I traveled to Turkey, one of the few countries letting Americans in, and they offered me $25 insurance in case I got the coronavirus

• In August, I flew from New York to Turkey.
• It's one of the few countries inviting American travelers, and its relatively strong coronavirus response makes it an attractive destination.
• The country offers cheap travel insurance to cover medical costs if you get the virus, businesses take precautions by wrapping everything in plastic, and there are hand-sanitizing stations everywhere you look.
• The country's beauty and optimistic vibe stood in stark contrast with New York.

In early August, I did something that many friends and family thought was completely crazy — I went to New York's JFK Airport, boarded a Turkish Airlines flight, and made my way to Istanbul for a 12-day adventure in Turkey.

Yes, I understood that we were in the middle of a global pandemic and, sure, I realized that travel — especially international travel — had become almost impossible for Americans. But Turkey was one of the few European holiday destinations still open to Yanks and I had a friend who knew the country well. All I had to do was show up.

Part of the reason I went is because Turkey has, for the most part, handled COVID-19 with surprising success. Its caseload peaked in April. And despite being far less wealthy — and far more populated — than traditional summer beach spots like Spain and Italy, Turkey's infection rate has mostly been lower than those better-known Mediterranean locations. It's even lower than Greece, barely 30 minutes away from much of Turkey's southern coastline.

True, some news organizations are suggesting that Turkey's infection and death rates may be higher than reported. And locals who I met regularly spoke of an impending "second wave." But for now, at least, life in Turkey feels, yes, almost normal.

Most appealing of all, Turkey launched a new program offering affordable, comprehensive health insurance for travelers to cover medical costs in case of COVID-19 infection. Launched by Turkey's Ministry of Tourism and Culture in June, the plan provides between 3,000 and 7,000 euros worth of health coverage for a fee between 15 and 23 euros — about $25 per person. Although I already had solid travel insurance — and was confident I'd remain healthy — the program offered an added sense of security.

The insurance complements the ministry's larger Safe Tourism Certification Program, which established a series of strict parameters for hospitality operators nationwide.

"Early on we realized that corona was not going away anytime soon," Timuçin Güler, General Director of Promotion of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey, told Insider. "So we had to take actions that would ensure safety for everyone — foreign travelers and Turkish citizens."

And those actions are extensive, explains Güler, who notes that tourism levels are less than half of a typical year right now. Hotels, restaurants, trains, taxis, airplanes, and airports must pass strict monthly sanitary inspections or face extensive fines — or closure. There are also robust testing, quarantine, and treatment plans in place for tourists, with most services offered in hotels.

As a result of these measures, Turkey has managed to remain off of the British government's mandatory 14-day quarantine list for its citizens traveling abroad this summer. There's no corresponding policy from the US government — but if Turkey is safe enough for the Brits, it's safe enough for me. And I am not alone.

"The level of commitment demonstrated by both the Turkish government and the private sector to minimize the virus has been noticeable from airports to dining to hotels," Kuwaiti travel and lifestyle expert Talal Al Rashed, who has regularly visited Turkey since 2005, told Insider. "You quickly begin to appreciate the seriousness of the government's efforts to help tourism get back on its feet."

Everything is wrapped in plastic

Still, while Turkey may be relatively safe, travel there remains far from normal.

Take the flight, for instance. Turkish Airlines is often considered as among the best in the world with elaborate in-flight meals and amenities throughout the cabin.

No more.

While the actual seats — especially in Business Class — remain pure comfort, there is no longer any hot food, poured beverages, magazines, or newspapers. Instead, travelers are greeted with in-flight safety kits filled with hand wash and face masks, which they're told repeatedly must cover their mouths and noses from boarding to arrival. Temperatures are taken upon touch-down and flights are staggered so folks from multiple nations minimally mingle at immigration.

Everything is tightly wrapped in plastic, which certainly feels sanitary, but also feels like travel from a far less eco-conscious era. One can only worry that if the coronavirus doesn't kill us, we will, instead, drown in a sea of plastic.

The never-ending plastic continued throughout the trip, which felt at once surreal and completely ordinary. There are plastic barriers separating drivers from passengers in Turkish taxi cabs and hefty plastic panels between myself and staffers at the new JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus. Opened just before lock-down in the hip Karaköy district — soon home to both a posh Peninsula Hotel and a massive new cruise ship terminal — the JW Marriott inhabits century-old office buildings and is moments from the Bosphorus itself. Anchored by a soaring light-filled atrium, the hotel offers pristine views of the landmark mosques and towers that have lured travelers to Istanbul for centuries.

Outside, the hotel fronts lively streets packed with face mask-wearing locals sitting in cute cafes or hanging at mezze or kebab joints. Inside, the feeling is decidedly less "normal." Buffets are banned at the rooftop restaurant, rooms are only cleaned upon request, there is hand sanitizer everywhere, and everything — robes, pens, face-masks — is wrapped in plastic.

A similar standard was met at the equally new — and luxuriously resort-like — Six Senses Kocatas Mansions in Istanbul's upscale Sariyer district. Housed in a pair of meticulously restored Ottoman-era palaces dating to the late 19th century, the 43-room property features sprawling hillside gardens out back, the azure Bosphorus out front — where the water is clean enough to actually take a swim.

With its neighboring estates and a quaint nearby village, the hotel feels a world away from Istanbul's packed center 45 minutes to the south. But safety still reigns supreme here. Temperature checks, face masks, hand sanitizer, and a la carte menus at half-full restaurants are standard. Considering the Six Senses is new and not extremely busy, these protocols felt effortless.

Clearly a more concerted effort was required five hours south in Izmir, where I stayed at the Swissotel Bukey Efes, a massive waterfront resort with 457 rooms and suites, multiple restaurants, and a giant swimming pool. The place was packed — mostly with vacation-desperate Turks, but also with Europeans in need of some summer sun.

I'll concede, I missed the massive breakfast buffet — replaced by myriad servers shrouded behind plastic barriers. But it felt like a small sacrifice to be in a hotel — and city and nation — where it essentially felt like life had gone back to normal.

Some Turkish-Americans were shopping for real estate

I ended my trip in Bodrum, on Turkey's legendary "Aegean Riviera," which was hopping. Like in Izmir, most folks were Turks, enjoying elegant resorts and posh private villas. But there was also a strong contingent of Americans, eager to escape the endless stateside quarantines and lockdowns — including many (particularly Turkish-Americans) shopping for real estate.

"We have seen a dramatic increase in inquiries from the States in the last three months, which is very encouraging," Mihane Miki Sadiku, owner and director of local real estate firm Yalihan International, told Insider. "Bodrum's housing stock is limited and it is getting harder to approve building permits, which is why we are seeing property values increasing."

Our time in Bodrum was spent at the five-room, family-owned, city-center hotel — the Hala Bodrum — which is set in a traditional Turkish stone house with a beautiful garden heaving with citrus trees. The owner, Ayca Aras, also runs Pole Bodrum, a fun and fitness-minded pole dancing studio.

At a moment of increasing Islamist conservatism across Turkey, everything about Bodrum felt refreshingly open and free. The bars and restaurants — Port and Old Town — were bustling with visitors, mostly covered in face masks and reasonably socially distanced. And folks who didn't follow the rules received a stern talking-to from local police.

Back in New York, I was immediately struck by the contrast between lively Turkey and the grim vibe pulsing through post-lockdown Manhattan.

"Corona was really a game-changing scenario for us and we are already preparing and taking precautions for next year," Güler said. In the meantime, "we are open for business and still waiting for Americans to show up."