be left on a coach. Carry two cards from two different accounts, stored in two different places.

Tipping

Gratuities are not included in your fare, and they matter — your guide and driver work long days for this group, and the hotel teams do a great deal you never see. So that nobody has to guess, here is what Inspire recommends.

Across the week that comes to roughly $85 to $125 per Guest for all three. Bring it in cash, in small bills, and set it aside before you leave home — it is much easier than finding an ATM on Day 6. Your Destination Concierges will tell you when and how gratuities are collected. In restaurants outside the itinerary, rounding up or leaving five to ten percent is normal and appreciated.

Power, plugs, and staying connected

220 volts, 50 Hz, Type C and F round two-pin outlets — a standard European adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage without help. Heating appliances often do not, so read the label before you plug in a curling iron.

Wi-Fi is free at all three hotels and on the coach. For everything in between, an international day pass from your carrier or an eSIM installed before you fly is inexpensive and worth it. Download an offline map of Istanbul and Izmir before you leave home, and a translation app — Turkish is not a language most of us can guess at.

Water, food, and the pleasure of a Turkish breakfast

Drink bottled or filtered water, which is everywhere and cheap. Use it for pills; use tap water for brushing your teeth without concern.

Breakfast is a spread, not a plate — olives, tomatoes, cucumber, white cheese, eggs, bread, honey, tea. Eat well; lunch on a site day can be late. Dinner runs later than you may be used to. Meze arrive first and keep arriving; pace yourself.

Turkish tea comes in a small tulip glass and arrives constantly. Say yes. Coffee is strong and sipped slowly — do not drink the grounds at the bottom.

If you have a dietary need we should know about, tell your Concierge on Day 1 rather than at the table on Day 4.

A few words that go a long way

Turkish is phonetic and forgiving. Attempting it is received warmly, every time.

In a mosque

Day 2 takes us into working houses of worship, Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque among them. This is not a museum visit; people are praying.

• Shoes come off. Bags are usually carried in. Women cover their heads, shoulders, and knees. Men wear long trousers.
• Keep your voice low, walk behind anyone praying rather than in front, and do not photograph people at prayer. Mosques close briefly to visitors at prayer times, five times a day. Your guide plans around them.

Photographs, and Sunday

Photograph nearly everything — the light on marble at Ephesus in the late afternoon is worth carrying a camera all week for. Then a few courtesies: ask before photographing a person, especially a child; watch for the occasional no-flash or no-tripod sign inside monuments; and put the camera down for the last ten minutes at each site. What you remember and what you photograph are not the same thing.

Sunday, October 25, brings us to Miletus in the morning and gives the afternoon back to you in Izmir. Türkiye is a Muslim-majority country, so Sunday is an ordinary working day — shops open, traffic normal. The Friday midday prayer is the week’s busiest hour at mosques.

Health, and where to find a pharmacy

Look for the sign ECZANE — a Turkish pharmacy. They are on nearly every block, well stocked, inexpensive, and the pharmacists are helpful. Many common medications are available without the paperwork you would expect at home.

Bring a small kit: pain reliever, an antacid, adhesive bandages, and something for an upset stomach. Long site days and unfamiliar food are a normal combination.

Emergency services throughout Türkiye: dial 112.

The bazaar

The Grand Bazaar on Day 1 is a genuine pleasure and entirely safe. Bargaining is expected and good-humored — offer a little over half, settle somewhere near the middle, and buy only what you actually want. Carpets deserve real caution: they are beautiful, expensive, and sold by very skilled people. Never feel rushed, and never feel rude for walking away. Keep receipts for anything substantial.

Mark Vroegop

President, The Gospel Coalition

Mark is traveling with the group for the full week — on the coach, at the sites, and around the table at dinner. A pastor for decades before he came to TGC, he is the reason this itinerary exists in the form it does.

Something changes when you read a letter while standing in the city it was written to. Come expecting Christ to speak. He is not finished addressing His churches.

Dr. Michael Kruger

Your teaching scholar for the week

Michael is the Samuel C. Patterson Chancellor’s Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary, where he led the Charlotte campus as president for twelve years before returning full time to teaching and writing. His work sits exactly where this trip sits: how the New Testament came to us, what the earliest Christians actually faced, and why the documents we hold can be trusted.

There are few places on earth better suited to that conversation than the cities of Revelation 2 and 3. When Michael talks about a church under pressure, you will be standing in the street where it happened.

Emma Hartman & Kameish Johnson

Destination Concierges, Inspire Experiences

Emma and Kameish travel with the group from arrival to departure. They handle everything that is not teaching — hotels, transfers, luggage, dietary needs, the pharmacy run, the seat on the coach, the thing you forgot. If something is not right, they want to hear it while it can still be fixed. They would much rather you tell them on Day 2 than mention it in a survey.

With them every day is a licensed Turkish guide chosen for depth in both archaeology and Scripture, and whisper headsets so you hear every word without crowding.

What to expect, and what to bring

• Teaching happens where it lands best — at a site, on the coach between cities, or over dinner. Your guide confirms the next day’s shape each evening.
• Come with questions. This group is small enough — 27 Guests — that the conversation is genuinely two-way. The best moments of a week like this are usually unscheduled.
• Bring your Bible, in whatever form you actually read. And something to write in; you will want it more than you expect.