Crossing Continents for Less than $2: My Ferry Ride Therapy Session (aka “Ferrapy”)

Gigi Goes
1 day ago
2 min read

If you ever feel like your life needs a dramatic turning point, something cinematic, reflective, slightly chaotic, and preferably under $2, just hop on a ferry from Europe to Asia in Istanbul. That’s it. That’s the whole prescription.

It turns out you don’t need a therapist; you just need public transportation that crosses beautiful continents.

Step 1: Buy a Ticket and Question Your Entire Existence

You tap your Istanbulkart (the equivalent of a public transportation card), the gate opens, and suddenly you’re staring at the Bosphorus like it holds the answers to all your poor life choices.

Spoiler: it does not.

But it does have very loud seagulls who seem deeply invested in your emotional journey. They are cheering you on.

Me and my mother sitting on the outside bench.

Step 2: Choose a Seat Like It’s a Personality Test

Front of the boat → You’re dramatic. (Titanic, anyone?)
Back of the boat → You just want to mind your business. (This is where the cool kids sit. Some things never change.)
Inside → You get seasick and I respect that. That or it’s freezing out.
Outside, upper deck → You're here to stare into the wind like a music video extra, and truly, same.
Outside, on the side benches → This is where you want to be if it’s decent out.

Karaköy stop. Not to be confused with your Asian destination: Kadıköy.

Step 3: The Seagull Mafia Will Find You

Don’t let their fluffy, oversized heads fool you. These birds have been surviving on simit (Turkish bagel) and human weakness for generations. If you hold anything remotely edible, prepare for aerial surveillance. They won’t dive bomb you, but they are watching… Oh, they are watching.

Step 4: Europe Behind You; Asia Ahead

There’s a moment halfway across where you realize you’re literally switching continents in under 20 minutes while paying less than the cost of your morning coffee. Your inner monologue starts sounding like a TED Talk:

“Wow, movement is healing. Travel expands the mind. I should really journal more.”

Relax. This happens to everyone.

Also, enjoy the views of the most famous mosques (Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, etc.) from your vantage point.

Step 5: Arrive in Kadıköy Feeling Reborn (or at Least Less Stressed)

And then boom: Asia. You are actually in Asia! The energy shifts from tourist-chaos to neighborhood-cozy. (Okay, tourist-neighborhood-cozy.) Coffee shops, bookshops, cats giving modeling workshops.

Suddenly you feel lighter. You’re inspired. You’re starving. All three things can be true.

Step 6: Pretend You’re a Local

Walk like you know where you’re going. Nod at the cats like you pay rent here. Buy earrings you absolutely don’t need. (The accessories stores are really fun! More on that later.)

Blend in. Thrive.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in Istanbul and you’re feeling overwhelmed, overcaffeinated, or just existential for no reason: get on the ferry. Go to Kadıköy. Go back and forth all day without getting off. Let the wind hit your face. Let the skyline remind you that life is big and weird and beautiful. And learn the language of the seagulls.

Best $1 therapy session you’ll ever have.