Moving to Bodrum from America: Retirement & Relocation
By Randal K. Walker | Created on 13th October 2026
Randal is a regular contributor to James & Ayşegül’s website and the writer behind The Turkey Diaries. He and his wife moved from the United States to Yalıkavak, Bodrum. Here, he shares the practical side of that adventure: selling up, shipping their belongings, bringing their dogs, and finding their feet in a new country.
Moving to Turkey was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Getting here, however, involved considerably more than simply buying two airline tickets.
There was a house to sell, furniture to ship, cars to arrange, paperwork to complete, and two little dogs who were most definitely coming with us. Somehow, all of that had to come together at roughly the same time.
If you’re thinking about making a similar move, here are a few things we learned along the way. This is our experience of moving from America to Bodrum. Your circumstances may be different, but I hope it gives you a useful place to start.
First, Come and See For Yourself
An exploratory trip? Absolutely. Allow two weeks if you can.
Visit Gündoğan, Gümüşlük, Turgutreis, and Bodrum itself. Each coastal town has its own personality, and discovering which one feels right is part of the fun.
Have lunch overlooking the sea. Wander through the neighborhoods. Visit the markets. Look beyond the holiday scenery and imagine doing ordinary things here: buying groceries, walking the dogs, meeting friends for coffee.
And you don’t have to come in summer. A visit outside the tourist season can give you a sense of everyday life. If you’re planning to live here year-round, it’s worth seeing the place when the summer visitors have gone home.
Interview a few real estate agents. Ask about current market conditions, likely selling times, and whether any improvements or staging would help. That gives you something more useful to plan around than simply hoping everything happens on schedule.
Here’s one suggestion I would make quite firmly: don’t book your flight to Turkey for the day after your closing.
We spent our final week in a hotel in our hometown. That gave us time to complete the closing, receive and transfer the proceeds, make one last visit to our veterinarian, say our goodbyes, and catch our breath.
After months of preparation, that extra week felt like a luxury. It also meant that one delayed appointment wouldn’t derail our departure.
Bring Your Furniture, or Start Again?
If you love your furniture, give serious thought to bringing it. We brought some of ours, and I’m glad we did. Quality furniture in Turkey isn’t necessarily inexpensive, and replacing an entire household can cost more than you might expect.
Of course, the answer depends on what you own, the cost of shipping it, and the home you’re moving into. But don’t assume buying everything again will automatically be the cheaper option.
Electronics need a little more thought. Check the input-voltage label on anything you plan to bring. Some equipment needs only a plug adapter; other equipment may need a suitable transformer.
We brought a step-down transformer and bought another after arriving. A plug adapter and a transformer do different jobs, so this is worth sorting out before you pack.
What About Bringing Your Car?
Now here’s a subject worth investigating carefully! Cars are expensive in Turkey, largely because of the substantial taxes imposed on them.
Under certain circumstances, qualifying foreign residents can temporarily import a vehicle without paying Turkish import duties and taxes.
We brought two cars, one registered to me and the other to my wife. Our temporary import arrangements allow us to keep them here tax-free and duty-free for a 2-year period. And as foreign retirees we can apply for an additional two years subject to then-applicable renewal rules and conditions. Additional extensions may be allowed as well.
But don’t assume that everyone qualifies or that the same rules will apply to you. Residency status, retirement status, time spent outside Turkey and other factors can affect eligibility.
My recommendation? Talk to an experienced Turkish customs broker before making any decisions. The potential savings are substantial, but so are the consequences of getting the paperwork wrong.
The Dogs Were Coming. That was Never a Question
We brought our two little dogs with us. Leaving them behind was never on the agenda.
Getting them here did take planning. Pet travel involves veterinary appointments, documentation, and arrangements with the airline, with some preparations needing a considerable lead time.
Read enough of the requirements and you might begin to wonder whether Fido would prefer to stay behind!
Fortunately, we found help. We used Across The Pond Pet Travel, and I recommend them enthusiastically based on our experience. They coordinated the veterinary appointments, USDA documentation, airline arrangements, and the other details involved in getting our dogs safely and legally into Turkey.
It was one of the best decisions we made during the entire relocation process. We had plenty of other things to organize; knowing someone was looking after this part was a tremendous relief.
Shipping a Household Across the World
We used Soyer International, a Turkish international moving company, and were extremely pleased with their service.
They arranged for a U.S. partner to pack and store our belongings until we were ready to ship. They also coordinated with a Turkish customs broker who handled the import formalities.
