Road Academy is a project where we share our travel know-how to help others explore the world more easily, wisely, and safely. We do this by traveling together, showing how things work in real life, and sharing the skills and insights we’ve learned along the way.
Why?
Travel opens us up to the world and allows us to forge personal, intimate bonds with its people and places. Think of it as a school that costs little but teaches a lot. We've been traveling and building our travel philosophy for well over two decades, and have a wealth of knowledge and experience. We'd like to share it with you.
What?
A 9-day trip around Turkey in late August 2026.
At the starting point (Istanbul), we split into groups of three. Each group is made up of one experienced hitchhiker and two beginners. Each trio hitchhikes independently to the first destination.
When we arrive there, we all meet up, stay at the same hostel and hang out together.
At each destination we reshuffle the groups, so everyone gets new partners for the next leg of the trip.
Every part of the route is designed to be easily doable in a single day.
We don't hitchhike every day. Half of the time we use to rest, explore the cities together, and spend a day or two at the seaside.
Here you can see what it was like last year:
How hard is it?
Not too hard. On hitchhiking days, we usually arrive to the destination between noon and late afternoon - depending on luck. The route itself isn't very ambitious, as we only visit a small part of the country. That being said, there is some walking involved, as well as waiting by the road in summer temperatures.
When?
From August 21st till August 29th 2026.
Who can apply?
Both absolute beginners and experienced hitchhikers are welcome to join.
Smoking is not allowed in the places where we're all together (both indoors and outdoors), so if you're a heavy smoker you might want to sit this one out.
How much does it cost?
To reserve your spot, a payment of €50 is required. We’d love to organize this for free, but we need to avoid no-shows. With limited spots available, each last-minute cancellation means someone else didn't get to go. Also, last-minute cancellations mess up all the group planning. We’ve found that, when people commit with a payment, they’re far less likely to bail out. (No refunds, obviously, as that would defeat the purpose.) Please keep in mind that this is still a non-profit project: the money we "earn" will barely cover social media ads that we used in order to find you.
You cover your own travel costs. You'll need a ticket to Istanbul, and money for food & accommodation (hostel dorms).
How to apply?
Please send us your self-introduction in a short video, which you can upload somewhere and send us the link via the contact page. Tell us a bit about who you are, where you live, what you do, your prior travel experience and why you'd like to join. Half a minute should do the trick, but feel free to make it longer if you've got a lot to say.
If you're selected, the next step is to make a payment and book your spot. After that we'll send you a short hitchhiking textbook we've prepared for this project, as well as aditional details about the trip, packing and so on.
We like to keep things small, so the size of the group is 15 people. Once the group is full, the applications will be closed, so if you'd like to join better apply ASAP.
If you apply and don't get a confirmation email that your application has been received, please try again, or contact us directly on our Instagram page.
See you on the road!
Road Academy 2025, arrival in Ayvalık
