Why Turkey Is a Surprisingly Great Family Destination-with Gorgeous Hikes, Ancient History, and Hot Air Balloon Rides

"Sometime last year, my 11-year-old son came home from school and announced that he had a bucket list of travel destinations. He began rattling them off-Chile's Atacama Desert and China's Guilin Mountains, Antelope Canyon in Arizona and Whitehaven Beach in Australia-then asked to use my computer. He opened up a browser and within moments had pulled up a series of landscapes: white cliffs, dazzling blue lakes, and arid deserts. The photographs were so startling that they looked otherworldly."

"It wasn't anything as cerebral as learning about another culture, or visiting historical sites, and it certainly wasn't about food or shopping or museums-all criteria that had previously come into play in the planning of our trips. I don't even think it was the desire to be in nature, or to be in a beautiful place. The landscapes he had chosen were unearthly, portals to another reality."

My 11-year-old son created a travel bucket list focused on extraordinary landscapes such as Chile's Atacama, China's Guilin, Antelope Canyon, and Whitehaven Beach. He pulled up photographs of white cliffs, dazzling blue lakes, and arid deserts that looked otherworldly. The preference for these destinations did not stem from cultural learning, history, food, shopping, or museums, nor simply from being in nature or beauty, but from landscapes that felt like portals to another reality. A lunar-like mountain scene with dozens of colorful hot-air balloons—Cappadocia—became the chosen destination and prompted a family trip plan. Tourism has transformed Cappadocia, long known for its hot-air balloons.

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