Travelling alone, or with someone?
Plenty of people travel to Turkey for All-on-6 on their own, and plenty take a partner or friend. The first trip, with surgery in the middle of it, is where the choice matters most. Here is what a companion actually helps with, and how to manage well if you go solo.
Medically reviewed by Dt. Hüseyin Yavuz Özbek, implant surgeon · Updated October 2026Travelling with someone helps most on the first trip: on surgery day, in the first two nights of swelling and on the flight home. A companion can listen during the consultation, collect medicines, manage luggage and notice if something is wrong. Many people travel alone successfully; if you do, choose a clinic that arranges transfers, stay close to the clinic, keep its WhatsApp number to hand and tell someone at home your schedule. The second trip is easier alone for most people.
The question often comes from people who are used to doing things themselves. They have travelled widely, they are not nervous about Turkey, and they do not want to burden anyone. Others would not dream of going alone. Both approaches can work well. The useful question is not “can I cope alone?” but “which moments of this trip are easier with help, and how do I cover them?”
Where a companion really helps
| Moment | What a companion does | If you are alone |
|---|---|---|
| Consultation and scan | Listens, takes notes, asks the question you forget | Write questions in advance; ask for the plan in writing |
| Surgery day | Waits, walks you back to the hotel, sorts medicines | Use the clinic transfer; collect medicines before surgery |
| First two nights | Fetches ice, soft food and drinks; notices if you are unwell | Stock the room in advance; agree check-ins with home |
| Flight home | Carries bags, handles staff, keeps you moving on the plane | Book airport assistance; travel light |
| Trip two | Gives a second opinion on the look of the final teeth | Take photos and video of the try-in to show family |
The case for taking someone on trip one
The first trip contains the most demanding day of the whole journey. After surgery, even a straightforward All-on-6 leaves you swollen, tired and talking less clearly than usual. Local anaesthetic wears off in the evening. You need to take medicines on time, keep ice on your face, sleep propped up and eat soft food. None of this is difficult, but all of it is easier with someone fetching things and keeping an eye on you.
A companion is also a second pair of ears. The consultation after the scan is where the final plan is confirmed, and it is a lot to take in: number of implants, any extra treatment, the price, consent forms. Two people remember more than one. If something seems different from the plan you were sent, a companion is more likely to notice and ask.
Finally, there is the journey home. Airports involve standing, queuing and carrying. Swelling and tiredness make that harder, and a companion can manage the bags and the conversations while you rest.
Travelling alone, well
Many patients travel alone for both trips and are glad they did: fewer flights to pay for, no need to coordinate diaries, and a quiet recovery. If you go solo, a few arrangements cover most of what a companion would do.
- Choose a clinic that arranges transfers. Being collected from the airport, the hotel and the clinic removes most of the logistics.
- Stay close to the clinic. A short drive matters on surgery day and for check-ups. See where you stay.
- Collect medicines before surgery. Ask whether painkillers and antibiotics are given at the clinic or need to be bought, and have them in your room before the anaesthetic wears off.
- Stock the room. Soft food, drinks, a straw, ice packs or a freezer bag, extra pillows.
- Know who to call at night. Save the clinic's WhatsApp and emergency numbers, and know that 112 is the emergency number in Turkey.
- Agree check-ins. Message someone at home every evening of the first trip, and tell them your surgery day.
- Book airport assistance. Free help is available at UK airports if you ask in advance. See airport assistance for older patients.
If you feel unwell while alone
Most discomfort after All-on-6 is expected: swelling, aching, tiredness and a little oozing of blood in the first day. Message the clinic with a photo if anything worries you; they would rather hear from you early. For a medical emergency, such as difficulty breathing or swallowing, bleeding that will not stop with pressure, chest pain or a high fever, GOV.UK advises dialling 112 and asking for an ambulance, then contacting your insurer. Keep your passport, insurance details and a list of your medicines together in the room so that anyone helping you can find them. Our article on emergency help in Turkey explains the steps.
Who makes a good companion
The best companion is calm, practical and willing to spend a few days mostly in a hotel. This is not really a holiday for them on trip one. They should be well enough to carry bags and walk to a pharmacy, comfortable in an unfamiliar city and able to stay with you on the first night after surgery. If the person who wants to come would rather sightsee, that is fine, as long as someone is with you on surgery day and that evening.
Adult children often ask whether they should go with a parent. If the parent is over 70, has a long-term condition or is anxious about travelling, it can make a real difference. Our article on helping a parent plan All-on-6 is written for them.
Costs and practicalities for a companion
A companion's flights are separate. Check whether the hotel nights in your package cover a shared room for two, and what meals are included. Airport transfers usually carry more than one person, but ask. Your companion also needs travel insurance and a passport valid for at least 150 days after arrival in Turkey, just as you do.
Think about the second trip separately. Many people take someone on the first trip and go alone on the second, when there is no surgery and the main decisions are about the look of the final teeth.
In the consultation room
Ask the clinic in advance whether a companion can join the consultation and the explanation of the plan. Many clinics are happy for that, because it reduces misunderstandings. The surgery room itself is normally limited to the patient and the clinical team for infection-control reasons. Your companion can usually wait at the clinic or return to the hotel and be called when you are ready.
For nervous travellers
If the idea of the trip itself makes you anxious, a companion may be the difference between going and not going. Tell the clinic about your anxiety. Many offer sedation for surgery, and knowing the exact schedule for each day helps. Equally, some people find they are calmer alone, without having to look after anyone else. Pick what suits you, not what you think you should do.
A note on the second trip
The second trip is usually much lighter: scans, a try-in, the fitting of the final teeth and some adjustments. There is no surgery, and most people feel well throughout. It is still worth having a trusted opinion on how the teeth look. If nobody can travel with you, take photos and a short video of the try-in and send them home before you approve the final design. Our guide to approving your final teeth explains what to look for.
At Precious Dental airport and clinic transfers are included in the package, and the clinic is a short drive from Antalya airport. Tell us when you enquire whether someone is travelling with you, so the hotel booking and transfers are arranged for two.
The short answer
If you can, take someone on the first trip, at least for surgery day and the night after. If you cannot, or would rather not, travel alone with a few safeguards: transfers arranged, a hotel near the clinic, medicines collected in advance and an evening check-in with home. The second trip is usually easy to do alone.
Common questions
Is it safe to travel alone for All-on-6 in Turkey?
Many patients do. The main risks are practical: feeling unwell or very tired after surgery with nobody to help. A clinic that arranges transfers, a hotel near the clinic and a clear plan for contacting the clinic at night reduce those risks.
Which trip is it most useful to have a companion on?
The first, because it includes surgery and the first nights of recovery. The second trip, for the final teeth, is usually much less demanding.
Can my companion come into the consultation?
Ask the clinic in advance. Many clinics welcome a second person in the consultation to help remember what was said; the surgery room itself is usually limited to the patient and the team.
Does the package cover a companion?
Check what the hotel nights include. A companion's flights are always separate, and meals or room upgrades may be extra.
What should a solo traveller tell someone at home?
Your flight numbers, hotel, clinic name and phone number, surgery date and when you expect to message. Agree a time to check in each evening of the first trip.
Sources
- NHS: treatment abroad checklist
- GOV.UK: Turkey travel advice, health
- GOV.UK: Turkey travel advice, getting help
Checked October 2026. Where we give our own view as a clinic, we say so.
Thinking about the trip?
Tell us where you're flying from and what you'd like done. A patient coordinator replies in plain English, and will say so honestly if travelling isn't the right step for you.