Turkey is one place where having an American (or Canadian I assume as well) passport does make things easier! When we were unexpectedly stuck in Istanbul due to our first flight being delayed and making us miss our connection, we found out about the visa fees just so we could leave the airport and stay in a hotel overnight! I was glad to have the cash on hand.

As American passport holders, my husband and I each had to pay 25 Euros or $30. Thankfully, we had the Euros so it was cheaper. But we found out that if we had had passports from Kosovo (the country where we actually live), there was no charge. Even though my husband is a citizen of Kosovo as well, he hadn't bothered to get a passport. I am not a citizen, yet. We were shortsighted and thought our American passports would cover every need. Now we both plan to get one!

Great story! Thank you for reminding me of some wonderful memories. We too plan to go back to Turkey. It is a magical place.