When you’re born in one place and then continue to move to another every three to four years, a sense of belonging is not something you’re imbued with. It has its pros and cons. As a diplomat’s daughter, I was born in Austria, grew up in Germany and America and spoke Turkish at home. After completing a master’s degree in journalism from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, I moved to Istanbul in 2011 and landed my dream job writing about the city’s gastronomy, culture and nightlife scenes for The Guide Istanbul magazine.
By 2015, I decided to work freelance–having grown weary of office life limitations–and my writing has since been published in Kinfolk, Brownbook, The Travel Almanac, Wallpaper*, MAISON Ë, Conde Nast Traveler, Decanter, AD Middle East, Lonely Planet, CNN Travel, and Travel + Leisure among others. I’m also the author of my own guidebook, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul and the digital Softer Volumes Istanbul City Guide for Design Lovers.
I’m currently based between Istanbul and a small German village near Lake Constance, where I live with my husband and son (and our cat).
This website is a showcase of my favorite work from over the years and is updated regularly as I continue to write about the people and places defining contemporary culture in Turkey and wherever my work takes me.
*Get in touch via e-mail: fyalav@gmail.com
*Follow me on Instagram: @fyheck
Photo by 645 Studio
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth 