Vanguard's Story

Guiding special interest groups and affluent travelers throughout Turkey as an officially licensed lecturer-guide during the early years of his career, Ferit Kayrak, Founder & President of Vanguard Travel Services, developed profound expertise and know-how in catering to high expectations of discerning travelers.

In 1995 meeting Sir Michael Hodgson, President of Maranatha Tours UK, was a life changing opportunity for Ferit. Sir Michael encouraged Ferit to form a destination management company of his own, inspiring him that there would only be success in the long run since Ferit already had the three major components to build a reputable destination management company; product knowledge, creativity and commitment to excellence (which later became the motto of Vanguard).

Founding Vanguard Travel Services in 1998, Ferit took the first step to fulfill his dream of building a destination management company that would later be a leading DMC in Turkey. Concentrating on human resources, Ferit managed to recruit a most dedicated team that adopted the innovative and perfectionist business approach that Vanguard was built on. Celebrating its twentieth anniversary in 2018, the inevitable result of investing on a team of committed professionals for Vanguard has been the fame for crafting and operating some of the most distinguished and personalized travel products and experiences in Turkey.

Running an amazing variety of custom tours and unique experiences in Turkey for the world’s top travel brands, the team of Vanguard Travel Services and Ferit are constantly brainstorming and exploring new ideas for more out-of-the-ordinary travel products to offer to their discerning clientele.