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 returned to my roots by moving to Istanbul in 2011 and landing 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 began sharing my accumulated Istanbul knowledge under my own name. My writing has been published in Kinfolk, Brownbook, The Travel Almanac, Wallpaper*, CNN Travel, Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveler among others. I’m also the author of my own guidebook, The 500 Hidden Secrets of Istanbul. I’m currently based between Istanbul and a small village near Lake Constance, where I live with my husband and son.
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.
*You can contact me via e-mail at: fyalav@gmail.com
*Follow me on Instagram: @fyheck
Feride Yalav-Heckeroth 