In our case, our furniture, household goods, and two cars fit into a single 40-foot container. Your mover can explain which shipping arrangements make sense for what you’re bringing based on your budget and what documentation will be needed.
Build some flexibility into your plans. You don’t want your first evening in your new home to coincide with the discovery that your furniture is still somewhere in the Atlantic.
Phones: Look at the Whole Cost
We bought new iPhones before leaving the U.S., but I wouldn’t necessarily tell everyone else to do the same.
Before deciding, compare the cost of buying a phone in Turkey with bringing one from abroad and meeting any registration requirements for continued use on Turkish mobile networks. Those requirements and fees can change, so an old article or a friend’s experience may not give you the answer you need today.
It’s also worth checking your intended SIM or eSIM arrangement rather than assuming every setup works the same way.
This is one of those small decisions that can become surprisingly expensive if you leave it until after you arrive.
Ask the bank in advance what it needs from you. Having the right identification and supporting documents saves a wasted visit, and requirements can vary between banks.
We found Wise convenient for transferring and converting money, although its available services depend on where you live and the account you hold. Check that your planned arrangement will still work after you relocate.
Keeping a U.S. bank account open was also useful for us. If you receive Social Security or have other financial ties to America, think through how you’ll manage those from abroad. A reliable mail-forwarding service may help too.
The aim is simple: have a workable system for accessing your money and managing your affairs well before you need it.
What Did we Bring on the Plane?
Two dogs in their sky kennels, seven pieces of luggage, and ten moving boxes.
Yes, ten boxes!
We knew we’d be staying in a furnished apartment while looking for our permanent home, so we brought enough clothing, personal belongings, and essentials to make ourselves comfortable.
That was our arrangement, rather than a packing target for everyone else. Check your airline’s baggage and pet policies well in advance, and get any special arrangements confirmed in writing.
Also, think about what happens after you land. Getting everything onto the aircraft is only part of the exercise.
A Hotel or an Apartment While you get Settled?
For us, a furnished apartment was the right choice because we had the dogs. We wanted room to settle in and an easy routine for taking them outside, rather than managing everything from a hotel room.
James and Ayşegül found an apartment for us before we arrived. They even met us at the airport with two vehicles to accommodate us, the dogs, and our mountain of luggage and boxes.
That was quite a welcome!
But you don’t have to rent an apartment before buying a home. A hotel may suit you perfectly well, whether you’re staying for a couple of weeks or longer while viewing properties. James and Ayşegül can help you explore longer hotel stays as well as temporary apartment options.
What mattered to us was having somewhere comfortable waiting when we arrived. With that taken care of, we could concentrate on settling in and finding the home we wanted.
Finding our Home in Bodrum
Our exploratory visit helped us work out which areas appealed to us. Once we arrived ready to buy, we viewed a number of properties before finding the right one.
The temporary apartment suited our circumstances. Other people may already know the area well, have found a property during an earlier visit, or prefer to stay in a hotel while completing their purchase. Not everyone will follow the same protocol.
Buying in another country does mean encountering unfamiliar procedures. James and Ayşegül helped us understand the process, guided us through the purchase, and introduced us to the people we needed along the way.
Having someone who could explain what was happening, and what came next, made an enormous difference.
Find Your Sherpa
I’ve saved what may be the most important consideration for last. You will need a trusted contact on the ground here.
Moving to another country brings questions you didn’t know you were going to have. You need someone who knows the area, understands the local culture, has reliable contacts, and can help when you’re not even sure whom to ask.
A Sherpa, so to speak.
For us, those people were James and Ayşegül.
They helped us find somewhere to stay, find our home, and navigate some of the inevitable bureaucratic and cultural challenges. They also introduced us to people who helped us feel more settled.
And their help didn’t end when the sale closed.
They’ve become good friends, and we’re grateful that we found them. A house gives you somewhere to live. Having people you can turn to helps a new country begin to feel less strange and more like home.
Would we do it Again?
In a heartbeat.
We love the lifestyle, the people, the climate, and the chance to explore a fascinating country. Looking back, the paperwork and logistics were a considerable undertaking, but they were a stage of the journey. They weren’t the whole journey.
If you’re considering moving from the United States to Bodrum, whether for retirement, for a Plan B, or for a new adventure, I’d be happy to share more about our experience, answer questions, or tell you what we might have done differently. Contact me through James & Ayşegül’s website.
And who knows? Perhaps we’ll be neighbors someday!
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From his villa overlooking the Aegean Sea, Randal writes about retirement in Turkey, including its Citizenship by Investment Program. Might he return to the United States? He responds emphatically: "Bodrum is home now.”
