Woman's Tour of Floating Supermarket in Mediterranean Sea Goes Viral: 'They Have Everything' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Migros supermarket on the sea (left), aisles at the store.Photo:Brooke DeVard/Instagram (2)

Brooke DeVard/Instagram (2)

A mom who enjoyed a family vacation to Turkey is giving her followers a look at something most people don’t know about.

Brooke DeVardand her family were traveling to Turkey on an annual trip that began when she and her husband were married nearly a decade ago. A native New Yorker, DeVard’s yearly trip with her husband has become a family affair since welcoming their now 3-year-old son.

“One of the very first trips we took was called the Mavi Yolculuk, or the Blue Voyage. Basically you go from Istanbul all the way to Bojram and stop at little bays along the way. Families and people across Turkey have been doing it for forever,” DeVard tells PEOPLE.

“After my first time experiencing it with him, we’ve continued to do it and now we bring our son. It’s one of the things we really look forward to every year as a family.”

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One of the logistics DeVard was delighted to discover more about was how food and supplies were stocked on boats that spend extended periods of time on the water.

“My first visit [to the supermarket] was three years ago. It was the first time that I saw this floating grocery store and I was amazed. I couldn’t even wrap my mind around it. My family explains how all of the boats get their provisions when you’re out at sea for a long time,” she says.

Oreo display on the Migros at sea.Brooke DeVard/Instagram

Brooke DeVard/Instagram

“They have everything that you would find in a grocery store on land. So you might think it was a reduced, only essentials type thing, but really they have everything.”

While some commenters thought the prices in DeVard’s video seemed unreasonable, she noted that they are in Turkish lira. Converted to USD, her family finds the prices to be “really reasonable.”

“I think that’s interesting because you’d think because you don’t have many options at sea, there would be a big price increase. But the prices are very reasonable and very comparable to what you’d see on land for the same items,” the soon-to-be mom of two shares.

Ice cream at floating Migros.Brooke DeVard/Instagram

Seeing other people as captivated as she was during her first trip to the grocery store on the sea has been fun for DeVard.

“For me, it’s people’s excitement and being like, ‘I never knew this existed.’ One of the things I say in the voiceover is that there are things in the world that exist that you have no idea exist until you experience them,” she notes.

Brooke’s husband getting simit.Brooke DeVard/Instagram

The family has favorites they look forward to picking up on each trip.

“I get really excited about the peaches, which in Turkish, they say şeftaliler. They’re perfectly ripe and incredible. As a pregnancy craving, I get the white chocolate-dipped Oreos,” she shares.

“My son was very excited about being able to get pomegranate juice. We don’t usually let him drink a lot of juice since he’s only 3, but we allowed him to get pomegranate juice at the grocery store, which is great,” DeVard continues.

“The other thing I picked up at the grocery store isVogue Türkiye.Of course, we can get everything online on the tablet, but there’s something nice about getting a magazine. My husband loves when we buy simit, which is a baked bread similar to a bagel. It is a staple in all Turkish breakfasts, which are a huge part of their culture. So, to be able to have freshly baked simit on the sea is incredible.”

Brooke DeVard and family enjoying their travels.Courtesy of Brooke DeVard

Courtesy of Brooke DeVard

These trips, and family travel in general, have become important to DeVard and her family.

“I’m 5 months pregnant, so I had some concerns about how I’d feel, but I was great the whole time. I’m African-American, my husband is Turkish and so our son is half Black American, half Turkish. It was always very important that he, because we live in the States and he goes to school there, to make sure he has these summers to be exposed to Turkish culture, to eat Turkish foods, to be with his Turkish side of the family and hear the language being spoken. It was always important that he grows up equally connected to both sides of his heritage,” she says.

“One of the things I’m so grateful for is that he really likes being on the sea. He really likes being on the water. His favorite part is the little boat that takes you from your boat to the grocery store boat. That’s what he gets most excited about. It feels like a little adventure for him, but we’re happy that he really loves being on a boat.”

DeVard hopes the glimpses she shares of her family’s travel inspire others to pursue unique travel experiences.

“I’d say just go for it. It creates these long-lasting memories. It’s a really special way to bond with your family. You’re all together in a very small space, but I think if you have the courage to do it, it’ll create really unique memories.”

source: people.com